Harry Potter and the Gift From Death Part 2
by Powerofthewolves18
Summary: Sequel to Gift From Death Part 1 (GFD1). Join Harry and Co as they continue learning about Harry's years at Hogwarts (Will cover books 4 and 5!). Witness as new talents begin to develop, bonds strengthen, new things are revealed and learned, and they all learn more about Lycan's and what it means to be one of those overly large furry canines!
1. Chapter 1

Well here we are, the first chapter of Harry Potter and the Gift From Death Part 2. I'll admit it's a bit earlier than I thought it would be to have this put up but I'm glad about that. I got a lot of very positive reviews for Part 1 and I would like to say thank you all for your support, it has helped inspire me to keep on writing!

Enjoy Part 2 and keep those reviews coming please! xx

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING YOU RECOGNISE FROM THE WONDERFUL JK ROWLING!

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><p>Chapter 1 - The Large Family.<p>

It was a very tired Harry Potter who collapsed onto his bed in his best friend Ron's room on Friday the 13th of August 1998. He and his family had just returned from an interview that involved at least twenty reporters who all wanted pictures and stories.

Harry was just thinking about haw drastically his life had changed since the first and second days of that month, two weeks and his life was flipped upside down. This wasn't something new, he supposed, there has always been reporters and such trying to get stories on me. The main difference is that it wasn't just him the reporters were going crazy for.

With the return of seven people from the dead though, it was to be expected. The returnee's, Harry's parents, the Lupin's, Fred Weasley, Sirius and Regulus Black, were causing quite a stir in the magical world at that time.

Harry thought he would explode if another reporter asked him, "Mr Potter are you really a hybrid?" purley because it was so obviously true. He looked a lot healthier than the last time he'd been in the paper's for one, second, he didn't need his glasses anymore.

"Harry?" Ginny Weasley's voice came from not that far away.

"Yeah Gin?"

"You look exhausted. Do you want something to eat? I'm helping mum cook some meat for those who want some."

"Maybe a little bit of raw meat." he told her. This may have seemed odd to someone who wasn't a Lycan like him but it was perfectly normal at the Burrow, especially since almost half of the current occupants were Lycan's too.

"Of course." Ginny replied leaving the room.

_I love you,_ he sent after her through their soul bond. I'm glad death let us know what it was before we could hear each others thoughts, we were both trying out our forms in the garden, the first day after the returnee's arrived.

_I love you too, _she replied, her mind's presence indicated that she was amused but still very much in love with him.

Well I better go down to the kitchen if I wan't food, Harry thought, he got up and stretched before heading downstairs to find his family in the kitchen too.

His parent's, godfather, Remus and Dora Lupin all smiled tiredly at him from the table as he entered.

"Where is everyone?"

"Regulus went for some fresh air with the wolf cubs, carrying Jinx of course. I think the twins are in their room. Um..." Sirius trailed off.

"Bill and Fleur flood home and you know about Dudley, Petunia and Cecelia." Lily added, her sister nephew, niece-in-law and great niece had been taken home before the returnee's started doing interviews to keep them out of the papers on their request, "Charlie went to bed, so did Percy."

"Draco, Astoria, Cissy, Neville and Luna went home too." Remus supplied.

"My Mum's putting Teddy to bed before she goes to sleep herself." Dora added.

"Arthur's in the living room. He's fixing the wolf cubs a proper bed I think." James put in.

"Good, they need one, Jinx and Jex can't both just sleep in a box all night like they have been. There's just not been enough time to fix them a proper one." Harry nodded. "What about Ron and Hermione?"

"Outside. Ron said he needed to talk with Hermione privatley." Ginny smirked.

"Oh really?" Harry asked, "And your Mum let them?"

"Of course she did." Ginny grinned. "You know what she's like. She'll let us do anything unless she see's it as inappropriate."

"I didn't think Molly would relax that much." Sirius grinned, "She used to go mental at hand holding."

"Well... It's mostly because she know's were responsible enough after everything we've been through." Ginny sighed. "Especially after Fred died. She was in a state for a few months, not as bad as George mind you, but she started letting us away with more."

"How bad was it?" Remus asked gently.

"Pretty bad. All of us were worried about George. The first time he smiled, without making it a forced smile, was when I asked to bring you lot back and he heard Fred was coming back." Harry sighed. "He seemed to be getting better but..."

"We know he would always be missing a part of him." Ginny finished.

Just then Molly walked into the kitchen levitating seven plates with some type of meat on each, some more cooked than others.

"Here we are." she announced directing the plates onto the table and ending the spell.

"Thank you Molly." Dora smiled.

"No problem dear." she replied, "I'll be in the living room if any of you need me for anything." she told them before leaving.

Harry and Ginny both picked up a plate of raw looking meat. Everybody else got their own plates.

"I decided what you were having sounded good." Ginny told him when he raised an eyebrow at her.

He chuckled, "Feel free to copy me."

"Oh I will. I can hear your thought's so it's going to be easier than normal to steal your ideas." she teased.

"We have got to learn how to block that. We'd drive each other crazy if we could always hear each other's thought's." he commented.

"Have you tried Occumelancy?" James asked. "It might work if you both do it."

"Hm... I don't know. I've never been good at Occumelancy." Harry admitted.

"Correction. You never had a decent teacher." Sirius put in. "Regulus know's it quite well. I can see if he will teach you when we're done with catching up." he suggested. "Both of you."

"That would be good." Ginny nodded, "Even if it doesn't work on the link then it's still useful to know."

"True. And Harry? Your not under pressure to learn it now, not like you were in the past." Remus smiled.

"I know. That was disastrous though. But I'll admit I finally figured out how to stop him getting anywhere near my mind."

"Who?" Lily asked.

"Voldemort." Harry sighed. "He used to try and break into my mind."

"How'd you stop him if you don't know Occumelancy all that well?" James frowned.

"Simple, it was love." Ginny smiled, "Voldemort couldn't stand being touched by something so pure and good."

"Not even when he was in my head." Harry muttered.

"He was what?" Dora asked.

"I had a connection with old Voldie. It used to make my scar hurt because of it. I could get into his mind but he could also get into mine." he explained.

"It's one reason Albus didn't tell him the prophesy as well." Sirius muttered bitterly, "Apparently he'd rather have people nearly dead or dead than have Voldemort know what was in there."

"He never knew that Harry knew." Ginny sighed, "It took your death Sirius, before Albus told Harry what it was."

"Really? I thought it was the fact I almost destroyed his office because he locked me in and wouldn't let me leave." Harry said sarcastically.

"You did what?" Sirius asked.

Harry shrugged, "He annoyed me and I got angry."

"And you couldn't control your anger?" James guessed.

"Wasn't just mine. The connection with Voldemort allowed me to feel his emotions, I think he felt mine too but I'm not sure, so it was his anger mixed with mine." he explained.

The rest of the meal was spent in silence. When everyone had finished Regulus walked back in carrying Jinx and Jex was walking behind him.

"Hello." Regulus said, "Here, you two can understand them and Jinx kept squirming. When I sat him on the ground he just sat and stared at me." he explained handing Jinx to Harry as Ginny lifted Jex up onto her knee.

"What is it Jinx?" Harry asked.

"We have a question." the cub replied.

"What is the darkness we can sense off of the one who was holding Jinx? And the other who was here with the two-leg having a cub?" Jex asked.

"Oh. That. Well... It's called a Dark Mark. There was this evil wizard who marked his followers with it." Ginny explained while rubbing Jex's back to relax the cub who was still a little wary around the other humans if they moved suddenly.

"The evil wizard was called Voldemort, he was around for more than 50 years before I managed to kill him a few month's ago." Harry added, he was rubbing Jinx's ears knowing the cub found it soothing.

"You killed him? Why?" Jex asked curiously.

"He threatened to kill our pack and he killed a lot of other people." Ginny supplied, "He actually did kill a few member's of our pack. Remember how we explained about the returnee's." both cubs nodded. "Well it was Voldemort that killed them."

"Voldemort was a threat to your pack." Jinx stated, "He had to be removed. Harry as the Alpha Male had to be the one to get rid of the threat."

"An Alpha's first duty is to their pack." Jex nodded, "We would like to ask you something else though. If the two-leg's we can sense the darkness off were part of Voldemort's pack then why are they around you? If they followed the man who was a threat to your pack then wouldn't they be a threat as well?"

"Not exactly... Regulus died while leaving Voldemort's pack. Draco never wanted to be part of his pack but was born into it as his father was a member."

"So they left the pack?" he asked. Harry nodded.

"Dosn't that sound like what Grand-papa did? He left because he didn't like the Alpha. Mama and Papa only stayed because it was safer." Jex said to Jinx, "I remember Papa telling us the story one night when the moon was only half full."

"That was in the past Jex. We have to let it go." Jinx huffed, "As much as we don't wan't to." Jex whined a little.

"You know there's no shame in holding onto the past." Harry told them, "Half of our pack has to see and hear my stories so they know what has happened in my life before I was a Lycan."

"You have a point." Jinx admitted, "What I mean is we can't continue to grieve forever."

"It hasn't even been a week yet." Ginny reminded him. "You are both only a moon old, that translates to a month in our time, and you have lost your parents so young."

"Jinx is just being stupid because he has to be the Alpha out of both of us." Jex proclaimed, "He was always the special one. No Gaurdian wolf can survive without an alpha or if they don't have an Alpha then a two-leg to guard. We can't go back to our pack again so he's going to have to be the Alpha for us both."

"No you don't." Harry sighed, "How would you two like to join our pack until you find humans to protect."

Jinx nodded, "It may not take as long as you think but we accept the offer. I am still too young to be a proper Alpha."

Jex nodded. "It only makes sense. Thank you."

"Not a problem. Now I believe it's bedtime." Ginny announced looking around to see it was only her Harry and the wolf cub's in the room, the other's having left quietly, "Why don't you come with me Jex? And Jinx can go with Harry. We will get you two proper bed's tomorrow."

Both cubs nodded again so Harry and Ginny picked them up and went upstairs and to bed for the night.

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><p>I know it's a bit short but I hope you enjoyed it, I'll put up more chapters tomorrow when I'm not babysitting (Which I'm currently doingsupposed to be doing... Getting annoyed by my little cousin is making it impossible to put more chapters up tonight) so expect at least 9 chapters or so tomorrow.

Review please x


	2. Chapter 2

I know these chapters are a bit later than I said they would be, I just couldn't find the time to get them up with getting ready for Christmas etc, so I apologise for the delay.

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><p>Chapter 2 - Breakfast.<p>

14th August, Saturday, 1998.

The next morning at breakfast Ginny noticed something was odd about George.

"Any reason your staring at me Gin?" he asked turning to look at her, smiling innocently.

"Yes. I don't know what it is but there's something different about you this morning."

"Ooh. She's onto us Gred." Fred smirked.

"Right you are Forge." he grinned.

"George... You have two ears." Ginny said, looking between the twins and figuring this out, looking shocked, "How?"

George grinned wider, "Well Gin-Gin, aren't we observant today. It's because of this thing we invented, it's called a polyjuice pendant. At the moment it's set to make anyone who's wearing it look like Fred." he pulled out a little shark tooth shaped pendant from around his neck.

"You see? We said we'd find a way to get George his ear back. Even if this is only temporary I doubt people are going to be able to tell us apart again." Fred smirked. "We won't be putting these in the store though. Too dangerous." he shrugged.

"They don't register with Secrecy Sensors so it would be bad if they got into the wrong hand's." George agreed, "It feels weird to have two ears again."

"I can imagine." Harry snorted, "You walked about with a hole in the side of your head for almost a year and it's gone for as long as that pendant works."

At that moment the pendant in question glowed purple and George's appearance turned back to normal.

"An hour... We need to see if we can make it last longer Gred." Fred said after looking at his watch.

"Yes we do Forge." George agreed taking the pendant off and Banishing it to his room with a wave of his wand. "And see if we can get it to give a warning that it's wearing off before it dose, not an obvious way like glowing."

"Hmm... Back to the drawing board." Fred shrugged.

"Your still working on your disguise stuff then?" Remus asked. "As well as defensive and offensive items?"

"You never know when you need to make a quick get away." George shrugged.

"One of the many things Harry taught the DA." Fred added.

"I did?" Harry asked in surprise, most in the room chuckled.

"Yes you did... Or at least you implied it." George said.

"You told us that it was generally a bad thing to let your enemy trap you at any time and if he or she does trap you, then you must use everything you have to your advantage." Fred explained.

"Therefore sometimes you need an object or distraction. Something you can use to change how you look or something to make it seem like you're invincible. Like our spell deflectors, if you're wearing one that isn't obvious, like the rings, then your enemy will panic if the most common spells don't work."

"But they might switch to the Unforgivables if they want you dead or too hurt to fight." Regulus pointed out, "I know a lot of Death Eater's did that in the past because I experienced it and Draco told me about this time around." he explained.

"You have a point and Draco's right about the Unforgivables but we tell people what the deflectors will deflect. They started out as joke products funnily enough." Fred mused.

"You know dare your friends to hex you and laugh at their shocked faces when it doesn't work." George added. "But they came in handy when half the ministry couldn't and can't do decent Shield charms."

"Some were pathetic." Dora nodded, "I mean, who can't cast Protego strong enough to repel something like a Body Bind or a first year spell except people who haven't been trained or are still in school?"

"Hardly any of the DA could when we started." Ron put in, "Harry had to teach us all."

"Even my shield was pathetic." Hermione admitted.

"You two, Ginny, George and Fred still had the strongest shields." Harry commented, "There were some people in 7th year who couldn't even cast the spell properly."

"Really? I thought that Protego was a 5th year spell?" Lily asked.

"It is." Fred nodded, "George and I were probably the only two in our year that could cast it strong enough to repel most spells. Harry could when he was in 4th year. Ginny in her 4th year too because of the DA."

"And we learned it in 4th too." Hermione added pointing at Ron who nodded.

"Learning ahead of time?" James asked.

"You could say that." Harry nodded, "Considering Voldemort wanted me dead I figured it was best to give myself a head start. With Ron and Hermione being so close to me they learned most of the spell's I did too."

"The main exception was the Patronus charm." Ron agreed, "And a few we learned with the DA, Harry learned them with our help then taught the DA the spells."

"It was Hermione who found most of them and she taught me and Ron to do them, I just taught the DA the one's we knew." Harry added.

"Which shocked us. You three knew, and probably still know, more spell's than us." George admitted with Fred nodding beside him. "At least offensive ones."

"We pride ourselves with knowing more than everybody else." Hermione smirked, "Some of the teachers don't even know some of the spell's we know now."

"That's quite hard to believe. Name one and we will believe you." Sirius challenged.

"Hmm... Mortimus Expando." Harry smirked, "Makes your target get fatter and fatter until they can't move. It dosn't kill them though, just restricts them."

"Okay. Now we believe you." Remus chuckled, "Even I didn't know that one."

"There's also Winduloo Gigantus. Makes a inescapable wind surround your target and steals their wand. It knocks your opponent unconcious for a time." Ron grinned, "And its practically unblockable, it's a fast moving spell. Very useful spell, that one."

"I'd imagine. Where did you find these spells?" Lily asked suspiciously.

"Well... Er... Hermione?" Harry asked nervously.

"Um... Books?" she half-guessed.

"What books?" Remus asked frowning.

"Um... We can't tell you." Ron said, "Because we don't know which ones."

Sirius sniffed the air subtly, "Your lying. Heavily. I can smell it." he frowned. "Why are you lying?"

"Because... The spell's are not in normal books." Harry sighed, "We weren't planning on telling people where they came from." he admitted. "We got them out of books on Dark Magic but the spell's themselves aren't dark. There not light either mind you. It depends on your intent and what you want them to do."

"Grey spells." James nodded. "I know a few of those myself. Everyone praises the Potter line on being light magic only, but there's been a few in the family that's been dark."

"Same case with the Weasley's." Arthur admitted, "There has been Weasley's on the Dark side before. As you said, Harry, it depends on intent." he smiled.

"True. In the Black family we were all taught grey spell's over the holiday's after starting Hogwarts." Andy said giving Teddy some chocolate milk.

"Nothing wrong with grey spells as long as you use them carefully." Sirius nodded.

"That's why we learned them. We knew Death Eaters and Voldemort wanted us dead and they use purley Dark magic so we thought we'd use some grey to surprise them and give us more to work with." Hermione admitted.

"Came in handy to know them. Even if we didn't, or don't, use them too often." Harry added. "It was safer knowing them and not needing them than it was not knowing and needing them."

"Good logic." Dora nodded, "That's why Aurors are taught some Dark and Grey magic. So we know if we do need them and aren't stuck if we don't know them. Like the Unforgivables. It's frowned upon to kill and torture but if it's the Imperius then it can be helpful."

"Like if you are in enemy territory and are about to be revealed?" Harry suggested making her nod and look at him suspiciously. "I've been in that situation before." he explained, "Just a few months ago actually."

"Harry! You used the Imperius?" Lily asked shocked.

"The price would have been Ron, Hermione and I's lives if I hadn't, Mum. We would have been killed." he retorted defensively.

"We really would have." Hermione nodded, "The war was at it's worst. It was the only thing he could have done. He was under the cloak and me and Ron were disguised but in plain sight, so they would have seen us if we had tried to do anything."

"And they wouldn't have seen Harry." Ron added, "Obviously because he was invisible. But they're both right, we would have died if Harry never used the Imperius."

"Well... I'm still not happy about it but if it saved your lives then I can live with it." Lily decided.

"I don't think I did it right if it makes you feel better." Harry smiled. "It was too shaky. But obviously it was still strong enough to keep us alive."

"Much better actually." Lily smiled back. "Anyway, what are we doing today?"

"It's up to you. Hermione, Ron and I have to go to Diagon Alley later for a meeting so it's your choice if you want to come with us or stay here." Harry smiled. "I'll be going to get Aunt Petunia and Dudley before I leave so they can get their wands and stuff to start their magical training." he added.

"I think I'll come to help Petunia then. She was terrified the first time she went to Diagon Alley." Lily giggled.

"I'll come too. I can help with Dudley. I need to get to know my nephew after all. And we need to go get our wand's from the Potter vault too." James said thoughtfully.

"Kingsley's getting my wand for me today so I'll stick around here." Sirius decided.

"Remus and I are going to spend the day with Teddy and Mum here." Dora grinned.

"I need a new wand. My old one was destroyed I think." Regulus frowned.

"It would have been." Harry nodded.

"Then I'll come as well." he decided.

"We're going to the shop." Fred and George said.

"Well after we're done here." George added.

"We need to check everything's okay and we're meeting Lee, Angelina and our other helper to arrange a grand re-opening. Since I'm back now we're thinking about something big." Fred explained.

"I got an owl this morning from Bill. He need's help with something so me and Percy are going to go help him." Charlie said while Percy nodded. "Bill said he's going to meet you three at 8.30pm at the Leaky Cauldron, said something about you needing an escort to Gringotts." he told the Golden Trio, they nodded.

"We're staying here." Molly smiled, Arthur nodded.

"And I'm coming with you too." Ginny smiled. "Maybe we can nip into St. Mungos and see our adopted sons." she suggested.

Harry nodded, "There should be time for that before we leave actually. Our meeting not until 9 tonight and it's only 9.30am now. Half the shop's won't close until 7 tonight and we can either sit in the Leaky Cauldron until Bill meet's us or we can come back here for an hour."

"We can make a day of it." Hermione suggested, "And have a meal while we wait for Bill to arrive."

"Great idea." Harry smiled as everyone finished breakfast. "Anyone else want to come see our adopted sons?" he asked.

"It would be nice to meet our Grandsons." Molly mused, looking at Arthur, who shrugged.

"Sure why not." he smiled.

The older Weasley brothers politely declined and left to do what they were doing.

"Right so it's just us going then?" Regulus asked. "I'm quite curious about these kids you and Ginny have adopted." he admitted.

"Me too. I'll join you and then come back here." Sirius added.

"What about you three?" Harry asked Remus, Dora and Andy.

"Maybe next time." Andy smiled.

"We could go for a look." Remus suggested to Dora, "If no-one object's we could take Teddy to meet his adopted god-brother's."

"It would be fine with us. Teddy deserve's to meet them as much as everyone else." Ginny smiled.

"All right." Dora nodded chuckling, "You've convinced me."

"Brilliant." Harry grinned. "Let's go get ready."

Everyone nodded and left to go get ready for the day.

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><p>Review please x<p> 


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3 - St. Mungo's.

14, August. 1998.

When everyone was ready to leave for the hospital Harry lead them into the kitchen to Floo there.

"Just go to reception." he told them before he went into the fire with a handfull of Floo powder, "St. Mungo's, reception!" he shouted and was gone in a burst of green flames.

Everyone soon followed and were standing in the main reception area within ten minutes.

"Follow me." Harry instructed.

He and Ginny led everyone to the Maternity Ward and to the little reception area there.

"Hello." Ginny said to the witch behind the desk, "Ginny Weasley and Harry Potter here with their family to see Casper and Jasper Potter."

The witch looked up from a bit of paper she had been reading.

"Hello. Which Healer is their main carer?" she asked smiling politley.

"Her name is Emily McLee." Harry told her.

"Hold on a moment." the witch requested. She got up and stuck her head into a room to her right that was labled 'Staff Only'. She said something then returned.

"She'll be here in a moment. Please have a seat. Can I get you anything?" she asked.

"No thank you. I am curious though, you never reacted much to our apperance." Harry commented, "Especially since there's four of the returnee's here."

"I was warned beforehand that you and Miss Weasley may bring your family and friend's to see the twin's." the witch explained, "I'm Tessa by the way, Tessa McLee. Emily's younger sister." she added.

"Nice to meet you. I never would have guessed you and Emily were sisters." Ginny commented.

"Well more half-sisters, we had different fathers and there's at least 10 years between us." Tessa admitted. "Not much resemblance." she shrugged as Emily came out of the room.

"Hello, I was wondering when I'd see you lot." she smiled. "Casper and Jasper have been moved to a more private part of the ward." she explained, "Just follow me."

The large group followed Emily down two corridor's before stopping at a door marked 'Private. Family and Staff only.'

Emily opened the door and the group filed into the room.

Harry and Ginny went straight over to a expanded crib on the other side of the room and picked up a baby each. Ginny had Casper and Harry had Jasper.

"Oh! There even more adorable in real life." Molly sighed happily.

"Do you wan't to hold one?" Ginny said offering Casper to her as Harry did the same to Lily with Jasper.

Molly smiled and took the tiny wide-awake baby into her arms as Lily took Jasper.

"It's amazing how small they are." Arthur commented, "Even for twin's. Fred and George were much bigger."

"The mother wasn't in the best condition." Emily sighed, "We think that's how she died Mr..."

"Oh just call me Arthur." he smiled.

"Oop's, I forgot. Do you know everyone?" Harry asked Emily.

"Essentially but not personally." she admitted.

Everyone quickly introduced themselves as Casper and Jasper were passed around for everyone to have a hold.

"It sound's sappy but they really are adorable." Regulus chuckled looking down at Jasper in his arms.

"Nothing sappy about it when we all agree." Sirius shrugged, while smiling.

"Just proves that Voldemort used to be good looking in his youth." Ginny added. "As you saw in the memories of Harry's second year." she shuddered.

"The mother wasn't much of a looker either. We finally got a name for her. It was a young witch only 20 years old called Gretel Yeller. She was Pureblood and had a file here that matched her description." Emily told them.

"I've never heard the name Yeller before." Regulus frowned.

"Apparently she changed her name shortly after being disowned a few years ago." Emily frowned, "I don't know what happened."

"Wait, Yeller? Ah, I know roughly who she was, Draco told me." Harry admitted. "She was disowned. She used to be a Yaxley but her family disowned her for something. She still stayed with the Death Eater's though." he shrugged and accepted Casper from Dora. Teddy was looking on curiously from Remus's arms.

"'Dat?" the little boy asked pointing at one twin then the other.

"Teddy these are your new god-brothers. This is Jasper." Harry said walking over.

"And this is Casper." Ginny smiled as Regulus handed the baby to her.

"Ca'per n' Ja'per?" Teddy looked at them both.

"Yes, Casper and Jasper." Harry praised as Jasper yawned a little.

"They really are amazing." Remus smiled, "I have a feeling they're going to do great things when they're older."

"How could they not?" James snorted, "Especially with Harry and Ginny being their parent's. I doubt they'd even consider going Dark."

"Yes well we hope not." Ginny frowned, "I think as long as they're loved and raised properly we should be safe." Casper squirmed a little in her arms and she looked down, "Wow. Any of you had a look at their eyes?" she asked.

"I noticed they're brighter in real life than in photo's." Sirius smiled. "Little odd until you get used to it."

"I think it's quite cool." James nodded. "Tell's people their unique to everyone except each other."

The others nodded, "How on earth are you going to tell them apart?" Molly asked.

"The same way we used to with Fred and George. We can't tell you their secret or they'd be very, very angry and would probably prank us for a week straight." Harry smirked.

"I noticed it." Remus admitted smugly. "And Dora know's."

"Tell us please?" Molly asked.

"Nope. You have to spot this one yourself." Dora grinned. "That way you can do the whole 'That should have been obvious' bit."

"If it's that obvious then we haven't been paying as close attention to our boys than we should have Molly." Arthur chuckled, "Before George lost his ear even we managed to confuse them most of the time."

"True. But they did that on purpose. They'd swap places and wear they're opposite jumpers." Molly sighed, "They knew how to confuse even me and I gave birth to them." she laughed.

"When the rest of us figure it out we're going to slap ourselves silly aren't we?" Regulus asked.

"Yes you are." Harry nodded, "Either figure it out or your stuck."

"Or bribe them to tell you." Ginny added.

"Is that what you did?" Ron asked.

"No. I just notice things no one else dose. Come's with being the youngest and the only girl." she smirked. "Bill, Charlie and Percy don't know how to do it either." she commented as both Casper and Jasper fell asleep. Harry followed Ginny and put them both in the crib. "Is there a reason they're sharing?" she asked Emily curiously.

"They don't like being separated too long." she shrugged, "They scream like mad if they wake up and aren't together. Same if they can't see each other at all." she explained.

"We should definitely remember that." Harry smiled, "I don't fancy them screaming about something that could be easily avoided by keeping them together."

"Here's their latest photo's by the way." Emily handed him a brown envelope. "You will get they're file a few days before they go home with you so you can learn their habits and schedules."

"Thank you." Ginny smiled, "That would be helpful."

"We're fixing one of the problems tonight so it shouldn't be much longer." Harry added, "Tonight is the main problem apart from one or two little thing's."

"Fair enough." Emily nodded, "I'll admit I'm curious about what you're going to do if you return to schooling this year?"

"We are returning but we've sorted out ways to go home and see them." Harry smiled. "Their adoptive grandparent's have agreed to help us out in taking care of them." he gestured towards his and Ginny's parent's.

"Very good. You'll need help with those two, it's only years of practice that's allowed me to keep up with them. And I drag my sister into help at feeding time if she's not busy." Emily admitted. "Occasionally I'll get one of the other Medi-witch's to help." she shrugged. "They all love doing it because these two are quiet well behaved most of the time."

"Most of the time?" Molly asked.

"Oh they just get fussy sometimes." Emily shrugged. "Most babies do. They always behave for me though so it's not a problem. They just aren't keen on some members of staff."

"Any idea why?" Regulus asked.

"Nope. It's just them being picky." she laughed.

"All babies get like that." Molly nodded. "Fred and George were picky too. Half the time they wouldn't go to Charlie or Percy or even Arthur sometimes."

"Ron and Ginny did that with most people. They would only come to Molly or me, more often Bill and Charlie than us though." Arthur chuckled as Ron and Ginny went bright red.

"Harry was the same." James put in, "He would refuse to go to anyone who wasn't Lily, Sirius, Remus or me."

"No he'd sometimes go to Alice and Frank." Lily reminded him.

Harry looked thoughtful. "Do you want to go see Alice and Frank?" he asked.

"Can we?" Lily asked hopefully.

"I'm sure Neville said he was coming in today but he shouldn't mind." Ginny said. "He knows you knew them too."

"It would be nice to see them." James nodded, "We know they're not exactly themselves but..."

"You want to see them." Hermione finished, he nodded.

"Alright let's go up. Bye Emily." Harry said as they walked out of the room.

Molly and Arthur returned to the Burrow with Sirius, Remus, Teddy and Dora, who'd been to visit them before, and Regulus went to the tea room.

When they reached the ward they saw Neville and Luna standing outside talking quietly.

The two turned when they heard footsteps.

"Hello you lot. What are you doing here?" Neville asked smiling.

"Hello Neville, Luna. We were visiting our adoptive son's when James and Lily asked if they could come up to see your parents." Ginny explained while hugging her two friends. "Regulus was with us but he went to the tea room. So was Mum, Dad, Sirius, Remus, Dora and Teddy but they all went home."

"Quite a few people then." Luna commented.

"Ginny I need to ask you something." Neville said leading her away from the rest of the group who just stood and talked while waiting for them.

"What's up Neville?" Ginny asked looking confused.

"Remember what you told us about Lycan's?" she nodded still confused, "You said that it could cure any illness or disease. Do you think it would work on my parents?" he asked nervously.

She thought for a moment, "It should. But if you do try it... Be careful. And... Try not to get your hopes up, just in case it doesn't work." she sighed, "It would be brilliant if it did but..."

"It's not guaranteed?" Neville guessed.

"Exactly." Ginny nodded. "It might work but it might not." she frowned, "How are you going to convince the nurse to allow you to transform?"

"I have final say on all of their treatments since I took the title of Lord Longbottom last night." he grinned showing Ginny a ring that had a crest with some kind of plant set in a yellow gem. It was on his left hand on the middle finger. "Gran transferred they're files to me as their main relative. I get final say on anything that's to be done to them."

"Congratulations Neville." Ginny smiled. "I think you should request they be put in a separate room if you decide to follow through with changing them though."

"That's what Luna thought." he nodded as they re-joined the group. "And I'm going through with it. I was thinking about it last night and it's worth the risk. I can wait until you've visited if you like?" he offered.

"Go through with what?" Harry asked.

"A plan that might help my parents get their minds back." Neville explained his idea quickly. "I really only needed a second opinion and a little advice from Ginny."

"It sound's like a good plan." Hermione smiled. "Death said that the Lycan virus can break through any curse, illness, disease or anything similar. The Advanced healing will probably help a lot too." she added.

"That's what we thought." Luna smiled, "We were talking about it last night after Neville took Lordship over Longbottom house." she added.

"Congratulation's." Ron grinned. Everybody else echoed him a second later.

"Thank you." Neville blushed. "Do you want to visit them before I try to turn them?"

"I think we can wait. It's not fair to make you wait even longer." Lily said.

"We can wait. We should probably head to Diagon Alley soon anyway. It's already 11.30." Harry commented, "I still need to go get Aunt Petunia and Dudley too, maybe Amber and Cecelia if she want's to come." he shrugged.

"Let us know how it goes will you?" Ginny asked hugging Neville again.

"Sure. I'll use my P.C.D to call you so keep yours with you." Neville said. "Or Luna'll call you or send you a Patronus."

"We always have ours on us anyway." Harry grinned, "They are so useful."

"They are." Luna agreed, "Did you know your colours have changed a little?" she asked conversationally, "Ginny's too."

"Changed how?" Ginny asked.

"Harry's red colour looks a little darker and your gold looks brighter. Ginny your pink looks a little more like purple and your red is the same as Harry's." she explained.

"Do you think it could be dangerous?" Harry asked.

"I can't be sure but I don't think so. It's like your magic's are trying to copy each other." Luna frowned, tilting her head to the side, "They want to be similar but not the same."

"We'll get Poppy to check later. Or Andy if she know's how." Ginny decided.

"Or we can try this. Harry is it dangerous?" Hermione asked.

Harry's eyes glazed over slightly, "No. It is part of the soul bond. Our magic recognises the bond and will merge together eventually." he answered in a flat voice before saying normaly, "What was that?"

"It's part of the knowledge Death gave us." Ginny told him, "It happened to me a few day's ago when Hermione asked me a question that we didn't know the answer to. We weren't sure what it was." she explained, "I forgot to tell you."

"Brilliant. More weirdness." he chuckled. "Nothing out of the ordinary for us I suppose." he shrugged.

"You can say that again." Ron laughed.

"Nothing out -" Harry started, grinning.

"Not literally Harry."

"You set yourself up for that one Ron." James chuckled.

"I know." he sighed.

"Anyway we'll go get Regulus and then go get Aunt Petunia and Dudley." Harry said, "Remember to let us know how it goes Nev."

"I won't forget." he promised, "If I do Luna will remember."

Luna nodded, "I'll remember it. We'll see you later."

"We're continuing the memories tomorrow. If everything goes okay with your parent's, Nev, feel free to bring them along, we're starting at noon-ish." Harry smiled. "Bye." the others said there goodbyes and the group left to get Regulus from the tea room.

When they arrived at the tea room they found Regulus sitting talking with a older witch.

"Hey Reggie!" James called making him look up.

"Don't call me Reggie, Jamie." he snapped.

"I won't if you don't call me Jamie."

"Deal. Anyway are we going?"

"Yeah. We're going to get my Aunt and cousin." Harry nodded. "Unless you'd rather wait at the Burrow? We're going to have to go back before we go to Diagon anyway."

"Why?" Lily asked.

"Glamours. It will stop us getting mobbed." Hermione explained, "I thought of it and suggested it to Harry."

"It makes sense. We'll get a day out in peace." James nodded.

The group departed and went to Number 4 Privet drive via Apparation. They Apparated right into the kitchen so no-one would see them.

"Aunt Petunia! Dudley!" Harry called when they arrived.

Petunia walked into the kitchen and smiled.

"I was wondering when you'd get here. Dudley's just putting Cecelia down for a nap, Amber's staying with her."

An exhausted looking Dudley walked in at that moment, "Cecelia's finally asleep and Amber's going to take a nap too."

"You look tired." Ginny commented.

"It doesn't help when your daughter is up all night screaming." he told them, "She refused to calm down and wouldn't sleep."

"I can sympathise with that. At least you didn't have to deal with fire." James chuckled.

"Be fair James. Harry didn't always set thing's on fire." Lily smiled.

"Nope he trashed the house when he didn't. I swear I've never seen so much accidental magic in my life."

"Oh good. It is a child's job to make trouble and that's exactly what I did." Harry smirked, "I remember a few times." he added. "Like the time I set you on fire Dad, the memory is foggy and blurred but its there."

"Ah yes, well that was my own fault." he admitted, "I should have restricted your power with mine."

"James you were half asleep when he did that." Lily laughed. James huffed but nodded.

"Are you two up for Diagon Alley today?" Harry asked.

"I'll be fine. Mum got a full night's sleep so she's perfect." Dudley muttered.

"No idea how I slept through the screaming." Petunia shrugged.

"Amber probably put up silencing wards on our room." Dudley said, "She went and got her wand yesterday and she's been using magic a little more now that we know." he explained.

"That makes sense." Ginny nodded. "There was no reason for you all to be up all night."

"Should we just put the Glamour's on here?" Ron asked, "It would save time." he added.

"I suppose. Hermione?" Harry asked.

"What do you want done?" she asked taking her wand out.

"Um... Lighter hair, hide the stupid scar and change my eye colour." he decided, "As far from myself as possible."

"Okay how about blonde hair and blue eye's." she suggested, he nodded and she waved her wand to change his appearance. "Ginny what do you want?"

"Umm... I'll go with light brown hair and green eyes."

Hermione nodded and changed her.

"I'll go with a darker blonde than Harry, a short beard and grey eyes." Ron said before Hermione could ask. She nodded and changed him.

"What about you three?" Harry asked his parent's and Regulus.

"Umm... I'll copy Harry's hair with my eyes light green." James decided.

"I'll go with blue eyes and black hair." Lily added while Hermione changed James's appearance.

"Umm..." Regulus frowned, "How about black eyes and dark brown hair with a beard to match."

"How long do you want the beard?" Hermione asked when she had finished doing Lily's changes.

"A little longer than Ron's." he replied, she nodded and made the changes.

"All done." she announced, "Petunia and Dudley, you won't need glamours as your faces haven't been all over the newspapers with us. You're less recognisable." she explained.

"Fair enough." Petunia nodded.

"Let's go. We're apperating so you two are with me." Harry told Petunia and Dudley, "Regulus you're with Hermione. Mum your with Ginny and Dad can go with Ron. If you think you can Ron." he added.

"Hey! You know I'm alright with Apparation and Side-Along now." Ron protested.

"Now?" James repeated nervously.

"He used to splinch himself often." Ginny giggled, "I'll take you as well. Ron you may be okay with it now, but you haven't done it in a while." she said.

"Probably for the best." he admitted.

"Let's go then." Harry said taking Petunia and Dudley by the arms, "You two know this is uncomfortable for a minute right?" the two nodded as the one's taking people took the them by the arm's as well. "Right into the Leaky Cauldron." he said before they all disappeared with a 'Crack' or 'Pop'.

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><p>Review please x<p> 


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4 - Diagon Alley.

14, August. 1998.

Once everyone had arrived at the Leaky Cauldron in the room designated for Apparating they quickly left and went out to the courtyard that was the entrance to Diagon Alley.

Harry took his wand out and tapped the right bricks, "Welcome." he said to Dudley and Petunia as the bricks moved, "To Diagon Alley." he grinned.

Dudley's eyes were wide and he was looking around interestedly. Petunia looked around curiously.

"It's changed since the last time I was here." Petunia commented.

"It was all but destroyed during the war." Hermione sighed, "It's all repaired now but a few shop's are still being repaired. Like Florean Fortscue's he's still repairing the damage done to his shop but it's almost completely normal again."

"Where are we going first?" James asked.

"Um... Ollivander's. Dudley and Petunia need to get they're wand's and Regulus need's a new one so that will take the longest." Ginny smiled.

Everyone agreed and headed towards the wand shop.

Upon entering Ollivander's they were greeted by the man himself.

"Hello, Mr Ollivander." Harry smiled.

"Forgive me for being rude but do I know you?" the man replied.

"Oh sorry. We're wearing Glamor's. It's me Harry Potter."

"Ah good morning Mr Potter. I see it now. I'm guessing some returnee's need wand's then?"

"No just Regulus. And my Aunt Petunia and cousin Dudley need they're first wand's. They have latent magic." Harry explained.

"Right, well Mr Black, you first."

Regulus stepped forward.

"There's no change in height or anything is there?"

"No Mr Ollivander, just eyes hair and, for Ron and Regulus, beards." Ginny smiled.

"Excellent. Hold your wand arm out please Mr Black." Regulus held his left arm out and Ollivander started taking measurement's. "You old wand was made of Oak, 10 inches, unyielding, with Dragon Heartstring as the core?"

"That's the one." Regulus grinned.

Ollivander nodded, "Graham! Get boxes 34, 36, 42, 45 and 47 for me please." he called.

"Sure thing Uncle G." a voice called back.

"My nephew's helping me. Eventually he will take over the business when I retire." Ollivander explained at Harry's curious look. He nodded in understanding as a young boy appeared carrying the requested boxes.

"Here you are. Hello." he smiled handing a box to Ollivander.

"Try this one Mr Black." Ollivander said handing a wand to Regulus, "11 Inches, Oak, Pliable with Unicorn tail hair as the core."

Regulus waved the wand around and nothing happened.

"That wand does not accept anyone." Ollivander sighed putting the wand back in the box.

They tried the other wand's and the last one, 10 and 3/4 inches, made of birchwood, unyielding with a Dragon Heartstring core, caused sparks and flashes of light to shoot around the store.

"That's the one for you then. Now Miss..."

"Petunia Evans." Petunia supplied, "I changed my name when Vernon died."

"I'm sorry for your loss Miss Evans. I'm guessing your Mrs Potter's sister?"

"Yes I am." Petunia smiled.

"Right then can you hold out your wand arm?" Petunia looked confused, "Sorry, the hand you write with." he amended.

Petunia nodded and held her right arm out.

The process was repeated and Petunia was soon the owner of a mahogany wand, 12 inches, pliable with a Phoenix feather core.

"Now Mr..."

"Moon. Dudley Moon." Dudley supplied.

"Mr Moon, can you hold your wand arm out."

Dudley did without hesitation knowing what Ollivander meant.

Soon enough Dudley found the perfect wand which happened to be the one that had refused Regulus, 11 Inches, Oak, Pliable with a Unicorn tail hair as the core.

"So how much is it all together?" Harry asked. "I'll cover the cost for all three."

"You don't have to you know." Regulus said.

"It's using money from the Black vault anyway." he chuckled. "Sirius left me some when he died and Bill got it from Gringotts for me. Consider the wands a gift." he added.

Regulus nodded grudgingly.

"It's 14 galleons then Mr Potter. I'll give you a discount since without you I wouldn't be here today." Ollivander smiled. Harry handed the money over blushing.

"Thank you sir." he smiled.

"Your welcome. Good day." he waved before disappearing behind the counter.

"Bye!" Ollivander's nephew, Graham, waved before following his uncle.

"Where next?" Hermione asked.

"Gringotts so these two can get their wand's and Dudley and Petunia can exchange money." Ginny suggested gesturing to James and Lily.

"Right. Gin can you go with them? Ron and Hermione and I will meet you at the Magical Menagerie when you're done." Harry said.

"Why?" James asked.

"We can't go into Gringotts just now." Ron explained, "That's where we're going for our meeting."

"Oh yeah. The Goblins are angry with you." Lily frowned. "Will they call us out on the Glamour's?" she asked quietly.

"Just say it's security reasons." Hermione shrugged, "They won't tell anyone."

"Good." Regulus sighed in relief, "We don't want mobbed by people again."

"True." James nodded.

The group split up, everyone except the Golden Trio going to Gringotts and the Golden Trio going to the pet store.

In the store Harry bought a new cage and owl treats for Snow while Ron got owl treats for Pig and Hermione got some cat treats for Crookshank's.

When they left they waited outside for the other's.

"I'm nervous about meeting the goblins later." Hermione sighed.

"We'll be fine as long as we do what Bill said." Harry reassured her while shrinking Snow's new cage and putting it in his pocket.

"We don't know how they're going to react though."

"I know we don't but as long as we don't lie we should be fine." Ron said, "Bill's never wrong when it comes to working with Goblin's."

"Besides as soon as they know what the item we took was then they should be easy to deal with." Harry said quietly as the others joined them.

"Where next?" Petunia asked.

"To get your supplies and thing's you will need to learn magic." Harry smiled.

A long 4 hours later everyone had everything they needed.

"It's 6pm." Ginny said after looking at Harry's watch. "Shall we go get dinner?"

"Sure." Harry nodded and lead them all to the Leaky Cauldron where Harry asked the landlord, Tom, for a table and menu's.

Once everyone had ordered Petunia decided to ask a question.

"So when will Dudley and I start learning magic?"

"Well... We can start tonight if you come to the Burrow for the night, we can go get Amber and Cecelia too." Ginny told them.

"We're continuing the memories tomorrow anyway." Harry told them. "So you'd be as well coming to the Burrow to stay."

"We'll do that then." Dudley accepted the invitation.

They chatted until dinner came and once they were done eating they all went to the Burrow after realising there was still a lot of time left before the meeting at Gringotts for Harry, Ron and Hermione.

"What time is it Harry?" Ron asked.

"7.30. Our meeting's not until 9 so we have an hour and a half." he replied. "Come on we need to go prepare our case."

The Golden Trio went upstairs.

"Hmm... Do you know what they did to annoy the Goblins?" James asked Ginny.

"Yes but I don't know why and I'm not telling what I know." she smirked.

"Well damn." he sighed, "There go my plans of trying to trick you into telling us."

"She grew up with Fred and George. She won't fall for that." Molly said from behind them.

"Mum's right. I know all the trick's." Ginny grinned.

At that moment a big black dog bounded into the room followed by an annoyed looking wolf.

Dora walked in, Teddy on her hip, looking amused.

"Remus don't kill him."

The wolf looked around and snorted before going back to chasing Padfoot.

"Padfoot! Moony! Cut it out." James yelled making both of them stop and change back.

"He started it!" Remus protested.

"Did not. I just said you're time of the month was worse than a woman's." Sirius retorted.

"Paddy! You know he'll just hex you, or fight you, when you say that. Remember 6th year?" James said.

"Umm..."

"You had to spend three day's avoiding Moony because you said something similar." James reminded him, "Then in 7th you done it again and had to avoid him for a week." he added as Remus turned back into Moony and went to sit by James's side, still towering over James as a wolf.

"Sorry Moony. I forgot." Sirius admitted, "Even if it is true." he added. Moony stood and growled so, smirking, Sirius changed back into Padfoot and bolted out the back door, Moony following him, as Bill entered.

"What the -?" Bill started.

"Sirius was annoying Remus again." Lily told him. "So Padfoot's running away from Moony."

"Padfoot should know not to annoy Moony by now. He just never learns." James added.

"You know I don't think I've seen them act this childish since I was 6 and you lot were 20." Dora chuckled.

"Probably because of the war taking it's toll on us." James sighed, "We only fooled around and teased each other at Order meetings or at one of our homes. Mostly our cottage in Godric's Hollow since we could hardly leave it at all." he shuddered, "I hate being locked up and that house felt like a prison after a while."

"We don't have to go back to that cottage James. We can have a new one built or buy a new house somewhere." Lily smiled, "Or even go to one of the existing properties belonging to the Potter's."

James nodded. "We'll discuss it later." he decided.

"Where's Ron, Harry and Hermione?" Bill asked.

"Ron's room. They're discussing their case for the Goblins." Ginny explained.

"Excellent. I'll go help them, I have information they might need." Bill smiled before heading upstairs.

Remus walked back in levitating Sirius. They both had spots of blood on them.

"Prongs? Little help?" Sirius asked. "He scratched my back and its bleeding."

"I didn't mean it. Sorry." Remus apologised putting him down on a chair, James went over and took his wand out then set up privacy wards so Sirius could take his shirt off so his back could be healed.

Jex and Jinx walked in together. "Oh I wondered where you two were today." Ginny said spotting the wolf cub's. "Nice to see your strong enough to walk now Jinx. I have something for you both." she added taking two small boxes out of her pocket and enlarging them.

The wolf cubs approached her curiously.

"You smell different." Jinx said, "Like the ones we're to bond with."

"You mean you already know?"

"Kind of." Jex nodded, "Guardian wolves can smell the ones they are born to guard and you smell like you've been near both of our's."

"It's faint but it's there." Jinx added.

"I wonder if it's our new son's you can smell." Ginny said, the cubs looked confused, "I mean our not-born cub's."

"Your raising cubs that weren't born to you?" Jinx asked confused.

"Yes. I'll try to explain it in your term's." Ginny said as she sat down on the floor beside them, "My mate and I are taking two human cubs that were not born to us, it's called adopting, these cubs don't have any pack left so we decided to allow them into our pack and we will raise them as our own."

"Like us?" Jex wanted to know, "We didn't have a pack so you and your mate allowed us into your pack because we're too young. Is these two-leg cubs like that?"

"Exactly like that. Harry was the one who killed their father, he was the one who was the threat, and their mother died just after they were born. So Harry and I are going to raise them to be good."

"That makes sense." Jinx nodded.

"Now do you want to see what I got you?"

Both cubs nodded so Ginny opened the two boxes in her hands and placed them on the floor beside the cubs to show them what was inside.

In the first box was a collar. It was blue with golden gems around it and a name tag with 'Jinx' on it. In the second box was a similar collar but it was red with silver gems and on it's name tag was 'Jex'.

"Harry and I figured you might like them. It tell's the world that you are part of our pack and that you're not alone." Ginny smiled.

"What are they?" Jinx asked.

"There called collars. They go around your necks."

"What's on the shiny things?" Jex asked.

"They're called tags. It's your name's that's on them. On the other side it say's 'Part of the Potter Pack'." she explained flipping the tags. "Do you like them?"

Both cub's nodded happily.

"Right hold still and I'll put them on you." she said taking Jinx's coller out of its box and putting it around his neck, she done the same with Jex's collar a moment later.

"Yay! Yay! Yay!" both Jinx and Jex got up and pranced around wearing their collers proudly. "We have a pack! We have a pack! We have a pack!" they chanted.

"Yes you do and now the whole world will know it and they'll know who you are when they see your collers." Ginny smiled amusedly.

_I'm guessing they like their present?_ Harry's mind voice asked, he sounded amused, _I can hear them from up here and the room's warded._

_Yes they love them, _Ginny chuckled silently,_ You probably heard them through my mind though._

_Probably. I love you,_ he sent.

_I love you too,_ she sent back before their link went back to the quiet buzz they'd discovered happened when one of them was thinking very hard and she was left to deal with two hyper wolf cub's.

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><p>Review please x<p> 


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5 - Gringotts.

14, August. 1998.

It was 8.55 and the Golden Trio were standing outside Gringotts bank with Bill.

"Well... Better early than late." Bill said leading them inside. "You know what you're going to say?"

"Of course." Harry nodded.

Once inside they were met by a grumpy looking Goblin.

"Hello Rucknock. Mr Harry Potter, Miss Hermione Granger and Mr Ronald Weasley here to see Manager Clanut for a meeting at 9pm." Bill said formally.

"I was informed. Follow me." Rucknock said shortly.

"Good luck you three." Bill muttered, "I'll wait for you at the Leaky Cauldron."

The Trio nodded and followed Rucknock through a series of halls and passageways until they arrived at a big oak door.

"Wait here." Rucknock said entering the room. He re-appeared a moment later, "Enter."

Harry walked in first to find a large desk with another Goblin behind it, watching them closely.

"Sit." the goblin said pointing at three chairs. The Trio sat down. "I am Manager Clanut as you may have guessed, state your full name." Clanut told them.

"Harry James Potter."

"Ronald Billius Weasley."

"Hermione Jean Granger."

"It is my understanding that on May the first this year, you three came to Gringotts in disguise with the intention of stealing an object from the Lestrange vault. You were successful Clanut said, "State your reason for stealing the object."

"We had to in order to end the war... May I call you by your first name?" Harry asked, the Goblin nodded. "Thank you Clanut. You see the object in question was a dark artifact that prevented Lord Voldemort from being killed."

"The object we speak of was called a Horcrux." Hermione said picking up her rehearsed line, "If we hadn't destroyed it Lord Voldemort would have been immortal."

Clanut frowned, "I have heard the rumors of objects such as these... But I'm afraid I still don't know what it is."

"A Horcrux is an object in which someone has concealed a part of their soul." Ron explained, "In our months of hiding we discovered one was in the vault belonging to the Lestrange family."

Clanut nodded, "So you decided to rob the vault." he stated, "Instead of contacting the bank and telling them what it was."

"Please Clanut, we are very sorry to have done it the way we did. We couldn't have contacted you without alerting the Death Eater's. At that time they were controlling everything, even the mail. If we had contacted you then we would have been killed or the Horcrux moved." Harry said.

Clanut raised a hand and tapped his chin, "Well... I am not an unreasonable Goblin. I'm aware that at the time the bank wasn't in Goblin control. But the damage still stand's." he frowned, "In addition to the stolen object, which was made by Goblin's in the first place, you also freed one of our dragon's and destroyed the parts of the underground tunnels, several bit's of track for the carts and almost half the windows in the building." he said, "But at the same time you made us aware of a fault we never saw before."

After a moment Harry spoke up, "May we know what the fault was?" he asked politley.

"You may. You see, because you escaped on the back of the dragon guarding the vault's of our oldest and richest customer's, the Black's, Malfoy's, Lestrange's, Crouch's and Moon's, you made us aware that it was possible to escape using one of the protections we at Gringotts put in place." he explained. "No matter how rare it is for people to try and rob Gringotts it was still a fault we had not considered."

"May I say something?" Hermione asked, Clanut nodded, "The number of witches and wizard's willing to go near a dragon is incredibly low. We were just desperate for an escape."

"Be that as it may it was still something I am ashamed to admit we hadn't considered." Clanut said shortly, "Although I am curious about how you knew where the vault's were?"

"We had inside help." Harry said uncomfortably, this was the part Bill had warned them might not go across well, "A Goblin by the name of Griphook helped us."

Clanut frowned, "I knew Griphook. He was one of the most greedy Goblin's this bank has ever seen. He wouldn't do anything for free."

"It wasn't for free." Ron admitted, "We had promised to return the Sword of Godric Gryffindor to him so he could return it to the Goblins." he explained.

"And yet the Sword was never returned to us." Clunut said, linking his fingers and resting his chin on them, "I imagine Griphook had it when he was killed?" Harry nodded. "Where is it now?"

"At Hogwart's." Hermione said, "It appears inside the sorting hat that used to belong to Godric Gryffindor."

"The sword appears to those in great need if they are doing something worthy of Gryffindor house." Clanut nodded smiling toothily, "I am aware that even if it was returned to the Goblin's it wouldn't stay here for long. Griphook never looked into what the Sword was charmed to do, he may never have helped you if he had."

Harry bowed his head, "May we ask what our punishment will be?"

Clanut sat back in his chair looking thoughtful, "If it weren't for you and your friend's Mr Potter, the bank would still be under wizard control and the war still going on, is that correct?"

"Yes." Harry nodded.

"Well... I see no reason the punishment should go beyond a fine then." Clanut decided, "A thousand Galleon's from yourself Mr Potter as you can afford it as I'm sure you know, 500 each from your friend's as I know that they can afford that much without being left with nothing, we'll take 10 Galleons every month when you have an income until you too have paid a thousand Galleon's."

Harry shared a look with Ron and Hermione.

"That sound's reasonable." Hermione nodded.

Ron and Harry nodded their agreement.

"There is one more thing I'd like to know before you can leave." Clanut said, "Are the rumours that you three are respectful to all creatures not of your own species? House-elf's, Centaurs, Werewolves, Vampires and Goblins?"

"They are." Harry smiled, "We always have been. To us there is no reason to treat anyone differently, after all, is it not time for relationships to change between the species?"

"It is." Clanut said approvingly, "I have not met any wizards or witches that are willing to treat Goblins with respect, the same goes for House-elves, since Albus Dumbledore." he admitted.

"I have looked into quite a few cases of human to creature communication, Ron and Harry with me agree that it's mostly the human's faults that communications are so terrible. Once we finish our schooling I will be working towards changing that." Hermione told him.

Clanut cocked his head to the side, "You are probably the strangest witch and wizards I have ever met." he said, "I have heard about you before and I must say you are much more different in life than in stories."

"Let me guess, in the stories we are painted as stuck up and arrogant little attention seekers who want to have everyone bowing at our feet?" Harry asked.

Clanut nodded, "Quite accurate but I didn't think you could be like that. Mr Potter your Grandfather and Father were two of the nicest human's the Goblin's here ever met. You caused the downfall of Lord Voldemort and freed the world from the darkness of war, you couldn't possibly be that arrogant. I also heard rumors about your parent's and close family friends returning form beyond the veil? It was confirmed by another Goblin this morning when you're parents and Mr Regulus Black were in here, but I must admit to some curiosity of how its possible."

"You could say it was a reward for destroying all of Voldemort's Horcruxes, he had 7 so Death came to us and gave us back 7 people who had died during both wars." Harry explained, "There was a price though. My soul mate and I had to become Lycan's."

"So the newspaper was telling the truth for a change." Clanut chuckled as the teens nodded, "Anyway it is late. Your fine's will be deducted from your vault's first thing tomorrow. If that is all you may go."

"Actually I have something I need to discuss with you." Harry admitted, "You two go ahead and meet Bill." he added to Ron and Hermione who bowed and curtsied to the Goblin then left.

"What is it Mr Potter?"

"Well I was wondering about the Lordship over the Ancient and most Noble house of Potter and where the current Lordship is."

"It lies with you currently. Our owls couldn't find you and your Father was dead, so you weren't informed it went automatically to you." he explained, "If you wish it you can change that right now?"

"I was wondering, actually, if it would be possible to have both my Father and I as Lords." he stated, this was something James suggested when they'd talked before he'd left.

"You have discussed this with your Father?" Clanut asked.

"I have. He agreed that I should take Lordship as it was supposed to be passed to me upon my 17th birthday, but he thinks after everything we've both been through it would be easier for both of us to work together on this." he replied, "Not to mention I already have two sons, adopted that is and I think my parents plan on having another child before I start having my own with my partner."

Clanut nodded and pressed a button, "Bring up form number 557832 to my office please."

"Yes sir!" a voice replied.

"While we're filling in the form's for you to confirm the joint Lordship, as you can sort things out for your Father we wont need him here, is there anything else you'd like to know?"

"Yes. I'd like to know what current property's and house's the Potter family own's."

"I will send for the information while we do the forms then." Clanut said as the Goblin he had sent away returned with a stack of forms and a black leather box. "Thank you." he said in Gobbledegook, Harry understood him anyway, "Now Mr Potter, there's just two signatures I need from you." he said holding out a black quill.

Harry looked at the quill and hesitantly took it.

"You seem familiar with blood quill's." Clanut noticed.

"When I was in my 5th year of schooling I was tortured with one during detentions. I had to write 'I must not tell lies.' multiple times and still have the scars on my hand." Harry explained showing Clanut the scar's on his left hand.

"That's quite medieval. Gringotts Blood Quill's have extra charms on them to make them less painful and heal quicker than those you're human Ministry uses. I'm sure you'll manage two signatures?"

"Of course, just tell me where."

"Here and here." Clanut pointed at two different spot's and Harry signed them quickly. "Done. Now here's one ring." he picked up the black box and opened it revealing the ring Harry had seen in his father's photo, "Put it on your left hand, middle finger. It will seal the Lordship."

Harry did and the ring glowed blue then yellow then red before it went back to normal.

"And here's a copy of the list of properties and houses owned by the Potter's." Clanut handed him a piece of parchment with locations on them.

Harry looked at it and read the list.

PROPERTIES -

Large plot of land in Godrics Hollow (Has Potter Manor on it, building in very bad shape but usable. Inhabitants: 4 House-Elves, magically bound to the Potter's)

Large plot of land in Ottery St Catchpole (Nothing built on it)

Medium plot of land in Ottery St Catchpole (Nothing built on it, opposite the other plot)

Medium plot of land on the outskirts of London (Nothing previously or currently built on it)

Medium plot of land in Surrey (4 bedroom house built on it)

Small plot of land in Godrics Hollow (Potter Cottage is built on it, in need of major repairs.)

Small plot of land in the center of London (Small 2 bedroom house built on it)

Small plot of land on the outskirts of London (Nothing on it)

HOUSES -

25 Grimmauld Place, London (Out of use for 50 years)

12 Grimmauld Place, London (Previously belonged to the Black family, used recently)

17 Privet Drive, Surrey (Out of use for 20 years)

45 Godrics Hollow (Potter Cottage, unused for 17 years, in need of very large repairs)

Potter Manor, Godrics Hollow (Unplottable. Unused for 21 years. In need of small to medium repairs.

Harry finished reading and was quite shocked, "That's quite a lot of properties." he said as he rolled up the scroll and put it in his cloak pocket.

"Your family usually liked to have a few places available in case of emergencies." Clanut nodded.

"How would I go about getting a house built on one of the properties?"

"The Goblin's would deal with that if you tell us what you want done."

"I'd like to see about building two houses actually. One of them a large building in Ottery St Catchpole and the other medium sized house on a different plot of land."

"The large building would take about 9-10 month's depending on what you want. Where do you want the house?"

"I'd need to discuss that with my father. It is for him and my mother you see. I need to find out where they'd like to live and what kind of thing's they like in a house."

"I see. What about details for the larger building?"

"Will it be okay if I send them via Owl? Or bring them in one day or night?"

"By owl will be fine. Just address the letter to myself. Oh, here." Clanut took out a small box and handed it to Harry, "It's the Lordship ring for your Father, as soon as he puts it on the box will return to us and the joint Lordship will activate."

"Thank you." he put it in the same pocket as the scroll.

"You're welcome Mr Potter. Now it really is late and your friends are waiting. I look forward to seeing you again." Clanut stood and shook Harry's hand firmly.

Harry nodded, bowed and left.

When he reached the Leaky Cauldron he found Bill, Hermione and Ron sitting at the bar talking to Tom.

"Hey guy's. Hi Tom."

"Good evening Mr Potter." Tom smiled.

"Hello Harry. Are you ready to head home?" Ron asked.

Harry nodded so he Ron and Hermione Floo'd back to the Burrow while Bill went to Shell Cottage.

Almost everyone was in bed, the only exception was Ginny, Arthur and Molly. Ginny was curled up around Jet and Jinx and all three were asleep. Molly was sitting on the sofa with Arthur just chatting quietly.

"Hello Mum." Ron said.

"Hello dear's." Molly smiled.

"Why's Misty sleeping down here?" Harry asked.

"She couldn't sleep in her room apparently, something about racing thoughts." Arthur sighed. "How'd it go at the bank?"

"Good. We only got fined." Hermione smiled.

"And I accepted Lordship of Potter house." Harry added, "Well it's a joint Lordship with Dad. I've got his ring in my pocket so as soon as he puts it on everything will be finalised."

"Congratulations." Molly smiled, Arthur nodded.

"So that's what you were doing?" Ron asked.

Harry nodded, "Something else too but you'll find out about that when everyone else does. It's a secret but I might tell you if I need the help."

"Fair enough." Hermione shrugged.

"It's late, we should head up to bed." Ron yawned.

"What about Misty?" Harry asked. "We cant leave her down here alone."

"Why don't you join her then." Molly suggested, standing up and stretching, "We trust you to be responsible enough to not do anything we'd disapprove of." she and Arthur went upstairs before he could answer.

"I think she's gone mad." Ron frowned.

"No she's respecting that Harry's old enough too behave and they have a soul bond so one day they will be married. Not to mention they're adopting kid's already." Hermione pointed out as Harry changed into Shadow and curled up to Misty's back.

Ron nodded and he and Hermione also headed upstairs to bed for the night.

* * *

><p>Review please x<p> 


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6 - The Proposal.

15, August, Sunday, 1998.

The next morning Shadow and Misty were the first to wake up.

_Morning already?_ Misty asked.

Shadow nodded and licked her muzzle. _Sure is, Jinx and Jex moved through the night._

Sure enough Jinx was now draped across Shadow's back using him as a mattress and Jex was cuddled into Misty's tail.

_It must feel better for them to cuddle into us. It probably reminds them of their parent's, _Misty sighed, _I wish they would tell us why they had to leave their pack._

_Me too but it'll take time. I don't think it's sunk in that their parent's won't come back yet. They'll tell us when they're good and ready._

_I know they will. I love you._

_I love you too._

_Does Mum know you're down here with me?_

_She was the one that suggested I join you actually._

_Really? That's not like her, she'd normally throw a fit if she knew I was sleeping with a very handsome man next to me, _Misty's mind voice sounded amused.

_She said 'We trust you to be responsible enough to not do anything we'd disapprove of' and your Dad agreed._

_Well that's just odd. Dad would normally freak at the idea of his 'Little Princess' sleeping with a guy._

_'Mione said it was because they respect that we're old enough to behave and that we have a soul bond so one day we'll be married anyway. Besides, what could we do with two cub's in the room?_

_True enough, Misty yawned, But I still think it's odd._

There was a little noise from upstairs.

_That'll be Mum,_ Misty said, _She's always the first one up. I don't know how she does it._

_Practice? You know with you and your brothers when you were younger she would have had to get up early to fix everything for you lot waking up._

_Good point. It does become habit. Like how we get up early because of all the Quidditch practices we had in the morning._

_Or getting up to do homework, _he nodded. Molly walked in and smiled at them.

"Good morning dears. Did you have a nice sleep?"

Both nodded.

"I think little Jinx decided you were comfortable Shadow." she chuckled.

Shadow looked at the cub on his back then nodded again.

"I'll be in the kitchen if you need me." she smiled before going through to the kitchen.

_She's hiding something,_ Misty announced, _I can tell. Dad's probably in on it too. Maybe even your parents._

_What do you think it could be?_

_No idea. _Misty gently slid her tail out from under Jex and stood up, shook once, and changed back into Ginny.

"Do you want help?" she asked quietly, nodding at Jinx.

_Yes please._

Ginny smiled and gently lifted Jinx and put the cub on the floor next to his brother. Neither cub stirred.

Shadow stood and stretched before turning into Harry.

"He's heavy." he commented rubbing his back, "At least when he's asleep."

"Everyone is heavier when they're asleep." she pointed out. "Especially young children."

"I notice that with the time's Teddy's used me as a pillow." he chuckled.

"Let's go talk to Mum." Ginny took his hand and lead him into the kitchen where they sat down at the table.

"Good morning Mrs Weasley." Harry smiled.

"Good morning Mum." Ginny added.

"Good morning you two. How are you feeling this morning?"

"We feel great." Harry said.

"No nightmares then?"

Harry shook his head. "None at all. Gin?"

"Nope. I never had any either."

"That's good then. Are you two hungry?" Molly asked.

Harry and Ginny shook their head's.

"Actually I was going to suggest we go for a walk." Harry told Ginny, "It's quite nice out and there's something I need to tell you."

"Let's go then."

Both of them promised not to go too far and walked hand in hand out the back door.

Eventually they reached the pond.

"I have to tell you something. It's not bad." Harry added.

"Could it be anything to do with the ring on your finger?"

"Yes actually. I've accepted a joint Lordship over Potter house with my Dad. But it's something different." he admitted.

"What is it?"

"I've been thinking about something recently and I dont know how to put it. Ron and Hermione know and so do both our parent's. They said it's something I needed to figure out on my own."

"You can try just telling me." she suggested softly.

"Right... Well... I've been thinking about us and about our soul bond and what we're like together... I know this probably wasn't what you were expecting when I asked you to take a walk with me but..." Harry clicked his fingers and a Snitch with a box tied onto it zoomed over and landed in Ginny's hands, "Open it." he smiled.

Ginny frowned and untied the box from the Snitch before opening it. Inside the box was a beautiful ring. It had a gold band with little diamonds going around it. There was a red gem surrounded by blue gems too, ruby and sapphires if Ginny had to guess, and inside the ruby were two wolves that resembled Shadow and Misty, the wolves were howling at a silver diamond that was above them in the sapphires, like a moon.

Harry got down on one knee, "Ginny Weasley, I love you and will always love you for as long as time itself." he took a deep breath, "Will you marry me?"

Ginny was shocked, "This definitely wasn't what I was expecting. Yes." she breathed, "Yes I will marry you." Harry grinned and stood up, he took the ring out of the box and slid it on her left ring finger. "Oh Harry it's beautiful." she sighed happily looking at the ring.

He hugged her tightly and kissed her for good measure.

When they came up for air Ginny smiled, "You were right in what you said earlier this month by the way. About you would propose in a way I wouldn't expect and when I wouldn't expect it." she chuckled, "After all, since when is using a Snitch to deliver the ring normal? I love how you always catch me off guard." she admitted, kissing him again.

"I hoped you would." he grinned still holding her to him, "I know people expect the oddest things from me, it feel's good to finally do something somewhat normal."

"Because no matter how old we are and no matter what we do, it will never be completely normal and that's the way we like it." she grinned before claiming his lips for her own again.

Inside the Burrow Lily, James and Arthur walked into the kitchen.

"Where'd Harry and Ginny go? I swear I heard their voices on the way down." James said.

"They went for a walk." Molly told them, "I think Harry finally figured out how to do what he asked us about a few days ago."

"You think he's proposing?" Lily asked.

Molly nodded, "Harry said to Ginny at the start of the month that he would propose eventually but it might not be in the way she expects."

"I know. Ginny told me that when we were talking on the day he said it." Lily smiled.

"How long were they together before the soul bond formed?" James asked.

"Since May as far as I know." Arthur shrugged.

"Not quite Arthur. The got together in Harry's 6th year, Ginny's 5th, it was only for a month or two and Harry broke it off to protect Ginny. It was when Albus died and the war got worse." Molly told him.

"And Harry was under the impression that anyone close to him would be targeted?" Lily guessed. "So he decided to be a noble prat?"

Molly nodded. "You could say that. It didn't help that Ginny had been targeted before for nothing more than being Harry's best friend's sister in her first year." she shuddered.

"I can see why he would break it off then." James nodded, "He wanted to protect Ginny and he felt that if they were together she would be in more danger."

"Harry's like that. If he feel's he's dangerous to be around then he'll distance himself." Arthur nodded, "I know he tried it with Ron once."

"Hermione too." Molly added, "It was in their 5th year."

Fred and George walked into the kitchen in time to hear this.

"Talking about Harry?" Fred guessed.

"About how he'll distance himself if he feel's he's to dangerous to be around." Lily explained.

"Oh he doesn't do that much anymore." George shrugged, "With Voldemort gone he probably wont do that like he used to."

"You know this how?" Fred inquired.

"I told him so." George grinned, "That was a fun argument to win. I told him if he tried to act like a noble prat again, I'd hex him personally."

"When was this?" Molly asked her son.

"After we found him at Grimmauld, when he was still in the Hospital Wing and wouldn't talk to anyone, he just kept muttering 'I'm dangerous, go away, I don't want to be near people' things like that." he explained, "I was the one who managed to get him to see sense. He ignored or argued with everyone if anyone else approached him."

"I remember being told about that... Even Ron, Hermione couldn't get near him without him arguing with them. Ginny didn't try, she let George go in first and after that he talked to her and the others... How did you convince him to listen George?" Arthur asked curiously.

"Told him I thought he was right and I just wanted to tell him something." George grinned, "You see one way to get Harry to listen is to shock him into silence."

"What did you do?" Fred asked.

"Well he was in one of his 'Everything is my fault' mood's so I lied and told him everything was his fault and he was so shocked he listened to me."

"Great tactic. That work's on James too." Lily smirked at her husband, "I think the self blaming thing is a trait from your side of the family."

"Your probably right." James sighed, making a face.

Soon enough everyone else apart from Ginny and Harry came downstairs for breakfast.

"I wonder what's taking them so long." Lily frowned.

"I'll go see." Hermione said changing into Smokey and running out the door with her nose to the ground, tracking their scents.

"They probably just lost track of time." Arthur shrugged.

"Probably." Ron agreed.

"Hey Ron?" Regulus asked, "I'm guessing your fine with your best friend dating your sister?"

"I wasn't thrilled when I first found out they fancied each other." he admitted.

"Understatement." Fred snorted, "You were pissed that Harry never told you."

Ron blushed, "I told you about how they got together. You would be annoyed too."

"He has a point Fred. We all admit we're over protective of Gin-Gin at times." George admitted. The other Weasley brother's nodded.

"I'm guessing your all okay with it now?" James asked.

"Well... If it had to be someone we're glad it was Harry." Charlie smiled, shrugging.

"We know he'd never hurt Ginny on purpose." Percy added, "He'd do anything to protect her."

"Including break up with her no matter how much it hurt them both." Fred nodded.

"Anyway, I wasn't happy about them being together at first but Hermione talked some sense into me." Ron smiled, "What Harry doesn't know is that during our time in hiding, no matter how hard he tried to hide it, both me and Hermione saw him watching her dot on the Marauder's Map at night's."

"Why would he hide it?" Remus asked.

"I think he thought I might hex him. I know he love's Ginny. I'm fine with it now at any rate." Ron grinned, "Besides, Hermione is like a sister to him so it's kind of the same for me being with Hermione as it is for him being with Ginny."

"Yeah, Harry warned Ron that if he ever hurt Hermione on purpose then Ron better run as fast as he can." Arthur chuckled.

"We did the same with Harry." George shrugged, "He know's how protective we are."

"We told him if he ever hurt her then we'd hex him into oblivion." Percy added.

"Harry replied to that with 'If I ever hurt her, I'll let you'." Charlie smirked.

"Sound's like something he would say." Sirius nodded as Hermione came back in.

"You might want to see this." she said. Everyone shared confused looks and went outside.

Shadow and Misty were standing growling at each other before they playfully pounced and tried to pin the other down. Misty won the battle and Shadow was pinned to the ground by her massive paw.

"Oi! Shadow! You're letting her win on purpose aren't you!?" Fred shouted.

Shadow snorted and stood up causing Misty, whose paw had been on his back to fall off. He then pounced again but Misty saw it coming and dodged making him land on the ground. She then ran over to Fred and reared up on her hind legs and put her paws on his shoulders knocking him over.

Misty then proceeded to lick Fred's face repeatedly.

"Urgh... Okay, okay, I take it back." he spluttered. Misty gave him a disbelieving look. "Really I'm sorry, you won fair and square."

Misty rumbled her approval and got off of her brother before changing back.

"Oh good." Ginny smirked.

Shadow changed back into a smirking Harry, "Don't underestimate my fiancée Fred."

"Fiancée?" George asked as his twin wiped his face on his sleeve.

"Yep. He proposed while you lot were in bed." Ginny beamed holding up her left hand to show the ring that was there.

"Congrats you two." Ron grinned at Harry and Ginny.

The two grinned back as everyone else congratulated them. Molly and Lily had happy tears in their eyes.

"Oh there they are." a voice said before Kingsley and Minerva walked out into the garden.

"What have we missed?" Minerva asked.

"Harry and Ginny are engaged." Hermione supplied.

A patronus appeared. It was a rabbit and spoke in Luna's voice, "Neville's parent's have recovered this morning. He's explaining a few thing's to them now. We'll be over with them later." it finished before disappearing.

"Another happy occasion then." Ginny grinned. "And it's not even 9 yet." she said checking her watch.

"And we can add another one." Harry smirked, "Casper and Jasper will be home by the end of the month. Everything went brilliantly at the bank and the Goblins are quite alright with Ron, Hermione and I now." everyone cheered.

"It's a world record!" the twins announced making everyone laugh.

"Oh, here Dad." Harry pulled out the little black box Clanut had given him and gave it to James, "The box will disappear when you've put the Lordship ring on and everything will be settled." he explained.

James nodded, opened the box and put the Lordship ring on, the box disappeared as the ring glowed blue, yellow then red like Harry's had.

"Brilliant." he grinned.

"Anyway what did the Goblins say?" Charlie asked.

"That is none of your business." Ron said.

"He means it will reveal too much to those who don't know what happened in May." Hermione corrected.

"Can't you just tell them?" Dora asked, "The only ones who don't know are James, Lily, Regulus and Sirius."

"Fine, but you won't believe us." Harry said.

"We wouldn't have believed you killed a basilisk when you were 12 if we hadn't seen the memory. Just tell us." Regulus shrugged.

"We know it has something to do with Goblins and Gringotts." James added.

The Golden Trio looked at each other then Harry turned to everyone, "We successfully robbed Gringotts." he said with a straight face.

"You're right, I don't believe that." Sirius said.

"He told you that you wouldn't." Ron smirked, "But it's true."

"Who's vault then?" Regulus asked.

"The Lestrange vault." Hermione said.

"Impossible. I know that vault has way more protections on it, other than a dragon, than the Black vault did and that was a lot." Sirius frowned.

"We had inside help." Harry shrugged, "And a lot of luck. We escaped on the back of a dragon."

"No way in hell did you do that." James muttered, "I agree with Padfoot it's impossible."

Lily turned to Kingsley. "Did they?" she asked.

"Yes they did." he nodded.

"They did escape on a dragon too. I was part of the team that had to track it down before the Muggle's saw it." Charlie added.

"Cool." Dudley grinned.

"You're insane." Amber commented.

"We know." the Golden Trio replied cheerfully.

"How'd you do it?" Regulus asked.

"Ah, now that would be telling." Harry grinned, "You just have to wait and see."

"Even we don't know how they done it. Those three are the only ones who know, possibly Ginny." Percy shrugged.

"I only know some of it." Ginny admitted.

"Which will change when we finish the memories." Harry promised, "I'm not going to leave the big things out. Just small unimportant bit's that you don't need to know."

Hermione and Ron looked at each other then at Harry.

"I won't show christmas in 4th year." he sighed.

"Good 'cause that was a..." Ron started.

"Catastrophe." Hermione finished.

"What happened?" James asked.

"Big, big argument." Harry said waving his arms in a circle to emphasise his point.

"It wasn't that big." Hermione protested.

"Yes it was." Ginny told her.

"Was not." Ron countered.

"I beg to differ." Harry snorted, "You two have at least one big argument every year. That was one of those."

Ron groaned as Hermione blushed.

"You're much better now." Ginny said to them, "You only argue every fortnight or so."

"Anyway... You three actually robbed Gringotts?" Fred asked, "I thought that was just a rumor."

"Yes we did." Hermione smirked.

"It was quite easy." Harry added, ignoring the looks sent his way that suggested they were doubting his sanity.

"Getting into the ministry was harder." Ron shrugged. "But that's a story for another day. Let's go inside."

Everyone walked into the kitchen and soon enough they were all eating breakfast.

I know this chapter seems rushed and I'd hinted Harry may not propose for a while, but remember that was before Casper and Jasper came into it.

* * *

><p>Review please x<p> 


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7 - The Longbottom's.

15, August. 1998. 9.00am.

After breakfast everyone was sitting in the living room.

"Aunt Petunia? Dudley? Did anyone start you off on learning basic spells yet." Harry asked. They shook they're head's.

"I worked with them on wand movement's." Amber said, "And showed them how to shoot sparks and aim properly." the two nodded

"Good, thank you Amber. Do you want to learn one now while we wait for everyone to get here?" he asked

"Sure." Dudley shrugged taking his wand out of his pocket.

"What's the easiest to start with?" Petunia asked also removing her wand from her pocket.

"Um... Lumos, the light spell. Like this." Harry took his wand out, "Lumos!" a blinding light exploded from the tip of the wand, "Ah! Nox! Nox!" the light went out. "What the -? That's never happened before."

"Too much power behind it." James said rubbing his eyes, "You need to tone it down... A lot."

"Oop's. Hermione, you better show them." Harry said, "Until I can control my power better."

"Good idea." she took her wand out, "Lumos!" an average light shone like a torch out of her wand.

"That's what was supposed to happen." Harry chuckled, "All you have to do is say 'Lumos' and picture a light appearing at the end of your wand. You have to be confident it will work or it won't. To put it out again say 'Nox' and picture it going out..."

Harry continued to teach them some other basic spell's after they had mastered 'Lumos' and 'Nox'. By the time Luna arrived they had learned 'Wingardium Leviosa', 'Alohamora' (Courtesy of Hermione) and a few defensive spell's, jinxes and hexes from Harry, Remus, Dora and Kingsley.

"Hi Luna." Ginny smiled as Luna came through the Floo at 11.30.

"Hello Ginny. Hello everyone. What are you doing?"

"Teaching these two some basic spells." Harry informed her nodding at Petunia and Dudley who looked up from practicing the Leg-Locker hex.

Luna nodded, "Neville said he and his parent's will be over in a minute. Frank and Alice are a little nervous about being around people but they want to come." she explained.

"Fair enough. Anyone would be nervous after what happened to them." Molly nodded Bill and Fleur arrived as she said this and sat down silently.

There were three 'Crack's' from outside and Draco, Cissy and Astoria walked in.

"Hello." Draco said, "How many more people are to join us?"

"Three." Harry informed him, "Just Neville and his parent's."

"They were cured successfully late last night." Luna smiled, "That's why my patronus didn't come until this morning. It was at least 11pm and I know most of you would have been in bed or busy."

"Your right. Harry, Ron and Hermione was still at the bank and I was asleep." Ginny smiled, "I slept down here actually, on the floor as Misty."

"Harry joined her." Ron added.

"And they woke up to find Jex and Jinx lying either on top of Shadow or cuddling into Misty's tail." Molly chuckled.

"Someone say our names?" Jinx asked jumping onto Harry's knee while Jex claimed Ginny's, both were now bigger and strong enough to jump quite high.

"Mum was just telling everyone about how we woke up." Ginny explained.

"Ah... How did you wake up?" Jinx asked.

"Well Jex was cuddling into Misty's tail and you were using me as a mattress." Harry chuckled.

Ginny frowned and turned to the others in the room, "What does it sound like when we talk to them to you lot? We've never asked and I'm curious."

"We can't understand you at any rate. It sounds like it's just a bunch of whines and yip's." Fred explained.

"Like noises a wolf would make but some different noises." George added.

"I understand you a little when I'm Smokey. Remember when we all showed Jinx and Jex our wolf forms?" Hermione asked.

Harry nodded, "Can you two understand the other Lycan's when they're transformed?" he asked the cub's.

"A little." Jex admitted. "We understand our names and a few other words when the other two-legs talk."

"Not as much as we understand you and Ginny though." Jinx added.

"That answers my question then." Ginny laughed after translating what Harry asked them and the cub's replies.

The Floo lit up and a smiling Neville stepped through followed by a man and woman.

The man was quite tall at 6 foot, he had sandy brown short hair, a strong build with a kind round face and bright blue eyes.

The woman was just an inch smaller than him, had brown wavy shoulder length hair, a build like a professional swimmer and she had a friendly smile on her heart shaped face and soft brown eyes.

"Hello everyone." Neville grinned. "These are my parent's, Frank and Alice Longbottom. Mum, Dad, meet everyone."

"Hi Alice." Lily smiled going over to hug the woman. "Hi Frank." she hugged him too.

"Hello." Frank grinned, his voice was friendly even though they could tell he and Alice were nervous around so many people.

"Hello. It's nice to see you two again." Molly said to them as Lily re-joined James.

"It's nice to be sane again." Frank smiled. He and Alice looked around the room. "You said a few people." he told Neville. "This is a lot of people." he chuckled.

"Actually Dad, I said there was a fair few people." Neville grinned.

"So who is everyone?" Alice asked, "We both recognise quite a few people but a few of you were kids the last time we remember seeing you."

"Introductions are in order then. I'm Bill Weasley." Bill said waving, "And this is my wife Fleur." he put an arm around her waist.

"I'm Charlie Weasley."

"I'm Percy Weasley."

"We're Fred and George Weasley." the twins grinned.

"George is the one with a hole in the side of his head." Ron told them, "I'm Ron Weasley..."

"And I'm his girlfriend Hermione Granger." Hermione finished for him, smiling and grabbing his hand.

"I'm Ginny Weasley, the youngest and only girl." Ginny grinned.

"So your the other member of the 'Silver Trio'? Neville told us." Alice said as Ginny nodded.

"You know who we are." Molly smiled gesturing to Arthur. Frank and Alice nodded smiling.

"You know me and the Marauders too." Lily said.

"How could we forget you Miss Lily?" Frank asked pretending to look shocked, "And the famous Marauders?"

"True." James chuckled, "It's pretty difficult to forget who we are. Did Neville tell you about Sirius?" he asked.

"Of course he did. If he hadn't we would have hexed him by now." Alice replied.

"Wouldn't put it past you." Sirius muttered. "James and I got hexed enough by you and Lily at school."

"Frank did hex us a few times too." James added.

Frank just grinned, "Only because you deserved it."

"There are a few changes though." Remus added putting an arm around Dora's waist, she was holding Teddy who was taking a nap. "This is my wife Nymphadora -"

"Dont call me that Remus!"

"Who likes to be called Dora only and this is our son Teddy." he finished, "Really Dora, they need to know your whole name."

"Doesn't mean I have to like it." she muttered handing Teddy to him and shaking Frank and Alice's hand's.

"I remember you. You're the one who was a Metamorphmagus and annoyed Sirius at any chance you got." Alice giggled.

"That's her." Andy nodded, "Just a little older and with a husband and child."

"Still annoy Sirius then?" Frank asked.

"Of course. It's what cousins are for." Dora smirked, Sirius made a face at her.

"I'm Regulus Black. Sirius's brother." Regulus added.

Frank and Alice immediately looked wary, "Weren't you a..."

"Death Eater?" he suggested. "I was but I wanted out a year before I died."

The couple nodded and relaxed.

"I'm Narcissa. Andromeda's sister." Cissy smiled, "Just call me Cissy." she added.

Alice and Frank looked confused.

"She's changed." Sirius supplied, "Her and her son." he looked at Draco who waved at them.

"I'm Draco Black and this is my Fiancée Astoria Greengrass and we're having a baby." Draco smiled putting an arm around Astoria so his hand rested on her slightly rounded stomach.

"Congratulations, but Black? I thought -" Alice started.

"My father is Lucius Malfoy. I changed my name because I want nothing to do with him." Draco cut her off.

"I went back to Black too." Cissy added. "I divorced Lucius and want nothing more to do with him either. He's now in Azkaban where he belong's."

"Good." Frank nodded, "That guy was creepy." he said making everyone chuckle.

"You know Kingsley and myself of course." Minerva smiled.

"Of course. Well done on becoming Headmistress, Professor, and Minister of Magic, Kingsley." Alice grinned.

"I think you two can call me by my first name. Everyone in here already dose." Minerva chuckled making them nod.

"I'm Petunia Evans, Lily's sister, and this is my son Dudley, his wife Amber and their daughter Cecelia." Petunia said gesturing to the ones she named.

"Nice to meet you. Aren't you muggle's?" Alice asked curiously looking at the wands in their hands.

"They used to be." Harry explained what had happened to his Aunt and cousin.

"Latent magic? Well in that case... Welcome to the wizarding world." Frank smiled.

"I've always been a witch though. I'm also Remus's sister." Amber smiled, "Technically long lost sister because he didn't know I existed until he returned from the dead but..."

"It still count's." Remus grinned.

"We got married under Amber's name too so it's Moon and not Dursley." Dudley added.

"I'll explain later if you want." Petunia offered. Alice and Frank nodded and looked at the only person in the room who hadn't introduced himself, already having a good idea of who he was.

"I'm Harry Potter, Lily and James's son and Ginny's Fiancée as of this morning." Harry grinned, "These wolf cubs are Jinx and Jex." he added gesturing to the two cubs on his and Ginny's knee's.

"You look even more like James then when you were a baby." Alice chuckled.

"With a few differences." Harry nodded standing up and going over to his father.

"Like height for one." James smirked looking up at his son, who was a good head taller than him.

"That's part of being a Lycan though." Ginny pointed out also standing up, "We're taller than most people."

There was a soft chime and Fred pulled his P.C.D out of his pocket. "Fred Weasley speacking."

"Fred it's Lee. There's a umm... Situation at the shop."

"What kind of situation?" George asked suspiciously.

"You know that new product you were working on? The one that wasn't working too well?"

"Yes, what about it?" Fred asked.

"Its umm..."

"For Merlin's sake Lee. Fred, George you're going to have to come into the store. The thing Lee's trying to tell you is that the product escaped and is currently attacking anyone who goes within 5 meters of it." came a woman's voice. "And it's trying to leave the shop."

"Uh oh. That cant be good. Thanks Angelina, we'll be there in a minute." Fred said closing the P.C.D.

"Sorry everyone we'll try and be quick." George said before he and Fred ran out of the room.

"What was that all about?" Frank asked.

"Fred and George own a joke shop and they make they're own product's. By the sound of it one of their projects is going crazy." Bill explained, chuckling slightly.

"Dose that happen often?" Alice asked.

"About once or twice a week something either explodes or goes crazy so yes. I'd say it does happen often." Ginny laughed.

"Be fair Ginny, they've gotten better." Ron grinned, "They're telescopes don't punch people anymore."

"True but it still happens." she shrugged.

"Harry?" Jinx asked, "We're hungry."

Jex nodded in agreement.

"You two want some soft meat? Or do you want warm milk?" he asked.

The cub's looked at each other, "Warm milk please." they said together.

"All right I'll go get you some." Harry smiled and handed Jinx to James. "I'll be two minutes. They're hungry and want some warm milk." he went through to the kitchen.

Alice and Frank looked shocked.

"Did he just -?"

"Talk to the cubs?" Frank finished.

"I knew I forgot something." Neville muttered, "You know how I explained about Death appearing?"

"Yes. You mentioned that when you were explaining about the Lycan virus." Alice nodded.

"That's how the returnee's came back too." Luna added.

"Well the talking to the cub's was a separate gift but from the same source." Ginny explained. "Both Harry and I have the power of language. There was a few other things like knowledge as well, but the other's we've not figured out yet. We've still not fully figured out the knowledge power but we've got a basic idea." she shrugged, "With the language we've been able to understand all the language's we've heard and that involves animal language's." Jex squirmed in her arms and Jinx done the same in James's so the two put the cub's down.

Jinx went over to Alice and looked up at her curiously, "Ginny? Who's this two-legger?"

"That's Alice, the man next to her is Frank, they're Neville's parent's." Ginny smiled as Alice cautiously held her hand out to be sniffed, "So they are part of our pack." Jex went to Frank and sniffed him, "They wont bite." she assured Frank and Alice, "They're just curious because they've never seen you before. They've not had any contact with people who werent here since we found them."

Frank and Alice nodded and relaxed a little scratching each cub's ears.

"Have you two been in your Lycan form's yet?" Bill asked.

"No they haven't. I didn't want to show them how myself in case something went wrong." Neville admitted, "Even with Luna's help and knowing how to do it, I didn't want to risk anything."

Ginny nodded, "It's understandable Nev. I'll get Harry to help you after he's fed Jinx and Jex."

"How do you tell them apart?" Frank asked looking at the cub's, "They look so similar."

"Jinx's collar is blue, like his markings, and Jex's is red." she explained, "Makes it much easier and it tells people they're both part of our pack. They're names are on the tags." she added as Harry walked back in holding two bowl's of milk and a small plate of soft looking meat.

"I know you two said you didn't want meat but you have to eat some of it." Harry said sternly to the cub's. "Otherwise getting you fully off of milk and onto meat won't be as easy as it should be."

Both cub's nodded and ran over as he put the bowl and plate down and started drinking the milk immediately, occasionally taking a little bite of the meat.

"Good. You don't have to eat all of the meat but at least half of it between you." Ginny smiled.

"Are we playing good cop bad cop?" Harry asked Ginny in normal english.

Ginny looked confused, "What's that?"

"It's like good Auror, bad Auror." James explained, "Just using Muggle Pole men."

"Policemen." Lily corrected him.

"I meant policemen." James nodded.

"Ah! In that case yes we are playing that Harry." Ginny smirked.

"Nice of you to tell me." he chuckled. "Anyway I heard my name from the kitchen involved with the word help."

"Your hearing's good." Frank commented.

"It's because of the Lycan virus." Ginny explained. "And I'm guessing that's not how you heard?" she added to Harry.

He grinned, "You know me too well."

"How did you hear then?" Alice asked.

"I borrowed Ginny's ears." he smiled, "We have a soul bond and we figured out how to partially borrow the other's senses a few days ago." he shrugged, "So I borrowed her ears. We can also talk mind to mind but there's a pack bond between everyone we changed so we can hear them and talk to them with our mind's too."

"Cool." Frank grinned.

"We're not sure if it will work with people we didn't change ourselves personally." Ginny shrugged, "But we can try. Anyway, Harry we need to help them find they're inner wolves."

"I didn't want to show them how on my own. Even with Luna's help." Neville explained.

"Wise choice." Harry nodded. "You want to try it now?" he asked Alice and Frank, they nodded. "Okay come outside where there's more space." he led them through to the kitchen and outside with Ginny, Neville and Luna following them. "Will two of you change so you can help them?"

Neville and Luna nodded and changed into Blue and Silver. Blue stood beside Frank and Silver beside Alice.

"It's still creepy that even in your form's your as big as us." Alice commented looking up at the two wolve's.

"Shadow's bigger than the rest of the males and Misty is bigger than the female's." Remus said as he walked out to join them, he was carrying Teddy who was awake from his nap. "Teddy wanted you Harry." he explained.

Harry smiled as Remus put his son down on the ground.

"Unca Har, Auny Gin. Wolf! Wolf!" Teddy clapped happily.

"Yes Teddy it's Blue and Silver." Ginny smiled.

"I'm confused. Who's Shadow, Misty, Blue and Silver?" Frank asked.

"It's like how I'm Moony. Harry is Shadow, Ginny is Misty, Neville is Blue and Luna is Silver." Remus explained, "It get's boring saying wolf form all the time so we all have nicknames. I've had mine since I was 12 because I was a Werewolf."

"Does that mean the other Marauder's are animals too?" Alice asked.

"Yes, they are Animagi and have been since they were 15, Sirius is a big black dog that resembles the grim and Dad's a Stag, the same as my patronus." Harry smiled as Teddy crawled over to him and sat at his feet watching the wolves interestedly. "Now, to change into your Lycan form all you have to do is focus on becoming a wolf. It doesn't hurt." he added.

The two new Lycan's nodded and closed their eyes in concentration.

Frank was the first to change into a wolf that stood at the same height as Blue. He had light brown fur with white bit's on his back and chest and he had bright blue eyes that like the other Lycan's glowed slightly.

Alice was only a seccond behind him in changing. She was a light brown too but was a little darker than Frank, she too had white marks on her back and chest but she also had marks on her legs and tail. Her eye's were a soft brown and glowing as well.

"Well done." Ginny smiled, "Try taking a few step's forward's."

"Watch how I do it." Harry said turning into Shadow and walking around a little.

"Sh-ad-ow, Sh-ad-ow." Teddy giggled pointing at his godfather.

Alice and Frank took a few steps each, Blue and Silver following closely, both of them stumbled a few times but soon got the hang of it.

"Excelent!" Remus grinned, "You've got it."

"Oh Shadow dearest?" Ginny said making Shadow look at her, "Try send them a message mind to mind."

Shadow nodded, _Hello. Can you hear me? _he thought towards the wolve's that were Alice and Frank.

Both jumped and nodded.

_It work's then,_ Blue's mental voice sounded amused,_ You'll get used to it. This link isn't used as much but it's useful to send messages you don't want people to hear._

_And it will be useful for hunting,_ Ginny sent,_ It's not used often because we often forget about it,_ she explained.

_What's that I can feel at the back of my mind?_ Alice said.

_It'll be the other Lycan's. Ginny and I noticed that as well. When we're wolves we can feel the link between us and the others of the pack and we can feel each other through the soul bond we have. The pack bond isn't as strong as our soul one but it's close,_ Shadow explained.

_So even though I changed them their still a part of this pack?_ Blue asked curiously.

"It seems so." Ginny shrugged switching back to talking aloud and picking Teddy up so he could see Shadow better. "You don't mind do you?" Blue shook his head and changed back.

"Of course I don't mind. We all work better as a bigger pack and you and Shadow are better for leaders." Silver nodded her agreement.

Shadow changed back into Harry, "You're right Neville, we're better as a bigger pack." he smiled, "When you two are ready to change back just focus on becoming human again." he added to Alice and Frank. They did and two minutes later they were human again.

"That feel's weird." Frank commented.

"It does a little." Alice agreed.

Silver changed back too, "It's always odd the first time you do something new."

"Like changing into a human sized wolf." Harry chuckled, "It felt more natural to me after I had changed three or four times." he said while taking Teddy from Ginny and leading them inside again.

"So how'd it go?" Sirius asked.

"Good, Snuffles." Harry smirked.

Sirius groaned, "Stop calling me Snuffles."

"No. It's fun." he replied.

"F-u-n." Teddy said slowly.

"See Teddy agrees." Hermione laughed, "Snuffles it is."

Sirius growled as the others laughed too.

"Where did Jinx and Jex go?" Ginny asked noticing the empty bowl's and plate but not seeing the two anywhere.

"They're behind me." Bill said indicating the two balls of fluff just visible behind him on his seat.

"Ah. Jinx, Jex come here for a moment please." Harry called.

The two cubs emerged and walked over to him.

"Well done on eating all the meat." Ginny smiled picking Jinx up gently while Harry put a squirming Teddy in his playpen then he picked up Jex.

"Yes very well done." he grinned.

"Thank you." the cub's chorused.

Harry and Ginny put them down again and the cub's went over to Remus and Jinx claimed his knee and Jex claimed Sirius's.

"What are we going to be doing today?" Regulus asked.

"Hmm... How about we start going over my 4th year?" Harry suggested, "I'll admit it's a little confusing and a bit depressing but I'll end it on a happy memory."

"You forgot creepy in there." Ron commented.

"And scary." Hermione added.

"Not all of it. And definitely not the ones I'm showing today. I don't feel like being scared today." Harry said, "Besides, we know what happens and this lot don't. They've been warned that this year is one of the worst." he added.

"He's got a point." Kingsley nodded, "We have been warned."

"And some of us know the rumors that went around, the true ones that is." Dora added.

"And a few know what happened, well, the public story at least." Molly shrugged.

"It's worse from my point of view." Harry warned them, "Kind of like the Chamber of Secrets thing."

"I thought that was a myth?" Alice asked.

"No it's real. Terribly real." Ginny shuddered.

Harry looked at Neville.

Neville shrugged, "I'm terrible at explaining. I figured you lot could help me explain it."

"We know the basics." Frank added, "But not all of it. We know thing's like how you faced Voldemort both in your first and second year, and about what happened in you're third year." he told Harry.

Harry nodded and quickly, with help from some of the others, explained more fully what happened in his first three years at school.

"You killed a Basilisk when you were 12?" Alice asked slowly when he'd finished.

"Yes." Harry nodded.

"Cool." Frank grinned, "Terrifying and dangerous but cool."

"Isn't it supposed to be impossible to kill a Basilisk? Without a rooster that is?" Alice asked.

"The word impossible doesn't exist to those three." Minerva chuckled.

"We just change it to possible." Hermione smirked.

"There is lot's of things that are considered impossible that we've come across. We found ways around each of them." Ron added, shrugging as if bored.

"Technically it should be impossible for me to be alive." Harry added tapping the scar on his forehead, "I survived the killing curse when I was a baby thanks to Mum's sacrifice." he smiled, "I would have died that night but anything is possible if you believe it is."

There was a 'pop' from outside and Fred walked in panting, "Harry could you give us a hand?"

"What with?"

"We need a really strong blasting curse." he answered, "Our's aren't working."

"Lead the way." Harry replied following Fred outside.

"I bet you they couldn't control what ever it is that call was about." Ginny laughed, "They just destroy the things they cant control." she explained as there was an exclamation of shock before a big 'Boom!' was heard.

Fred, George and Harry all walked in, they were covered in black soot from the explosion.

"Thank you Harry." George grinned cleaning himself off with a wave of his wand then doing Fred and Harry.

"No problem." Harry replied, "Little warning next time you open a box would be nice though."

"We didn't know it would jump like that." Fred admitted.

"What was it?" Dudley asked.

"A new creation of ours, we called it Jeff." George grimaced.

"Jeff's gone now." Fred added, mock-sadly.

"What was Jeff?" Ginny asked.

"Umm... A new pet." George admitted, "We're trying to create the perfect pet. It's a mix of some magical creature's." he added.

Molly looked at them shocked, "Isn't that illegal?"

"They have a permit for it. They got it when they first opened the shop." Kingsley said, "As long as they don't make anything dangerous that they can't control."

"Like Jeff." Harry suggested.

"It was in the agreement that if they did make something dangerous or out of control they had to destroy whatever it was." Kingsley shrugged.

"And that's why Jeff is no more." George smirked, "Poor little half-cat half-hamster, or camster." he said looking sad.

"Jeff was a disaster." Fred soothed his twin. "We wont make that combination again."

"A cat and hamster?" Petunia asked.

"We were going to do half cat half fish." George chuckled, "But it would be too complicated. I mean, would it be a land animal or water animal, what would it eat... Nah, just too complicated at the moment."

"What about half cat and half hippogriff?" Fred suggested. "Or half hippogriff and half dragon?"

"Fire breathing Hippogriff? No thank you." George snickered. "Too dangerous, we'd get ourselves killed just making it."

"Ah well. Back to the drawing board." Fred shrugged smirking. "What are we doing today then? Now we've dealt with Jeff that is."

"Starting my 4th year." Harry told them. "Right everyone get comfortable and we'll start."

* * *

><p>So, what do you think about how Alice and Frank act? Too bold? Too relaxed? Is there anyway I could make them better? Suggestions welcome!<p>

More chapters will go up when I have more time. Should be before the new year, possibly tomorrow or the next day.

Review please x


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8 - Fourth Year (Part 1)

15, August. 1998.

"Right this is just afer a dream I had." Harry explained as Minerva handed the pensive to him, "It's one night during the summer and it's the start of many odd and often restless nights." he put the memory in when he'd finished talking and it started as soon as he sat down.

**Harry lay flat on his back, breathing hard as though he had been running. He had awoken from a vivid dream with his hands pressed over his face. The old scar on his forehead, which was shaped like a bolt of lightning, was burning beneath his fingers as though someone had just pressed a white-hot wire to his skin.**

"Why did it burn like that?" James asked.

Harry raised an eyebrow from where he was sitting on the floor, both Jinx and Jex on his knee, "Just watch and you'll find out."

**He sat up, one hand still on his scar, the other hand reaching out in the darkness for his glasses, which were on the bedside table. He put them on and his bedroom came into clearer focus, lit by a faint, misty orange light that was filtering through the curtains from the street lamp outside the window.**

**Harry ran his fingers over the scar again. It was still painful.**

Harry smiled at the thought of his scar no longer troubling him, Voldemort was gone now.

**He turned on the lamp beside him, scrambled out of bed, crossed the room, opened his wardrobe, and peered into the mirror on the inside of the door. A skinny boy of fourteen looked back at him, his bright green eyes puzzled under his untidy black hair. He examined the lightning-bolt scar of his reflection more closely. It looked normal, but it was still stinging.**

**Harry tried to recall what he had been dreaming about before he had awoken. It had seemed so real... There had been two people he knew and one he didn't... He concentrated hard, frowning, trying to remember... The dim picture of a darkened room came to him... There had been a snake on a hearth rug... a small man called Peter, nicknamed Wormtail... and a cold, high voice... the voice of Lord Voldemort. Harry felt as though an ice cube had slipped down into his stomach at the very thought...**

"Voldemort? He couldn't have been there." Petunia frowned, "The wards would have protected you."

"I never knew what exactly the wards did." Harry shrugged, "I wasn't told until my 5th year."

"Who told you?" Remus asked.

"The Order of the Phoenix." he admitted.

"So you had no idea until you were 15?" Dora snorted.

"Absolutely none. I knew they were there, just not what they were or what they did."

"How did you know they were there?" James asked.

"Easy. Don't you think if there weren't any wards there I would be alive right now? With the Death Eaters that were still loose?"

"Good point. The answer to that would be no, you wouldn't." Cissy frowned, "I know a few of them spoke of kidnapping you and raising you dark others just wanted you dead." she explained.

"Thank Merlin the wards were there then." Ginny smiled. "I like you better when you're not Dark." she teased Harry.

"I prefer not being Dark too funnily enough." he chuckled.

**He closed his eyes tightly and tried to remember what Voldemort had looked like, but it was impossible... All Harry knew was that at the moment when Voldemort's chair had swung around, and he, Harry, had seen what was sitting in it, he had felt a spasm of horror, which had awoken him... or had that been the pain in his scar?**

**And who had the old man been? For there had definitely been an old man; Harry had watched him fall to the ground. It was all becoming confused. Harry put his face into his hands, blocking out his bedroom, trying to hold on to the picture of that dimly lit room, but it was like trying to keep water in his cupped hands; the details were now trickling away as fast as he tried to hold on to them... Voldemort and Wormtail had been talking about someone they had killed, though Harry could not remember the name... and they had been plotting to kill someone else... him!**

"Yeah, that worried me a bit." Harry muttered, causing a few of them to laugh.

**Harry took his face out of his hands, opened his eyes, and stared around his bedroom as though expecting to see something unusual there. As it happened, there was an extraordinary number of unusual things in this room.**

**A large wooden trunk stood open at the foot of his bed, revealing a cauldron, broomstick, black robes, and assorted spellbooks. Rolls of parchment littered that part of his desk that was not taken up by the large, empty cage in which his snowy owl, Hedwig, usually perched. On the floor beside his bed a book lay open; Harry had been reading it before he fell asleep last night. The pictures in this book were all moving. Men in bright orange robes were zooming in and out of sight on broomsticks, throwing a red ball to one another.**

"It's not that unusual." Frank frowned. "It sounds normal to me."

"It's unusual when it's in a Muggle house." Lily pointed out.

**Harry walked over to the book, picked it up, and watched one of the wizards score a spectacular goal by putting the ball through a fifty-foot-high hoop. Then he snapped the book shut. Even Quidditch - in Harry's opinion, the best sport in the world - couldn't distract him at the moment.**

James's jaw dropped.

"He looks like a fish." Jinx commented.

Harry and Ginny burst out laughing getting a few odd looks.

"Jinx - said - Dad - looks - like - a - f-fish." Harry said through his laughter. James closed his mouth as everyone else laughed too.

**He placed Flying with the Cannons on his bedside table, crossed to the window, and drew back the curtains to survey the street below.**

**Privet Drive looked exactly as a respectable suburban street would be expected to look in the early hours of Saturday morning. All the curtains were closed. As far as Harry could see through the darkness, there wasn't a living creature in sight, not even a cat.**

**And yet... and yet... Harry went restlessly back to the bed and sat down on it, running a finger over his scar again. It wasn't the pain that bothered him; Harry was no stranger to pain and injury.**

"No kidding." Harry said bitterly, thinking of all the injuries he'd had.

**He had lost all the bones from his right arm once and had them painfully regrown in a night. The same arm had been pierced by a venomous foot-long fang not long afterward. Only last year Harry had fallen fifty feet from an airborn broomstick. He was used to bizarre accidents and injuries; they were unavoidable if you attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry**

"Not everyone gets injured at Hogwarts." Frank said reasonably.

"Wait for it." Harry smirked.

**and had a knack for attracting a lot of trouble.**

"Oh." Alice said, "Trouble magnet like James then?"

"Nope. I don't look for trouble, it just finds me." Harry shrugged.

"James, on the other hand, caused trouble on purpose." Lily grinned.

"Did not." James muttered.

"Yes you did Prongs, you and Padfoot both." Remus smirked.

"You're not exactly innocent yourself." Sirius pointed out, "Half the time you were with us when we got caught."

"Yes but it was mostly you and James who got caught, Sirius." Minerva chuckled. Remus smirked at the two pouting Marauders.

**No, the thing that was bothering Harry was the last time his scar had hurt him, it had been because Voldemort had been close by... But Voldemort couldn't be here, now... The idea of Voldemort lurking in Privet Drive was absurd, impossible...**

**Harry listened closely to the silence around him. Was he half expecting to hear the creak of a stair or the swish of a cloak? And then he jumped slightly as he heard his cousin Dudley give a tremendous grunting snore from the next room.**

**Harry shook himself mentally; he was being stupid. There was no one in the house with him except Uncle Vernon, Aunt Petunia, and Dudley, and they were plainly still asleep, their dreams untroubled and painless.**

**Asleep was the way Harry liked the Dursleys best; it wasn't as though they were ever any help to him awake. Uncle Vernon, Aunt Petunia, and Dudley were Harry's only living relatives. They were Muggles who hated and despised magic in any form, which meant that Harry was about as welcome in their house as dry rot.**

**They had explained away Harry's long absences at Hogwarts over the last three years by telling everyone that he went to St. Brutus's Secure Center for Incurably Criminal Boys. They knew perfectly well that, as an underage wizard, Harry wasn't allowed to use magic outside Hogwarts, but they were still apt to blame him for anything that went wrong about the house. Harry had never been able to confide in them or tell them anything about his life in the wizarding world. The very idea of going to them when they awoke, and telling them about his scar hurting him, and about his worries about Voldemort, was laughable.**

"It was probably best you never mentioned anything." Petunia agreed, "Vernon would have gone mad and I would have panicked if you had said you thought it was Voldemort."

"Why?" Lily asked confused.

"I am well aware of what Voldemort was capable of." she replied looking away, "Killing my little sister and brother-in-law as well as hundreds of other people..." she stopped.

"You knew it was likely he might come after you to get to me." Harry sighed, Petunia nodded, "Just as well I didn't tell you. No one needed anyone to panic."

**And yet it was because of Voldemort that Harry had come to live with the Dursleys in the first place. If it hadn't been for Voldemort, Harry would not have had the lightning scar on his forehead. If it hadn't been for Voldemort, Harry would still have had parents...**

Lily and James looked sad and Sirius said, "Must we be reminded of that every time we start a year?"

"Sorry. I thought about it a lot at Privet Drive." Harry shrugged, "Mainly I was trying to figure out exactly what happened."

"Why?" Lily asked.

"I guess I didn't really beleive Albus when he said love was one of the strongest type of magic in the world. I thought it had to be something else." he shrugged, "Don't know why or what... I was proven that it was true eventually though."

**Harry had been a year old the night that Voldemort - the most powerful Dark wizard for a century, a wizard who had been gaining power steadily for eleven years - arrived at his house and killed his father and mother.**

**Voldemort had then turned his wand on Harry; he had performed the curse that had disposed of many full-grown witches and wizards in his steady rise to power - and, incredibly, it had not worked.**

**Instead of killing the small boy, the curse had rebounded upon Voldemort. Harry had survived with nothing but a lightning-shaped cut on his forehead, and Voldemort had been reduced to something barely alive. His powers gone, his life almost extinguished, Voldemort had fled; the terror in which the secret community of witches and wizards had lived for so long had lifted, Voldemort's followers had disbanded, and Harry Potter had become famous.**

**It had been enough of a shock for Harry to discover, on his eleventh birthday, that he was a wizard; it had been even more disconcerting to find out that everyone in the hidden wizarding world knew his name. Harry had arrived at Hogwarts to find that heads turned and whispers followed him wherever he went.**

"Yeah, it's really annoying." Harry muttered. "That's why we sometimes wear Glamours to go places."

**But he was used to it now: At the end of this summer, he would be starting his fourth year at Hogwarts, and Harry was already counting the days until he would be back at the castle again.**

**But there was still a fortnight to go before he went back to school. He looked hopelessly around his room again, and his eye paused on the birthday cards his two best friends had sent him at the end of July. What would they say if Harry wrote to them and told them about his scar hurting?**

**At once, Hermione Granger's voice seemed to fill his head, shrill and panicky.**

**"Your scar hurt? Harry, that's really serious... Write to Professor Dumbledore! And I'll go and check Common Magical Ailments and Afflictions... Maybe there's something in there about curse scars..."**

"That's basically what I said when he told us." Hermione laughed while gesturing to Ron.

**Yes, that would be Hermione's advice: Go straight to the headmaster of Hogwarts, and in the meantime, consult a book.**

**Harry stared out of the window at the inky blue-black sky. He doubted very much whether a book could help him now. As far as he knew, he was the only living person to have survived a curse like Voldemort's; it was highly unlikely, therefore, that he would find his symptoms listed in Common Magical Ailments and Afflictions. As for informing the headmaster, Harry had no idea where Dumbledore went during the summer holidays. He amused himself for a moment, picturing Dumbledore, with his long silver beard, full length wizard's robes, and pointed hat, stretched out on a beach somewhere, rubbing suntan lotion onto his long crooked nose.**

They all laughed, having received a strange mental picture.

"Your imagination really is weird mate." Ron told Harry.

"I know. Minerva where did Albus go during the summer holidays?" Harry asked curiously.

"He stayed at the school mostly." Minerva chuckled. "Or he went to Beauxbatons or Durmstrang to visit."

"Really? Why?" Fleur asked.

"Just international ties." Minerva shrugged, "The ties between the biggest magical schools that is. Occasionally he'd go to the american schools."

**Wherever Dumbledore was, though, Harry was sure that Hedwig would be able to find him; Harry's owl had never yet failed to deliver a letter to anyone, even without an address. But what would he write?**

**Dear Professor Dumbledore,**

**Sorry to bother you, but my scar hurt this morning.**

**Yours sincerely,**

**Harry Potter.**

**Even inside his head the words sounded stupid.**

"How long did it take you to think about writing to me?" Sirius asked.

Harry smiled, "It takes me a while to get that far." he admitted. "I was still half-asleep."

**And so he tried to imagine his other best friend, Ron Weasley's, reaction, and in a moment, Ron's red hair and long-nosed, freckled face seemed to swim before Harry, wearing a bemused expression.**

**"Your scar hurt? But... but You-Know-Who can't be near you now, can he? I mean... you'd know, wouldn't you? He'd be trying to do you in again, wouldn't he? I dunno, Harry, maybe curse scars always twinge a bit... I'll ask Dad..."**

"You know us really well." Ron told Harry.

"And I wouldn't know much about scars like yours Harry." Arthur commented, "You're the only person in the world to have survived that particular curse."

"I know that, doesn't mean I like it." he shrugged.

**Mr. Weasley was a fully qualified wizard who worked in the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office at the Ministry of Magic, but he didn't have any particular expertise in the matter of curses, as far as Harry knew. In any case, Harry didn't like the idea of the whole Weasley family knowing that he, Harry, was getting jumpy about a few moments' pain. Mrs. Weasley would fuss worse than Hermione, and Fred and George, Ron's sixteen- year-old twin brothers, might think Harry was losing his nerve.**

"Yeah, they would." Ginny said, looking pointedly at the twins, who smiled innocently.

"We would never do that." George simpered.

"We wouldn't have dreamed of it." Fred said sweetly.

"Not buying it. You would." Harry said.

"Damn, he's caught us George. We wouldn't do it now though." Fred smiled sheepishly.

"We know it's usually a bad thing." George added.

"Well with Voldemort gone, it will never bother me again." Harry smiled.

**The Weasleys were Harry's favorite family in the world; he was hoping that they might invite him to stay any time now (Ron had mentioned something about the Quidditch World Cup), and he somehow didn't want his visit punctuated with anxious inquiries about his scar.**

**Harry kneaded his forehead with his knuckles. What he really wanted (and it felt almost shameful to admit it to himself) was someone like - someone like a parent:**

"Like a Godfather." Sirius muttered.

**an adult wizard whose advice he could ask without feeling stupid, someone who cared about him, who had had experience with Dark Magic...**

**And then the solution came to him. It was so simple, and so obvious, that he couldn't believe it had taken so long - Sirius.**

Sirius grinned and yelled, "Finally!"

Harry gave him an amused look.

**Harry leapt up from the bed, hurried across the room, and sat down at his desk; he pulled a piece of parchment toward him, loaded his eagle-feather quill with ink, wrote Dear Sirius, then paused, wondering how best to phrase his problem, still marveling at the fact that he hadn't thought of Sirius straight away. But then, perhaps it wasn't so surprising - after all, he had only found out that Sirius was his godfather two months ago.**

"True." Sirius admitted. "It was a big change so I suppose I can let you off for not thinking about me sooner." Harry rolled his eyes.

**There was a simple reason for Sirius's complete absence from Harry's life until then - Sirius had been in Azkaban, the terrifying wizard jail guarded by creatures called dementors, sightless, soul-sucking fiends who had come to search for Sirius at Hogwarts when he had escaped. Yet Sirius had been innocent - the murders for which he had been convicted had been committed by Wormtail, Voldemort's supporter, whom nearly everybody now believed dead. Harry, Ron, and Hermione knew otherwise, however; they had come face-to-face with Wormtail only the previous year, though only Professor Dumbledore had believed their story.**

**For one glorious hour, Harry had believed that he was leaving the Dursleys at last, because Sirius had offered him a home once his name had been cleared. But the chance had been snatched away from him - Wormtail had escaped before they could take him to the Ministry of Magic, and Sirius had had to flee for his life. Harry had helped him escape on the back of a hippogriff called Buckbeak, and since then, Sirius had been on the run. The home Harry might have had if Wormtail had not escaped had been haunting him all summer. It had been double hard to return to the Dursleys knowing that he had so nearly escaped them forever.**

**Nevertheless, Sirius had been of some help to Harry, even if he couldn't be with him. It was due to Sirius that Harry now had all his school things in his bedroom with him. The Dursleys had never allowed this before; their general wish of keeping Harry as miserable as possible,**

"That was Vernon's wish. I was trying to keep you as safe as possible." Petunia sighed, "If I hadn't done anything and let Vernon have his way you would have been more miserable than you actually were."

"How?" Alice asked curiously. Petunia sighed and explained what had happened with Vernon. "He did that? That's sick."

"It could have been worse." Dudley said, "He could have turned on me and Harry too."

"If he had done that he knew I would have killed him." Petunia muttered, "I was fine with him beating me up, not happy, but I was happier he was doing it to me than Dudley or Harry."

"Let me guess, he would have went for me first?" Harry guessed making her nod hesitantly.

"He almost did a few times." she admitted, "He was planning to lock you back in that stupid cupboard all of that summer, only the news about your Godfather stopped him."

"He must've realised I really would've killed him." Sirius growled.

"Or that I'd call the police while he was at work." she nodded, "I would've and I'm sure Harry would've had to tell his friends why he wasn't replying to letters."

"Without an interfering house elf." Harry nodded, "Or I'd blow him up." he smirked, "I probably would've tried wandless magic to send an alert up that something was wrong."

"Someone would've been sent out immediately." Arthur nodded, "Either that or you'd get a visit from the Aurors the next day."

"And wouldn't that be a great thing." Kingsley grinned, "You would've met me and Dora earlier than you did. We dealt with all underage magic in Muggle households if something was suspected to be wrong."

Dora nodded, "We did. And let me say I doubt Vernon Dursley would have a very nice time with us." she smiled viciously, "Arresting him would've been the highlight of that year."

"Because you were stuck with tons of paperwork and guard duty until you qualified." Kingsley smirked.

"Scrimgeour didn't like me." she shrugged, "So he stuck me with things he knew I hated."

"He always was a git." James mused.

"Even when he was lower than us." Sirius nodded, "James's Dad had to stop him doing anything to us during training 'cause he was always trying to curse us for managing better than him."

"My favourite was when he ended up getting himself with that stunner." Alice smirked as Frank nodded in agreement, "What idiot holds his wand backwards and doesn't realise?"

The others laughed as they all turned back to the memory.

**coupled with their fear of his powers, had led them to lock his school trunk in the cupboard under the stairs every summer prior to this. But their attitude had changed since they had found out that Harry had a dangerous murderer for a godfather - for Harry had conveniently forgotten to tell them that Sirius was innocent.**

"Brilliant Harry!" James said, grinning at his son. Harry just smirked.

**Harry had received two letters from Sirius since he had been back at Privet Drive. Both had been delivered, not by owls (as was usual with wizards), but by large, brightly colored tropical birds.**

"Cool Padfoot." James said.

"I was in South America." Sirius smiled, "So I figured why not use a big colourful bird."

"Which was foolish because they were easy to spot." Minerva frowned.

"No, they were on orders only to travel at night." he explained, "They were normally nocturnal too."

**Hedwig had not approved of these flashy intruders; she had been most reluctant to allow them to drink from her water tray before flying off again. Harry, on the other hand, had liked them; they put him in mind of palm trees and white sand, and he hoped that, wherever Sirius was (Sirius never said, in case the letters were intercepted), he was enjoying himself. Somehow, Harry found it hard to imaging dementors surviving for long in bright sunlight, perhaps that was why Sirius had gone South. Sirius's letters, which were now hidden beneath the highly useful loose floorboards under Harry's bed, sounded cheerful, and in both of them he had reminded Harry to call on him if ever Harry needed to. Well, he needed to right now, all right...**

**Harry's lamp seemed to grow dimmer as the cold gray light that precedes sunrise slowly crept into the room. Finally, when the sun had risen, when his bedroom walls had turned gold,**

"One of the best colors there is, Harry." James said.

**and when sounds of movement could be heard from Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia's room, Harry cleared his desk of crumpled pieces of parchment and re-read his finished letter.**

**Dear Sirius,**

**Thanks for your last letter. That bird was enormous; it could hardly get through my window. Things are the same as usual here. Dudley's diet isn't going too well.**

"Of course it wasn't!" Dudley said, "It took more than a diet for me to loose weight. I needed exercise too."

**My aunt found him smuggling doughnuts into his room yesterday. They told him they'd have to cut his pocket money**

"Which I got sweets with anyway." Dudley admitted.

"So the diet was useless anyway." Petunia grumbled.

**if he keeps doing it, so he got really angry and chucked his PlayStation out of the window. That's a sort of computer thing you can play games on. Bit stupid really, now he hasn't even got Mega-Mutilation Part Three to take his mind off things.**

**I'm okay, mainly because the Dursleys are terrified you might turn up and turn them all into bats if I ask you to.**

"And I would." Sirius said, "I think pigs would be a better choice though."

"Wouldn't have worked. The wards would have stopped you if you had aimed for me or Dudley." Petunia smirked, "Because they were made from Harry's relation to me the protection worked on me and Dudley too." she explained.

"I would have found a way." he shrugged. "Maybe enter as a dog... I would have needed to get a wand first though." he added.

"You didn't have a wand?" Lily frowned.

"I got one eventually but not at that point, no I didn't." he admitted.

**A weird thing happened this morning, though. My scar hurt again. Last time that happened it was because Voldemort was at Hogwarts. But I don't reckon he can be anywhere near me now, can he? Do you know if curse scars sometimes hurt years afterwards?**

**I'll send this with Hedwig when she gets back; she's off hunting at the moment.**

**Say hello to Buckbeak for me.**

**Harry**

**Yes, thought Harry, that looked all right. There was no point putting in the dream; he didn't want it to look as though he was too worried.**

"I won't think that. You should have told me." Sirius said.

"I didn't want you to get worried about me and risk getting caught to come see me." Harry said.

**He folded up the parchment and laid it aside on his desk, ready for when Hedwig returned. Then he got to his feet, stretched, and opened his wardrobe once more. Without glancing at his reflection he started to get dressed before going down to breakfast.**

"That's the end of that memory." Harry smiled getting up and changing the memory.

* * *

><p>Review please x<p> 


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9 - Fourth Year (Part 1.5)

15, August. 1998. 11.00am.

"It's starting from where we left off." Harry said as the memory started.

**By the time Harry arrived in the kitchen, the three Dursleys were already seated around the table.**

**None of them looked up as he entered or sat down. Uncle Vernon's large red face was hidden behind the morning's Daily Mail, and Aunt Petunia was cutting a grapefruit into quarters, her lips pursed over her horselike teeth.**

**Dudley looked furious and sulky, and somehow seemed to be taking up even more space than usual. This was saying something, as he always took up an entire side of the square table by himself. When Aunt Petunia put a quarter of unsweetened grapefruit onto Dudley's plate with a tremulous "There you are, Diddy darling," Dudley glowered at her. His life had taken a most unpleasant turn since he had come home for the summer with his end-of-year report.**

**Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia had managed to find excuses for his bad marks as usual: Aunt Petunia always insisted that Dudley was a very gifted boy whose teachers didn't understand him,**

"Does 'gifted' mean the same thing as 'special'? Sirius asked, smiling.

"No. It means I was lazy." Dudley chuckled, "I knew a lot of the stuff, I just never showed it or acted like it."

**while Uncle Vernon maintained that "he didn't want some swotty little nancy boy for a son anyway." They also skated over the accusations of bullying in the report - "He's a boisterous little boy, but he wouldn't hurt a fly!" Aunt Petunia had said tearfully.**

**However, at the bottom of the report there were a few well-chosen comments from the school nurse that not even Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia could explain away. No matter how much Aunt Petunia wailed that Dudley was big-boned,**

"Not true Mum. I was fat." Dudley frowned.

Petunia blushed.

**and that his poundage was really puppy fat, and that he was a growing boy who needed plenty of food, the fact remained that the school outfitters didn't stock knickerbockers big enough for him anymore. The school nurse had seen what Aunt Petunia's eyes - so sharp when it came to spotting fingerprints on her gleaming walls, and in observing the comings and goings of the neighbors - simply refused to see: that far from needing extra nourishment, Dudley had reached roughly the size and weight of a young killer whale.**

"That big were you?" Sirius asked, looking shocked.

"I may have exaggerated." Harry shrugged when Dudley glared at him.

**So - after many tantrums,**

"Tantrums?" Lily asked, "Isn't that a bit..."

"Childish?" Percy said.

"It usually worked." Dudley blushed, "I didn't care what I looked like if it was just Mum, Dad and Harry in the house as long as I got what I wanted in the end. It's stupid now that I look back on my actions."

"I'm glad you changed." Amber smiled, "Or I would have refused to speak to you, let alone marry you and have a child."

"You're not the only one who's glad." he smiled at his daughter who was sleeping in Petunia's arms, "And you were one of the main reasons I stopped listening to my parents until I figured out who I wanted to be."

"Even though it was annoying I have to agree with that." Petunia muttered.

"Hold on... Amber how did you end up finding them? They were under Order protection." Kingsley frowned.

"I was injured near the spot they were hiding in during a Death Eater raid. Dudley was out walking and found me." she explained.

"I carried her inside the house and she was treated, after she was questioned on who she was we decided it was best if she just stayed with us, we assumed she was a Muggle so there was no magic mentioned in the house." Dudley added, "It took a week for us to get together officially and 10 months later Cecelia was born, we were married, the war was over and we were allowed to go back to Privet drive." he shrugged.

"Then last month that damned werewolf attacked us and you know the rest." Petunia smiled hesitantly.

"I think the story behind the Death Eater raid need's to be explained better." Harry frowned, "I don't know exactly where you were but I know for a fact there shouldn't have been any Death Eater's able to find anywhere near you."

"It wasn't near them. I apparated accidentally, I don't know how to actually do it on purpose myself. Just one of those 'I'm terrified get me out of here now' things." Amber shrugged, "I didn't have my wand you see, it was at Gringotts, it was purely accidental magic."

"It happened to you before Harry." Dudley reminded him, "The day you ended up on the school roof."

"Oh yeah... We'll discuss it later." Harry shrugged.

**after arguments that shook Harry's bedroom floor, and many tears from Aunt Petunia - the new regime had begun. The diet sheet that had been sent by the Smeltings school nurse had been taped to the fridge, which had been emptied of all Dudley's favorite things - fizzy drinks and cakes, chocolate bars and burgers and filled instead with fruit and vegetables and the sorts of things that Uncle Vernon called "rabbit food." To make Dudley feel better about it all, Aunt Petunia had insisted that the whole family follow the diet too. She now passed a grapefruit quarter to Harry. He noticed that it was a lot smaller than Dudley's. Aunt Petunia seemed to feel that the best way to keep up Dudley's morale was to make sure that he did, at least, get more to eat than Harry.**

James, Lily and Remus looked furious, Sirius growled.

Harry smiled at how protective they were being.

**But Aunt Petunia didn't know what was hidden under the loose floorboard upstairs. She had no idea that Harry was not following the diet at all. The moment he had got wind of the fact that he was expected to survive the summer on carrot sticks, Harry had sent Hedwig to his friends with pleas for help, and they had risen to the occasion magnificently. Hedwig had returned from Hermione's house with a large box stuffed full of sugar-free snacks, (Hermione's parents were dentists.)**

Most of the Purebloods looked at Hermione, Petunia, Dudley, Harry and Lily, clearly not knowing what a dentist was.

Lily rolled her eyes, "You lot should've taken Muggle Studies. A dentist is like a muggle healer that works on teeth only."

**Hagrid, the Hogwarts gamekeeper, had obliged with a sack full of his own homemade rock cakes,**

"Avoid those at all costs, Harry." James advised.

Harry nodded and smiled.

**(Harry hadn't touched these; he had had too much experience of Hagrid's cooking.) Mrs. Weasley, however, had sent the family owl, Errol, with an enormous fruitcake and assorted meat pies. Poor Errol, who was elderly and feeble, had needed a full five days to recover from the journey. And then on Harry's birthday (which the Dursleys had completely ignored) he had received four superb birthday cakes, one each from Ron, Hermione, Hagrid, and Sirius.**

"How did you get a cake?" James asked Sirius.

Sirius shrugged, "Bought it. There was a little bakery near where I was and the owner didn't recognise me."

**Harry still had two of them left, and so, looking forward to a real breakfast when he got back upstairs, he ate his grapefruit without complaint.**

**Uncle Vernon laid aside his paper with a deep sniff of disapproval and looked down at his own grapefruit quarter.**

**"Is this it?" he said grumpily to Aunt Petunia.**

**Aunt Petunia gave him a severe look, and then nodded pointedly at Dudley, who had already finished his own grapefruit quarter and was eyeing Harry's with a very sour look in his piggy little eyes.**

**Uncle Vernon gave a great sigh, which ruffled his large, bushy mustache, and picked up his spoon.**

**The doorbell rang. Uncle Vernon heaved himself out of his chair and set off down the hall. Quick as a flash, while his mother was occupied with the kettle, Dudley stole the rest of Uncle Vernon's grapefruit.**

They all laughed.

**Harry heard talking at the door, and someone laughing, and Uncle Vernon answering curtly. Then the front door closed, and the sound of ripping paper came from the hall.**

**Aunt Petunia set the teapot down on the table and looked curiously around to see where Uncle Vernon had got to. She didn't have to wait long to find out; after about a minute, he was back. He looked livid.**

**"You," he barked at Harry. "In the living room. Now."**

**Bewildered, wondering what on earth he was supposed to have done this time, Harry got up and followed Uncle Vernon out of the kitchen and into the next room. Uncle Vernon closed the door sharply behind both of them.**

**"So," he said, marching over to the fireplace and turning to face Harry as though he were about to pronounce him under arrest. "So."**

"So what?" Sirius said, growing impatient.

**Harry would have dearly loved to have said, "So what?" but he didn't feel that Uncle Vernon's temper should be tested this early in the morning, especially when it was already under severe strain from lack of food. He therefore settled for looking politely puzzled.**

**"This just arrived," said Uncle Vernon. He brandished a piece of purple writing paper at Harry. "A letter. About you."**

**Harry's confusion increased. Who would be writing to Uncle Vernon about him? Who did he know who sent letters by the postman?**

**Uncle Vernon glared at Harry, then looked down at the letter and began to read aloud:**

**Dear Mr. and Mrs. Dursley,**

**We have never been introduced, but I am sure you have heard a great deal from Harry about my son Ron.**

**As Harry might have told you, the final of the Quidditch World Cup takes place this Monday night, and my husband, Arthur, has just managed to get prime tickets through his connections at the Department of Magical Games and Sports. I do hope you will allow us to take Harry to the match, as this really is a once-in-a lifetime opportunity;**

James let out a sigh of longing.

"I'm going to show it." Harry smiled making James grin happily.

**Britain hasn't hosted the cup for thirty years, and tickets are extremely hard to come by. We would of course be glad to have Harry stay for the remainder of the summer holidays, and to see him safely onto the train back to school.**

**It would be best for Harry to send us your answer as quickly as possible in the normal way, because the Muggle postman has never delivered to our house, and I am not sure he even knows where it is.**

**Hoping to see Harry soon,**

**Yours sincerely,**

**Molly Weasley**

**P.S. I do hope we've put enough stamps on.**

**Uncle Vernon finished reading, put his hand back into his breast pocket, and drew out something else.**

**"Look at this," he growled.**

**He held up the envelope in which Mrs. Weasley's letter had come, and Harry had to fight down a laugh. Every bit of it was covered in stamps except for a square inch on the front, into which Mrs. Weasley had squeezed the Dursleys' address in minute writing.**

They all started laughing and Harry paused the memory.

"It was a little too much stamp's." he chuckled. "You only need one."

"Oop's." Molly blushed. "You didn't get in trouble for it did you?" she asked worriedly.

"Nope." he replied smiling. "I thought I would but I didn't."

"Vernon knew it wasn't normal for magical people to use Muggle means. It happened with James too when we were 17." Lily giggled.

"That and he probably knew you would tell me." Sirius smirked. Harry nodded and started the memory again.

**"She did put enough stamps on, then," said Harry, trying to sound as though Mrs. Weasley's was a mistake anyone could make. His uncle's eyes flashed.**

**"The postman noticed," he said through gritted teeth. "Very interested to know where this letter came from, he was. That's why he rang the doorbell. Seemed to think it was funny."**

**Harry didn't say anything. Other people might not understand why Uncle Vernon was making a fuss about too many stamps, but Harry had lived with the Dursleys too long not to know how touchy they were about anything even slightly out of the ordinary. Their worst fear was that someone would find out that they were connected (however distantly) with people like Mrs. Weasley.**

**Uncle Vernon was still glaring at Harry, who tried to keep his expression neutral. If he didn't do or say anything stupid, he might just be in for the treat of a lifetime. He waited for Uncle Vernon to say something, but he merely continued to glare.**

**Harry decided to break the silence.**

**"So - can I go then?" he asked.**

**A slight spasm crossed Uncle Vernon's large purple face. The mustache bristled. Harry thought he knew what was going on behind the mustache: a furious battle as two of Uncle Vernon's most fundamental instincts came into conflict. Allowing Harry to go would make Harry happy, something Uncle Vernon had struggled against for thirteen years.**

Sirius and Remus growled and Lily and James looked furious.

Jex looked up at Harry and said, slightly jokingly, "Should we be afraid?"

"Very." Harry chuckled. "Just stay on my knee or Ginny's and you'll both be fine." he assured the cubs, they moved closer to his chest. "Will you four calm down please?" he asked his parents, Sirius and Remus.

Reluctantly they nodded and calmed down.

**On the other hand, allowing Harry to disappear to the Weasleys' for the rest of the summer would get rid of him two weeks earlier than anyone could have hoped, and Uncle Vernon hated having Harry in the house. To give himself thinking time, it seemed, he looked down at Mrs. Weasley's letter again.**

**"Who is this woman?" he said, staring at the signature with distaste.**

**"You've seen her," said Harry. "She's my friend Ron's mother, she was meeting him off the Hog - off the school train at the end of last term."**

**He had almost said "Hogwarts Express," and that was a sure way to get his uncle's temper up. Nobody ever mentioned the name of Harry's school aloud in the Dursley household.**

**Uncle Vernon screwed up his enormous face as though trying to remember something very unpleasant.**

**"Dumpy sort of woman?" he growled finally. "Load of children with red hair?"**

Everybody let out shouts of protest. The Weasley son's and Ginny the loudest of all.

**Harry frowned. He thought it was a bit rich of Uncle Vernon to call anyone "dumpy," when his own son, Dudley, had finally achieved what he'd been threatening to do since the age of three, and become wider than he was tall. Uncle Vernon was perusing the letter again.**

**"Quidditch," he muttered under his breath. "Quidditch - what is this rubbish?"**

**Harry felt a second stab of annoyance.**

**"It's a sport," he said shortly. "Played on broom -"**

**"All right, all right!" said Uncle Vernon loudly. Harry saw, with some satisfaction, that his uncle looked vaguely panicky. Apparently his nerves couldn't stand the sound of the word "broomsticks" in his living room. He took refuge in perusing the letter again. Harry saw his lips form the words "send us your answer... in the normal way." He scowled.**

**"What does she mean, 'the normal way'?" he spat.**

**"Normal for us," said Harry, and before his uncle could stop him, he added, "you know, owl post. That's what's normal for wizards."**

"That was risky." Petunia scolded him, "You knew not to test his temper before he'd had breakfast."

Harry shrugged, "He wouldn't do anything as soon as I mentioned Sirius popping in for a visit. A fact I exploited to its full potential when I could." he smirked.

**Uncle Vernon looked as outraged as if Harry had just uttered a disgusting swear word. Shaking with anger, he shot a nervous look through the window, as though expecting to see some of the neighbors with their ears pressed against the glass.**

**"How many times do I have to tell you not to mention that unnaturalness under my roof?" he hissed, his face now a rich plum color. "You stand there, in the clothes Petunia and I have put on your ungrateful back -"**

**"Only after Dudley finished with them," said Harry coldly, and indeed, he was dressed in a sweatshirt so large for him that he had had to roll back the sleeves five times so as to be able to use his hands, and which fell past the knees of his extremely baggy jeans.**

**"I will not be spoken to like that!" said Uncle Vernon, trembling with rage.**

**But Harry wasn't going to stand for this.**

James and Sirius let out cheers and everyone else smiled and nodded their approval.

**Gone were the days when he had been forced to take every single one of the Dursleys' stupid rules. He wasn't following Dudley's diet, and he wasn't going to let Uncle Vernon stop him from going to the Quidditch World Cup, not if he could help it. Harry took a deep, steadying breath and then said, "Okay, I can't see the World Cup. Can I go now, then? Only I've got a letter to Sirius I want to finish. You know - my godfather."**

"Brilliant!" James shouted.

"Go Harry!" Sirius agreed.

They both gave an amused looking Harry high-fives.

**He had done it, he had said the magic words. Now he watched the purple recede blotchily from Uncle Vernon's face, making it look like badly mixed black currant ice cream.**

**"You're - you're writing to him, are you?" said Uncle Vernon, in a would-be calm voice - but Harry had seen the pupils of his tiny eyes contract with sudden fear.**

"Be afraid Dursley, be very afraid." Sirius said, smiling and giving a small growl.

**"Well - yeah," said Harry, casually. "It's been a while since he heard from me, and, you know, if he doesn't he might start thinking something's wrong."**

**He stopped there to enjoy the effect of these words. He could almost see the cogs working under Uncle Vernon's thick, dark, neatly parted hair. If he tried to stop Harry writing to Sirius, Sirius would think Harry was being mistreated. If he told Harry he couldn't go to the Quidditch World Cup, Harry would write and tell Sirius, who would know Harry was being mistreated. There was only one thing for Uncle Vernon to do.**

"Your son is brilliant." Sirius told Lily admiringly.

"Yeah, but with a Marauder for a father and another for a Godfather as well as Lily's brain, is it really surprising?" Remus asked.

"As well as a Marauder who's like a favourite Uncle to me." Harry added grinning at Remus who grinned back.

**Harry could see the conclusion forming in his uncle's mind as though the great mustached face were transparent. Harry tried not to smile, to keep his own face as blank as possible. And then -**

**"Well, all right then. You can go to this ruddy... this stupid... this World Cup thing. You write and tell these - these Weasleys they're to pick you up, mind. I haven't got time to go dropping you off all over the country. And you can spend the rest of the summer there. And you can tell your - your godfather... tell him... tell him you're going."**

**"Okay then," said Harry brightly.**

**He turned and walked toward the living room door, fighting the urge to jump into the air and whoop. He was going... he was going to the Weasleys', he was going to watch the Quidditch World Cup!**

**Outside in the hall he nearly ran into Dudley, who had been lurking behind the door, clearly hoping to overhear Harry being told off. He looked shocked to see the broad grin on Harry's face.**

**"That was an excellent breakfast, wasn't it?" said Harry. "I feel really full, don't you?"**

They all laughed and Harry could here James mutter, "Brilliant", through his laughter. Harry smiled at his father.

**Laughing at the astonished look on Dudley's face, Harry took the stairs three at a time, and hurled himself back into his bedroom.**

**The first thing he saw was that Hedwig was back. She was sitting in her cage, staring at Harry with her enormous amber eyes, and clicking her beak in the way that meant she was annoyed about something. Exactly what was annoying her became apparent almost at once.**

**"OUCH!" said Harry as what appeared to be a small, gray, feathery tennis ball collided with the side of his head.**

"What is that?" Alice asked.

"Pig." Ron chuckled, "My owl. He's very excitable."

"Where's he been these past few day's? Come to think about it I've not seen Snow either." Ginny frowned.

"Snow's upstairs in my room sleeping and Pig's somewhere around here." Ron told her, "I think he might be in my room too but he could be anywhere." he frowned.

"He's upstair's." Harry nodded, "He was next to Snow, both of them are sleeping."

**Harry massaged the spot furiously, looking up to see what had hit him, and saw a minute owl, small enough to fit into the palm of his hand, whizzing excitedly around the room like a loose firework.**

"Could you not have found a less excitable owl?" James asked Sirius.

"He was kind of in hiding Prongs." Remus said, smiling slightly.

**Harry then realized that the owl had dropped a letter at his feet. Harry bent down, recognized Ron's handwriting, then tore open the envelope. Inside was a hastily scribbled note.**

**Harry - DAD GOT THE TICKETS - Ireland versus Bulgaria, Monday night. Mum's writing to the Muggles to ask you to stay. They might already have the letter, I don't know how fast Muggle post is. Thought I'd send this with Pig anyway.**

"Why did you name him Pig?" Frank chuckled.

"I didn't. Ginny did and he wouldn't and won't listen to anything else." Ron explained.

"His full name is Pigwidgeon and he likes it." Ginny smirked.

**Harry stared at the word "Pig," then looked up at the tiny owl now zooming around the light fixture on the ceiling. He had never seen anything that looked less like a pig. Maybe he couldn't read Ron's writing. He went back to the letter:**

**We're coming for you whether the Muggles like it or not, you can't miss the World Cup,**

"If you did your father would be very disappointed in you." Sirius said, causing them all to laugh, even James.

**only Mum and Dad reckon it's better if we pretend to ask their permission first. If they say yes, send Pig back with your answer pronto, and we'll come and get you at five o'clock on Sunday. If they say no, send Pig back pronto and we'll come and get you at five o'clock on Sunday anyway.**

They laughed again.

"That's another reason Vernon gave in and let you go." Petunia smiled, "He remembered three boys from the same family breaking you out when you were 12."

"And that's not even half of them. Could you imagine his face if Charlie and I showed up with the others?" Bill smirked, "Both of us are covered in burns and scars from our jobs." he added.

"He would've been terrified." Dudley mused.

"So would you Dud." Harry chuckled, "You were scared of me for a while, and you were scared of Albus." Dudley blushed and didn't reply.

**Hermione's arriving this afternoon. Percy's started work - the Department of International Magical Cooperation. Don't mention anything about Abroad while you're here unless you want the pants bored off you.**

"You could have just told me to shut up." Percy muttered.

"Or got me or Charlie to silence him." Bill snorted.

"Or just ignore him. That's what we did." Fred shrugged.

**See you soon -**

**Ron**

**"Calm down!" Harry said as the small owl flew low over his head, twittering madly with what Harry could only assume was pride at having delivered the letter to the right person. "Come here, I need you to take my answer back!"**

**The owl fluttered down on top of Hedwig's cage. Hedwig looked coldly up at it, as though daring it to try and come any closer.**

"Yeah, Hedwig never got along with Pig." Hermione giggled.

"She was too proud to be bothered with him. She kept trying to prove she could behave better than him." Harry agreed smiling fondly.

"She could though." Ron pointed out, "Even now I can't get Pig to stay still unless he's in his cage."

**Harry seized his eagle-feather quill once more, grabbed a fresh piece of parchment, and wrote:**

**Ron, it's all okay, the Muggles say I can come. See you five o'clock tomorrow.**

**Can't wait.**

**Harry**

**He folded this note up very small, and with immense difficulty, tied it to the tiny owl's leg as it hopped on the spot with excitement. The moment the note was secure, the owl was off again; it zoomed out of the window and out of sight.**

**Harry turned to Hedwig.**

**"Feeling up to a long journey?" he asked her.**

**Hedwig hooted in a dignified sort of a way.**

**"Can you take this to Sirius for me?" he said, picking up his letter. "Hang on... I just want to finish it."**

**He unfolded the parchment and hastily added a postscript.**

**If you want to contact me, I'll be at my friend Ron Weasley's for the rest of the summer. His dad's got us tickets for the Quidditch World Cup!**

**The letter finished, he tied it to Hedwig's leg; she kept unusually still, as though determined to show him how a real post owl should behave.**

"She did that often too." Harry chuckled, "Whenever she saw Pig she'd act all haughty and proud." he explained.

"Any other owls too." Ginny noted, "She relaxed if it was Errol though, but any other owls and she'd act like she was trying to say 'I'm the boss, this is how you're supposed to act' it was very amusing." she giggled.

**"I'll be at Ron's when you get back, all right?" Harry told her.**

**She nipped his finger affectionately, then, with a soft swooshing noise, spread her enormous wings and soared out of the open window. Harry watched her out of sight, then crawled under his bed, wrenched up the loose floorboard, and pulled out a large chunk of birthday cake. He sat there on the floor eating it, savoring the happiness that was flooding through him. He had cake, and Dudley had nothing but grapefruit; it was a bright summer's day, he would be leaving Privet Drive tomorrow, his scar felt perfectly normal again, and he was going to watch the Quidditch World Cup. It was hard, just now, to feel worried about anything - even Lord Voldemort.**

"Which must have been rare." Ginny sighed.

"Just a little." Harry admitted picking Jinx up and handing him up to her. Jex got off him and he got up to change the memory.

* * *

><p>Review please x<p> 


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10 - Fourth Year (Part 2)

15, August. 1998.

"Let's have lunch while we watch this one." Molly suggested, "There's sandwiches in the kitchen already made. We can eat them through here."

Everyone agreed and went to go get a sandwich before returning to the living room.

"This is the next day." Harry said sitting down on the floor again so his back was against Ginny's legs. Jex curled up next to him while Jinx curled up next to Ginny on the sofa.

**By twelve o'clock the next day, Harry's school trunk was packed with his school things and all his most prized possessions - the Invisibility Cloak he had inherited from his father,**

Sirius and James exchanged mischievous looks.

**the broomstick he had gotten from Sirius, the enchanted map of Hogwarts he had been given by Fred and George Weasley last year.**

The three Marauders grinned at the twins.

**He had emptied his hiding place under the loose floorboard of all food, double-checked every nook and cranny of his bedroom for forgotten spellbooks or quills, and taken down the chart on the wall counting down the days to September the first, on which he liked to cross off the days remaining until his return to Hogwarts.**

**The atmosphere inside number four, Privet Drive was extremely tense. The imminent arrival at their house of an assortment of wizards was making the Dursleys uptight and irritable. Uncle Vernon had looked downright alarmed when Harry informed him that the Weasleys would be arriving at five o'clock the very next day.**

**"I hope you told them to dress properly, these people," he snarled at once. "I've seen the sort of stuff your lot"**

"Our lot?" James repeated, looking irritated.

"He was too scared to say 'Wizards and Witches'." Petunia snorted, "And that's your fault by the way. He remembered what happened when you came to Christmas dinner with Lily when you were 17."

"What happened?" Fred asked interestedly.

"Umm... Maybe later." James said shooting a wary look at his wife who shook her head slightly as a signal to leave it right then.

**"wear. They'd better have the decency to put on normal clothes, that's all."**

**Harry felt a slight sense of foreboding. He had rarely seen Mr. or Mrs. Weasley wearing anything that the Dursleys would call "normal." Their children might dress in Muggle clothing during the holidays, but Mr. and Mrs. Weasley usually wore long robes in varying states of shabbiness.**

**Harry wasn't bothered about what the neighbors would think, but he was anxious about how rude the Dursleys might be to the Weasleys if they turned up looking like their worst idea of wizards.**

**Uncle Vernon had put on his best suit. To some people, this might have looked like a gesture of welcome, but Harry knew it was because Uncle Vernon wanted to look impressive and intimidating. Dudley, on the other hand, looked somehow diminished. This was not because the diet was at last taking effect, but due to fright. Dudley had emerged from his last encounter with a fully grown wizard with a curly pig's tail poking out of the seat of his trousers,**

"What?" Frank asked, laughing.

"Hagrid gave Dudley a pig tail when he rescued me from a hut when I was 11. He'd come get me to take me to get my school supplies and Vernon insulted Albus." Harry said. "So Hagrid gave Dudley a pigs tail."

Dudley went bright red as the others laughed.

**and Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon had had to pay for its removal at a private hospital in London. It wasn't altogether surprising, therefore, that Dudley kept running his hand nervously over his backside, and walking sideways from room to room, so as not to present the same target to the enemy.**

They all started laughing, even Dudley.

**Lunch was an almost silent meal. Dudley didn't even protest at the food (cottage cheese and grated celery). Aunt Petunia wasn't eating anything at all. Her arms were folded, her lips were pursed, and she seemed to be chewing her tongue, as though biting back the furious diatribe she longed to throw at Harry.**

"Actually I was dying to ask you questions." Petunia admitted, "I didn't know who you were going with or even where you were going."

"I thought Vernon told you?" Harry asked.

"He did but I still wasn't sure." she replied shrugging.

**"They'll be driving, of course?" Uncle Vernon barked across the table.**

**"Er," said Harry.**

**He hadn't thought of that. How were the Weasleys going to pick him up? They didn't have a car anymore; the old Ford Anglia they had once owned was currently running wild in the Forbidden Forest at Hogwarts.**

"Is it still there?" Arthur asked just as Alice asked.

"What car?"

Harry explained what he and Ron had done in their 2nd year.

"You flew a car to school? Your mental." Frank stated.

"And I think it's still in the forrest." Harry told Arthur, "Not entirely sure."

**But Mr. Weasley had borrowed a Ministry of Magic car last year; possibly he would do the same today?**

**"I think so," said Harry.**

**Uncle Vernon snorted into his mustache. Normally, Uncle Vernon would have asked what car Mr. Weasley drove; he tended to judge other men by how big and expensive their cars were. But Harry doubted whether Uncle Vernon would have taken to Mr. Weasley even if he drove a Ferrari.**

"Lily? What's a Ferrari?" James asked.

Sirius surprised them when he beat Lily to the answer, "It's a really expensive car."

"How did you know that?" Regulus asked.

"I did do Muggle studies. I had to learn something, and I was interested in cars and motorcycles." he shrugged.

"He did have a flying motorcycle." James added.

**Harry spent most of the afternoon in his bedroom; he couldn't stand watching Aunt Petunia peer out through the net curtains every few seconds, as though there had been a warning about an escaped rhinoceros. Finally, at a quarter to five, Harry went back downstairs and into the living room.**

**Aunt Petunia was compulsively straightening cushions. Uncle Vernon was pretending to read the paper, but his tiny eyes were not moving, and Harry was sure he was really listening with all his might for the sound of an approaching car. Dudley was crammed into an armchair, his porky hands beneath him, clamped firmly around his bottom.**

Most of the men snickered slightly.

**Harry couldn't take the tension; he left the room and went and sat on the stairs in the hall, his eyes on his watch and his heart pumping fast from excitement and nerves.**

**But five o'clock came and then went. Uncle Vernon, perspiring slightly in his suit, opened the front door, peered up and down the street, then withdrew his head quickly.**

**"They're late!" he snarled at Harry.**

**"I know," said Harry. "Maybe - er - the traffic's bad, or something."**

**Ten past five... then a quarter past five... Harry was starting to feel anxious himself now. At half past, he heard Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia conversing in terse mutters in the living room.**

**"No consideration at all."**

**"We might've had an engagement."**

**"Maybe they think they'll get invited to dinner if they're late."**

**"Well, they most certainly won't be,"**

"Like we'd want to eat with you." Ron muttered.

**said Uncle Vernon, and Harry heard him stand up and start pacing the living room. "They'll take the boy"**

"He has a name." Sirius growled.

**"and go, there'll be no hanging around. That's if they're coming at all. Probably mistaken the day. I daresay their kind don't set much store by punctuality. Either that or they drive some tin-pot car that's broken d - AAAAAAARRRRRGH!"**

**Harry jumped up. From the other side of the living room door came the sounds of the three Dursleys scrambling, panic-stricken, across the room. Next moment Dudley came flying into the hall, looking terrified.**

**"What happened?" said Harry. "What's the matter?"**

**But Dudley didn't seem able to speak. Hands still clamped over his buttocks, he waddled as fast as he could into the kitchen. Harry hurried into the living room. Loud bangings and scrapings were coming from behind the Dursleys' boarded-up fireplace, which had a fake coal fire plugged in front of it.**

"They tried to use the Floo!" Sirius exclaimed, laughing slightly.

**"What is it?" gasped Aunt Petunia, who had backed into the wall and was staring, terrified, toward the fire. "What is it, Vernon?"**

**But they were left in doubt barely a second longer. Voices could be heard from inside the blocked fireplace.**

**"Ouch! Fred, no - go back, go back, there's been some kind of mistake - tell George not to - OUCH! George, no, there's no room, go back quickly and tell Ron -"**

**"Maybe Harry can hear us, Dad - maybe he'll be able to let us out -"**

**There was a loud hammering of fists on the boards behind the electric fire.**

**"Harry? Harry, can you hear us?"**

**The Dursleys rounded on Harry like a pair of angry wolverines.**

"It's not his fault." Remus protested.

Harry smiled slightly at all the support he was getting from the Marauders and Lily.

"We weren't expecting it." Petunia huffed.

"And I didn't know they would use the Floo." Harry pointed out.

"Sorry about that by the way." Arthur chuckled, "Didn't think to check."

**"What is this?" growled Uncle Vernon. "What's going on?"**

**"They - they've tried to get here by Floo powder," said Harry, fighting a mad desire to laugh. "They can travel by fire - only you've blocked the fireplace - hang on -"**

**He approached the fireplace and called through the boards.**

**"Mr. Weasley? Can you hear me?"**

**The hammering stopped. Somebody inside the chimney piece said, "Shh!"**

**"Mr. Weasley, it's Harry... the fireplace has been blocked up. You won't be able to get through there."**

**"Damn!" said Mr. Weasley's voice. "What on earth did they want to block up the fireplace for?"**

**"They've got an electric fire," Harry explained.**

**"Really?" said Mr. Weasley's voice excitedly. "Eclectic, you say? With a plug? Gracious, I must see that... Let's think... ouch, Ron!"**

**Ron's voice now joined the others'.**

**"What are we doing here? Has something gone wrong?"**

"Oh no, Ron," Sirius said, "everything's fine." he rolled his eyes.

Ron gave Sirius a stunned look.

**"Oh no, Ron," came Fred's voice, very sarcastically. "No, this is exactly where we wanted to end up."**

**"Yeah, we're having the time of our lives here," said George, whose voice sounded muffled, as though he was squashed against the wall.**

"Because I was." George mused. "Very tight squeese in there with 5 of us."

"And yet you still managed to elbow me in the ribs." Ron huffed.

"Wasnt me." he shrugged, "Was it you?" he asked Fred.

"No idea. It was dark." he replied.

**"Boys, boys..." said Mr. Weasley vaguely. "I'm trying to think what to do... Yes... only way... Stand back, Harry."**

**Harry retreated to the sofa. Uncle Vernon, however, moved forward.**

"That wasn't very smart." James muttered.

**"Wait a moment!" he bellowed at the fire. "What exactly are you going to -"**

**BANG.**

**The electric fire shot across the room as the boarded-up fireplace burst outward, expelling Mr. Weasley, Fred, George, and Ron in a cloud of rubble and loose chippings. Aunt Petunia shrieked and fell backward over the coffee table; Uncle Vernon caught her before she hit the floor, and gaped, speechless, at the Weasleys, all of whom had bright red hair, including Fred and George, who were identical to the last freckle.**

**"That's better," panted Mr. Weasley, brushing dust from his long green robes and straightening his glasses. "Ah - you must be Harry's aunt and uncle!"**

**Tall, thin, and balding, he moved toward Uncle Vernon, his hand outstretched, but Uncle Vernon backed away several paces, dragging Aunt Petunia. Words utterly failed Uncle Vernon. His best suit was covered in white dust, which had settled in his hair and mustache and made him look as though he had just aged thirty years.**

**"Er - yes - sorry about that," said Mr. Weasley, lowering his hand and looking over his shoulder at the blasted fireplace. "It's all my fault. It just didn't occur to me that we wouldn't be able to get out at the other end. I had your fireplace connected to the Floo Network, you see - just for an afternoon, you know, so we could get Harry. Muggle fireplaces aren't supposed to be connected, strictly speaking - but I've got a useful contact at the Floo Regulation Panel and he fixed it for me. I can put it right in a jiffy, though, don't worry. I'll light a fire to send the boys back, and then I can repair your fireplace before I Disapparate."**

"They probably didn't understand a single word of that." James muttered.

"I understood some of it." Petunia admitted, "Not a lot of it though. I can remember a few things I heard Lily explaining to our parent's."

"I knew you were paying attention." Lily smirked.

"How could I not when you waited until I was there to tell them anything." she retorted, "Didn't really have a choice."

**Harry was ready to bet that the Dursleys hadn't understood a single word of this.**

**They were still gaping at Mr. Weasley, thunderstruck. Aunt Petunia staggered upright again and hid behind Uncle Vernon.**

"He was a very useful shield." Petunia smirked.

**"Hello, Harry!" said Mr. Weasley brightly. "Got your trunk ready?"**

**"It's upstairs," said Harry, grinning back.**

**"We'll get it," said Fred at once. Winking at Harry, he and George left the room.**

"What are you going to do?" Sirius asked curiously.

"You'll see." Fred told him, smiling.

**They knew where Harry's bedroom was, having once rescued him from it in the dead of night. Harry suspected that Fred and George were hoping for a glimpse of Dudley; they had heard a lot about him from Harry.**

**"Well," said Mr. Weasley, swinging his arms slightly, while he tried to find words to break the very nasty silence. "Very - erm - very nice place you've got here."**

"Oh yeah." James said sarcastically.

"Especially when its covered in dust and ashes." Sirius added.

"I didn't think I'd cause that much damage." Arthur admitted sheepishly.

**As the usually spotless living room was now covered in dust and bits of brick, this remark didn't go down too well with the Dursleys. Uncle Vernon's face purpled once more, and Aunt Petunia started chewing her tongue again. However, they seemed too scared to actually say anything.**

**Mr. Weasley was looking around. He loved everything to do with Muggles. Harry could see him itching to go and examine the television and the video recorder.**

**"They run off eckeltricity, do they?" he said knowledgeably. "Ah yes, I can see the plugs. I collect plugs," he added to Uncle Vernon. "And batteries. Got a very large collection of batteries. My wife thinks I'm mad, but there you are."**

"I don't think your mad. I think your obsessed." Molly smiled making Arthur nod and smile.

**Uncle Vernon clearly thought Mr. Weasley was mad too. He moved ever so slightly to the right, screening Aunt Petunia from view, as though he thought Mr. Weasley might suddenly run at them and attack. Dudley suddenly reappeared in the room. Harry could hear the clunk of his trunk on the stairs, and knew that the sounds had scared Dudley out of the kitchen. Dudley edged along the wall, gazing at Mr. Weasley with terrified eyes, and attempted to conceal himself behind his mother and father. Unfortunately, Uncle Vernon's bulk, while sufficient to hide bony Aunt Petunia, was nowhere near enough to conceal Dudley.**

**"Ah, this is your cousin, is it, Harry?" said Mr. Weasley, taking another brave stab at making conversation.**

**"Yep," said Harry, "that's Dudley."**

**He and Ron exchanged glances and then quickly looked away from each other; the temptation to burst out laughing was almost overwhelming. Dudley was still clutching his bottom as though afraid it might fall off. Mr. Weasley, however, seemed genuinely concerned at Dudley's peculiar behavior. Indeed, from the tone of his voice when he next spoke, Harry was quite sure that Mr. Weasley thought Dudley was quite as mad as the Dursleys thought he was, except that Mr. Weasley felt sympathy rather than fear.**

**"Having a good holiday, Dudley?" he said kindly.**

**Dudley whimpered. Harry saw his hands tighten still harder over his massive backside.**

**Fred and George came back into the room carrying Harry's school trunk. They glanced around as they entered and spotted Dudley. Their faces cracked into identical evil grins.**

Everyone was watching eagerly, even Teddy watched from his playpen with interest.

**"Ah, right," said Mr. Weasley. "Better get cracking then."**

**He pushed up the sleeves of his robes and took out his wand. Harry saw the Dursleys draw back against the wall as one.**

**"Incendio!" said Mr. Weasley, pointing his wand at the hole in the wall behind him.**

**Flames rose at once in the fireplace, crackling merrily as though they had been burning for hours. Mr. Weasley took a small drawstring bag from his pocket, untied it, took a pinch of the powder inside, and threw it onto the flames, which turned emerald green and roared higher than ever.**

**"Off you go then, Fred," said Mr. Weasley.**

**"Coming," said Fred. "Oh no - hang on -"**

**A bag of sweets had spilled out of Fred's pocket and the contents were now rolling in every direction - big, fat toffees in brightly colored wrappers. Fred scrambled around, cramming them back into his pocket, then gave the Dursleys a cheery wave, stepped forward, and walked right into the fire, saying "the Burrow!" Aunt Petunia gave a little shuddering gasp. There was a whooshing sound, and Fred vanished.**

"Petunia you knew magical people could travel by fire." Lily pointed out.

"Seeing it is different for a lot of people though." Hermione pointed out, "I was shocked the first time I saw someone travel by Floo."

**"Right then, George," said Mr. Weasley, "you and the trunk."**

**Harry helped George carry the trunk forward into the flames and turn it onto its end so that he could hold it better. Then, with a second whoosh, George had cried "the Burrow!" and vanished too.**

**"Ron, you next," said Mr. Weasley.**

**"See you," said Ron brightly to the Dursleys. He grinned broadly at Harry, then stepped into the fire, shouted "the Burrow!" and disappeared. Now Harry and Mr. Weasley alone remained.**

**"Well... bye then," Harry said to the Dursleys.**

**They didn't say anything at all. Harry moved toward the fire, but just as he reached the edge of the hearth, Mr. Weasley put out a hand and held him back. He was looking at the Dursleys in amazement.**

**"Harry said goodbye to you," he said. "Didn't you hear him?"**

**"It doesn't matter," Harry muttered to Mr. Weasley. "Honestly, I don't care."**

**Mr. Weasley did not remove his hand from Harry's shoulder.**

**"You aren't going to see your nephew till next summer," he said to Uncle Vernon in mild indignation. "Surely you're going to say goodbye?"**

**Uncle Vernon's face worked furiously. The idea of being taught consideration by a man who had just blasted away half his living room wall seemed to be causing him intense suffering.**

They all laughed slightly at this.

**But Mr. Weasley's wand was still in his hand, and Uncle Vernon's tiny eyes darted to it once, before he said, very resentfully, "Goodbye, then."**

**"See you," said Harry, putting one foot forward into the green flames, which felt pleasantly like warm breath. At that moment, however, a horrible gagging sound erupted behind him, and Aunt Petunia started to scream. Harry wheeled around. Dudley was no longer standing behind his parents. He was kneeling beside the coffee table, and he was gagging and sputtering on a foot-long, purple, slimy thing that was protruding from his mouth. One bewildered second later, Harry realized that the foot-long thing was Dudley's tongue - and that a brightly colored toffee wrapper lay on the floor before him.**

"You ate the sweet?" Astoria guessed. Dudley nodded.

"Where did you get something like that?" Alice asked.

"Made them. Ton-Tongue Toffee's." George grinned.

"One of the first products we completed." Fred added.

**Aunt Petunia hurled herself onto the ground beside Dudley, seized the end of his swollen tongue, and attempted to wrench it out of his mouth; unsurprisingly, Dudley yelled and sputtered worse than ever, trying to fight her off. Uncle Vernon was bellowing and waving his arms around, and Mr. Weasley had to shout to make himself heard.**

**"Not to worry, I can sort him out!" he yelled, advancing on Dudley with his wand outstretched, but Aunt Petunia screamed worse than ever and threw herself on top of Dudley, shielding him from Mr. Weasley.**

**"No, really!" said Mr. Weasley desperately. "It's a simple process it was the toffee - my son Fred - real practical joker - but it's only an Engorgement Charm - at least, I think it is - please, I can correct it -"**

"Almost right Dad. Engorgement charm and a charm that makes them ware off after an hour." Fred explained.

**But far from being reassured, the Dursleys became more panic-stricken; Aunt Petunia was sobbing hysterically, tugging Dudley's tongue as though determined to rip it out; Dudley appeared to be suffocating under the combined pressure of his mother and his tongue; and Uncle Vernon, who had lost control completely, seized a china figure from on top of the sideboard and threw it very hard at Mr. Weasley, who ducked, causing the ornament to shatter in the blasted fireplace.**

**"Now really!" said Mr. Weasley angrily, brandishing his wand. "I'm trying to help!"**

**Bellowing like a wounded hippo, Uncle Vernon snatched up another ornament.**

**"Harry, go! Just go!" Mr. Weasley shouted, his wand on Uncle Vernon. "I'll sort this out!" Harry didn't want to miss the fun, but Uncle Vernon's second ornament narrowly missed his left ear, and on balance he thought it best to leave the situation to Mr. Weasley. He stepped into the fire, looking over his shoulder as he said "the Burrow!" His last fleeting glimpse of the living room was of Mr. Weasley blasting a third ornament out of Uncle Vernon's hand with his wand, Aunt Petunia screaming and lying on top of Dudley, and Dudley's tongue lolling around like a great slimy python.**

They all laughed again.

**But next moment Harry had begun to spin very fast, and the Dursleys' living room was whipped out of sight in a rush of emerald-green flames.**

"Ah! So much better to see than hear about." Fred chuckled.

"Absolute nightmare to live with though." Dudley grumbled. "Not that I blame you, I deserved that wholeheartedly." he added.

George cocked his head to the side, "It was funny... But it was also wrong of us." he admitted, Fred nodded, "What if Dad hadn't been able to fix it or if it had gone wrong because you were a Muggle..."

"We shouldn't have done it without being sure." Fred agreed.

"You know I think that's one of the wisest things I've ever heard either of you say." Bill commented.

Fred and George shrugged, "We have our moment's."

"Yes and most people are shocked when you do." Ginny chuckled.

"Why is that?" Frank asked.

"Well... Long story short we play stupid. Make everyone think we only know flashy stuff..." Fred started.

"When really we can do stuff that would render our enemies unable to fight." George shrugged.

"It's a brilliant tactic. Look at us both and tell us how well you think we can fight." Fred suggested.

"I dont mean to offend you but... You look like two normal, if annoying, guys who don't know one end of their wand from the other." Alice admitted.

"And therefore we are a deadly weapon because we'd be underestimated by everyone." George grinned.

"It's worked in the past." Ginny nodded, "There's always people who just see us as kids who can't do anything harmful except tell adults where the danger is."

"It's saved my life a few times." Harry added.

"And ours." Ron smiled putting an arm around Hermione.

"It's just part of the 'Youre way too young to do more than disarm me' thing." Ginny grinned, "It's a good thing."

"You know that's quite true. People never learn that there's always someone stronger than them and it's usually the person they'd least expect." Remus nodded.

"Like Neville or Harry. You wouldn't look at either of them and go 'Oh no I should duel full power with them because they are clearly capable of kicking my ass'." Ron smirked.

Harry and Neville looked at each other then at Ron.

"Care to explain how you figured that one out?" Neville inquired.

"What he means is... During the war the Death Eater's only saw little kid's, not threat's..." Hermione trailed off.

"And yet you both had the capability to render the Death Eater's useless or unable to fight." Ginny added, "We all did."

"Voldemort underestimated me and that was his downfall." Harry said thoughtfully, "He thought the DA and the Order were... Not useless... Not a threat either but..."

"A nuisance?" Regulus suggested, "Or annoying?"

"He saw the Order as an inconvenience and the DA as a bunch of kids who couldn't do anything." Draco said.

"You know this how?" Alice asked warily.

"He mentioned it repeatedly." Draco shrugged.

"You..."

"Used to be a Marked Death Eater, yes." Draco cut Frank off, "I'm still Marked... But like Regulus I wanted out. I didn't even want to join in the first place."

"He did it to keep me and his father alive." Cissy explained, "All of us really."

"Anybody else in this room that used to be a Death Eater?" Frank asked hesitantly.

"No. Just Regulus and Draco." Neville assured him, "No one else is marked. I should have told you about those two. Sorry."

"It's fine. We know now." Alice sighed, "We're just..."

"Not all that comfortable around Ex-Death Eater's unless you know they're safe?" Regulus asked. "Dont worry, we're harmless."

"That's good to know but I was going to say around anyone who can probably cast the Unforgivable curses." Alice admitted, "Nastily I mean."

"Oh... Dont worry I've never been able to cast them effectively anyway." Draco smiled. "Except the Imperius."

"And I've never used anything other than the Imperius either." Regulus added honestly.

"Which is more than good enough for us." Frank grinned. "As both of us have cast the Imperius before."

"You have?" Neville asked.

Alice nodded, "It was during the times we escaped Voldemort."

"And I think almost everyone in this room has cast the Imperius at one point anyway." Kingsley shrugged. "Or used the Killing Curse."

"It's necessary sometimes in a war." James nodded, "If it's between killing someone to save a large amount of people... It may still be wrong but I'd save the people." everyone in the room nodded.

"With that settled let's move on with the memories." Harry smiled. Everyone took their plates from lunch trough to the kitchen, Ginny took Harry's, while he changed the memory over.

* * *

><p>Review please x<p> 


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11 - Fourth Year (Part 2.5)

15, August. 1998. 1.00pm.

"From where we left off?" Hermione guessed when the dishes had been cleaned and put away. Harry nodded and the memory started.

**Harry spun faster and faster, elbows tucked tightly to his sides, blurred fireplaces flashing past him, until he started to feel sick and closed his eyes. Then, when at last he felt himself slowing down, he threw out his hands and came to a halt in time to prevent himself from falling face forward out of the Weasleys' kitchen fire.**

**"Did he eat it?" said Fred excitedly, holding out a hand to pull Harry to his feet.**

**"Yeah," said Harry, straightening up. "What was it?"**

**"Ton-Tongue Toffee," said Fred brightly. "George and I invented them, and we've been looking for someone to test them on all summer..."**

**The tiny kitchen exploded with laughter; Harry looked around and saw that Ron and George were sitting at the scrubbed wooden table with two red-haired people Harry had never seen before, though he knew immediately who they must be: Bill and Charlie, the two eldest Weasley brothers.**

"Good guess." Charlie grinned. "Bet you couldnt tell which of us was which though."

"I'd never met you of course I couldnt. I could guess though." Harry shrugged.

**"How're you doing, Harry?" said the nearer of the two, grinning at him and holding out a large hand, which Harry shook, feeling calluses and blisters under his fingers. This had to be Charlie, who worked with dragons in Romania. Charlie was built like the twins, shorter and stockier than Percy and Ron, who were both long and lanky. He had a broad, good-natured face, which was weather-beaten and so freckly that he looked almost tanned; his arms were muscular, and one of them had a large, shiny burn on it.**

"That was Norbetta." Charlie chuckled, "Feisty little dragon that one. Refuses to be nice to the other dragons and for some reason only lets me near her."

"Norbetta?" Lily asked.

"Hagrid's dragon. It was a girl." Charlie explained.

**Bill got to his feet, smiling, and also shook Harry's hand. Bill came as something of a surprise. Harry knew that he worked for the wizarding bank, Gringotts, and that Bill had been Head Boy at Hogwarts; Harry had always imagined Bill to be an older version of Percy: fussy about rule-breaking and fond of bossing everyone around.**

"Nope. Absolutley the opposite." Bill chuckled. "No offence Perce but I wouldnt want to be like you were."

Percy shrugged, "No offence taken, I know I was a git."

**However, Bill was - there was no other word for it - cool. He was tall, with long hair that he had tied back in a ponytail. He was wearing an earring with what looked like a fang dangling from it. Bill's clothes would not have looked out of place at a rock concert, except that Harry recognized his boots to be made, not of leather, but of dragon hide.**

**Before any of them could say anything else, there was a faint popping noise, and Mr. Weasley appeared out of thin air at George's shoulder. He was looking angrier than Harry had ever seen him.**

**"That wasn't funny Fred!" he shouted. "What on earth did you give that Muggle boy?"**

**"I didn't give him anything," said Fred, with another evil grin. "I just dropped it... It was his fault he went and ate it, I never told him to."**

**"You dropped it on purpose!" roared Mr. Weasley. "You knew he'd eat it, you knew he was on a diet -"**

**"How big did his tongue get?" George asked eagerly.**

**"It was four feet long before his parents would let me shrink it!"**

The room burst into laughter again.

**Harry and the Weasleys roared with laughter again.**

**"It isn't funny!" Mr. Weasley shouted. "That sort of behavior seriously undermines wizard-Muggle relations! I spend half my life campaigning against the mistreatment of Muggles, and my own sons."**

**"We didn't give it to him because he's a Muggle!" said Fred indignantly.**

**"No, we gave it to him because he's a great bullying git," said George. "Isn't he, Harry?"**

**"Yeah, he is, Mr. Weasley," said Harry earnestly.**

"Yes I was." Dudley agreed.

**"That's not the point!" raged Mr. Weasley. "You wait until I tell your mother -"**

"Don't do that!" Sirius shouted.

"She'll skin them alive!" James gasped dramatically.

Molly just smiled amusedly.

**"Tell me what?" said a voice behind them.**

**Mrs. Weasley had just entered the kitchen. She was a short, plump woman with a very kind face, though her eyes were presently narrowed with suspicion.**

**"Oh hello, Harry, dear," she said, spotting him and smiling. Then her eyes snapped back to her husband. "Tell me what, Arthur?"**

**Mr. Weasley hesitated. Harry could tell that, however angry he was with Fred and George, he hadn't really intended to tell Mrs. Weasley what had happened.**

"I noticed that." Molly huffed, "You know I would have found out eventually Arthur."

"I was hoping to wait until they weren't in the room." he admitted, "So you'd have time to calm down a little." he added.

"Wouldn't have worked Dad." Fred sighed.

"Yeah Mum knows exactly where our room is and where we go when we're here." George added.

**There was a silence, while Mr. Weasley eyed his wife nervously. Then two girls appeared in the kitchen doorway behind Mrs. Weasley. One, with very bushy brown hair and rather large front teeth, was Harry's and Ron's friend, Hermione Granger. The other, who was small and red-haired, was Ron's younger sister, Ginny. Both of them smiled at Harry, who grinned back, which made Ginny go scarlet - she had been very taken with Harry ever since his first visit to the Burrow.**

"I had already fallen for you." Ginny smiled down at Harry who had looked up from where he was sitting on the floor. "I just pretended otherwise." Harry grinned at her.

**"Tell me what, Arthur?" Mrs. Weasley repeated, in a dangerous sort of voice.**

**"It's nothing, Molly," mumbled Mr. Weasley, "Fred and George just - but I've had words with them -"**

**"What have they done this time?" said Mrs. Weasley. "If it's got anything to do with Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes -"**

**"Why don't you show Harry where he's sleeping, Ron?" said Hermione from the doorway.**

**"He knows where he's sleeping," said Ron, "in my room, he slept there last -"**

"You don't catch on very fast." Sirius told Ron jokingly, receiving a glare from Ron.

**"We can all go," said Hermione pointedly.**

**"Oh," said Ron, cottoning on. "Right."**

**"Yeah, we'll come too," said George.**

"Nice try." Dora chuckled.

"You couldn't honestly think I'd let you leave?" Molly asked her sons.

Fred and George frowned, "Not really but we had to try." Fred shrugged.

**"You stay where you are!" snarled Mrs. Weasley.**

**Harry and Ron edged out of the kitchen, and they, Hermione, and Ginny set off along the narrow hallway and up the rickety staircase that zigzagged through the house to the upper stories.**

**"What are Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes?" Harry asked as they climbed.**

**Ron and Ginny both laughed, although Hermione didn't.**

**"Mum found this stack of order forms when she was cleaning Fred and George's room," said Ron quietly. "Great long price lists for stuff they've invented. Joke stuff, you know. Fake wands and trick sweets, loads of stuff. It was brilliant, I never knew they'd been inventing all that..."**

**"We've been hearing explosions out of their room for ages, but we never thought they were actually making things," said Ginny. "We thought they just liked the noise."**

**"Only, most of the stuff - well, all of it, really - was a bit dangerous," said Ron, "and, you know, they were planning to sell it at Hogwarts to make some money, and Mum went mad at them. Told them they weren't allowed to make any more of it, and burned all the order forms... She's furious at them anyway. They didn't get as many O.W.L.s as she expected."**

**O.W.L.s were Ordinary Wizarding Levels, the examinations Hogwarts students took at the age of fifteen.**

**"And then there was this big row," Ginny said, "because Mum wants them to go into the Ministry of Magic like Dad, and they told her all they want to do is open a joke shop."**

"Which was a good idea." Molly sighed. "I just thought it wasnt at the time."

**Just then a door on the second landing opened, and a face poked out wearing horn-rimmed glasses and a very annoyed expression.**

"Oh great. It's me being a git." Percy mumbled.

**"Hi, Percy," said Harry.**

**"Oh hello, Harry," said Percy. "I was wondering who was making all the noise. I'm trying to work in here, you know I've got a report to finish for the office ****-**** and it's rather difficult to concentrate when people keep thundering up and down the stairs."**

**"We're not thundering,"****said Ron irritably. "We're walking. Sorry if we've disturbed the top-secret workings of the Ministry of Magic."**

**"What are you working on?" said Harry.**

**"A report for the Department of International Magical Cooperation," said Percy smugly. "We're trying to standardize cauldron thickness. Some of these foreign imports are just a shade too thin - leakages have been increasing at a rate of almost three percent a year -"**

**"That'll change the world, that report will," said Ron. "Front page of the Daily Prophet, I expect, cauldron leaks."**

**Percy went slightly pink.**

**"You might sneer, Ron," he said heatedly, "but unless some sort of international law is imposed we might well find the market flooded with flimsy, shallow bottomed products that seriously endanger -"**

**"Yeah, yeah, all right," said Ron, and he started off upstairs again. Percy slammed his bedroom door shut. As Harry, Hermione, and Ginny followed Ron up three more flights of stairs, shouts from the kitchen below echoed up to them. It sounded as though Mr. Weasley had told Mrs. Weasley about the toffees.**

**The room at the top of the house where Ron slept looked much as it had the last time that Harry had come to stay: the same posters of Ron's favorite Quidditch team, the Chudley Cannons,****were whirling and waving on the walls and sloping ceiling, and the fish tank on the windowsill, which had previously held frog spawn, now contained one extremely large frog. Ron's old rat, Scabbers,**

Sirius growled.

**was here no more, but instead there was the tiny gray owl that had delivered Ron's letter to Harry in Privet Drive. It was hopping up and down in a small cage and twittering madly.**

**"Shut up, Pig," said Ron, edging his way between two of the four beds that had been squeezed into the room. "Fred and George are in here with us, because Bill and Charlie are in their room," he told Harry. "Percy gets to keep his room all to himself because he's got to work."**

**"Er - why are you calling that owl Pig?" Harry asked Ron.**

**"Because he's being stupid," said Ginny, "Its proper name is Pigwidgeon."**

"And that's so much better..." Ron said sarcastically.

"It's better than 'Bird'." Remus said, looking at James and smirking slightly.

"Hey! It's not my fault! Sirius named him!" James protested.

"No I didn't." Sirius said.

"Yes you did. You called him a 'dumb bird' and all he'd answer to was 'Bird'."

"Yeah, but he bit me!" he protested.

**"Yeah, and that's not a stupid name at all," said Ron sarcastically. "Ginny named him," he explained to Harry. "She reckons it's sweet. And I tried to change it, but it was too late, he won't answer to anything else. So now he's Pig. I've got to keep him up here because he annoys Errol and Hermes. He annoys me too, come to that.****"**

**Pigwidgeon zoomed happily around his cage, hooting shrilly. Harry knew Ron too well to take him seriously. He had moaned continually about his old rat, Scabbers, but had been most upset when Hermione's cat, Crookshanks, appeared to have eaten him.**

**"Where's Crookshanks?" Harry asked Hermione now.**

**"Out in the garden, I expect," she said. "He likes chasing gnomes. He's never seen any before."**

**"Percy's enjoying work, then?" said Harry, sitting down on one of the beds and watching the Chudley Cannons zooming in and out of the posters on the ceiling.**

**"Enjoying it?" said Ron darkly. "I don't reckon he'd come home if Dad didn't make him. He's obsessed. Just don't get him onto the subject of his boss. According to Mr. Crouch... as I was saying to Mr. Crouch... Mr. Crouch is of the opinion... Mr. Crouch was telling me... They'll be announcing their engagement any day now."**

Percy blushed and glared at his youngest brother, who smiled innocently.

**"Have you had a good summer, Harry?" said Hermione. "Did you get our food parcels and everything?"**

**"Yeah, thanks a lot," said Harry. "They saved my life, those cakes."**

**"And have you heard from****-?"**

**Ron began, but at a look from Hermione he fell silent. Harry knew Ron had been about to ask about Sirius. Ron and Hermione had been so deeply involved in helping Sirius escape from the Ministry of Magic that they were almost as concerned about Harry's godfather as he was. However, discussing him in front of Ginny was a bad idea. Nobody but themselves and Professor Dumbledore knew about how Sirius had escaped, or believed in his innocence.**

"You could have told me." Ginny muttered.

"No we couldnt." Ron disagreed, "Too risky."

Ginny huffed.

**"I think they've stopped arguing," said Hermione, to cover the awkward moment, because Ginny was looking curiously from Ron to Harry. "Shall we go down and help your mum with dinner?"**

**"Yeah, all right," said Ron. The four of them left Ron's room and went back downstairs to find Mrs. Weasley alone in the kitchen, looking extremely bad-tempered.**

**"We're eating out in the garden," she said when they came in. "There's just not room for eleven people in here. Could you take the plates outside, girls? Bill and Charlie are setting up the tables. Knives and forks, please, you two," she said to Ron and Harry, pointing her wand a little more vigorously than she had intended at a pile of potatoes in the sink, which shot out of their skins so fast that they ricocheted off the walls and ceiling.**

**"Oh for heaven's sake," she snapped, now directing her wand at a dustpan, which hopped off the sideboard and started skating across the floor, scooping up the potatoes. "Those two!" she burst out savagely, now pulling pots and pans out of a cupboard, and Harry knew she meant Fred and George. "I don't know what's going to happen to them, I really don't. No ambition, unless you count making as much trouble as they possibly can..."**

"We had ambition. It was our ambition to open our own joke shop and we did it. We live to entertain!" George announced.

"And it's fun to make as much trouble as possible." Fred smirked.

**Mrs. Weasley slammed a large copper saucepan down on the kitchen table and began to wave her wand around inside it. A creamy sauce poured from the wand tip as she stirred.**

**"It's not as though they haven't got brains," she continued irritably, taking the saucepan over to the stove and lighting it with a further poke of her wand, "but they're wasting them, and unless they pull themselves together soon, they'll be in real trouble. I've had more owls from Hogwarts about them than the rest put together.****"**

"Yes we got more howlers than anyone else until our 4th year." Fred chuckled.

"Then I gave up." Molly shrugged, "I couldnt get you to behave so I left you to make your own decisions as long as it wasnt too drastic."

"And it worked out for the best." George grinned.

**"****If they carry on the way they're going, they'll end up in front of the Improper Use of Magic Office."**

**Mrs. Weasley jabbed her wand at the cutlery drawer, which shot open. Harry and Ron both jumped out of the way as several knives soared out of it, flew across the kitchen, and began chopping the potatoes, which had just been tipped back into the sink by the dustpan.**

**"I don't know where we went wrong with them," said Mrs. Weasley, putting down her wand and starting to pull out still more saucepans. "It's been the same for years, one thing after another, and they won't listen to - OH NOT AGAIN!"**

**She had picked up her wand from the table, and it had emitted a loud squeak and turned into a giant rubber mouse.**

They all laughed a little at this.

**"One of their fake wands again!" she shouted. "How many times have I told them not to leave them lying around?"**

"So that's where it went." Fred laughed.

"Apparently." George chuckled.

**She grabbed her real wand and turned around to find that the sauce on the stove was smoking.**

**"C'mon," Ron said hurriedly to Harry, seizing a handful of cutlery from the open drawer, "let's go and help Bill and Charlie."**

**They left Mrs. Weasley and headed out the back door into the yard.**

**They had only gone a few paces when Hermione's bandy-legged ginger cat, Crookshanks, came pelting out of the garden, bottle-brush tail held high in the air, chasing what looked like a muddy potato on legs. Harry recognized it instantly as a gnome. Barely ten inches high, its horny little feet pattered very fast as it sprinted across the yard and dived headlong into one of the Wellington boots that lay scattered around the door. Harry could hear the gnome giggling madly as Crookshanks inserted a paw into the boot, trying to reach it.**

**Meanwhile, a very loud crashing noise was coming from the other side of the house.**

**The source of the commotion was revealed as they entered the garden, and saw that Bill and Charlie both had their wands out, and were making two battered old tables fly high above the lawn, smashing into each other, each attempting to knock the other's out of the air.**

**Fred and George were cheering, Ginny was laughing, and Hermione was hovering near the hedge, apparently torn between amusement and anxiety. Bill's table caught Charlie's with a huge bang and knocked one of its legs off. There was a clatter from overhead, and they all looked up to see Percy's head poking out of a window on the second floor.**

**"Will you keep it down?!" he bellowed.**

**"Sorry, Perce," said Bill, grinning. "How're the cauldron bottoms coming on?"**

**"Very badly," said Percy peevishly, and he slammed the window shut. Chuckling, Bill and Charlie directed the tables safely onto the grass, end to end, and then, with a flick of his wand, Bill reattached the table leg and conjured tablecloths from nowhere.**

"You know your probably the only one that can get away with something like that without getting into an argument." Charlie told Percy.

"Why?" Percy asked.

"Normally Bill would argue." Fred grinned.

Bill nodded, "You got away with it because I know you'd win that argument. Or you'd tell Mum I was annoying you and I'd have to be quiet anyway." he shrugged.

**By seven o'clock, the two tables were groaning under dishes and dishes of Mrs. Weasley's excellent cooking, and the nine Weasleys, Harry, and Hermione were settling themselves down to eat beneath a clear, deep-blue sky. To somebody who had been living on meals of increasingly stale cake all summer, this was paradise, and at first, Harry listened rather than talked as he helped himself to chicken and ham pie, boiled potatoes, and salad.**

**At the far end of the table, Percy was telling his father all about his report on cauldron bottoms.**

**"I've told Mr. Crouch that I'll have it ready by Tuesday," Percy was saying pompously. "That's a bit sooner than he expected it, but I like to keep on top of things. I think he'll be grateful I've done it in good time, I mean, its extremely busy in our department just now, what with all the arrangements for the World Cup. We're just not getting the support we need from the Department of Magical Games and Sports. Ludo Bagman****-"**

"Wasn't he the beater for the Wimbourne Wasps?" James asked.

"Yeah, he works for the Department of Magical Games and Sports now." Hermione said.

"He retired from Quidditch about 13 years ago." Arthur smiled.

**"I like Ludo," said Mr. Weasley mildly. "He was the one who got us such good tickets for the Cup. I did him a bit of a favor: His brother, Otto, got into a spot of trouble - a lawnmower with unnatural powers - I smoothed the whole thing over."**

**"Oh Bagman's likable enough, of course," said Percy dismissively, "but how he ever got to be Head of Department... when I compare him to Mr. Crouch! I can't see Mr. Crouch losing a member of our department and not trying to find out what's happened to them. You realize Bertha Jorkins has been missing for over a month now?"**

They all looked a bit pale at this.

**"****Went on holiday to Albania and never came back?"**

**"Yes, I was asking Ludo about that," said Mr. Weasley, frowning. "He says Bertha's gotten lost plenty of times before now - though I must say, if it was someone in my department, I'd be worried..."**

**"Oh Bertha's hopeless, all right," said Percy. "I hear she's been shunted from department to department for years, much more trouble than she's worth... but all the same, Bagman ought to be trying to find her. Mr. Crouch has been taking a personal interest, she worked in our department at one time, you know, and I think Mr. Crouch was quite fond of her - but Bagman just keeps laughing and saying she probably misread the map and ended up in Australia instead of Albania. However" - Percy heaved an impressive sigh and took a deep swig of elderflower wine - "we've got quite enough on our plates at the Department of International Magical Cooperation without trying to find members of other departments too. As you know, we've got another big event to organize right after the World Cup."**

"What?" James and Sirius both asked.

"You'll find out later today. We had to wait until the opening feast so you can wait to find out." Hermione smirked.

**Percy cleared his throat significantly and looked down toward the end of the table where Harry, Ron, and Hermione were sitting. "You know the one I'm talking about, Father." He raised his voice slightly. "The top-secret one."**

**Ron rolled his eyes and muttered to Harry and Hermione, "He's been trying to get us to ask what that event is ever since he started work. Probably an exhibition of thick-bottomed cauldrons."**

**In the middle of the table, Mrs. Weasley was arguing with Bill about his earring, which seemed to be a recent acquisition.**

**"... with a horrible great fang on it. Really, Bill, what do they say at the bank?"**

**"Mum, no one at the bank gives a damn how I dress as long as I bring home plenty of treasure," said Bill patiently.**

**"And your hair's getting silly, dear," said Mrs. Weasley, fingering her wand lovingly. "I wish you'd let me give it a trim..."**

**"I like it," said Ginny, who was sitting beside Bill. "You're so old-fashioned, Mum. Anyway, it's nowhere near as long as Professor Dumbledore's..." Next to Mrs. Weasley, Fred, George, and Charlie were all talking spiritedly about the World Cup.**

**"It's got to be Ireland," said Charlie thickly, through a mouthful of potato. "They flattened Peru in the semifinals."**

**"Bulgaria has got Viktor Krum,****"**

Ron frowned and Hermione blushed, earning them a few odd looks from everyone and a trying-not-to-laugh one from Harry and Ginny.

**"****though," said Fred.**

**"Krum's one decent player, Ireland has got seven," said Charlie shortly. "I wish England had got through. That was embarrassing, that was."**

**"What happened?" said Harry eagerly, regretting more than ever his isolation from the wizarding world when he was stuck on Privet Drive.**

"You should've subscribed to the Prophet then." Hermione said, "That's what I did."

**"Went down to Transylvania, three hundred and ninety to ten," said Charlie gloomily. "Shocking performance. And Wales lost to Uganda, and Scotland was slaughtered by Luxembourg."**

**Harry had been on the Gryffindor House Quidditch team ever since his first year at Hogwarts and owned one of the best racing brooms in the world, a Firebolt.**

"Thanks to Padfoot." James said, grinning at his best friend.

**Flying came more naturally to Harry than anything else in the magical world, and he played in the position of Seeker on the Gryffindor House team.**

**Mr. Weasley conjured up candles to light the darkening garden before they had their homemade strawberry ice cream, and by the time they had finished, moths were fluttering low over the table, and the warm air was perfumed with the smells of grass and honeysuckle. Harry was feeling extremely well fed and at peace with the world as he watched several gnomes sprinting through the rosebushes, laughing madly and closely pursued by Crookshanks.**

**Ron looked carefully up the table to check that the rest of the family were all busy talking, then he said very quietly to Harry, "So - have you heard from Sirius lately?"**

**Hermione looked around, listening closely.**

**"Yeah," said Harry softly, "twice. He sounds okay. I wrote to him yesterday. He might write back while I'm here."**

**He suddenly remembered the reason he had written to Sirius, and for a moment was on the verge of telling Ron and Hermione about his scar hurting again, and about the dream that had awoken him... but he really didn't want to worry them just now, not when he himself was feeling so happy and peaceful.**

**"Look at the time," Mrs. Weasley said suddenly, checking her wristwatch. "You really should be in bed, the whole lot of you you'll be up at the crack of dawn to get to the Cup. Harry, if you leave your school list out, I'll get your things for you tomorrow in Diagon Alley. I'm getting everyone else's. There might not be time after the World Cup,****the match went on for five days last time."**

**"Wow - hope it does this time!" said Harry enthusiastically.**

**"Well, I certainly don't," said Percy sanctimoniously. "I shudder to think what the state of my in-tray would be if I was away from work for five days."**

**"Yeah, someone might slip dragon dung in it again, eh, Perce?" said Fred.**

**"That was a sample of fertilizer from Norway!" said Percy, going very red in the face. "It was nothing personal!"**

**"It was," Fred whispered to Harry as they got up from the table. "We sent it."**

"That's it. You have 3 seconds to run before you get hexed." Percy scowled, "1..." the twins got up and walked to the door, "2..." they started walking outside. "3!" Percy leapt up and chased after their now running figures with his wand in his hand.

"Well... That was fun." Dora snorted. "Percy's going to hex the twins to within an inch of their lives."

"Nah. He won't." Harry sighed.

"Percy's a big softie now." Ron explained, "Bit of a pushover really."

"He has been since Fred..." Ginny sighed, "He took it almost as bad a George did."

"And that was really bad." Harry nodded. "The first time Death appeared was only the tenth time George had joined us all for a meal and the first time he spoke in at least a month."

"It was weird. George would just sit there, eat his dinner in silence and then disappear back up to his room." Bill frowned, "Percy was almost as bad but he talked and even went to work everyday he was needed to be in..."

"Perce would have days where he wouldn't speak either. He and George would just sit in silence, sometimes together and sometimes separately." Charlie nodded, "It was odd to see George so quiet."

"So we encouraged him to make trouble." Molly smiled sadly, "Didn't work for a while, but he was improving... Now, with Fred back, it's like it never happened." she mused.

"You haven't noticed then?" Ginny asked, "Since Fred returned George has kept skin-to-skin contact with Fred."

"We hadn't noticed. I wonder why?" Arthur asked.

"Probably George's way of making sure Fred's not going anywhere." Bill said as the twins ran back into the room and dived behind the couch Sirius, James, Lily, Remus and Dora were sitting on.

"We're not here." Fred said before he made himself and George invisible by taking a necklace out of his pocket and putting the chain around both their necks.

Percy walked in looking flushed, "Where are they?"

"No idea." Bill shrugged while discreetly pointing at the couch they were behind.

Percy nodded and went behind the same couch and reaching out with a hand, it stopped as though he'd hit a barrier, "Come on I know you're there. I'm not going to hex you now."

"That could mean your going to hex us later." George's voice replied.

"I won't hex you later then, I promise."

The twins appeared and Fred put the necklace in his pocket. Percy grabbed one of their hands each and helped them up.

Fred looked confused once he was on his feet. "You never usually give up that easy." George flicked his fingers in a complicated pattern. "Okay... Youre going to have to explain that one Gred."

"Later." George promised. Fred nodded and the three brothers went and sat down again.

Harry checked his watch, "One more memory for today." he decided, "There's a few things I want to try tonight."

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><p>Review please x<p> 


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12 - Fourth Year (Part 3)

15, August. 1998. 2.30pm.

"This is the morning of the Quidditch Cup." Harry smiled as the Quidditch fans cheered, James and Sirius the loudest.

**Harry felt as though he had barely lain down to sleep in Ron's room when he was being shaken awake by Mrs. Weasley.**

**"Time to go, Harry, dear," she whispered, moving away to wake Ron.**

**Harry felt around for his glasses, put them on, and sat up. It was still dark outside.**

"How early was it?" James cried.

"About 4.30." Molly told him.

**Ron muttered indistinctly as his mother roused him. At the foot of Harry's mattress he saw two large, disheveled shapes emerging from tangles of blankets.**

**"'S' time already?" said Fred groggily.**

"You could tell us apart by then?" George asked. Harry nodded.

"It really didn't take you long." Fred commented. "Basically only three years." he frowned.

"I think we need to be a little more careful Fred." George sighed, "Or everyone will figure it out."

**They dressed in silence, too sleepy to talk, then, yawning and stretching, the four of them headed downstairs into the kitchen.**

**Mrs. Weasley was stirring the contents of a large pot on the stove, while Mr. Weasley was sitting at the table, checking a sheaf of large parchment tickets. He looked up as the boys entered and spread his arms so that they could see his clothes more clearly. He was wearing what appeared to be a golfing sweater and a very old pair of jeans, slightly too big for him and held up with a thick leather belt.**

**"What d'you think?" he asked anxiously. "We're supposed to go incognito - do I look like a Muggle, Harry?"**

**"Yeah," said Harry, smiling, "very good."**

**"Where're Bill and Charlie and Per - Per - Percy?" said George, failing to stifle a huge yawn.**

"Asleep." the three oldest brothers smirked.

**"Well, they're Apparating, aren't they?" said Mrs. Weasley, heaving the large pot over to the table and starting to ladle porridge into bowls. "So they can have a bit of a lie-in."**

**"Lucky." Ron muttered.**

**Harry knew that Apparating meant disappearing from one place and reappearing almost instantly in another, but had never known any Hogwarts student to do it, and understood that it was very difficult.**

"And painful." Ron muttered, rubbing his shoulder where there was still a chunk missing. "I have far too much experience with splinching." he shuddered.

**"So they're still in bed?" said Fred grumpily, pulling his bowl of porridge toward him. "Why can't we Apparate too?"**

**"Because you're not of age and you haven't passed your test," snapped Mrs. Weasley. "And where have those girls got to?"**

**She bustled out of the kitchen and they heard her climbing the stairs.**

**"You have to pass a test to Apparate?" Harry asked.**

**"Oh yes," said Mr. Weasley, tucking the tickets safely into the back pocket of his jeans. "The Department of Magical Transportation had to fine a couple of people the other day for Apparating without a license. It's not easy, Apparition, and when it's not done properly it can lead to nasty complications. This pair I'm talking about went and splinched themselves."**

**Everyone around the table except Harry winced.**

**"Er - splinched?" said Harry.**

**"They left half of themselves behind," said Mr. Weasley, now spooning large amounts of treacle onto his porridge. "So, of course, they were stuck. Couldn't move either way. Had to wait for the Accidental Magic Reversal Squad to sort them out. Meant a fair old bit of paperwork, I can tell you, what with the Muggles who spotted the body parts they'd left behind..."**

**Harry had a sudden vision of a pair of legs and an eyeball lying abandoned on the pavement of Privet Drive.**

They all laughed a little at this.

**"Were they okay?" he asked, startled.**

**"Oh yes," said Mr. Weasley matter-of-factly. "But they got a heavy fine, and I don't think they'll be trying it again in a hurry. You don't mess around with Apparition. There are plenty of adult wizards who don't bother with it. Prefer brooms - slower, but safer."**

**"But Bill and Charlie and Percy can all do it?"**

**"Charlie had to take the test twice," said Fred, grinning. "He failed the first time. Apparated five miles south of where he meant to, right on top of some poor old dear doing her shopping, remember?"**

"You had to mention that." a red-faced Charlie grumbled as everyone laughed.

**"Yes, well, he passed the second time," said Mrs. Weasley, marching back into the kitchen amid hearty sniggers.**

**"Percy only passed two weeks ago," said George. "He's been Apparating downstairs every morning since, just to prove he can."**

James pouted, "Padfoot kept doing that when he learned."

Sirius grinned, "Didn't I land on you once?"

James nodded. "And Moony when he came to stay." Remus nodded in confirmation.

**There were footsteps down the passageway and Hermione and Ginny came into the kitchen, both looking pale and drowsy.**

**"Why do we have to be up so early?" Ginny said, rubbing her eyes and sitting down at the table.**

**"We've got a bit of a walk," said Mr. Weasley.**

**"Walk?" said Harry. "What, are we walking to the World Cup?"**

"Your like Prongs then." Sirius told Harry, "His brain doesn't work well in the morning."

James and Harry both glared at Sirius.

**"No, no, that's miles away," said Mr. Weasley, smiling. "We only need to walk a short way. It's just that it's very difficult for a large number of wizards to congregate without attracting Muggle attention. We have to be very careful about how we travel at the best of times, and on a huge occasion like the Quidditch World Cup..."**

**"George!" said Mrs. Weasley sharply, and they all jumped.**

**"What?" said George, in an innocent tone that deceived nobody.**

**"What is that in your pocket?"**

**"Nothing!"**

**"Don't you lie to me!"**

**Mrs. Weasley pointed her wand at George's pocket and said, "Accio!"**

**Several small, brightly colored objects zoomed out of George's pocket; he made a grab for them but missed, and they sped right into Mrs. Weasley's outstretched hand.**

**"We told you to destroy them!" said Mrs. Weasley furiously, holding up what were unmistakably more Ton-Tongue Toffees. "We told you to get rid of the lot! Empty your pockets, go on, both of you!"**

**It was an unpleasant scene; the twins had evidently been trying to smuggle as many toffees out of the house as possible, and it was only by using her Summoning Charm that Mrs. Weasley managed to find them all.**

**"Accio! Accio! Accio!" she shouted, and toffees zoomed from all sorts of unlikely places, including the lining of George's jacket and the turn-ups of Fred's jeans.**

**"We spent six months developing those!" Fred shouted at his mother as she threw the toffees away.**

"You threw them away?!" Sirius shouted.

"We had more." Fred shrugged.

"And we saved some of them." George added.

**"Oh a fine way to spend six months!" she shrieked. "No wonder you didn't get more O.W.L.s!"**

**All in all, the atmosphere was not very friendly as they took their departure. Mrs. Weasley was still glowering as she kissed Mr. Weasley on the cheek, though not nearly as much as the twins, who had each hoisted their rucksacks onto their backs and walked out without a word to her.**

**"Well, have a lovely time," said Mrs. Weasley, "and behave yourselves," she called after the twins'**

"Like that's going to happen." Regulus snorted.

**retreating backs, but they did not look back or answer. "I'll send Bill, Charlie, and Percy along around midday," Mrs. Weasley said to Mr. Weasley, as he, Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny set off across the dark yard after Fred and George.**

**It was chilly and the moon was still out. Only a dull, greenish tinge along the horizon to their right showed that daybreak was drawing closer. Harry, having been thinking about thousands of wizards speeding toward the Quidditch World Cup, sped up to walk with Mr. Weasley.**

**"So how does everyone get there without all the Muggles noticing?" he asked.**

**"It's been a massive organizational problem," sighed Mr. Weasley. "The trouble is, about a hundred thousand wizards turn up at the World Cup, and of course, we just haven't got a magical site big enough to accommodate them all. There are places Muggles can't penetrate, but imagine trying to pack a hundred thousand wizards into Diagon Alley or platform nine and three-quarters. So we had to find a nice deserted moor, and set up as many anti-Muggle precautions as possible. The whole Ministry's been working on it for months. First, of course, we have to stagger the arrivals. People with cheaper tickets have to arrive two weeks beforehand. A limited number use Muggle transport, but we can't have too many clogging up their buses and trains - remember, wizards are coming from all over the world. Some Apparate, of course, but we have to set up safe points for them to appear, well away from Muggles. I believe there's a handy wood they're using as the Apparition point. For those who don't want to Apparate, or can't, we use Portkeys. They're objects that are used to transport wizards from one spot to another at a prearranged time. You can do large groups at a time if you need to. There have been two hundred Portkeys placed at strategic points around Britain, and the nearest one to us is up at the top of Stoatshead Hill, so that's where we're headed."**

**Mr. Weasley pointed ahead of them, where a large black mass rose beyond the village of Ottery St. Catchpole.**

**"What sort of objects are Portkeys?" said Harry curiously.**

**"Well, they can be anything," said Mr. Weasley. "Unobtrusive things, obviously, so Muggles don't go picking them up and playing with them... stuff they'll just think is litter..."**

"What would happen if a muggle picked a portkey up and moved it or threw it away?" Petunia asked.

"It would activate and cause a lot of problems." Kingsley sighed. "And a lot of paperwork, but it hasnt happened in months."

"Months?" Alice asked.

"The Death Eaters liked to use them to move muggle prisoners. They put them in places muggles would pick them up and the muggles would be transported to a dungeon or somewhere that would kill them." Cissy shuddered.

**They trudged down the dark, dank lane toward the village, the silence broken only by their footsteps. The sky lightened very slowly as they made their way through the village, its inky blackness diluting to deepest blue. Harry's hands and feet were freezing. Mr. Weasley kept checking his watch.**

**They didn't have breath to spare for talking as they began to climb Stoatshead Hill, stumbling occasionally in hidden rabbit holes, slipping on thick black tuffets of grass. Each breath Harry took was sharp in his chest and his legs were starting to seize up when, at last, his feet found level ground.**

**"Whew," panted Mr. Weasley, taking off his glasses and wiping them on his sweater. "Well, we've made good time - we've got ten minutes."**

**Hermione came over the crest of the hill last, clutching a stitch in her side.**

**"Now we just need the Portkey," said Mr. Weasley, replacing his glasses and squinting around at the ground. "It won't be big... Come on..."**

**They spread out, searching. They had only been at it for a couple of minutes, however, when a shout rent the still air.**

**"Over here, Arthur! Over here, son, we've got it."**

**Two tall figures were silhouetted against the starry sky on the other side of the hilltop.**

**"Amos!"**

"Not Amos Diggory." Sirius groaned.

Harry gave him a questioning look, "Lily dated Amos Diggory in our 4th year." he explained, watching James growl and grumble. "James was unbearable to be around until they split up." both James and Lily blushed.

**said Mr. Weasley, smiling as he strode over to the man who had shouted. The rest of them followed.**

**Mr. Weasley was shaking hands with a ruddy-faced wizard with a scrubby brown beard, who was holding a moldy-looking old boot in his other hand.**

**"This is Amos Diggory,"**

James cursed and Lily hit him on the arm.

**"everyone," said Mr. Weasley. "He works for the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. And I think you know his son, Cedric?"**

**Cedric Diggory was an extremely handsome boy of around seventeen. He was Captain and Seeker of the Hufflepuff House Quidditch team at Hogwarts.**

**"Hi," said Cedric, looking around at them all. Everybody said hi back except Fred and George, who merely nodded. They had never quite forgiven Cedric for beating their team, Gryffindor, in the first Quidditch match of the previous year.**

**"Long walk, Arthur?" Cedric's father asked.**

**"Not too bad," said Mr. Weasley. "We live just on the other side of the village there. You?"**

**"Had to get up at two, didn't we, Ced? I tell you, I'll be glad when he's got his Apparition test. Still... not complaining... Quidditch World Cup, wouldn't miss it for a sackful of Galleons - and the tickets cost about that. Mind you, looks like I got off easy..." Amos Diggory peered good-naturedly around at the three Weasley boys, Harry, Hermione, and Ginny. "All these yours, Arthur?"**

**"Oh no, only the redheads," said Mr. Weasley, pointing out his children. "This is Hermione, friend of Ron's - and Harry, another friend -"**

**"Merlin's beard," said Amos Diggory, his eyes widening. "Harry? Harry Potter?"**

"It's annoying when that happens." Harry grumbled.

**"Er - yeah," said Harry.**

**Harry was used to people looking curiously at him when they met him, used to the way their eyes moved at once to the lightning scar on his forehead, but it always made him feel uncomfortable.**

**"Ced's talked about you, of course," said Amos Diggory. "Told us all about playing against you last year... I said to him, I said - Ced, that'll be something to tell your grandchildren, that will... You beat Harry Potter!"**

**Harry couldn't think of any reply to this, so he remained silent. Fred and George were both scowling again. Cedric looked slightly embarrassed.**

**"Harry fell off his broom, Dad," he muttered. "I told you... it was an accident..."**

"At least Cedric's nicer than Amos." James said.

**"Yes, but you didn't fall off, did you?" roared Amos genially, slapping his son on his back. "Always modest, our Ced, always the gentleman... but the best man won, I'm sure Harry'd say the same, wouldn't you, eh? One falls off his broom, one stays on, you don't need to be a genius to tell which one's the better flier!"**

**"Must be nearly time," said Mr. Weasley quickly, pulling out his watch again. "Do you know whether we're waiting for any more, Amos?"**

**"No, the Lovegoods have been there for a week already and the Fawcetts couldn't get tickets," said Mr. Diggory. "There aren't any more of us in this area, are there?"**

**"Not that I know of," said Mr. Weasley. "Yes, it's a minute off... We'd better get ready..."**

**He looked around at Harry and Hermione. "You just need to touch the Portkey, that's all, a finger will do -"**

**With difficulty, owing to their bulky backpacks, the nine of them crowded around the old boot held out by Amos Diggory. They all stood there, in a tight circle, as a chill breeze swept over the hilltop.**

**Nobody spoke. It suddenly occurred to Harry how odd this would look if a Muggle were to walk up here now... nine people, two of them grown men, clutching this manky old boot in the semidarkness, waiting...**

Everyone laughed at the thought.

**"Three..." muttered Mr. Weasley, one eye still on his watch, "two... one..."**

**It happened immediately: Harry felt as though a hook just behind his navel had been suddenly jerked irresistibly forward. His feet left the ground; he could feel Ron and Hermione on either side of him, their shoulders banging into his; they were all speeding forward in a howl of wind and swirling color; his forefinger was stuck to the boot as though it was pulling him magnetically onward and then - His feet slammed into the ground; Ron staggered into him and he fell over; the Portkey hit the ground near his head with a heavy thud. Harry looked up. Mr. Weasley, Mr. Diggory, and Cedric were still standing,**

"Cedric must've used a Portkey before then." Minerva commented.

**though looking very windswept; everybody else was on the ground.**

**"Seven past five from Stoatshead Hill," said a voice.**

"That's the end of the memory." Harry smiled but it didn't reach his eyes, "I'll be back in a minute." he got up still holding Jex and put the cub down before going upstairs and ignoring the curious looks he was getting.

"What's up with him?" Frank frowned.

"He's being mopey." Ginny said putting Jinx down beside his brother. "Ron, Hermione do you want to deal with it?"

The two nodded and followed Harry upstairs.

"Why's he being mopey?" Fred asked.

"Your forgetting Harry cant stand portkeys all that much." Ginny told him.

Fred and the others frowned.

"I've seen him take a portkey before though." George said, "His 5th year. He seemed fine with it."

"We were distracted." Fred pointed out. "We cant be sure if he was fine."

"Harry can be a good actor when he want's to be." Molly added.

"It's only Ron, Hermione and I who can tell when he's acting most of the time." Ginny admitted, "If you'll excuse me I feel as though I'm needed."

She got up and went upstairs and into Ron's room. When she got there she saw Shadow curled up on one of the beds and Ron and Hermione sitting together on the one across from it.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"He won't tell us and he wont change back." Hermione sighed, Shadow growled at them and turned around to face the wall.

"Shadow? Please turn around and talk to us?" Ginny asked. The wolf growled and didn't move. "What's wrong with you?"

_Nothing._

"Doesn't look like nothing." she retorted as Ron and Hermione left. She quickly changed into Misty.

_It's stupid, _he sighed.

_I wont judge you. You know that._ Misty cautiously approached the bed he was sitting on.

_I... Dont want to say... Please drop it?_ he requested turning around to face her and shuffling up so she could sit next to him.

_I cant drop it if it's making you act like this._

_It's just... I know what's going to happen... I dont want to show all the depressing things... But they deserve the truth and... And I'm not sure I can handle re-living it all again. I'm scared Gin... Really scared but I don't want them to think I'm a coward..._

_Oh... Harry, you know they wont treat you any different if you don't show everything. You know I'll still love you no matter what. I know some bit's will be difficult for you to re-live but... Wouldn't you rather look like a coward and walk out of the room after supplying the memory than have them all not understand you? And they wont think your a coward._

_How do you know?_

_Harry you do realise you've done thing's and faced greater horrors than anyone else in the wizarding world? They wont judge you for not wanting to relive it again. Why not get Hermione to show some of the thing's?_

_Because half the time she wasnt there at the important bit's. She never saw Lord Snake-face return, same goes with Ron. No one exept me knows exactly what happened after Sirius died... No one knows what really happened the night Dumbledore died exept me, the other two only know what the Order knew but with a tiny bit more information, or about last year exept Ron and Hermione but they can only show limited memories otherwise people wont understand, _he whined low in his throat.

Misty sighed and licked his muzzle,_ You have a point but... Harry? I'll be there by your side at all times, so will everyone else. They know you had it bad, I know it was worse than what they thought but... I know you can do it if we stick together._

_Your right... There was something I wanted to ask you earlier though..._

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><p>Review please x<p>

This will be the last update until after the new year, so have a good one and come on 2015! :-)


	13. Chapter 13

There's an explanation of why these chapters are a bit late at the bottom. Sorry about leaving you with a cliffhanger I know how annoying they can be. Enjoy! :-)

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><p>Chapter 13 - The Project Unveiled<p>

15, August. 1998. 4.00pm.

**Downstairs while Ginny and Harry were talking.**

Ron and Hermione walked into the living room, bickering.

"... I mean it Ron he's hiding something."

"You know what he's like. He'll tell us when he's ready!"

"Last time he was ready it was too late to do anything about it!"

"We're not at war anymore! Voldemort is gone and he's not coming back! You know if it were vital for us to know then he would tell us immediately!"

Hermione sighed and nodded, "I just cant help feeling he's hiding something big."

"I know. I feel it too." Ron sat down beside Jinx on the couch and Hermione sat next to him after picking the cub up, she put Jinx on her knee and Jex jumped up onto Ron's.

"No success?" Remus asked, he and the others had opted to stay out of the mini-argument between the two.

"Nope. He wont even tell Ginny." Hermione sighed.

"We know he's hiding something big. Just not what." Ron shrugged, "Ginny will be able to get it out of him eventually though."

"Remember that thing we couldn't tell the Order we were doing last year?" Hermione asked those who were there.

"Yes. Apparently Dumbledore left you a mission." Remus nodded.

"Ginny almost got it out of Harry within three questions." Ron smirked.

"Really? When you three had everyone questioning you?" Dora asked.

Hermione nodded.

"Humph! Outsmarted by a teenage girl." Kingsley mock huffed, looking amused, "And some of us are meant to question people for a living. Or used to." he amended.

"This teenage girl had experience with getting Harry to open up though." Ron pointed out, "She also had the benefit of having him love her and the fact that he doesn't usually think before telling her something." he snickered.

"That and dear Gin-Gin can get anything out of anybody." Charlie snorted, "She'd probably be able to get Voldemort to confess why he was so evil."

"Oh Harry apparently know's why that is. We don't though, other than Riddle was bitter about growing up in an orphanage." Hermione frowned. "We know bits and pieces along the way, what he was like when he was younger for example."

"Which was basically a weaker younger version of the snake-faced idiot we all, unfortunately, knew and find easy to hate, whether he was alive or not." Ron chuckled.

"How did you find that out?" Andy asked while taking Teddy out of his playpen so he could crawl around.

"Harry told us." Ron and Hermione said together.

"How did he find out then?" Regulus asked.

"Voldemort told him some." Hermione said, "Albus showed quite a bit but the rest was conclusions and guesses." she explained.

"How many times did he face Voldemort?" Alice asked, slightly apprehensive.

"Um..." Ron counted on his finger's, "About... 6 times I think. Maybe 7, I cant remember if I'm missing one or not." he mused.

"7!" Lily gasped. "He's still alive how?" she demanded, James looked pale as did the others in the room.

"We have no idea." Hermione shrugged, "Luck? Skill? Timing? Most of it was Voldemort's mistakes though."

"We liked playing the 'Just try and kill me' game and we always won." Ron said happily, "We could just look at Voldemort and go 'You underestimate us and now your dead' it's depressing but it works. Just be glad we're all alive." he said grimly.

Cissy nodded, "You three had COS orders on you."

"COS?" Frank frowned.

"Capture On Sight." Draco clarified, "Your wrong Mother. It was only Harry on that the other two were Kill On Sight."

"No I'm not. Voldemort wanted those two alive so he could question them about Harry's whereabouts." she explained. "It was only during the final battle they were on KOS orders."

"We knew that." Ron nodded. "Draco told us during a run in."

"To stop Crabbe and Goyle killing you." Draco nodded, "I kind of gave it away."

"We're glad you did." Hermione assured him.

Astoria gasped.

"What? What is it?!" Draco demanded.

Astoria never answered, she was staring at the window where a large eagle owl was sitting on the windowsill with a letter in it's beak. Draco followed her gaze.

"Uh oh." he sighed as the owl flew over, dropped the letter in Astoria's lap and left again. "Daphne."

"Daphne." she agreed opening the letter with slightly shaking hands.

Astoria read through the letter and sighed in relief when she was done, "She doesn't hate me, or you Draco, she want's us to go and speak to her, Mum and Dad over dinner at 4."

"Both of us?" Draco asked, Astoria nodded slightly.

"And Cissy too." she explained.

"Well... will she hex me?"

"She shouldn't. Mum and Dad won't let her anyway and she wouldn't hex me with me being pregnant so just stay behind me at all times." she chuckled as he nodded quickly.

"Odd though, that they'd request me to be there." Cissy frowned.

"You are Draco's Mother. My Mum and Dad probably want to talk with you about the marriage. I wrote to them and told them I was engaged and that I was now a Lycan." Astoria explained, "I may be annoyed with what they said about the pregnancy earlier, but I had to tell them about such a big change."

Cissy nodded and Draco checked his watch.

"It's 3.30 now. Do you want to go early?" he asked. The two women nodded and stood up. "Can one of you tell Harry and Ginny where we are." Hermione said she would, "Thank you. We'll see you tomorrow or later on depending how this goes." everyone said goodbye and the three left through the door and Disapparating with a faint 'Crack!' each.

Harry and Ginny walked in a moment later, "We heard where they were going." Harry said stopping Hermione who had been about to tell him. "We were on our way down."

Hermione nodded.

"So what are we going to do for the rest of the day?" Amber asked bouncing a wide-awake Cecelia on her knee, "Since were not doing anymore memories today."

"Anything you want." Harry shrugged, "I was going to work on a little project so I came to see if the guys would like to help me." he admitted, "It might be a little dull though." he warned.

"We're meeting Lee." George said.

"He said something about a new idea for the shop." Fred added.

"I need to return to the Ministry." Kingsley said.

"And I Hogwarts." Minerva added, "There's still a few last things that need checked out in terms of construction. Just making sure everything's as it should be."

"I'll start dinner." Molly smiled. Andy, Fleur, Amber and Petunia offered to help, Lily watching Cecelia, who was looking around curiously, for Amber and Dora watching Teddy.

Percy said he had a few letters to write and went up to his room.

"Do you want to go back to the Mannor?" Neville asked his parent's.

"Nah. I have catching up to do with Tiger over there." Alice grinned.

"Tiger?" Harry asked.

"Tiger Lily." she explained. "Lily's nickname from me."

"It's better than her's." Lily shrugged smirking, "Her's was Wonderland. Like Alice in Wonderland."

"Fair enough." Alice shrugged, "Frank?"

"I'll go with the guys helping Harry while you women gossip and chat." he chuckled.

With that the women pushed the men out of the living room towards the stairs. Harry led them up to Ron's room, he had the camp bed's folded away neatly so they all fit perfectly well.

"So what's this project?" Ron asked as Harry pulled out a set of blueprint's.

"Well... You know when we were at Gringotts I claimed joint Lordship over Potter house with Dad?"

"This is something to do with the land isn't it?" James asked.

"Good guess." Harry nodded, "There's a plot of land on the outskirts of London with nothing on it and I was thinking about building a kind of... center on it."

"What kind of center?" Regulus asked.

"Basically one which will be able to be used to help Werewolves so we can either get them Wolfsbane or change them into Lycan's." Harry explained, "Giving them help as well, educating them, helping them get jobs etc. I'm still thinking about what help may be needed."

The men were quiet for a minute in thought.

"It's a good idea." Bill admitted, "Why do you need our help though?"

"I'm going to need help planning the layout. This blueprint is of a basic two story building but I need to know what you lot think the center should include. Possibly making it bigger too."

"Like how many rooms and such?" Remus inquired.

Harry nodded and all the men huddled around the blueprints when Harry set them to levitate.

Downstairs the women were chatting together.

"So what's Harry's project?" Hermione asked Ginny.

"He want's to have a center built to help werewolves so the men will fix the layout and sizes and when they've done that we're getting to decide on the decor." she explained.

"Sounds good." Dora nodded, "It would help a lot of people."

"And it will once it's built. I know Harry is going through with it no matter what." Ginny explained. "I agree with him, we shoud do something about the Werewolves that don't have help. We talked a bit about it when we were first changed into Lycan's."

"And if it worked with changing Remus, Petunia and Dudley then people shouldnt object too much to you helping supposedly dark creatures." Andy said. "What do you plan to do to stop people abusing the power Lycan's have?"

"We haven't thought of anything other than tracking charms and oath's." she admitted. "And there are ways to get rid of tracking charms and an oath might not hold." she frowned.

"There's Unbreakable Vow's." Hermione suggested, "Or we could create a spell that will stop people abusing it."

"Wait... I'm not sure but Sirius or Regulus might know a spell like that." Andy frowned.

"James might. There's a few spell's that are grey spell's, similar to the Unbreakable Vow but not as extreme." Lily commented.

"I know one." Alice admitted, "It's 'Non fidem frangere' it's a light spell and it doesn't fade or anything." she shrugged.

"'Never break trust'." Ginny translated, "I like the sound of that." she smiled.

"It's complicated enough that when it's cast on a person or group of people you can check 10 years later and it'd look like it was cast the same day." Dora frowned.

"How'd you know that?" Lily asked.

"Auror training." she shrugged.

"Who was your mentor?" Alice asked curiously.

"Alastor 'Mad-Eye' Moody, I was his last trainee before he retired, then I was partnered with Kingsley for the rest of my training." Dora grinned.

"Ah, I thought so. He's the only one who'd teach that spell to a trainee. The other senior Auror's said it was too complicated for them." Alice giggled.

"It was." Dora shrugged, "But it's useful to know it exists. Scrimgeour put his foot down so we were only told about it, not taught it."

"The only man brave enough to argue with Mad-Eye." Alice chuckled, "Then again... Scrimgeour didn't really care for authority." she shrugged. "He went through the training with Frank, James, Sirius and I and he always picked arguments with Mad-Eye and our mentors."

"Who was it you had?" Ginny asked. "We know quite a few of the Auror's." she explained.

"I had Leanne Proudfoot, she was amusing to work with. Frank was teamed up with two other's and they were with Oscar Wilde. James and Sirius were with the current head of department at the time, Charlus Potter."

"So Harry's Grandfather was Head Auror?" Hermione asked, "And James was an Auror too?"

"Yes, James always wanted to be an Auror like his Dad but he had to quit when we went into hiding." Lily sighed.

"Kind of explains why Harry want's to be an Auror, or did want to." Andy commented.

"I think he still does but he want's a year or two to relax after the war." Ginny said.

"He fought harder and longer than the rest of us." Hermione reasoned, "I've never heard him complain or say he'd had enough but... I think he has thought it a few times." Ginny nodded, "We all need a break from constant fight's and devastation but if we're asked for help or if we're needed we wouldn't think twice."

"There's still Death Eater's on the loose then?" Alice asked.

"Yeah, we couldn't find them all but Cissy and Draco told us who they are and what they've done." Andy nodded, "They've been silent for a while now... At least two month's. We suspect they wont stay that way for long though." she added as the men came back downstairs and Molly called everyone through for dinner.

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><p>Hi, sorry for the wait, I got rather ill just after New Year. Basically I have Allergic Asthma and had an allergic reaction to the glass of wine I had at the bells and it made my fingers swell up so much I couldn't even feed myself, never mind type! Anyway, I'm almost completely healthy again, just a few sore joints and some swelling on my knees and ankles that still has to go away, but I'll recover soon enough and at least I can type again :-) More chapters should be going up in a few days as an apology for taking so long this time, I just need to wait on my friend who proofreads them to make sure it all makes sense and they'll be up!<p>

In the meantime enjoy these chapters, thank you to the 13 people who have reviewed on this so far its been a great motivator and (I've had a lot of suggestions that have given me great ideas for future chapters) and keep those reviews coming please! (And if you know someone who's read the first story but hasn't realised this one's up, please share the knowledge!) x


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14 - Relation's.

15, August. 1998. 6.00pm.

After dinner Harry was sitting in the living room talking with his parent's, the Black's, Dora, Remus and Ginny.

"Dad? You mentioned a relation between the Potter and Black lines a few days ago?" he asked.

James nodded, "I did. Do you want us to explain it?" Harry nodded. "Padfoot you start." he said.

"James has the same Great-Great-Grandad as us." Sirius gestured his brother and Andy, "Phineas Nigellus Black had three sons, Cygnus Black I, Arcturus Black I, Regulus's middle name came from him, and Sirius Black I. The last I was named after." he grinned. "Cygnus I, had two kids, Pollux and Dorea Black. Pollux married Irma Crabbe and those two had three kids, Alphard, Cygnus II and Walburga Black. Walburga being our Mother." he gestured Regulus and himself, grimacing at the fact.

"Alphard had no kids and didn't marry anyone but Cygnus II married Druella Rosier and those two had Andromeda, Bellatrix and Narcissa." Regulus contributed, gesturing Andy, who nodded in confirmation.

"Back a bit to Dorea Black, she married Charlus Potter and was disowned for it. Charlus being my Father and Dorea my Mother." James stated, "They were further on in their lives when they had me, not old by wizarding standards but still almost twice as old as Sirius and Regulus' parents were, so that's how we're so similar in ages." he explained, grinning at the Black brothers, who smirked back, "Then, rather obviously, I married Lily and we had Harry."

Sirius grinned, "So there we have it, our Great-Great-Grandad's are the same and that makes you Phineus' Great-Great-Great-Grandson, Harry, even though he'd never admit that fact." he mused.

"He might." Andy shook her head, "You've got to remember he cant see the family tree and Dorea Black got blasted off it anyway, he may have lost track and didn't want to admit it."

"He acknowledges Draco, he's just too proud of the Black name to acknowledge his Granddaughter got disowned for marrying a Potter and had James." Sirius snorted, "Hell, he only acknowledges me because I'm the current Lord Black and was the only male born with the Black name after Reg died. I'd be ignored if I'd been disowned properly and Regulus had lived."

"You never know. He still acknowledges me after all, and I was properly disowned." Andy mused.

"Fine, one of us will point it out to him in the future, see what his reply is. 10 Galleons says he ignores it and walks out of his portrait." James stated.

"You're on. I bet he wont ignore it." Regulus smirked, the two shook hands to seal the bet.

There was a thoughtful silence until Ginny spoke up.

"Since your are related to the Black's, Harry, doesn't that mean your related to Remus too?" Ginny asked, "Through marriage, and Teddy."

"It does." Cissy nodded.

"Awesome! I didn't think about that!" James exclaimed. "That means your related to me Moony." Remus groaned dramatically.

"Well you learn something new everyday." Dora chuckled. "Including thing's you'd never thought you'd know about family ties."

"Dora you knew about this already." Andy pointed out.

"Not how I didn't. You and Dad just said there was family ties, you never once explained how." she retorted, she turned on Sirius, "Neither did you."

"I never mentioned it?" Sirius winced, "Oop's. Well you know now."

"Yes we do." Ginny smiled, then she frowned, "I know there are ties between most pureblood families but I know some of the families were left out of that."

"Yes. Take your family for example. The Weasley's were never involved in the circle of families that have ties every way possible. But there is the occasional link to a pureblood family, like the Prewett to Black link. Molly was born a Prewett and her Uncle married an Aunt of mine, I beleive. It's both extended and distant family so Im not 100% sure. Either way it doesn't count as incest or anything these days since it's only through marriage." Sirius explained, noting the wary look on Harry and Ginny's faces, "The reason for the exclusion from the 'tied to everyone thing' is a good one though, most Weasley kid's born are boy's and they usually prefer half-blood's or Muggleborns. Sometimes even full out Muggles." he shrugged.

"It might be because we all grew up knowing the stories of 'normal' pureblood families." Ginny frowned, "Or it could be we've never really cared about blood status."

"Some of the 'normal' pureblood children don't get a choice." James sighed.

Regulus nodded, "I had an arranged marriage set up like Cissy did. I never had to go through with it because I tricked my Mother into destroying it." he shrugged, "And I hated the girl, she hated me too. It was a relief when it was destroyed."

"You weren't the only one. Remember what Father told me? Just before I left?" Sirius asked him, Regulus frowned, "He told me I had to pick a pureblood woman from his choices and marry her just before my 16th to 'redeem myself for becoming a blood traitor'."

"Funnily enough that's why I left too." Andy commented. "Otherwise I would have been married to Augustus Rookwood." she shuddered before turning to her daughter, "It was Ted who saved me from that one. I was already pregnant with you, Dora, and engaged to Ted, only they didn't know that until I told them when they tried to force me into marriage, so they disowned me and I went to live with Ted." she smiled sadly.

Dora looked sad too, "It's hard to think of Dad but... He'd want us to be happy. We can only remember who he was and why he had to run..." a lone tear ran down her cheek and Remus hugged her.

"Andy? I don't want to be insensitive but... What happened?" Regulus frowned.

"He was killed in the war. You never met him Regulus but you know he was Muggleborn." she explained sniffling while Sirius hugged her.

"Did you ever find out..."

"Who did it? Yes, we did." Harry cut Sirius off softly. "It was Lucius Malfoy." he spat the name.

"I will kill him if I ever see him again!" Dora growled.

"That would be bad because either it means your sent to Azkaban or he escaped somehow." Ginny pointed out.

"And you've never done anything to warrant going to Azkaban." Andy smiled, "And as long as I'm alive you wont do anything either. Dora I know how you feel, I was the same way at first..."

Harry nodded, "It took four of us to stop her going to Azkaban and killing Malfoy herself."

"Just remember the idiot lost everything and is now in hell on earth." Sirius nodded, "Trust me on this, he's suffering and will suffer until he dies."

"It's not likely he'll escape either." Ginny added, "Kingsley's put more protections on the island."

"If he does escape well... I'll help you kill him." Remus smirked. "Or at least injure him badly. That's a promise." Dora smiled, she was obviously felling better about it now.

"On to lighter topics, what do you lot plan to do when the memories are finished?" Harry asked the returnees.

"I was thinking about going to the Auror's again." James admitted.

"Me too." Sirius nodded.

"I never actually finished my N.E.W.T's, I died before finishing school. I was going to see about taking them." Regulus shrugged.

"Minerva should allow it." Ginny nodded.

"She's letting us return after all." Harry pointed out. "Mum? Remus? Dora? What's your plans?"

"I'm going to see about taking my Charms Mastery." Lily smiled, "Then maybe using that Mastery to become a healer, specializing in charms gone wrong and such. Or I might do a few different Masteries and then beginning Healer training again." she shrugged.

"I need to think on it a little." Remus admitted, "There's so much more possibilities open to me now that I'm not a werewolf." he smiled. Everyone looked at Dora.

"Well... I'd like to go back to the Auror's, Kingsley already told me my badge will still be valid if I take a few tests but... I think I'd rather be a mother to Teddy and go back to work when he starts school or at least old enough to go to daycare for toddlers. I need to think about it a little more." she smiled. "Wouldn't you two need re-testing?" she asked James and Sirius.

"Yes. We'd need to do all the training again. We never finished it." James admitted. "We only did a year because Auror's were in desperate need."

Sirius nodded, "They speeded up training because of the war. Then James had to leave to go into hiding because Voldemort was after him and I got arrested so..."

"You couldn't finish it." Remus sighed, "It feel's odd not having to worry about Death Eater's bursting into the room because you said Voldemort's name." he commented.

"Why would that happen?" Regulus asked.

"Voldemort taboo'd his name. Anyone who said it would get a visit from Death Eaters. Usually ending in torture or being arrested." Dora explained, "I know they almost got a lot of the Order before we figured it out."

"They couldn't get into Grimmauld." Harry smirked, "When Ron, Hermione and I were there Hermione and I said it repeatedly. They watched the bit where the house is but couldnt see it or get in there."

At that moment Hermione walked over towing Ron by the hand.

"Ginny, Harry we need to talk to you both." Hermione said.

The two nodded and got up following Ron and Hermione to the kitchen.

"Something's happening." Ron said without hesitation, "It's like that feeling you had a few day's ago Harry, about something bad going to happen."

"So I'm not the only one who's been feeling it on and off." Harry snorted, "When did it start for you two?"

"About 10 minutes ago." Hermione replied.

"Wait. Harry how long have you been feeling it?" Ginny asked.

"Um... On and off since the day after full moon." he admitted.

"You should've told me. I've been getting flashes of feeling's that aren't my own and I didn't think to ask you because I didn't know what it was." she frowned.

"Do you think we should warn the others that something might happen?" Ron asked warily.

"It's bad if I feel it. Worse when two of us can feel it. It's absolutely terrifying if all of us can feel it." Harry frowned, "I think we should at least explain to them what we feel." he nodded.

"Let's go back through then." Hermione said, "We should wait on Fred and George."

"Cissy, Draco and Astoria as well." Ginny nodded as they went through to the living room.

"You look worried. What's wrong?" Bill asked catching sight of the fours faces as they walked in.

"We need to wait until everyone is here to tell you." Ginny smiled weakly. "We only want to explain it once. It's nothing devastating though."

"It might even be nothing." Ron agreed.

"Stop worrying them. You'll find out at breakfast when everyone is here." Harry said, "It's more of a feeling than anything else so dont worry."

"We should all be worried if you lot feel like something bad's going to happen." Charlie commented.

"Yeah, you four are the best at predicting something's going to happen, even if not what or when." Neville said from the other side of the room.

"Well... If it's going to happen it's going to be soon." Hermione shrugged, "No idea what but... We'll deal with it when it happens." she smiled as everyone went back to their conversations.

At around 10pm the twin's arrived home and shortly after that people started heading for home or going up to bed for the night.

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><p>Review please x<p> 


	15. Chapter 15

Forgot to mention that some of the chapters, like this one, have times along with the dates. This was mostly so I could fit as many memories into a day without it seeming impossible and so I could remember to make them take a break for lunch, dinner etc. Some chapters will have times on them, others won't *shrugs* deal with it ;-)

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><p>Chapter 15 - The Break Out<p>

16, August, Monday, 1998. 7.00am.

The next morning after breakfast and after everyone had arrived Harry stood up followed by Ron, Ginny and Hermione. They stood facing everyone in the living room.

"We have something to tell you." Hermione started.

"Your aware we were worried about something last night, those who were here anyway." Ginny continued.

"We had a chat about this..." Ron trailed off, looking at Harry.

"I'm always left to tell people." the teen grumbled, "We were talking and we decided we would warn you all that something bad might happen soon. We all have the feeling so something's definitely going to happen." he added gesturing to the three beside him.

"How can you tell it's soon?" Sirius asked.

"Hermione and I can feel it almost constantly. That only happens when it's soon." Ron explained.

"The fact I can feel it too means soon too." Ginny added, "I cant usually tell." she shrugged.

"That and Harry's had the feeling longer than us." Hermione said with a shrug.

"Since the day after full moon." Harry agreed. "I just didn't want to worry you all incase it's nothing but... It's something, so be careful with what you do and be alert for signs something's not right."

Just then the floo flared and a worried looking Kingsley stepped through.

"Hello everyone." he said, "I have some news for you all and it's not good."

They all groaned, "What is it?" Molly sighed.

"You look like you were expecting this." he frowned.

"Those four just warned us something bad might happen." Draco explained gesturing to Harry, Ron, Ginny and Hermione. Kingsley nodded in understanding.

"What is it then?" Sirius asked.

"8 Death Eater's have escaped from Azkaban." Kingsley said gloomily, "One of them is Lucius Malfoy."

"How did they escape?" Ron growled. "The security's meant to be tight."

"Well we don't know how they did it but it looked like one escaped then helped the rest. Or the ones who were free helped." he explained. "The guards saw and heard nothing unusual all night."

"One of the guards must be lying." Harry said instantly. "There is no way in hell that no-one noticed 8 prisoner's escaping, especially since one of them's definitely high security."

"They are all being checked again." Kingsley explained. "Not even 4 months since they were last checked for loyalty." he muttered. "This time they are going under truth potion though, and the questioning is going to be at least three times more intense, so the liars will be found."

"You know we really need to start listening when Harry says something bad is going to happen." Molly commented.

"He's usually right." Harry glared at Hermione as she said this.

"You just figured that out now did you?" he asked sarcastically, "I would have thought you knew that if I feel like something bad's going to happen it's going to happen, remember 6th year?" he snapped.

"Okay, okay, I get it. We should have listened." she admitted.

Harry took a deep breath. "Sorry I didn't mean to snap." he apologised.

"Harry relax." Ginny said taking his hand. "Your right we all should have listened to you especially since we know what happens when you have the feeling that something bad's coming our way."

"Yeah we get slapped in the face with it." Ron chuckled.

"Anyway I'll owl you the names of them all I just needed to warn Draco and Narcissa as Lucius may come after them or something. Good bye." Kingsley said disappearing through the back door and Disapparating with a faint 'Crack!'.

"Poor Kingsley, he's probably stressed out over this." Neville sighed.

"This could be bad." Andy sighed, "If 8 escaped and there were 17 on the loose already... That's 23 Death Eater's to deal with..."

"Only if the 8 join the other's." Harry pointed out before he looked at Draco and Cissy.

Draco looked paler than usual and his eyes were clouded. Cissy was in the same way.

"You two alright?" Astoria asked noticing where Harry was looking, she gently put a hand on Draco's shoulder.

He jumped as though he'd been caught doing something he shouldn't.

"What?" he asked, blinking a few times.

"I asked if you were okay. Obviously your not." Astoria sighed.

"I'm fine just... Shocked?" he guessed, "Worried that my father is on the loose and he has a reason to hate me and my Mother." he sighed, "Scared he's going to want revenge? That he or the other Death Eater's might do something? Hell, half the Death Eater's in Azkaban are or were there because Mother and I named them and their crimes!" he shouted startling a few people.

"Draco. Calm down!" Harry growled, "You know he wont do any of that. We'll try and stop them as soon as we can. We don't know who 7 of them are and even if they join with the remaining Death Eaters they can't do much... They wont have wands and they're likely to leave traces and make mistakes."

Cissy blinked a few times, "Lucius won't come for us to harm us... He know's we named people and we destroyed the name of Malfoy... He might want revenge but he's more likely to lay low for a few months. There's also the fact they'll have to recover from Azkaban, didnt you say it took you a while Sirius?" the man nodded.

"Won't he be able to get into the Mannor?" Draco asked sighing and calming himself down rapidly.

Cissy frowned, "It's possible." she admitted, "It was his ancestor's home so he probably can."

"I'll help you set up ward's to keep him out." Bill offered, "I'll do the same here and anywhere else that need's it."

"Come with me Bill." Arthur requested, "We'll do here first." Bill nodded and followed his father outside.

"I need to head back to Hogwarts. The ward's there aren't all that strong at the moment, there's still work being done on them. It's unlikely the Death Eater's would go there but we can't take risk's." Minerva said before leaving through the Floo.

"I wonder who the other 7 were." Ginny sighed.

"We'll find out soon enough." Ron frowned, "I wonder if it will be in this morning's Prophet?"

"Probably tomorrows Prophet if they just found out this morning." Hermione reasoned, "Or later depending on how long Kingsley takes to sort things out."

"I've had an idea." Harry announced, "What if Kreacher know's how to make ward's that will only allow certain people access?"

"He does know. It wont work on anywhere other than Grimmauld though." Regulus sighed, "Or any place owned by his masters. I asked him about it when I was younger and Sirius wouldn't talk to me for a month."

"That was your own fault." Sirius huffed. "You told Mother I was telling you muggleborns and 'half-breeds' were nice and I got put in the cellar for a week."

"So that's what happened." Cissy winced, "You should never say anything like that in front of Aunt Walburga."

"I know. I dont even remember why I told her." Regulus frowned.

"Sirius pranked you and you wanted revenge so you told your Mother something to get him in trouble like most little brother's do." Andy supplied, "That was after I left but I was told about it. Sirius you were 9 and Regulus you were 7."

"Who told you?" Sirius asked, "I know I never."

"Alphard was keeping me informed until he passed away, after that I know nothing until you were 16, Sirius." she shrugged.

Sirius nodded in understanding.

"What do you mean by you 'got put in the cellar for a week'?" Alice asked.

"It's how our parents punished us." Regulus answered, shuddering slightly, "If either of us done something wrong we'd be put in the cellar and ignored for a while. I think the longest was two weeks up until you were 15?" he questioned his brother who nodded, making a face with dark eyes, "That was the summer after Sirius's first year. Father was home and he wasn't happy about Sirius being in Gryffindor."

"So he stuck me in the cellar for two weeks, I'd get meals and something to drink often but... I could never tell the time because I was left in darkness." Sirius sighed. "That's not the worst my Father done to me either." he shuddered. "It got worse after I turned 14."

Regulus nodded, "For both of us. We were expected not to talk to each other unless necessary and if we did... Well let's say we followed whatever our Father said when he was home. Mother wasn't as bad, she'd never tell Father anything most of the time."

"That I cant beleive." Sirius frowned, "Everytime he came home I was punished for the smallest of things."

"Like wearing your school robes? When he told you to?" Cissy asked.

Sirius nodded, "He told tell me to wear my robes for a formal dinner once and then he punished me for wearing my school robes. The school robes were the only clean ones I had at the time since my laundry hadn't been done and I forgot about said formal dinner, so naturally I didnt remember I had to have clean robes, I wore my school robes instead and got punished." he explained to everyone else.

"Not the ideal way to grow up then." Harry muttered.

"A lot like the way you did actually. I used to sneak out occasionally, just to escape. Every summer I would go to James's at one point." Sirius grinned at his friend, "Then I would stay for the rest of the summer."

"And at Christmas and Easter. Every holiday we'd find a way to get him out of that house if we could." James grinned. "Then he was with us permanently when he ran away."

"Why'd you run away? Apart from hating your parent's." Dudley asked, he'd been quiet all day.

"Well..." Sirius hesitated, he looked at Regulus.

"It was just after his 15th birthday. Father knew Bella was going to go join Voldemort and he was going to force Sirius to do the same." Regulus sighed, "Under the Imperius curse."

"It's a damn good thing you fought it then." Andy smiled.

"Yeah. It was the only time I was able to though." Sirius admitted.

"Your Father used the Imperius on you?" Molly asked shocked.

"You know I hated Grimmauld. You know there were some rooms I wouldn't go in, like the cellar. It was because of my childhood, if you could call it that. The memories were the clearest I had after Azkaban, because they were so horrible." he sighed, "It took almost a year to get the majority of my happy memories back. Even now there's a few that are fuzzy."

"I thought they were all back?" Remus frowned.

"Well... Back meaning I remember them... But there's two or three that are fuzzy... I remember them but I cant at the same time. Most were memories from school though." he admitted. "I remember them clearly if someone mentions what the memories involve or something similar."

"Like pranks?" James asked.

Sirius nodded, "Remember Moony? We used to sit and tell each other about them because it helped me remember." Remus nodded. "Anyway what are we going to do today?" he asked Harry.

"Well... It depends. Do you all feel up to continuing my 4th year memories or do you want to leave it today?"

"I'd feel better about continuing. It would keep us from dwelling too much on the escaped prisoner's." Draco answered with everyone nodding their agreement.

"Well if your sure who am I to stop you. Just remember it's the Quidditch world cup."

"And Draco, Cissy, I'm sure you remember who we see." Hermione added.

"Yes. You saw us and Lucius." Cissy nodded, "We know what happened there to some extent, we'll be fine."

"Right then. I'll send a patronus to Minerva and Kingsley to tell them we're continuing. I know Kingsley's too busy today but he should know we are." Harry said standing up and pulling his wand out. "Expecto Patronum-meso."

A dazzling silver stag erupted from the end of his wand, cantered around then walked over to him and stopped.

"Go to Kingsley Shacklebolt and tell him we're continuing with the memories." Harry instructed his patronus, it immediately cantered off disappearing through the wall.

"Wow. It really does look like Prongs." Sirius said wide-eyed.

"It does. That's the first time we've seen it up close." Remus explained.

James was sitting looking shocked. Lily poked his shoulder but he didn't budge.

"I think you broke your Father." she told Harry, looking amused.

Sirius reached over and waved a hand in front of his face and he snapped out of it.

"What?"

"You weren't responding after Harry cast his patronus." Remus explained to him.

"Oh yeah. Wow, it really does look like me." James chuckled. "I know." he stood up and transformed then nudged Harry's wand.

Harry knew what his father wanted so cast another patronus, it stood beside Prong's and the only visible difference was that the patronus was silver.

Harry instructed the patronus to go to Minerva and tell her they were going to keep going with the memories and it disappeared like the first as James changed back.

"Cool." Percy smiled, "I never saw any differences except the colour there."

Everybody else said they hadn't either and they all sat and waited for Minerva and Kingsley's replies.

* * *

><p>Review please x<p> 


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16 - Fourth Year (Part 3.5)

16th August. 1998. 8.30am.

Five minutes after the messages had been sent to Minerva and Kingsley a tabby cat patronus appeared.

"I might join you later, thank you for letting me know your continuing the memories though." it said in Minerva's voice before disappearing.

"Well that's one reply. She left the pensieve here so all we need is Kingsley's reply." Ginny smiled.

Bill and Arthur came in through the kitchen, "The wards are strong enough to keep unwanted people out." Bill announced, "Not as strong as they could be but I cant manage putting anymore up at the moment."

"It is draining." Hermione agreed, "I noticed that when..." she shot a look at Harry and Ron.

"When you were in hiding last year?" Remus suggested.

"Yes." Harry nodded, "It usually left us feeling drained, we had to put them up every day or so." he added.

"Well those two did most of them." Ron admitted, "I couldn't do them too well and we didn't want to risk being found because I made a mistake." he shrugged.

"It was mostly Hermione actually. She usually beat us to it." Harry smirked. "Anyway we're continuing with my 4th year memories once Kingsley replies." he told Arthur and Bill as they sat down.

A lynx patronus bounded into the room at that moment, "I'll let you know when I can join you again. It's chaos here so it might not be for a few day's. Thank you for letting me know your continuing. I've not gotten around to sending an owl to you with the names of the Death Eater's that escaped yet, but I will as soon as I have time. See you all later." it said before, like the tabby cat, it too disappeared.

"Brilliant let's start." Harry grinned as Jinx and Jex ran into the room claiming his knee and Ginny's, "You'll like this memory. It's what happend just after we arrived and before the match started."

**Harry disentangled himself from Ron and got to his feet. They had arrived on what appeared to be a deserted stretch of misty moor. In front of them was a pair of tired and grumpy-looking wizards, one of whom was holding a large gold watch, the other a thick roll of parchment and a quill. Both were dressed as Muggles, though very inexpertly: The man with the watch wore a tweed suit with thigh-length galoshes; his colleague, a kilt and a poncho.**

Everyone laughed at the oddly dressed man.

**"Morning, Basil," said Mr. Weasley, picking up the boot and handing it to the kilted wizard, who threw it into a large box of used Portkeys beside him; Harry could see an old newspaper, an empty drinks can, and a punctured football.**

**"Hello there, Arthur," said Basil wearily. "Not on duty, eh? It's all right for some... We've been here all night... You'd better get out of the way, we've got a big party coming in from the Black Forest at five fifteen. Hang on, I'll find your campsite... Weasley... Weasley..." He consulted his parchment list. "About a quarter of a mile's walk over there, first field you come to. Site manager's called Mr. Roberts. Diggory... second field... ask for Mr. Payne."**

**"Thanks, Basil," said Mr. Weasley, and he beckoned everyone to follow him. They set off across the deserted moor, unable to make out much through the mist.**

**After about twenty minutes, a small stone cottage next to a gate swam into view. Beyond it, Harry could just make out the ghostly shapes of hundreds and hundreds of tents, rising up the gentle slope of a large field toward a dark wood on the horizon. They said good-bye to the Diggorys**

"Good riddance," James muttered, causing Remus and Sirius to laugh and Lily to roll her eye's fondly.

**and approached the cottage door. A man was standing in the doorway, looking out at the tents. Harry knew at a glance that this was the only real Muggle for several acres. When he heard their footsteps, he turned his head to look at them.**

**"Morning!" said Mr. Weasley brightly.**

**"Morning," said the Muggle.**

**"Would you be Mr. Roberts?"**

**"Aye, I would," said Mr. Roberts. "And who're you?"**

**"Weasley - two tents, booked a couple of days ago?"**

**"Aye," said Mr. Roberts, consulting a list tacked to the door. "You've got a space up by the wood there. Just the one night?"**

**"That's it," said Mr. Weasley.**

**"You'll be paying now, then?" said Mr. Roberts.**

**"Ah - right - certainly -" said Mr. Weasley. He retreated a short distance from the cottage and beckoned Harry toward him. "Help me, Harry," he muttered, pulling a roll of Muggle money from his pocket and starting to peel the notes apart. "This one's a - a - a ten? Ah yes, I see the little number on it now... So this is a five?"**

**"A twenty," Harry corrected him in an undertone, uncomfortably aware of Mr. Roberts trying to catch every word.**

"Nosey muggle." Sirius said, looking slightly amused.

"I should have asked before we got there." Arthur blushed, "I'm terrible with muggle money."

"Your better than you were." Hermione smiled at him.

**"Ah yes, so it is... I don't know, these little bits of paper..."**

**"You foreign?" said Mr. Roberts as Mr. Weasley returned with the correct notes.**

**"Foreign?" repeated Mr. Weasley, puzzled.**

**"You're not the first one who's had trouble with money," said Mr. Roberts, scrutinizing Mr. Weasley closely. "I had two try and pay me with great gold coins the size of hubcaps ten minutes ago."**

"Galleons aren't that big." James said, trying to imagine carrying hubcaps around.

"He was exaggerating, Prongs," Remus said, "To a Muggle they must be huge."

"They are." Petunia supplied, "I was amazed at the size of them when Lily showed me one when we were younger." Lily nodded her agreement.

James huffed.

**"Did you really?" said Mr. Weasley nervously.**

**Mr. Roberts rummaged around in a tin for some change.**

**"Never been this crowded," he said suddenly, looking out over the misty field again. "Hundreds of pre-bookings. People usually just turn up..."**

**"Is that right?" said Mr. Weasley, his hand held out for his change, but Mr. Roberts didn't give it to him.**

**"Aye," he said thoughtfully. "People from all over. Loads of foreigners. And not just foreigners. Weirdos, you know? There's a bloke walking 'round in a kilt and a poncho."**

**"Shouldn't he?" said Mr. Weasley anxiously**

**"It's like some sort of... I dunno... like some sort of rally," said Mr. Roberts. "They all seem to know each other. Like a big party."**

"That Muggle is too suspicious." Andy frowned.

"With good reason. A lot of people were pretty obvious about not being Muggle's." Bill pointed out, "When we were on our way in we saw at least 20 oddly dressed witches and wizards around the edge of the campsite."

Percy nodded, "It was a bit ridiculous. You'll probably see what we mean when they're walking through the camp."

**At that moment, a wizard in plus-fours appeared out of thin air next to Mr. Roberts's front door.**

**"Obliviate!" he said sharply, pointing his wand at Mr. Roberts.**

**Instantly, Mr. Roberts's eyes slid out of focus, his brows unknitted, and a look of dreamy unconcern fell over his face. Harry recognized the symptoms of one who had just had his memory modified.**

**"A map of the campsite for you," Mr. Roberts said placidly to Mr. Weasley. "And your change."**

**"Thanks very much," said Mr. Weasley.**

**The wizard in plus-fours accompanied them toward the gate to the campsite. He looked exhausted: His chin was blue with stubble and there were deep purple shadows under his eyes. Once out of earshot of Mr. Roberts, he muttered to Mr. Weasley, "Been having a lot of trouble with him. Needs a Memory Charm ten times a day to keep him happy. And Ludo Bagman's not helping. Trotting around talking about Bludgers and Quaffles at the top of his voice,"**

"They couldnt just tell him and then wipe his memory after the cup?" Amber asked. "It's just cruel wiping his memory that many times everyday!"

"Too risky." Arthur sighed, "We'd considered it but... It was just too dangerous for him to know."

"That doesnt seem fair though." Amber pouted.

"True. It is somewhat cruel but we cant change that now." Hermione soothed her.

"One of the main arguments against telling him was that he had kids. Obliviating big things from kids can cause major damage, its only ever done if absolutely necessary." Arthur added, "But even then it's generally frowned upon."

**"not a worry about anti-Muggle security Blimey, I'll be glad when this is over. See you later, Arthur." He Disapparated.**

**"I thought Mr. Bagman was Head of Magical Games and Sports," said Ginny, looking surprised. "He should know better than to talk about Bludgers near Muggles, shouldn't he?"**

"He wasn't being very careful." Lily frowned.

"He wasn't the only one." Charlie shrugged, "When we arrived we saw magic everywhere." he explained gesturing to Bill and Percy, they nodded in confirmation.

**"He should," said Mr. Weasley, smiling, and leading them through the gates into the campsite, "but Ludo's always been a bit... well... lax about security. You couldn't wish for a more enthusiastic head of the sports department though. He played Quidditch for England himself, you know. And he was the best Beater the Wimbourne Wasps ever had."**

**They trudged up the misty field between long rows of tents. Most looked almost ordinary; their owners had clearly tried to make them as Muggle-like as possible, but had slipped up by adding chimneys, or bellpulls, or weather vanes.**

**However, here and there was a tent so obviously magical that Harry could hardly be surprised that Mr. Roberts was getting suspicious. Halfway up the field stood an extravagant confection of striped silk like a miniature palace, with several live peacocks tethered at the entrance.**

"Who brings peacocks to the World Cup?" James asked.

"That was Lucius." Cissy sighed, "I tried to convince him to leave them." she shrugged.

"But he wouldn't. Stupid over-sized chickens." Draco muttered.

**A little farther on they passed a tent that had three floors and several turrets; and a short way beyond that was a tent that had a front garden attached, complete with birdbath, sundial, and fountain.**

**"Always the same," said Mr. Weasley, smiling. "We can't resist showing off when we get together. Ah, here we are, look, this is us."**

**They had reached the very edge of the wood at the top of the field, and here was an empty space, with a small sign hammered into the ground that read WEEZLY.**

They all laughed a bit at this.

**"Couldn't have a better spot!" said Mr. Weasley happily. "The field is just on the other side of the wood there, we're as close as we could be."**

**He hoisted his backpack from his shoulders. "Right," he said excitedly, "no magic allowed, strictly speaking, not when we're out in these numbers on Muggle land. We'll be putting these tents up by hand!"**

"I wonder how many witches and wizards actually did that?" Hermione mused.

"Besides dad... probably no one," Ron answered.

"I saw a few people do it by hand." Cissy told them.

"So did I." Astoria added, "In fact, my Dad put ours up by hand. I think that's because Mum confiscated his wand though." she mused, making them laugh again.

**"Shouldn't be too difficult... Muggles do it all the time... Here, Harry, where do you reckon we should start?"**

**Harry had never been camping in his life; the Dursleys had never taken him on any kind of holiday, preferring to leave him with Mrs. Figg, an old neighbor. However, he and Hermione worked out where most of the poles and pegs should go, and though Mr. Weasley was more of a hindrance than a help, because he got thoroughly overexcited when it came to using the mallet,**

"Really Arthur? Exited over using a mallet?" Molly asked exasperated. Arthur blushed as everyone snickered.

**they finally managed to erect a pair of shabby two-man tents.**

**All of them stood back to admire their handiwork. Nobody looking at these tents would guess they belonged to wizards, Harry thought, but the trouble was that once Bill, Charlie, and Percy arrived, they would be a party of ten.**

"It's bigger on the inside than the outside Harry." James explained.

Harry gave him a slightly amused look, "I know that. Having lived in one for almost a year."

"Why'd you do that?" Regulus asked.

"We were in hiding." Hermione shrugged. "It was that or be killed. Or sleep on the ground."

"We cant tell you why we were in hiding yet, only that it was to do with Voldemort's eventual downfall." Ron added. Everyone nodded and turned back to the memory.

**Hermione seemed to have spotted this problem too; she gave Harry a quizzical look as Mr. Weasley dropped to his hands and knees and entered the first tent.**

**"We'll be a bit cramped," he called, "but I think we'll all squeeze in. Come and have a look."**

**Harry bent down, ducked under the tent flap, and felt his jaw drop.**

**He had walked into what looked like an old-fashioned, three room flat, complete with bathroom and kitchen. Oddly enough, it was furnished in exactly the same sort of style as Mrs. Figg's house: There were crocheted covers on the mismatched chairs and a strong smell of cats.**

**"Well, it's not for long," said Mr. Weasley, mopping his bald patch with a handkerchief and peering in at the four bunk beds that stood in the bedroom. "I borrowed this from Perkins at the office. Doesn't camp much anymore, poor fellow, he's got lumbago."**

**He picked up the dusty kettle and peered inside it. "We'll need water..."**

"Aguamenti," James said simply waving his arms and accidently squirting Sirius and Remus with a jet of water from his hand.

"Oops sorry." James muttered, as Sirius glared at him. "I didnt mean that."

Sirius turned into Padfoot, Remus copied him by tuning into Moony and they both shook the water off.

They all shouted their protests and Padfoot, still slightly wet, jumped on James.

He shoved the dog off and dried himself with a spell.

Remus changed back and dried everyone off with a wave of his wand.

"The seem angry over a little water." Jinx mused from Ginny's knee.

"Could be the wet dog smell." Jex yipped in an imitation of a laugh.

"Could be both." Ginny chuckled. "Personally I don't mind." she shrugged.

"Me neither." Harry grinned scratching Jex's ears.

**"There's a tap marked on this map the Muggle gave us," said Ron, who had followed Harry inside the tent and seemed completely unimpressed by its extraordinary inner proportions.**

**"It's on the other side of the field."**

**"Well, why don't you, Harry, and Hermione go and get us some water then" - Mr. Weasley handed over the kettle and a couple of saucepans - "and the rest of us will get some wood for a fire?"**

**"But we've got an oven," said Ron. "Why can't we just -"**

**"Ron, anti-Muggle security!" said Mr. Weasley, his face shining with anticipation. "When real Muggles camp, they cook on fires outdoors. I've seen them at it!"**

**After a quick tour of the girls' tent, which was slightly smaller than the boys', though without the smell of cats, Harry, Ron, and Hermione set off across the campsite with the kettle and saucepans.**

**Now, with the sun newly risen and the mist lifting, they could see the city of tents that stretched in every direction. They made their way slowly through the rows, staring eagerly around. It was only just dawning on Harry how many witches and wizards there must be in the world; he had never really thought much about those in other countries,**

"Oh, there are loads of us." James exclaimed.

**their fellow campers were starting to wake up. First to stir were the families with small children; Harry had never seen witches and wizards this young before. A tiny boy no older than two was crouched outside a large pyramid-shaped tent, holding a wand and poking happily at a slug in the grass, which was swelling slowly to the size of a salami.**

**As they drew level with him, his mother came hurrying out of the tent.**

**"How many times, Kevin? You don't - touch - Daddy's - wand - yecchh! "**

**She had trodden on the giant slug, which burst.**

"Ewww." the women all muttered.

**Her scolding carried after them on the still air, mingling with the little boy's yells - "You bust slug! You bust slug!"**

They all laughed.

**A short way farther on, they saw two little witches, barely older than Kevin, who were riding toy broomsticks that rose only high enough for the girls' toes to skim the dewy grass.**

**A Ministry wizard had already spotted them; as he hurried past Harry, Ron, and Hermione he muttered distractedly, "In broad daylight! Parents having a lie-in, I suppose -"**

**Here and there adult wizards and witches were emerging from their tents and starting to cook breakfast. Some, with furtive looks around them, conjured fires with their wands; others were striking matches with dubious looks on their faces, as though sure this couldn't work.**

"Muggles live their entire lives without magic." Lily said reasonably.

"Yeah, you'd think we could live a few days without it." Remus added.

"I managed to survive for about a year and a half without it if you don't count using Padfoot." Sirius shrugged, "13 and a half years if you count Azkaban." he added darkly.

**Three African wizards sat in serious conversation, all of them wearing long white robes and roasting what looked like a rabbit on a bright purple fire, while a group of middle-aged American witches sat gossiping happily beneath a spangled banner stretched between their tents that read: THE SALEM WITCHES' INSTITUTE. Harry caught snatches of conversation in strange languages from the inside of tents they passed, and though he couldn't understand a word, the tone of every single voice was excited.**

**"Er - is it my eyes, or has everything gone green?" said Ron.**

"Must've came to the Ireland supporters." James said.

Harry, Ron and Hermione nodded.

**It wasn't just Ron's eyes. They had walked into a patch of tents that were all covered with a thick growth of shamrocks, so that it looked as though small, oddly shaped hillocks had sprouted out of the earth. Grinning faces could be seen under those that had their flaps open. Then, from behind them, they heard their names.**

**"Harry! Ron! Hermione!"**

**It was Seamus Finnigan, their fellow Gryffindor fourth year. He was sitting in front of his own shamrock-covered tent, with a sandy-haired woman who had to be his mother, and his best friend, Dean Thomas, also of Gryffindor.**

**"Like the decorations?" said Seamus, grinning. "The Ministry's not too happy."**

**"Ah, why shouldn't we show our colors?" said Mrs. Finnigan. "You should see what the Bulgarians have got dangling all over their tents. You'll be supporting Ireland, of course?"**

"Like we'd say anything else." Harry scoffed.

**she added, eyeing Harry, Ron, and Hermione beadily. When they had assured her that they were indeed supporting Ireland, they set off again, though, as Ron said, "Like we'd say anything else surrounded by that lot."**

**"I wonder what the Bulgarians have got dangling all over their tents?" said Hermione.**

**"Let's go and have a look," said Harry, pointing to a large patch of tents upfield, where the Bulgarian flag - white, green, and red - was fluttering in the breeze. The tents here had not been bedecked with plant life, but each and every one of them had the same poster attached to it, a poster of a very surly face with heavy black eyebrows.**

Ron growled and Hermione blushed, causing Harry and Ginny to smile and force back laughter and everyone else to give them confused looks.

**The picture was, of course, moving, but all it did was blink and scowl.**

**"Krum," said Ron quietly.**

**"What?" said Hermione.**

**"Krum!" said Ron. "Viktor Krum, the Bulgarian Seeker!"**

"I can't believe I used to like that guy.", Ron said, looking as grumpy as Krum on the posters.

"Just because you-"

"Hermione! Not now." Harry interrupted her, she huffed but fell silent anyway.

**"He looks really grumpy," said Hermione, looking around at the many Krums blinking and scowling at them.**

**"Really grumpy?" Ron raised his eyes to the heavens. "Who cares what he looks like? He's unbelievable. He's really young too. Only just eighteen or something. He's a genius, you wait until tonight, you'll see."**

"Dont think he's all that bright to be honest." Harry chuckled.

Fleur nodded, "E's not. A leetle bit stupid when it comes to ideas."

"You know him then?" Lily asked curiously.

"We've met him." Harry nodded, "It was during this year actually. That's when we met Fleur too." he grinned at the mentioned witch, who smiled back.

**There was already a small queue for the tap in the corner of the field. Harry, Ron, and Hermione joined it, right behind a pair of men who were having a heated argument. One of them was a very old wizard who was wearing a long flowery nightgown.**

Everyone started howling with laughter and Harry paused the memory. Once everyone had calmed down he un-paused it.

**The other was clearly a Ministry wizard; he was holding out a pair of pinstriped trousers and almost crying with exasperation.**

**"Just put them on, Archie, there's a good chap. You can't walk around like that, the Muggle at the gate's already getting suspicious -"**

**"I bought this in a Muggle shop," said the old wizard stubbornly. "Muggles wear them."**

"Muggle women wear them." James said, still chuckling occasionally.

**"Muggle women wear them, Archie, not the men, they wear these," said the Ministry wizard, and he brandished the pinstriped trousers.**

**"I'm not putting them on," said old Archie in indignation. "I like a healthy breeze 'round my privates, thanks."**

This made everyone laugh again.

"What's funny?" Jinx whined.

Harry quickly explained to the cub's and they started making little yip's of laughter too.

**Hermione was overcome with such a strong fit of the giggles at this point that she had to duck out of the queue and only returned when Archie had collected his water and moved away. Walking more slowly now, because of the weight of the water, they made their way back through the campsite. Here and there, they saw more familiar faces: other Hogwarts students with their families. Oliver Wood, the old captain of Harry's House Quidditch team, who had just left Hogwarts, dragged Harry over to his parents' tent to introduce him, and told him excitedly that he had just been signed to the Puddlemore United reserve team.**

"They're an alright team," James said, glad Harry's old captain got on a good team.

"He's on the proper team now. He managed to outshine their old Keeper so they switched places and Oliver's now first string Keeper and the other's now a reserve." George smiled, "Well that's what happened according to Angelina anyway, she's the one who's been keeping in contact with him, her, Alicia and Katie." he shrugged.

"We kept meaning to contact him, but never found the time to do it, then it got too dangerous with the war." Fred muttered.

**Next they were hailed by Ernie Macmillan, a Hufflepuff fourth year, and a little farther on they saw Cho Chang, a very pretty girl who played Seeker on the Ravenclaw team.**

Harry blushed and decided it best to silence James and Sirius.

**She waved and smiled at Harry, who slopped quite a lot of water down his front as he waved back.**

James and Sirius started laughing silently and Harry blushed even more as Lily said something like, "Aww." as the other men snickered and Ginny glared at him.

**More to stop Ron from smirking than anything, Harry hurriedly pointed out a large group of teenagers whom he had never seen before.**

"Should've dumped the bucket on him Harry." Hermione teased.

"Oh shut up." he grumbled, face red.

**"Who d'you reckon they are?" he said. "They don't go to Hogwarts, do they?"**

**"'Spect they go to some foreign school," said Ron. "I know there are others. Never met anyone who went to one, though. Bill had a penfriend at a school in Brazil... this was years and years ago... and he wanted to go on an exchange trip but Mum and Dad couldn't afford it. His penfriend got all offended when he said he wasn't going and sent him a cursed hat. It made his ears shrivel up."**

**Harry laughed but didn't voice the amazement he felt at hearing about other wizarding schools. He supposed, now that he saw representatives of so many nationalities in the campsite, that he had been stupid never to realize that Hogwarts couldn't be the only one. He glanced at Hermione, who looked utterly unsurprised by the information. No doubt she had run across the news about other wizarding schools in some book or other.**

Harry had unsilenced James and Sirius and they both said, "So much like Moony."

Hermione threw a cushion each at them, hitting the two in the face. Remus smacked the two on the back's of their heads for good measure, having to lean around Dora to whack Sirius, she leaned forwards helpfully.

**"You've been ages," said George when they finally got back to the Weasleys' tents.**

**"Met a few people," said Ron, setting the water down. "You've not got that fire started yet?"**

**"Dad's having fun with the matches," said Fred.**

**Mr. Weasley was having no success at all in lighting the fire, but it wasn't for lack of trying. Splintered matches littered the ground around him, but he looked as though he was having the time of his life.**

**"Oops!" he said as he managed to light a match and promptly dropped it in surprise.**

**"Come here, Mr. Weasley," said Hermione kindly, taking the box from him, and showing him how to do it properly.**

**At last they got the fire lit, though it was at least another hour before it was hot enough to cook anything. There was plenty to watch while they waited, however. Their tent seemed to be pitched right alongside a kind of thoroughfare to the field, and Ministry members kept hurrying up and down it, greeting Mr. Weasley cordially as they passed. Mr. Weasley kept up a running commentary, mainly for Harry's and Hermione's benefit; his own children knew too much about the Ministry to be greatly interested.**

**"That was Cuthbert Mockridge, Head of the Goblin Liaison Office... Here comes Gilbert Wimple; he's with the Committee on Experimental Charms; he's had those horns for a while now... Hello, Arnie... Arnold Peasegood, he's an Obliviator - member of the Accidental Magic Reversal Squad, you know... and that's Bode and Croaker... they're Unspeakables..."**

**"They're what?"**

**"From the Department of Mysteries, top secret, no idea what they get up to..."**

**At last, the fire was ready, and they had just started cooking eggs and sausages when Bill, Charlie, and Percy came strolling out of the woods toward them.**

"They are so lucky." Ron muttered.

**"Just Apparated, Dad," said Percy loudly. "Ah, excellent, lunch!"**

"You said that just to rub it in we couldn't Apparate." Fred accused.

"Of course I did." Percy replied smugly.

"Don't know what your complaining about Fred. You and George did it to us as well." Ron pointed out.

"Yeah. Ron, Hermione and Harry were the only one's who never rubbed it in when they learned how to." Ginny growled. "The rest of you did."

The Weasley boy's, except Ron and Bill, looked guilty and apologised.

"I didnt." Bill shrugged, "I didn't fancy having the 6 of you annoyed with me. Considering you got annoyed with Charlie, I figured it was a good idea I didn't."

**They were halfway through their plates of eggs and sausages when Mr. Weasley jumped to his feet, waving and grinning at a man who was striding toward them.**

**"Aha!" he said. "The man of the moment! Ludo!"**

**Ludo Bagman was easily the most noticeable person Harry had seen so far, even including old Archie in his flowered nightdress. He was wearing long Quidditch robes in thick horizontal stripes of bright yellow and black. An enormous picture of a wasp was splashed across his chest. He had the look of a powerfully built man gone slightly to seed; the robes were stretched tightly across a large belly he surely had not had in the days when he had played Quidditch for England. His nose was squashed (probably broken by a stray Bludger, Harry thought), but his round blue eyes, short blond hair, and rosy complexion made him look like a very overgrown schoolboy.**

**"Ahoy there!" Bagman called happily. He was walking as though he had springs attached to the balls of his feet and was plainly in a state of wild excitement.**

"He must be as Quidditch-obsessed as James then." Remus said. James just shrugged, it was true he was a bit obsessed with the sport after all.

**"Arthur, old man," he puffed as he reached the campfire, "what a day, eh? What a day! Could we have asked for more perfect weather? A cloudless night coming... and hardly a hiccough in the arrangements... Not much for me to do!"**

**Behind him, a group of haggard-looking Ministry wizards rushed past, pointing at the distant evidence of some sort of a magical fire that was sending violet sparks twenty feet into the air.**

**Percy hurried forward with his hand outstretched. Apparently his disapproval of the way Ludo Bagman ran his department did not prevent him from wanting to make a good impression.**

"Pompous git." George muttered.

Percy glared at him, "Just because I didn't like him doesn't mean I was going to pass up a chance to make a good impression." he huffed.

"Good impressions are important when you work in or very close to politics." Regulus nodded.

"That was one of the first thing's we learned growing up." Sirius commented, "I think we even learned that before we could write."

"It's likely." Andy frowned, "Having it constantly drummed into your head for 11 years and then reminders every year after tends to make people remember it."

"It's one of those 'you can try to forget but you never will' things." Cissy agreed.

**"Ah - yes," said Mr. Weasley, grinning, "this is my son Percy. He's just started at the Ministry - and this is Fred - no, George, sorry - that's Fred - Bill, Charlie, Ron - my daughter, Ginny and Ron's friends, Hermione Granger and Harry Potter."**

**Bagman did the smallest of double takes when he heard Harry's name, and his eyes performed the familiar flick upward to the scar on Harry's forehead.**

**"Everyone," Mr. Weasley continued, "this is Ludo Bagman, you know who he is, it's thanks to him we've got such good tickets -"**

**Bagman beamed and waved his hand as if to say it had been nothing.**

**"Fancy a flutter on the match, Arthur?" he said eagerly, jingling what seemed to be a large amount of gold in the pockets of his yellow-and-black robes. "I've already got Roddy Pontner betting me Bulgaria will score first - I offered him nice odds, considering Ireland's front three are the strongest I've seen in years - and little Agatha Timms has put up half shares in her eel farm on a weeklong match."**

**"Oh... go on then," said Mr. Weasley. "Let's see... a Galleon on Ireland to win?"**

"A Galleon?" James asked incredulously.

"What's the point of betting if your only betting a Galleon?" Sirius agreed.

"I was reluctant to bet at all." Arthur told them. "I only had one Galleon and a bunch of change with me anyway." he shrugged, "And Ludo always was very bad for making bets and not paying up when someone won." he added.

"You didn't warn us why?" George asked.

"I tried to." he shrugged, "I swear Molly, they wouldn't listen." he added to his annoyed looking wife, who's eye's had narrowed when George spoke.

"He's right Mum, we didn't listen." Fred said to his Father's defence, "It was only us two." he added, gesturing his twin.

**"A Galleon?" Ludo Bagman looked slightly disappointed, but recovered himself. "Very well, very well... any other takers?"**

**"They're a bit young to be gambling," said Mr. Weasley. "Molly wouldn't like -"**

**"We'll bet thirty-seven Galleons, fifteen Sickles, three Knuts," said Fred as he and George quickly pooled all their money, "that Ireland wins - but Viktor Krum gets the Snitch. Oh and we'll throw in a fake wand."**

**"You don't want to go showing Mr. Bagman rubbish like that," Percy hissed, but Bagman didn't seem to think the wand was rubbish at all; on the contrary, his boyish face shone with excitement as he took it from Fred, and when the wand gave a loud squawk and turned into a rubber chicken, Bagman roared with laughter.**

**"Excellent! I haven't seen one that convincing in years! I'd pay five Galleons for that!"**

**Percy froze in an attitude of stunned disapproval.**

"You better have not let them bet Arthur!" Molly warned her husband who shrank in his seat a little.

"I tried to stop them." he muttered.

"Dad did try to stop us Mum." George said nodding.

"We wish we had listened to him." Fred added.

**"Boys," said Mr. Weasley under his breath, "I don't want you betting... That's all your savings... Your mother -"**

**"Don't be a spoilsport, Arthur!" boomed Ludo Bagman, rattling his pockets excitedly. "They're old enough to know what they want! You reckon Ireland will win but Krum'll get the Snitch? Not a chance, boys, not a chance... I'll give you excellent odds on that one... We'll add five Galleons for the funny wand, then, shall we..."**

**Mr. Weasley looked on helplessly as Ludo Bagman whipped out a notebook and quill and began jotting down the twins' names.**

**"Cheers," said George, taking the slip of parchment Bagman handed him and tucking it away carefully. Bagman turned most cheerfully back to Mr. Weasley.**

**"Couldn't do me a brew, I suppose? I'm keeping an eye out for Barty Crouch. My Bulgarian opposite number's making difficulties, and I can't understand a word he's saying. Barty'll be able to sort it out. He speaks about a hundred and fifty languages."**

**"Mr. Crouch?" said Percy, suddenly abandoning his look of poker-stiff disapproval and positively writhing with excitement. "He speaks over two hundred!"**

"No he cant." James dissagreed, "He only knew about 20."

"No one can speak over 200 languages it's impossible." Sirius added, "I think Albus knew about 50 though."

Harry coughed, "Ginny and I can."

"Oh yeah... You were given the power though. You cant learn 200 languages and speak all of them decently enough." James said.

"He's got us on that one." Ginny shrugged, "And we've yet to find out exactly how many we can speak."

**"Mermish and Gobbledegook and Troll..."**

**"Anyone can speak Troll," said Fred dismissively. "All you have to do is point and grunt."**

**Percy threw Fred an extremely nasty look and stoked the fire vigorously to bring the kettle back to the boil.**

"You should know that look doesn't work on us Perce." Fred chuckled.

**"Any news of Bertha Jorkins yet, Ludo?" Mr. Weasley asked as Bagman settled himself down on the grass beside them all.**

**"Not a dicky bird," said Bagman comfortably. "But she'll turn up. Poor old Bertha... memory like a leaky cauldron and no sense of direction. Lost, you take my word for it. She'll wander back into the office sometime in October, thinking it's still July."**

**"You don't think it might be time to send someone to look for her?" Mr. Weasley suggested tentatively as Percy handed Bagman his tea.**

**"Barty Crouch keeps saying that," said Bagman, his round eyes widening innocently, "but we really can't spare anyone at the moment. Oh - talk of the devil! Barty!"**

**A wizard had just Apparated at their fireside, and he could not have made more of a contrast with Ludo Bagman, sprawled on the grass in his old Wasp robes. Barty Crouch was a stiff, upright, elderly man, dressed in an impeccably crisp suit and tie. The parting in his short gray hair was almost unnaturally straight, and his narrow toothbrush mustache looked as though he trimmed it using a slide rule. His shoes were very highly polished.**

"I hate Crouch." Sirius growled.

"Why? He seemed nice when I worked for him." Percy said.

"He's the one who sentenced him without a trial." Harry spat.

Percy looked shocked, "I had no idea."

"Get ready to have everything you knew about Crouch questioned and proved wrong, I find out a lot." Harry warned him. Percy nodded warily.

**Harry could see at once why Percy idolized him. Percy was a great believer in rigidly following rules, and Mr. Crouch had complied with the rule about Muggle dressing so thoroughly that he could have passed for a bank manager; Harry doubted even Uncle Vernon would have spotted him for what he really was.**

**"Pull up a bit of grass, Barty," said Ludo brightly, patting the ground beside him.**

**"No thank you, Ludo," said Crouch, and there was a bite of impatience in his voice. "I've been looking for you everywhere. The Bulgarians are insisting we add another twelve seats to the Top Box."**

**"Oh is that what they're after?" said Bagman. "I thought the chap was asking to borrow a pair of tweezers. Bit of a strong accent."**

**"Mr. Crouch!" said Percy breathlessly, sunk into a kind of halfbow that made him look like a hunchback. "Would you like a cup of tea?"**

**"Oh," said Mr. Crouch, looking over at Percy in mild surprise. "Yes - thank you, Weatherby."**

Everyone snorted or chuckled.

**Fred and George choked into their own cups. Percy, very pink around the ears, busied himself with the kettle.**

**"Oh and I've been wanting a word with you too, Arthur," said Mr. Crouch, his sharp eyes falling upon Mr. Weasley. "Ali Bashir's on the warpath. He wants a word with you about your embargo on flying carpets."**

**Mr. Weasley heaved a deep sigh.**

**"I sent him an owl about that just last week. If I've told him once I've told him a hundred times: Carpets are defined as a Muggle Artifact by the Registry of Proscribed Charmable Objects, but will he listen?"**

**"I doubt it," said Mr. Crouch, accepting a cup from Percy. "He's desperate to export here."**

**"Well, they'll never replace brooms in Britain, will they?" said Bagman.**

"Never." James said, as though this was the most obvious thing in the world.

**"Ali thinks there's a niche in the market for a family vehicle," said Mr. Crouch. "I remember my grandfather had an Axminster that could seat twelve - but that was before carpets were banned, of course."**

**He spoke as though he wanted to leave nobody in any doubt that all his ancestors had abided strictly by the law.**

"When he himself didnt follow it." Hermione wrinkled her nose in disgust.

**"So, been keeping busy, Barty?" said Bagman breezily.**

**"Fairly," said Mr. Crouch dryly. "Organizing Portkeys across five continents is no mean feat, Ludo."**

**"I expect you'll both be glad when this is over?" said Mr. Weasley.**

**Ludo Bagman looked shocked.**

**"Glad! Don't know when I've had more fun... Still, it's not as though we haven't got anything to look forward to, eh, Barty? Eh? Plenty left to organize, eh?"**

"What are they talking about?" Regulus, James and Lily asked together.

Harry simply shuddered at the memory.

**Mr. Crouch raised his eyebrows at Bagman.**

**"We agreed not to make the announcement until all the details -"**

**"Oh details!" said Bagman, waving the word away like a cloud of midges. "They've signed, haven't they? They've agreed, haven't they? I bet you anything these kids'll know soon enough anyway. I mean, it's happening at Hogwarts -"**

"What the hell is he talking about?" James asked.

"An event that took place." Fleur told him, effectively saving Harry from answering, "It involved Beauxbatons and Durmstrang going to Hogwarts for the year." she added.

**"Ludo, we need to meet the Bulgarians, you know," said Mr. Crouch sharply, cutting Bagman's remarks short. "Thank you for the tea, Weatherby."**

The men snickered again.

**He pushed his undrunk tea back at Percy and waited for Ludo to rise; Bagman struggled to his feet, swigging down the last of his tea, the gold in his pockets chinking merrily.**

**"See you all later!" he said. "You'll be up in the Top Box with me - I'm commentating!" He waved, Barty Crouch nodded curtly, and both of them Disapparated.**

**"What's happening at Hogwarts, Dad?" said Fred at once. "What were they talking about?"**

**"You'll find out soon enough," said , smiling.**

**"It's classified information, until such time as the Ministry decides to release it," said Percy stiffly. "Mr. Crouch was quite right not to disclose it."**

**"Oh shut up, Weatherby," said Fred.**

**A sense of excitement rose like a palpable cloud over the campsite as the afternoon wore on. By dusk, the still summer air itself seemed to be quivering with anticipation, and as darkness spread like a curtain over the thousands of waiting wizards, the last vestiges of pretence disappeared: the Ministry seemed to have bowed to the inevitable and stopped fighting the signs of blatant magic now breaking out everywhere.**

**Salesmen were Apparating every few feet, carrying trays and pushing carts full of extraordinary merchandise.**

**There were luminous rosettes - green for Ireland, red for Bulgaria - which were squealing the names of the players, pointed green hats bedecked with dancing shamrocks, Bulgarian scarves adorned with lions that really roared, flags from both countries that played their national anthems as they were waved; there were tiny models of Firebolts that really flew, and collectible figures of famous players, which strolled across the palm of your hand, preening themselves.**

**"Been saving my pocket money all summer for this," Ron told Harry as they and Hermione strolled through the salesmen, buying souvenirs. Though Ron purchased a dancing shamrock hat and a large green rosette, he also bought a small figure of Viktor Krum, the Bulgarian Seeker. The miniature Krum walked backward and forward over Ron's hand, scowling up at the green rosette above him.**

**"Wow, look at these!" said Harry, hurrying over to a cart piled high with what looked like brass binoculars, except that they were covered with all sorts of weird knobs and dials.**

**"Omnioculars," said the sales wizard eagerly. "You can replay action... slow everything down... and they flash up a play-by-play breakdown if you need it. Bargain - ten Galleons each."**

**"Wish I hadn't bought this now," said Ron, gesturing at his dancing shamrock hat and gazing longingly at the Omnioculars.**

**"Three pairs," said Harry firmly to the wizard.**

**"No - don't bother," said Ron, going red. He was always touchy about the fact that Harry, who had inherited a small fortune from his parents, had much more money than he did.**

**"You won't be getting anything for Christmas," Harry told him, thrusting Omnioculars into his and Hermione's hands. "For about ten years, mind."**

**"Fair enough," said Ron, grinning.**

"Thanks again, mate." Ron said.

Harry waved his hand in lazy reply, that had been about four years ago.

**"Oooh, thanks, Harry," said Hermione. "And I'll get us some programs, look -"**

**Their money bags considerably lighter, they went back to the tents. Bill, Charlie, and Ginny were all sporting green rosettes too, and Mr. Weasley was carrying an Irish flag. Fred and George had no souvenirs as they had given Bagman all their gold.**

**And then a deep, booming gong sounded somewhere beyond the woods, and at once, green and red lanterns blazed into life in the trees, lighting a path to the field.**

**"It's time!" said Mr. Weasley, looking as excited as any of them. "Come on, let's go!"**

"Whoo!" James yelled as Harry changed the memory.

* * *

><p>Review please x<p> 


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17 - Fourth Year (Part 4)

16th August. 1998. 9.30am.

"Right here's the match." Harry announced making everyone, James being the loudest, cheer.

**Clutching their purchases, Mr. Weasley in the lead, they all hurried into the wood, following the lantern-lit trail. They could hear the sounds of thousands of people moving around them, shouts and laughter, snatches of singing.**

**The atmosphere of feverish excitement was highly infectious; Harry couldn't stop grinning.**

**They walked through the wood for twenty minutes, talking and joking loudly, until at last they emerged on the other side and found themselves in the shadow of a gigantic stadium.**

**Though Harry could see only a fraction of the immense gold walls surrounding the field, he could tell that ten cathedrals would fit comfortably inside it.**

**"Seats a hundred thousand,"**

"Wow." James breathed with wide-eye's.

**said Mr. Weasley, spotting the awestruck look on Harry's face. "Ministry task force of five hundred have been working on it all year. Muggle Repelling Charms on every inch of it. Every time Muggles have got anywhere near here all year, they've suddenly remembered urgent appointments and had to dash away again... bless them," he added fondly,**

Most in the room snickered at Arthur's obsession.

Lily grinned, "You're one to laugh, James Potter. You have just as much of an obsession with Quidditch as Arthur does with Muggles."

James stopped laughing and huffed, causing an increased amount of chuckling around the room.

**leading the way toward the nearest entrance, which was already surrounded by a swarm of shouting witches and wizards.**

**"Prime seats!" said the Ministry witch at the entrance when she checked their tickets. "Top Box! Straight upstairs, Arthur, and as high as you can go."**

"You are so lucky." Sirius grinned.

**The stairs into the stadium were carpeted in rich purple. They clambered upward with the rest of the crowd, which slowly filtered away through doors into the stands to their left and right. Mr. Weasley's party kept climbing, and at last they reached the top of the staircase and found themselves in a small box, set at the highest point of the stadium and situated exactly halfway between the golden goal posts.**

James gaped, you couldn't get in a much better spot.

**About twenty purple-and-gold chairs stood in two rows here, and Harry, filing into the front seats with the Weasleys, looked down upon a scene the likes of which he could never have imagined.**

**A hundred thousand witches and wizards were taking their places in the seats, which rose in levels around the long oval field. Everything was suffused with a mysterious golden light, which seemed to come from the stadium itself. The field looked smooth as velvet from their lofty position. At either end of the field stood three goal hoops, fifty feet high; right opposite them, almost at Harry's eye level, was a gigantic blackboard. Gold writing kept dashing across it as though an invisible giant's hand were scrawling upon the blackboard and then wiping it off again; watching it, Harry saw that it was flashing advertisements across the field.**

**The Bluebottle: A Broom for All the Family - safe, reliable, and with Built-in Anti-Burglar Buzzer... Mrs. Shower's All Purpose Magical Mess Remover: No Pain, No Stain!... Gladrags Wizardwear - London, Paris, Hogsmeade...**

**Harry tore his eyes away from the sign and looked over his shoulder to see who else was sharing the box with them. So far it was empty, except for a tiny creature sitting in the second from last seat at the end of the row behind them. The creature, whose legs were so short they stuck out in front of it on the chair, was wearing a tea towel draped like a toga, and it had its face hidden in its hands. Yet those long, batlike ears**

"Why is there a House-Elf in the stands?" Sirius asked, looking confused.

Remus shrugged, "Maybe it's waiting for its Master or something."

"It's Winky." Hermione told Sirius, "Remember we told you about her?"

"Oh yeah..." he muttered.

**were oddly familiar...**

**"Dobby?" said Harry incredulously.**

**The tiny creature looked up and stretched its fingers, revealing enormous brown eyes and a nose the exact size and shape of a large tomato. It wasn't Dobby - it was, however, unmistakably a house-elf, as Harry's friend Dobby had been. Harry had set Dobby free from his old owners, the Malfoy family.**

**"Did sir just call me Dobby?" squeaked the elf curiously from between its fingers. Its voice was higher even than Dobby's had been, a teeny, quivering squeak of a voice, and Harry suspected though it was very hard to tell with a house-elf that this one might just be female. Ron and Hermione spun around in their seats to look. Though they had heard a lot about Dobby from Harry, they had never actually met him. Even Mr. Weasley looked around in interest.**

"You claim I'm nosey." Harry smirked. "You lot are just as bad as me." he chuckled as the others blushed.

**"Sorry," Harry told the elf, "I just thought you were someone I knew."**

**"But I knows Dobby too, sir!" squeaked the elf. She was shielding her face, as though blinded by light, though the Top Box was not brightly lit. "My name is Winky, sir - and you, sir -" Her dark brown eyes widened to the size of side plates as they rested upon Harry's scar. "You is surely Harry Potter!"**

**"Yeah, I am," said Harry.**

**"But Dobby talks of you all the time, sir!" she said, lowering her hands very slightly and looking awestruck.**

**"How is he?" said Harry. "How's freedom suiting him?"**

**"Ah, sir," said Winky, shaking her head, "ah sir, meaning no disrespect, sir, but I is not sure you did Dobby a favor, sir, when you is setting him free."**

"Er - why?" Sirius asked.

**"Why?" said Harry, taken aback. "What's wrong with him?"**

**"Freedom is going to Dobby's head, sir," said Winky sadly. "Ideas above his station, sir. Can't get another position, sir."**

**"Why not?" said Harry.**

**Winky lowered her voice by a half-octave and whispered, "He is wanting paying for his work, sir."**

**"Paying?" said Harry blankly. "Well - why shouldn't he be paid?"**

"Winky's not going to like that." Regulus mused.

**Winky looked quite horrified at the idea and closed her fingers slightly so that her face was half-hidden again.**

**"House-elves is not paid, sir!" she said in a muffled squeak. "No, no, no. I says to Dobby, I says, go find yourself a nice family and settle down, Dobby. He is getting up to all sorts of high jinks, sir, what is unbecoming to a house-elf. You goes racketing around like this, Dobby, I says, and next thing I hear you's up in front of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, like some common goblin."**

**"Well, it's about time he had a bit of fun," said Harry.**

"Here, here." Draco smiled, "He was miserable having to deal with Lucius. I'd considered letting him free when I was younger, make it look accidental or something, but..."

"Lucius would have known it was you." Cissy finished for him. "And probably locked you up somewhere without telling me." she frowned.

**"House-elves is not supposed to have fun, Harry Potter,"**

"Just ask Kreacher, he's dreadfully boring and creepy." Sirius announced.

"No he's not." Harry smirked, "Or have you forgotten the last time you saw him already?"

"I meant to say 'was'." Sirius corrected himself.

**said Winky firmly, from behind her hands. "House-elves does what they is told. I is not liking heights at all, Harry Potter" - she glanced toward the edge of the box and gulped - "but my master sends me to the Top Box and I comes, sir."**

Hermione looked greatly disapproving and Lily cried, "That's Horrible!"

Ron groaned, "Make Harry's mum a SPEW badge Hermione."

"S.P.E.W Ronald," Hermione retorted.

"What is SPEW," James asked.

"Hermione's organization for elf rights." George grinned.

"Which started because of Winky funnily enough." Harry grinned at a very red-faced Hermione. "It's a good thing 'Mione. I actually wish I'd helped you more."

Hermione frowned, "Why?"

"Later." he replied, "It's to do with 6th year's private lessons." he whispered to her. She nodded.

**"Why's he sent you up here, if he knows you don't like heights?" said Harry, frowning.**

**"Master - master wants me to save him a seat, Harry Potter. He is very busy," said Winky, tilting her head toward the empty space beside her. "Winky is wishing she is back in master's tent, Harry Potter, but Winky does what she is told. Winky is a good house-elf."**

**She gave the edge of the box another frightened look and hid her eyes completely again. Harry turned back to the others.**

**"So that's a house-elf?" Ron muttered. "Weird things, aren't they?"**

"No they're not. They may not be human but they are people. And only a few are weird." Ron told his past-self off.

"Blimey. How many people did you get to change their views Hermione?" Sirius asked curiously.

Hermione smirked, "Quite a lot actually. The Hogwarts House-Elves helped a lot."

"They did. Quite a few people owe their lives to those Elves, they helped out in the second half of the Final Battle." Molly explained.

"Now that I wish I could've seen." Dora grinned.

"Same here." Remus and Fred added.

"Um... Why -"

"We were dead by that time Prongs." Remus cut in.

"Which is really weird to think about considering we're sitting here perfectly alive right now." Fred mused.

"When some of your last memories are of being killed it does tend to be a bit odd." Lily nodded in agreement.

"Cant you remember anything of the afterlife?" Harry asked gently.

"Of course we can." James smiled, "I'm surprised none of you have asked before."

"Well... It's not exactly a cheerful topic is it?" George retorted, "I, for one, wouldn't even ask him." he gestured to Fred, "Mainly because it's painful to remember your deaths and because we don't know how you'd respond to us walking up to you and going 'What was it like being dead?'." he explained.

"I think that's what's kept most of us back." Bill nodded, the others made noises of agreement.

"We'll tell you later if you want to know." Regulus shrugged, "For us there's not much difference between there and here except we can die again here."

"And our hearts are beating again. Weird as hell not having a pulse." Sirius mused, "Though a good thing is we got to try stuff that might have killed us down here while we were up there without actually dying again." he chuckled.

"Like getting to jump off a cliff?" Remus asked, smirking.

Sirius huffed, "I didn't jump. I slipped." he stated.

"No you fell." Regulus corrected him, "And it was very amusing for us."

"How could that be amusing?" Fleur asked.

"We were dead, we couldn't die again and we couldn't get hurt again." James shrugged, "It was highly amusing being able to jump off of heights that would kill us in life and not even get a bruise."

"I'll admit that was pretty fun to do." Lily nodded, "Scary at first but fun when you get used to it."

"I'll second that." Dora grinned, "Now let's watch the memory since I'm sure I'm not the only one wanting to see what happens. We can tell you more later if you want."

Everyone nodded and turned back to the pensieve.

**"Dobby was weirder," said Harry fervently.**

**Ron pulled out his Omnioculars and started testing them, staring down into the crowd on the other side of the stadium.**

**"Wild!" he said, twiddling the replay knob on the side. "I can make that old bloke down there pick his nose again... and again... and again..."**

"Eww." the women muttered as the men snickered.

**Hermione, meanwhile, was skimming eagerly through her velvet covered, tasseled program.**

**"'A display from the team mascots will precede the match,'" she read aloud.**

**"Oh that's always worth watching," said Mr. Weasley. "National teams bring creatures from their native land, you know, to put on a bit of a show."**

**The box filled gradually around them over the next half hour. Mr. Weasley kept shaking hands with people who were obviously very important wizards. Percy jumped to his feet so often that he looked as though he were trying to sit on a hedgehog.**

They all laughed, even the blushing Percy grinned sheepishly.

**When Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic himself, arrived, Percy bowed so low that his glasses fell off and shattered. Highly embarrassed, he repaired them with his wand and thereafter remained in his seat, throwing jealous looks at Harry, whom Cornelius Fudge had greeted like an old friend.**

"Really Percy?" Draco asked, "You had to have guessed Fudge was a moron."

"Nope. I had no idea." Percy replied looking annoyed. "Or do you think I was acting like that because I liked to?" he asked sarcastically. "It was a show of respect to authority and that's all." he said firmly.

"And now you've got some people doing that with you." Bill smirked.

"It comes with being the youngest Senior Undersecretary in history, I suppose." he shrugged.

**They had met before, and Fudge shook Harry's hand in a fatherly fashion, asked how he was, and introduced him to the wizards on either side of him.**

**"Harry Potter, you know," he told the Bulgarian minister loudly, who was wearing splendid robes of black velvet trimmed with gold and didn't seem to understand a word of English. "Harry Potter... oh come on now, you know who he is... the boy who survived You-Know-Who... you do know who he is -"**

**The Bulgarian wizard suddenly spotted Harry's scar and started gabbling loudly and excitedly, pointing at it.**

**"Knew we'd get there in the end," said Fudge wearily to Harry. "I'm no great shakes at languages; I need Barty Crouch for this sort of thing. Ah, I see his house-elf's saving him a seat..."**

"Winky is Barty Crouch's House-Elf?" James asked.

"Was." Arthur corrected him, "As you've seen she's working at Hogwarts now and has Elflets."

**"Good job too, these Bulgarian blighters have been trying to cadge all the best places... ah, and here's Lucius!"**

"Slimy Slytherin, Death Eater git." Sirius growled.

**Harry, Ron, and Hermione turned quickly. Edging along the second row to three still-empty seats right behind Mr. Weasley were none other than Dobby the house-elf's former owners: Lucius Malfoy; his son, Draco; and a woman Harry supposed must be Draco's mother.**

"That obvious?" Cissy chuckled.

"Very." he grinned.

**Harry and Draco Malfoy had been enemies ever since their very first journey to Hogwarts.**

**A pale boy with a pointed face and white-blond hair, Draco greatly resembled his father. His mother was blonde too; tall and slim, she would have been nice-looking if she hadn't been wearing a look that suggested there was a nasty smell under her nose.**

"I didn't actually want to go. But I'd rather not be left in the Mannor alone." Cissy explained, "That and Lucius was there, I was always wary about letting him take Draco alone anywhere. Merlin know's what he was teaching him." she snorted.

"Nothing of interest." Draco shrugged, "Though I suppose he did teach me how to screw up royally." he smirked, "And I learned how to mostly avoid doing that from watching him fail."

**"Ah, Fudge," said Mr. Malfoy, holding out his hand as he reached the Minister of Magic. "How are you? I don't think you've met my wife, Narcissa? Or our son, Draco?"**

**"How do you do, how do you do?" said Fudge, smiling and bowing to Mrs. Malfoy. "And allow me to introduce you to Mr. Oblansk - Obalonsk - Mr. - well, he's the Bulgarian Minister of Magic, and he can't understand a word I'm saying anyway, so never mind. And let's see who else - you know Arthur Weasley, I daresay?"**

"Don't you dare say a word against them Malfoy." Sirius growled.

"Lucius may be stupid but he wouldnt dare do anything in front of so many ministry officials." Cissy said, "He know's that if he did he'd find it difficult to sit down for a few day's." she smirked.

"Oh?" Andy inquired curiously.

"That hex you taught me when I was in 4th year came in handy a few times." she elaborated, "Left no physical mark, but when a person went to sit down, it was like all the muscles in they're hips and below were being poked by thousands of needles." she grinned, "And no, it's not a Dark spell."

"Grey?" James guessed.

She nodded, "And amusing to watch at times... It's like that feeling you get when you've been lying on your hands or feet until they go numb, then all the blood rushes back into them." she explained.

"Not deadly but uncomfortable for whoever has it on them." Regulus mused.

"Exactly. It was most effective in partially controlling Lucius." she smirked.

**It was a tense moment. Mr. Weasley and Mr. Malfoy looked at each other and Harry vividly recalled the last time they had come face-to-face: It had been in Flourish and Blotts' bookshop, and they had had a fight.**

Ron, Harry, the twins and Marauders all grinned and laughed and the others couldn't help but smile.

**Mr. Malfoy's cold gray eyes swept over Mr. Weasley, and then up and down the row.**

**"Good lord, Arthur," he said softly. "What did you have to sell to get seats in the Top Box? Surely your house wouldn't have fetched this much?"**

Everyone was looking extremely angry.

"He paid for that comment. That was too close to being overheard. I'd never let him get away with that in public." Cissy explained.

"What did you do?" Arthur asked.

"He may have found himself locked in the cellar for a day or two." Draco smirked, "I knew he hadn't got stuck in there himself. It was me who found him and he said he'd went to check out an odd sound and the door had closed behind them and the automatic lock made sure he couldn't get out."

"Why didn't he use his wand?" Dora asked.

"He conveniently didn't have it on him." Cissy smiled.

"Meaning you summoned it before he went down there?" Andy guessed.

"No, he left it with me." Draco smirked, "The trace only follows wand's and I was practicing a few spell's out of boredom."

"You know that how?" Regulus questioned.

"You think I wouldn't pass the information on?" Cissy scoffed, "We found that out when Sirius used Uncle Orion's wand to set the curtains on fire when he was 15."

Sirius frowned, "I remember that. But I didn't know it was the wand that the trace followed."

"Bella made us keep it from you. She made us say an oath." Regulus winced, "Or I would have told you."

"Well we all know now." Fred grinned, "Useful information for when we have our own kids."

"They will be able to do magic without getting caught." George agreed.

"It'll be useful, even though Kingsley lifted the trace from all students above 5th year. As soon as a student dose and passes their OWL's they can do magic away from school but it's still monitored to stop people abusing it." Percy shrugged.

"Which is how I wasn't getting warnings for underage magic before my 17th." Ginny realised, "I'd wondered at that."

"So had I." Astoria nodded, "I hadn't been getting them either."

"It's not public knowledge at the moment even though the change has been made." Percy smirked, "It'll be released sometime in January, call it a motivator for students to want to do well on their exams."

"It's a damn good motivator." Dora grinned, "I bet this year will have some of the most determined students ever doing their exams."

Ginny frowned, "I wonder what Minerva's going to do about last years students."

"We never did get around to doing the exams." Neville agreed, also frowning, "The Final Battle was in May and the school closed for repairs after that." he explained to the returnees and his parents.

"She'll work something out." Frank shrugged.

"I'm guessing that's what you meant by returning to do your N.E.W.T's?" James asked.

The teens nodded.

**Fudge, who wasn't listening, said, "Lucius has just given a very generous contribution to St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries, Arthur. He's here as my guest."**

**"How - how nice," said Mr. Weasley, with a very strained smile.**

**Mr. Malfoy's eyes had returned to Hermione, who went slightly pink, but stared determinedly back at him.**

**Harry knew exactly what was making Mr. Malfoy's lip curl like that. The Malfoys prided themselves on being purebloods; in other words, they considered anyone of Muggle descent, like Hermione, second-class. However, under the gaze of the Minister of Magic, Mr. Malfoy didn't dare say anything. He nodded sneeringly to Mr. Weasley and continued down the line to his seats. Draco shot Harry, Ron, and Hermione one contemptuous look, then settled himself between his mother and father.**

**"Slimy gits," Ron muttered as he, Harry, and Hermione turned to face the field again. Next moment, Ludo Bagman charged into the box.**

**"Everyone ready?" he said, his round face gleaming like a great, excited Edam. "Minister - ready to go?"**

**"Ready when you are, Ludo," said Fudge comfortably.**

**Ludo whipped out his wand, directed it at his own throat, and said "Sonorus!" and then spoke over the roar of sound that was now filling the packed stadium; his voice echoed over them, booming into every corner of the stands.**

**"Ladies and gentlemen... welcome! Welcome to the final of the four hundred and twenty-second Quidditch World Cup!"**

**The spectators screamed and clapped. Thousands of flags waved, adding their discordant national anthems to the racket. The huge blackboard opposite them was wiped clear of its last message (Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans - A Risk With Every Mouthful!) and now showed BULGARIA: 0, IRELAND: 0.**

**"And now, without further ado, allow me to introduce... the Bulgarian National Team Mascots!"**

"Wonder what they brought." Remus said.

**The right-hand side of the stands, which was a solid block of scarlet, roared its approval.**

**"I wonder what they've brought," said Mr. Weasley, leaning forward in his seat. "Aaah!" He suddenly whipped off his glasses and polished them hurriedly on his robes. "Veela!"**

"What are Veela?" Petunia asked curiously.

All the men in the room blushed slightly, except Harry.

"You'll see." Fleur told her, "My Grandma was with them. It is highly amusing to see some of the reactions men have to Veela." she added. "Being Part-Veela myself, I would know." she smirked.

**"What are veel -?"**

**But a hundred veela were now gliding out onto the field, and Harry's question was answered for him. Veela were women... the most beautiful women Harry had ever seen... except that they weren't - they couldn't be - human. This puzzled Harry for a moment while he tried to guess what exactly they could be; what could make their skin shine moon-bright like that, or their white-gold hair fan out behind them without wind... but then the music started, and Harry stopped worrying about them not being human - in fact, he stopped worrying about anything at all.**

"You were affected?" Fleur asked Harry looking shocked. "You were one of the first boys I met from Hogwarts who was practically immune."

"I was affected then." Harry nodded. "After that... Not as much. I think it was probably because I was unaware that time, I didn't understand about a Veela's charm."

**The veela had started to dance, and Harry's mind had gone completely and blissfully blank. All that mattered in the world was that he kept watching the veela, because if they stopped dancing, terrible things would happen.**

**And as the veela danced faster and faster, wild, half-formed thoughts started chasing through Harry's dazed mind. He wanted to do something very impressive, right now. Jumping from the box into the stadium seemed a good idea**

Lily stared at the book in slight shock then turned to Harry, "Have you gone mad?"

Harry didn't know how to respond to this but Remus saved him, "It's not Harry's fault Lily, Veela have that effect on most men."

"Oui, it is funny." Fleur laughed, "Some of the thing's are ridiculous."

"It's easier to deal with the more you are around a Veela's charm though." Bill grinned at his wife.

"Or if that Veela is suppressing that side of them like I did at first." Fleur grinned back, "It's like some illnesses, you can build up resistance. People who already love someone usually aren't as affected as much, it depends on age and the amount of love they feel for that person though." she shrugged.

**... but would it be good enough?**

**"Harry, what are you doing?" said Hermione's voice from a long way off.**

**The music stopped. Harry blinked. He was standing up, and one of his legs was resting on the wall of the box.**

**Next to him, Ron was frozen in an attitude that looked as though he were about to dive from a springboard.**

**Angry yells were filling the stadium. The crowd didn't want the veela to go. Harry was with them;**

Harry blushed slightly and looked sheepish at the look his mother and fiancée gave him.

**he would, of course, be supporting Bulgaria, and he wondered vaguely why he had a large green shamrock pinned to his chest. Ron, meanwhile, was absentmindedly shredding the shamrocks on his hat. Mr. Weasley, smiling slightly, leaned over to Ron and tugged the hat out of his hands.**

**"You'll be wanting that," he said, "once Ireland have had their say."**

**"Huh?" said Ron, staring open mouthed at the veela, who had now lined up along one side of the field.**

**Hermione made a loud tutting noise. She reached up and pulled Harry back into his seat. "Honestly!" she said.**

**"And now," roared Ludo Bagman's voice, "kindly put your wands in the air... for the Irish National Team Mascots!"**

**Next moment, what seemed to be a great green-and-gold comet came zooming into the stadium. It did one circuit of the stadium, then split into two smaller comets, each hurtling toward the goal posts.**

**A rainbow arced suddenly across the field, connecting the two balls of light. The crowd oooohed and aaaaahed, as though at a fireworks display. Now the rainbow faded and the balls of light reunited and merged; they had formed a great shimmering shamrock, which rose up into the sky and began to soar over the stands. Something like golden rain seemed to be falling from it -**

**"Excellent!" yelled Ron as the shamrock soared over them, and heavy gold coins rained from it, bouncing off their heads and seats. Squinting up at the shamrock, Harry realized that it was actually comprised of thousands of tiny little bearded men with red vests, each carrying a minute lamp of gold or green.**

**"Leprechauns!" said Mr. Weasley over the tumultuous applause of the crowd, many of whom were still fighting and rummaging around under their chairs to retrieve the gold.**

**"There you go," Ron yelled happily, stuffing a fistful of gold coins into Harry's hand, "for the Omnioculars! Now you've got to buy me a Christmas present, ha!"**

**The great shamrock dissolved, the leprechauns drifted down onto the field on the opposite side from the veela, and settled themselves cross-legged to watch the match.**

**"And now, ladies and gentlemen, kindly welcome - the Bulgarian National Quidditch Team! I give you - Dimitrov!"**

**A scarlet-clad figure on a broomstick, moving so fast it was blurred, shot out onto the field from an entrance far below, to wild applause from the Bulgarian supporters.**

**"Ivanova!"**

**A second scarlet-robed player zoomed out.**

**"Zograf! Levski! Vulchanov! Volkov! Aaaaaaand - Krum!"**

**"That's him, that's him!" yelled Ron,**

Ron looked angry with his past-self and Hermione just giggled and put her head on his shoulder.

**following Krum with his Omnioculars. Harry quickly focused his own.**

**Viktor Krum was thin, dark, and sallow-skinned, with a large curved nose and thick black eyebrows. He looked like an overgrown bird of prey. It was hard to believe he was only eighteen.**

**"And now, please greet - the Irish National Quidditch Team!" yelled Bagman. "Presenting - Connolly! Ryan! Troy! Mullet! Moran! Quigley! Aaaaaand - Lynch!"**

**Seven green blurs swept onto the field; Harry spun a small dial on the side of his Omnioculars and slowed the players down enough to read the word Firebolt on each of their brooms and see their names, embroidered in silver, upon their backs.**

**"And here, all the way from Egypt, our referee, acclaimed Chairwizard of the International Association of Quidditch, Hassan Mostafa!"**

**A small and skinny wizard, completely bald but with a mustache to rival Uncle Vernon's, wearing robes of pure gold to match the stadium, strode out onto the field. A silver whistle was protruding from under the mustache, and he was carrying a large wooden crate under one arm, his broomstick under the other.**

**Harry spun the speed dial on his Omnioculars back to normal, watching closely as Mostafa mounted his broomstick and kicked the crate open - four balls burst into the air: the scarlet Quaffle, the two black Bludgers, and (Harry saw it for the briefest moment, before it sped out of sight) the minuscule, winged Golden Snitch. With a sharp blast on his whistle, Mostafa shot into the air after the balls.**

**"Theeeeeeeey're OFF!" screamed Bagman. "And it's Mullet! Troy! Moran! Dimitrov! Back to Mullet! Troy! Levski! Moran!"**

**It was Quidditch as Harry had never seen it played before. He was pressing his Omnioculars so hard to his glasses that they were cutting into the bridge of his nose. The speed of the players was incredible - the Chasers were throwing the Quaffle to one another so fast that Bagman only had time to say their names.**

**Harry spun the slow dial on the right of his Omnioculars again, pressed the play by-play button on the top, and he was immediately watching in slow motion, while glittering purple lettering flashed across the lenses and the noise of the crowd pounded against his eardrums.**

**HAWKSHEAD ATTACKING FORMATION, he read as he watched the three Irish Chasers zoom closely together, Troy in the center, slightly ahead of Mullet and Moran, bearing down upon the Bulgarians. PORSKOFF PLOY flashed up next, as Troy made as though to dart upward with the Quaffle, drawing away the Bulgarian Chaser Ivanova and dropping the Quaffle to Moran. One of the Bulgarian Beaters, Volkov, swung hard at a passing Bludger with his small club, knocking it into Moran's path; Moran ducked to avoid the Bludger and dropped the Quaffle; and Levski, soaring beneath, caught it -**

**"TROY SCORES!" roared Bagman, and the stadium shuddered with a roar of applause and cheers. "Ten zero to Ireland!"**

"But I thought Levski had the Quaffle?" Regulus asked confused.

**"What?" Harry yelled, looking wildly around through his Omnioculars. "But Levski's got the Quaffle!"**

**"Harry, if you're not going to watch at normal speed, you're going to miss things!"**

"Oh."

**shouted Hermione, who was dancing up and down, waving her arms in the air while Troy did a lap of honor around the field. Harry looked quickly over the top of his Omnioculars and saw that the leprechauns watching from the sidelines had all risen into the air again and formed the great, glittering shamrock. Across the field, the veela were watching them sulkily.**

**Furious with himself, Harry spun his speed dial back to normal as play resumed.**

**Harry knew enough about Quidditch to see that the Irish Chasers were superb. They worked as a seamless team, their movements so well coordinated that they appeared to be reading one another's minds as they positioned themselves,**

"That's Pro Quidditch for you, Son." James said.

**and the rosette on Harry's chest kept squeaking their names: "Troy - Mullet - Moran!" And within ten minutes, Ireland had scored twice more, bringing their lead to thirty-zero and causing a thunderous tide of roars and applause from the greenclad supporters.**

**The match became still faster, but more brutal. Volkov and Vulchanov, the Bulgarian Beaters, were whacking the Bludgers as fiercely as possible at the Irish Chasers, and were starting to prevent them from using some of their best moves; twice they were forced to scatter, and then, finally, Ivanova managed to break through their ranks; dodge the Keeper, Ryan; and score Bulgaria's first goal.**

**"Fingers in your ears!" bellowed Mr. Weasley as the veela started to dance in celebration. Harry screwed up his eyes too; he wanted to keep his mind on the game. After a few seconds, he chanced a glance at the field. The veela had stopped dancing, and Bulgaria was again in possession of the Quaffle.**

**"Dimitrov! Levski! Dimitrov! Ivanova - oh I say!" roared Bagman. One hundred thousand wizards gasped as the two Seekers, Krum and Lynch, plummeted through the center of the Chasers, so fast that it looked as though they had just jumped from airplanes without parachutes. Harry followed their descent through his Omnioculars, squinting to see where the Snitch was -**

**"They're going to crash!" screamed Hermione next to Harry.**

**She was half right - at the very last second, Viktor Krum pulled out of the dive and spiraled off. Lynch, however, hit the ground with a dull thud that could be heard throughout the stadium**

Around the room there was a shared wince.

**A huge groan rose from the Irish seats.**

**"Fool!" moaned Mr. Weasley. "Krum was feinting!"**

**"It's time-out!" yelled Bagman's voice, "as trained mediwizards hurry onto the field to examine Aidan Lynch!"**

**"He'll be okay, he only got ploughed!" Charlie said reassuringly to Ginny, who was hanging over the side of the box, looking horror-struck. "Which is what Krum was after, of course..."**

**Harry hastily pressed the replay and play-by-play buttons on his Omnioculars, twiddled the speed dial, and put them back up to his eyes. He watched as Krum and Lynch dived again in slow motion. WRONSKI DEFENSIVE FEINT - DANGEROUS SEEKER DIVERSION read the shining purple lettering across his lenses. He saw Krum's face contorted with concentration as he pulled out of the dive just in time, while Lynch was flattened, and he understood - Krum hadn't seen the Snitch at all, he was just making Lynch copy him.**

"That is the point of a Wronski Feint." James said.

**Harry had never seen anyone fly like that; Krum hardly looked as though he was using a broomstick at all; he moved so easily through the air that he looked unsupported and weightless.**

Ginny looked at Harry, "You fly better than him." she stated.

"You really do." Hermione agreed.

"Half the things we've seen you do on a broom Krum couldn't do in his dreams." Ron smirked. Everyone agreed even if some of them hadn't seen Harry fly in real life before. A red-faced Harry smiled weakly and turned back to the memory.

**Harry turned his Omnioculars back to normal and focused them on Krum. He was now circling high above Lynch, who was being revived by mediwizards with cups of potion. Harry, focusing still more closely upon Krum's face, saw his dark eyes darting all over the ground a hundred feet below. He was using the time while Lynch was revived to look for the Snitch without interference.**

**Lynch got to his feet at last, to loud cheers from the green-clad supporters, mounted his Firebolt, and kicked back off into the air. His revival seemed to give Ireland new heart. When Mostafa blew his whistle again, the Chasers moved into action with a skill unrivaled by anything Harry had seen so far.**

**After fifteen more fast and furious minutes, Ireland had pulled ahead by ten more goals. They were now leading by one hundred and thirty points to ten, and the game was starting to get dirtier.**

"It always does in Quidditch." James grinned.

**As Mullet shot toward the goal posts yet again, clutching the Quaffle tightly under her arm, the Bulgarian Keeper, Zograf, flew out to meet her. Whatever happened was over so quickly Harry didn't catch it, but a scream of rage from the Irish crowd, and Mostafa's long, shrill whistle blast, told him it had been a foul.**

**"And Mostafa takes the Bulgarian Keeper to task for cobbing - excessive use of elbows!" Bagman informed the roaring spectators. "And - yes, it's a penalty to Ireland!"**

"Ha!" Sirius exclaimed.

**The leprechauns, who had risen angrily into the air like a swarm of glittering hornets when Mullet had been fouled, now darted together to form the words "HA, HA, HA!"**

The all laughed at the leprechauns.

**The veela on the other side of the field leapt to their feet, tossed their hair angrily, and started to dance again.**

**As one, the Weasley boys and Harry stuffed their fingers into their ears, but Hermione, who hadn't bothered, was soon tugging on Harry's arm. He turned to look at her, and she pulled his fingers impatiently out of his ears.**

**"Look at the referee!" she said, giggling.**

**Harry looked down at the field. Hassan Mostafa had landed right in front of the dancing veela, and was acting very oddly indeed. He was flexing his muscles and smoothing his mustache excitedly.**

**"Now, we can't have that!" said Ludo Bagman, though he sounded highly amused.**

"He would be." Jinx and Jex said, talking for the first time in a while and startling Harry and Ginny slightly.

**"Somebody slap the referee!"**

**A mediwizard came tearing across the field, his fingers stuffed into his own ears, and kicked Mostafa hard in the shins.**

**Mostafa seemed to come to himself; Harry, watching through the Omnioculars again, saw that he looked exceptionally embarrassed and had started shouting at the veela, who had stopped dancing and were looking mutinous.**

**"And unless I'm much mistaken, Mostafa is actually attempting to send off the Bulgarian team mascots!" said Bagman's voice. "Now there's something we haven't seen before... Oh this could turn nasty..."**

**It did: The Bulgarian Beaters, Volkov and Vulchanov, landed on either side of Mostafa and began arguing furiously with him, gesticulating toward the leprechauns, who had now gleefully formed the words "HEE, HEE, HEE." Mostafa was not impressed by the Bulgarians' arguments, however; he was jabbing his finger into the air, clearly telling them to get flying again, and when they refused, he gave two short blasts on his whistle.**

**"Two penalties for Ireland!" shouted Bagman, and the Bulgarian crowd howled with anger. "And Volkov and Vulchanov had better get back on those brooms... yes... there they go... and Troy takes the Quaffle."**

**Play now reached a level of ferocity beyond anything they had yet seen. The Beaters on both sides were acting without mercy: Volkov and Vulchanov in particular seemed not to care whether their clubs made contact with Bludger or human as they swung them violently through the air. Dimitrov shot straight at Moran, who had the Quaffle, nearly knocking her off her broom.**

**"Foul!" roared the Irish supporters as one, all standing up in a great wave of green. "Foul!" echoed Ludo Bagman's magically magnified voice. "Dimitrov skins Moran - deliberately flying to collide there - and it's got to be another penalty - yes, there's the whistle!"**

**The leprechauns had risen into the air again, and this time, they formed a giant hand, which was making a very rude sign indeed at the veela across the field. At this, the veela lost control. Instead of dancing, they launched themselves across the field and began throwing what seemed to be handfuls of fire at the leprechauns. Watching through his Omnioculars, Harry saw that they didn't look remotely beautiful now.**

"Very bad idea to annoy full veela's." Fleur chuckled, "I learned that from my grandma when I was 9 and sneaked a cake before dinner."

**On the contrary, their faces were elongating into sharp, cruel beaked bird heads, and long, scaly wings were bursting from their shoulders -**

**"And that, boys," yelled Mr. Weasley over the tumult of the crowd below, "is why you should never go for looks alone!"**

**Ministry wizards were flooding onto the field to separate the veela and the leprechauns, but with little success; meanwhile, the pitched battle below was nothing to the one taking place above. Harry turned this way and that, staring through his Omnioculars, as the Quaffle changed hands with the speed of a bullet.**

**"Levski - Dimitrov - Moran - Troy - Mullet - Ivanova - Moran again - Moran - MORAN SCORES!"**

**But the cheers of the Irish supporters were barely heard over the shrieks of the veela, the blasts now issuing from the Ministry members' wands, and the furious roars of the Bulgarians. The game recommenced immediately; now Levski had the Quaffle, now Dimitrov - The Irish Beater Quigley swung heavily at a passing Bludger, and hit it as hard as possible toward Krum, who did not duck quickly enough. It hit him full in the face.**

"Ouch." Regulus winced, "Not fun when that happens."

**There was a deafening groan from the crowd; Krum's nose looked broken, there was blood everywhere, but Hassan Mostafa didn't blow his whistle. He had become distracted, and Harry couldn't blame him; one of the veela had thrown a handful of fire and set his broom tail alight.**

"Yes, that would be my Grandmother." Fleur chuckled.

"Remind me never to annoy her if I ever meet her." Bill muttered warily to his wife.

She laughed, "She wouldn't resort to fire throwing, just yelling. And she rarely leaves her Veela colony anyway." she shrugged, "It's why she didn't come to our wedding, she doesn't trust witches and wizards that she doesn't know. It took her a while to trust my Maman, from what Papa told me." she added, shrugging again.

**Harry wanted someone to realize that Krum was injured; even though he was supporting Ireland, Krum was the most exciting player on the field. Ron obviously felt the same.**

**"Time-out! Ah, come on, he can't play like that, look at him -"**

**"Look at Lynch!" Harry yelled.**

**For the Irish Seeker had suddenly gone into a dive, and Harry was quite sure that this was no Wronski Feint; this was the real thing...**

**"He's seen the Snitch!" Harry shouted. "He's seen it! Look at him go!" Half the crowd seemed to have realized what was happening; the Irish supporters rose in another great wave of green, screaming their Seeker on... but Krum was on his tail. How he could see where he was going, Harry had no idea; there were flecks of blood flying through the air behind him, but he was drawing level with Lynch now as the pair of them hurtled toward the ground again -**

**"They're going to crash!" shrieked Hermione.**

**"They're not!" roared Ron.**

**"Lynch is!" yelled Harry.**

**And he was right - for the second time, Lynch hit the ground with tremendous force and was immediately stampeded by a horde of angry veela.**

**"The Snitch, where's the Snitch?" bellowed Charlie, along the row.**

**"He's got it - Krum's got it - it's all over!" shouted Harry.**

**Krum, his red robes shining with blood from his nose, was rising gently into the air, his fist held high, a glint of gold in his hand.**

**The scoreboard was flashing BULGARIA: 160, IRELAND: 170 across the crowd, who didn't seem to have realized what had happened. Then, slowly, as though a great jumbo jet were revving up, the rumbling from the Ireland supporters grew louder and louder and erupted into screams of delight.**

**"IRELAND WINS!" Bagman shouted, who like the Irish, seemed to be taken aback by the sudden end of the match.**

**"KRUM GETS THE SNITCH - BUT IRELAND WINS - good lord, I don't think any of us were expecting that!"**

**"What did he catch the Snitch for?" Ron bellowed, even as he jumped up and down, applauding with his hands over his head. "He ended it when Ireland were a hundred and sixty points ahead, the idiot!"**

**"He knew they were never going to catch up!" Harry shouted back over all the noise, also applauding loudly. "The Irish Chasers were too good... He wanted to end it on his terms, that's all..."**

**"He was very brave, wasn't he?" Hermione said, leaning forward to watch Krum land as a swarm of mediwizards blasted a path through the battling leprechauns and veela to get to him. "He looks a terrible mess..."**

**Harry put his Omnioculars to his eyes again. It was hard to see what was happening below, because leprechauns were zooming delightedly all over the field, but he could just make out Krum, surrounded by mediwizards. He looked surlier than ever and refused to let them mop him up. His team members were around him, shaking their heads and looking dejected; a short way away, the Irish players were dancing gleefully in a shower of gold descending from their mascots.**

**Flags were waving all over the stadium, the Irish national anthem blared from all sides; the veela were shrinking back into their usual, beautiful selves now, though looking dispirited and forlorn.**

**"Vell, ve fought bravely," said a gloomy voice behind Harry. He looked around; it was the Bulgarian Minister of Magic.**

"I thought he couldn't speak English!" James shouted, laughing.

**"You can speak English!" said Fudge, sounding outraged. "And you've been letting me mime everything all day!"**

**"Veil, it vos very funny," said the Bulgarian minister, shrugging.**

At this everyone burst out laughing and it took a while to calm down.

**"And as the Irish team performs a lap of honor, flanked by their mascots, the Quidditch World Cup itself is brought into the Top Box!" roared Bagman.**

**Harry's eyes were suddenly dazzled by a blinding white light, as the Top Box was magically illuminated so that everyone in the stands could see the inside. Squinting toward the entrance, he saw two panting wizards carrying a vast golden cup into the box, which they handed to Cornelius Fudge, who was still looking very disgruntled that he'd been using sign language all day for nothing.**

**"Let's have a really loud hand for the gallant losers - Bulgaria!" Bagman shouted.**

**And up the stairs into the box came the seven defeated Bulgarian players. The crowd below was applauding appreciatively; Harry could see thousands and thousands of Omniocular lenses flashing and winking in their direction.**

**One by one, the Bulgarians filed between the rows of seats in the box, and Bagman called out the name of each as they shook hands with their own minister and then with Fudge. Krum, who was last in line, looked a real mess. Two black eyes were blooming spectacularly on his bloody face. He was still holding the Snitch. Harry noticed that he seemed much less coordinated on the ground. He was slightly duck-footed and distinctly round-shouldered. But when Krum's name was announced, the whole stadium gave him a resounding, earsplitting roar.**

**And then came the Irish team. Aidan Lynch was being supported by Moran and Connolly; the second crash seemed to have dazed him and his eyes looked strangely unfocused. But he grinned happily as Troy and Quigley lifted the Cup into the air and the crowd below thundered its approval. Harry's hands were numb with clapping.**

**At last, when the Irish team had left the box to perform another lap of honor on their brooms (Aidan Lynch on the back of Confolly's, clutching hard around his waist and still grinning in a bemused sort of way), Bagman pointed his wand at his throat and muttered, "Quietus."**

**"They'll be talking about this one for years," he said hoarsely, "a really unexpected twist, that... shame it couldn't have lasted longer... Ah yes... yes, I owe you... how much?"**

**For Fred and George had just scrambled over the backs of their seats and were standing in front of Ludo Bagman with broad grins on their faces, their hands outstretched.**

"How'd you get that right anyway?" Dudley asked.

"Krum's a better seeker than Lynch..." George started.

"But Ireland has a better team." Fred continued, "That added to the fact that Lynch has had problems playing under pressure in the past..."

"Meant he was more likely to mess up and not catch the snitch." George finished, grinning, "Leaving it up to the Chasers, Keeper and Beaters to win the game and Krum to get the Snitch."

"Good reasoning." Bill nodded. "You'd have lost everything if you got it wrong though."

"We would have dealt with it." they replied with identical shrugs. "We wouldn't have bet all of our savings if we werent sure." Fred added.

"Fair enough. Next memory." Harry said.

* * *

><p>I want to make it clear that if there's ever a chapter that the children aren't mentioned in, they're either asleep or in a playpen (Common for Teddy) or in a conjured crib (Cecelia will be in one at times but most of the time Amber, Dudley or Petunia will be holding her) and if it seems like there's enough noise to wake them up and they're still sleepingignoring everything around them, then assume they have spells on them so the adults can hear them but they cant hear the adults or pensieve.

Review please x


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18 - Fourth Year (Part 4.5)

16th August. 1998. 11.00am.

"This is streight after the match and you might not like it very much." Harry muttered darkly.

"Why?" Alice asked hesitantly.

"You'll see." Hermione, her tone as dark as Harry's, said.

**"Don't tell your mother you've been gambling," Mr. Weasley implored Fred and George as they all made their way slowly down the purple-carpeted stairs.**

**"Don't worry, Dad," said Fred gleefully, "we've got big plans for this money. We don't want it confiscated."**

**Mr. Weasley looked for a moment as though he was going to ask what these big plans were, but seemed to decide, upon reflection, that he didn't want to know.**

"Probably for the best best." Remus said.

"I'm guessing you knew from experience?" Lily asked.

"Of course," Arthur answered, "I did raise them after all. Well whenever I was home at least." he ammended.

**They were soon caught up in the crowds now flooding out of the stadium and back to their campsites. Raucous singing was borne toward them on the night air as they retraced their steps along the lantern-lit path, and leprechauns kept shooting over their heads, cackling and waving their lanterns. When they finally reached the tents, nobody felt like sleeping at all, and given the level of noise around them, Mr. Weasley agreed that they could all have one last cup of cocoa together before turning in.**

**They were soon arguing enjoyably about the match; Mr. Weasley got drawn into a disagreement about cobbing with Charlie, and it was only when Ginny fell asleep right at the tiny table**

"Oops." Ginny blushed, "I must have been more tired than I thought."

"You were still 12, its excusable." Bill chuckled, "I remember a fair few nights when one of them would fall asleep where they were sitting too." he gestured the other Weasley boys, "Even those two fell asleep where they were sat a few times when they were 12." he pointed at the twins, who made faces at him.

"At least we decided to wake you up." Charlie pointed out, smirking, "We easily could have embarrassed you by carrying you to your bed."

Ginny glared at him, "You wouldn't have dared."

"Oh? So sure about that?" Bill grinned teasingly.

"Positive." she said dangerously, "I may only have been 12, but you all underestimated my ability. You wouldn't expect payback."

"She's got us there Bill." Charlie mused, the eldest Weasley son rolled his eyes but nodded, making Ginny smirk smugly.

**and spilled hot chocolate all over the floor that Mr. Weasley called a halt to the verbal replays and insisted that everyone go to bed. Hermione and Ginny went into the next tent, and Harry and the rest of the Weasleys changed into pajamas and clambered into their bunks. From the other side of the campsite they could still hear much singing and the odd echoing bang.**

**"Oh I am glad I'm not on duty," muttered Mr. Weasley sleepily. "I wouldn't fancy having to go and tell the Irish they've got to stop celebrating."**

**Harry, who was on a top bunk above Ron, lay staring up at the canvas ceiling of the tent, watching the glow of an occasional leprechaun lantern flying overhead, and picturing again some of Krum's more spectacular moves. He was itching to get back on his own Firebolt and try out the Wronski Feint...**

Lily looked like she wanted to protest, but James shook her head at her and she subsided reluctantly.

**Somehow Oliver Wood had never managed to convey with all his wriggling diagrams what that move was supposed to look like...**

**Harry saw himself in robes that had his name on the back, and imagined the sensation of hearing a hundred-thousand-strong crowd roar, as Ludo Bagman's voice echoed throughout the stadium, "I give you... Potter!"**

"Wait a minute. I thought you hated the fame?" Frank asked.

"I do. It's mainly because it was for something I wish hadn't happened. I first became famous for getting rid of Voldemort when I was 1, that wasnt even me. It was Mum's love for me that saved me." Harry smiled at his mother who smiled back, "People only saw The-Boy-Who-Lived, not the little boy who became an orphan. Until this May they only saw me as an icon, a symbol of hope for the end of the war. Few people realized I was human, that I suffered all the way through the war. Only the people close to me realized that." he sighed.

"I get it. If you wanted to be famous you'd rather have it be for something you done yourself." Alice nodded. "Not for something you couldnt control." Harry looked at her quizzically.

"We know the Prophecy." Frank said, "You couldnt control that."

"Ah. Well that's exactly what I mean then." Harry nodded at Alice, "I'd rather be famous for something I'd done on my own. It would probably be better than having fame forced on me."

"We know what you mean." Ron nodded, "We thought it would be great at first but it's just annoying." he grumbled. Hermione nodded her agreement and they all turned back to the memory.

**Harry never knew whether or not he had actually dropped off to sleep - his fantasies of flying like Krum might well have slipped into actual dreams - all he knew was that, quite suddenly, Mr. Weasley was shouting.**

**"Get up! Ron - Harry - come on now, get up, this is urgent!"**

**Harry sat up quickly and the top of his head hit canvas.**

**"S' matter?" he said.**

**Dimly, he could tell that something was wrong.**

**The noises in the campsite had changed. The singing had stopped. He could hear screams, and the sound of people running. He slipped down from the bunk and reached for his clothes, but Mr. Weasley, who had pulled on his jeans over his own pajamas, said, "No time, Harry - just grab a jacket and get outside - quickly!"**

**Harry did as he was told and hurried out of the tent, Ron at his heels.**

**By the light of the few fires that were still burning, he could see people running away into the woods, fleeing something that was moving across the field toward them, something that was emitting odd flashes of light and noises like gunfire.**

**Loud jeering, roars of laughter,**

"Laughter?" Sirius asked.

**and drunken yells were drifting toward them; then came a burst of strong green light,**

They all exchanged worried glances; Avada Kedavra was green.

**which illuminated the scene. A crowd of wizards, tightly packed and moving together with wands pointing straight upward, was marching slowly across the field. Harry squinted at them... They didn't seem to have faces... Then he realized that their heads were hooded and their faces masked.**

"Death Eaters." Sirius growled, snarling.

Regulus put a comforting hand on his brother's shoulder as did James.

**High above them, floating along in midair, four struggling figures were being contorted into grotesque shapes. It was as though the masked wizards on the ground were puppeteers, and the people above them were marionettes operated by invisible strings that rose from the wands into the air.**

**Two of the figures were very small.**

"Children?" James gasped.

Harry nodded glumly and everyone looked a bit sick.

**More wizards were joining the marching group, laughing and pointing up at the floating bodies. Tents crumpled and fell as the marching crowd swelled. Once or twice Harry saw one of the marchers blast a tent out of his way with his wand. Several caught fire.**

"I hope no one is inside." Lily muttered worriedly.

"That tent was deserted." Dora assured her. "It was me and Kingsley who put that fire out and checked it." she explained. "We checked most of the tent's actually." she sighed, "A few people were injured but no one was dead or in life threatening conditions."

**The screaming grew louder.**

**The floating people were suddenly illuminated as they passed over a burning tent and Harry recognized one of them: Mr. Roberts, the campsite manager.**

"Oh, of course! Let's torture the muggles!" Sirius said, looking disgusted. Everyone else looked disgusted too.

**The other three looked as though they might be his wife and children. One of the marchers below flipped Mrs. Roberts upside down with his wand; her nightdress fell down to reveal voluminous drawers and she struggled to cover herself up as the crowd below her screeched and hooted with glee.**

**"That's sick,"**

They all nodded firmly.

**Ron muttered, watching the smallest Muggle child, who had begun to spin like a top, sixty feet above the ground, his head flopping limply from side to side.**

**"That is really sick..."**

**Hermione and Ginny came hurrying toward them, pulling coats over their nightdresses, with Mr. Weasley right behind them. At the same moment, Bill, Charlie, and Percy emerged from the boys' tent, fully dressed, with their sleeves rolled up and their wands out.**

**"We're going to help the Ministry!" Mr. Weasley shouted over all the noise, rolling up his own sleeves. "You lot - get into the woods, and stick together. I'll come and fetch you when we've sorted this out!"**

"You better listen to him." Lily told Harry fiercely, her son attracted way too much trouble.

"We did!" he assured her quickly.

**Bill, Charlie, and Percy were already sprinting away toward the oncoming marchers; Mr. Weasley tore after them. Ministry wizards were dashing from every direction toward the source of the trouble. The crowd beneath the Roberts family was coming ever closer.**

**"C'mon," said Fred, grabbing Ginny's hand and starting to pull her toward the wood. Harry, Ron, Hermione, and George followed. They all looked back as they reached the trees. The crowd beneath the Roberts family was larger than ever; they could see the Ministry wizards trying to get through it to the hooded wizards in the center, but they were having great difficulty. It looked as though they were scared to perform any spell that might make the Roberts family fall.**

**The colored lanterns that had lit the path to the stadium had been extinguished. Dark figures were blundering through the trees; children were crying; anxious shouts and panicked voices were reverberating around them in the cold night air.**

**Harry felt himself being pushed hither and thither by people whose faces he could not see. Then he heard Ron yell with pain.**

Everyone exchanged worried looks while Ron looked sheepish, Harry smiled slightly, and Hermione rolled her eyes.

**"What happened?" said Hermione anxiously, stopping so abruptly that Harry walked into her. "Ron, where are you? Oh this is stupid - lumos!"**

**She illuminated her wand and directed its narrow beam across the path. Ron was lying sprawled on the ground.**

**"Tripped over a tree root," he said angrily,**

The men started laughing, Lily, Molly, Alice and Dora looked relieved and Ron's ears turned red.

**getting to his feet again.**

**"Well, with feet that size, hard not to," said a drawling voice from behind them.**

**Harry, Ron, and Hermione turned sharply. Draco Malfoy**

"Why can't you just leave them alone?" Sirius growled.

"Because I wouldnt be a git if I did?" Draco suggested innocently, making them all chuckle weakly.

**was standing alone nearby, leaning against a tree, looking utterly relaxed.**

**His arms folded, he seemed to have been watching the scene at the campsite through a gap in the trees. Ron told Malfoy to do something that Harry knew he would never have dared say in front of Mrs. Weasley.**

"Ron!" Molly scolded.

Ron winced, "Sorry."

**"Language, Weasley," said Malfoy, his pale eyes glittering. "Hadn't you better be hurrying along, now? You wouldn't like her spotted, would you?"**

**He nodded at Hermione, and at the same moment, a blast like a bomb sounded from the campsite, and a flash of green light momentarily lit the trees around them.**

**"What's that supposed to mean?" said Hermione defiantly.**

**"Granger, they're after Muggles," said Malfoy. "D'you want to be showing off your knickers in midair? Because if you do, hang around... they're moving this way, and it would give us all a laugh."**

**"Hermione's a witch," Harry snarled.**

**"Have it your own way, Potter," said Malfoy, grinning maliciously. "If you think they can't spot a Mudblood,"**

Everyone in the room glared at Draco.

"Sorry!" Draco winced, "I was telling the truth though. They would have started targeting Muggleborns eventually."

"You just used foul language to do it." Cissy frowned.

"Get used to it." Hermione suggested, "He uses it a lot and I really don't care about being called 'Mudblood' anymore." she shrugged.

Remus suddenly looked to where Teddy was playing in his playpen.

"He cant hear us." Harry said following his gaze, "I put the wards up before we started this memory."

"Good." Dora nodded, "He'd probably be scared of the noises anyway."

"That's what I thought." Harry smiled grimly.

**"stay where you are."**

**"You watch your mouth!" shouted Ron. Everybody present knew that "Mudblood" was a very offensive term for a witch or wizard of Muggle parentage.**

**"Never mind, Ron," said Hermione quickly, seizing Ron's arm to restrain him as he took a step toward Malfoy. There came a bang from the other side of the trees that was louder than anything they had heard several people nearby screamed. Malfoy chuckled softly.**

**"Scare easily, don't they?" he said lazily. "I suppose your daddy told you all to hide? What's he up to - trying to rescue the Muggles?"**

"Yeah, because he's not a Death Eater." Sirius growled again.

"Sirius, calm down." Remus sighed, "Or would you rather be silenced?"

"Silenced." Sirius grumbled.

"Fine then." James silenced him with his wand, using a charm he knew Sirius couldnt break on his own.

**"Where're your parents?" said Harry, his temper rising. "Out there wearing masks, are they?"**

"Nope. That's just Lucius. And I told you to stay in the tent." Cissy frowned at her son.

"You were busy helping Mrs. Bulstrode with baby Crux." he pointed out, "I wasnt ever going to stay in the tent and you know it."

Cissy sighed and nodded reluctantly, "It was stupid of me to ask you to."

**Malfoy turned his face to Harry, still smiling.**

**"Well... if they were, I wouldn't be likely to tell you, would I, Potter?"**

**"Oh come on," said Hermione, with a disgusted look at Malfoy, "let's go and find the others."**

**"Keep that big bushy head down, Granger," sneered Malfoy.**

**"Come on," Hermione repeated, and she pulled Harry and Ron up the path again.**

**"I'll bet you anything his dad is one of that masked lot!" said Ron hotly.**

**"Well, with any luck, the Ministry will catch him!" said Hermione fervently.**

Sirius gave a jerk of a nod and James had to bite his lip to suppress a laugh. Sirius was funny when he was angry.

**"Oh I can't believe this. Where have the others got to?"**

"You got seperated!" Molly yelled.

"Yes." Harry confirmed.

"Great." Amber muttered.

**Fred, George, and Ginny were nowhere to be seen, though the path was packed with plenty of other people, all looking nervously over their shoulders toward the commotion back at the campsite. A huddle of teenagers in pajamas was arguing vociferously a little way along the path. When they saw Harry, Ron, and Hermione, a girl with thick curly hair turned and said quickly,**

**"Oü est Madame Maxime? Nous l'avons perdue -"**

Most people looked confused.

"'Where is Madame Maxime? We're lost'." Ginny translated before Fleur could making the older witch chuckle.

"That is going to take some getting used too." she mused.

**"Er - what?" said Ron.**

**"Oh..." The girl who had spoken turned her back on him, and as they walked on they distinctly heard her say, "Ogwarts."**

**"Beauxbatons," muttered Hermione.**

**"Sorry?" said Harry.**

**"They must go to Beauxbatons," said Hermione. "You know... Beauxbatons Academy of Magic... I read about it in An Appraisal of Magical Education in Europe."**

**"Oh... yeah... right," said Harry.**

**"Fred and George can't have gone that far," said Ron, pulling out his wand, lighting it like Hermione's, and squinting up the path. Harry dug in the pockets of his jacket for his own wand - but it wasn't there.**

"Oh no." James muttered.

"You lost your wand?" Lily asked, looking angry and worried at the same time.

"Not exactly." Harry said before realizing his slip, "Oops."

"What?" Alice asked.

"Just watch, they won't tell us." Neville advised her.

"They never do." Bill grumbled.

The Golden Trio looked sheepish.

**The only thing he could find was his Omnioculars.**

**"Ah, no, I don't believe it... I've lost my wand!"**

**"You're kidding!"**

**Ron and Hermione raised their wands high enough to spread the narrow beams of light farther on the ground; Harry looked all around him, but his wand was nowhere to be seen.**

**"Maybe it's back in the tent," said Ron.**

**"Maybe it fell out of your pocket when we were running?" Hermione suggested anxiously.**

**"Yeah," said Harry, "maybe..."**

**He usually kept his wand with him at all times in the wizarding world, and finding himself without it in the midst of a scene like this made him feel very vulnerable.**

"Always does." Charlie nodded.

**A rustling noise nearby made all three of them jump. Winky the house-elf was fighting her way out of a clump of bushes nearby. She was moving in a most peculiar fashion, apparently with great difficulty; it was as though someone invisible were trying to hold her back.**

"She must not have asked permission to hide." Sirius explained to a confused looking Petunia, Dudley and Amber.

"That's horrible!" Amber shouted, "She ought to be able to get out of danger."

"That's what she said." Ron pointed at Hermione.

**"There is bad wizards about!" she squeaked distractedly as she leaned forward and labored to keep running. "People high - high in the air! Winky is getting out of the way!"**

**And she disappeared into the trees on the other side of the path, panting and squeaking as she fought the force that was restraining her.**

**"What's up with her?" said Ron, looking curiously after Winky. "Why can't she run properly?"**

**"Bet she didn't ask permission to hide," said Harry. He was thinking of Dobby: Every time he had tried to do something the Malfoy's wouldn't like, the house-elf had been forced to start beating himself up.**

**"You know, house-elves get a very raw deal!" said Hermione indignantly. "It's slavery, that's what it is!"**

"They like it though." James muttered.

"I bet you have a House-Elf too, eh?" Alice asked angrily.

James was about to protest but Sirius cut in.

"Don't get the wrong idea." he protested, "The Potter's treat their House-Elves great!"

"Oh... sorry, James."

The untidy-haired Marauder smirked and sat back on the couch putting an arm around his wife.

"Believe me, if the Potter Elves had a problem, they'd come right out and say it without hesitation. They're treated fairly and always have been." James shrugged, "In fact, it was common for me to be told off by them when I was growing up. If they found out about something before my Mother did, they'd tell me off then tell my Mother so she could yell at me." he chuckled.

"They're educated too." Lily added, "I only met them a few times, but they're the best spoken Elves I've met, and they know quite a lot about magic too." she told them.

James nodded, "My Great-Something-Grandmother decided it was bad to have Elves who were not educated, so she gave them lessons on some things and they passed the information down when they had Elflets and it was passed on and on until now, it'll be passed on again if any of the current Elves have kids in the future too." he shrugged.

**"That Mr. Crouch made her go up to the top of the stadium, and she was terrified, and he's got her bewitched so she can't even run when they start trampling tents! Why doesn't anyone do something about it?"**

**"Well, the elves are happy, aren't they?" Ron said. "You heard old Winky back at the match... 'House-elves is not supposed to have fun'... that's what she likes, being bossed around..."**

"Well, I don't know about that." James frowned.

"Some of them prefer that, but you usually get better results if you ask nicely." Cissy mused, "Our Elves are like that, they dont mind being told what to do, but they give better results when asked."

Draco nodded, "Unless you're ill, then they'll ignore any snapping or mean comments and still give you top service. A lot of people are irritable when they're ill, they know that so they ignore it." he shrugged.

**"It's people like you, Ron," Hermione began hotly, "who prop up rotten and unjust systems, just because they're too lazy to -"**

**Another loud bang echoed from the edge of the wood.**

**"Let's just keep moving, shall we?"**

"Good idea." Luna muttered surprising everyone as she had been silent all day.

**said Ron, and Harry saw him glance edgily at Hermione. Perhaps there was truth in what Malfoy had said; perhaps Hermione was in more danger than they were. They set off again, Harry still searching his pockets, even though he knew his wand wasn't there.**

**They followed the dark path deeper into the wood, still keeping an eye out for Fred, George, and Ginny. They passed a group of goblins who were cackling over a sack of gold that they had undoubtedly won betting on the match, and who seemed quite unperturbed by the trouble at the campsite. Further still along the path, they walked into a patch of silvery light, and when they looked through the trees, they saw three tall and beautiful veela**

"Oh no. Not this again." Amber groaned.

**standing in a clearing, surrounded by a gaggle of young wizards, all of whom were talking very loudly.**

**"I pull down about a hundred sacks of Galleons a year!" one of them shouted. "I'm a dragon killer for the Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures."**

"Doesnt exist." Charlie smirked, "The post would be pointless as everyone knows dragons are dangerous in general and pretty difficult to wound, never mind kill."

**"No, you're not!" yelled his friend. "You're a dishwasher at the Leaky Cauldron..."**

Sirius and James laughed.

**"but I'm a vampire hunter, I've killed about ninety so far -"**

"Also impossible." Remus commented, un-silencing Sirius as he waved his arms for attention.

"Thank you. He would have been killed trying to kill one Vampire." Sirius smirked.

**A third young wizard, whose pimples were visible even by the dim, silvery light of the veela, now cut in, "I'm about to become the youngest ever Minister of Magic, I am."**

**Harry snorted with laughter. He recognized the pimply wizard: His name was Stan Shunpike,**

"The Knight Bus conductor?!" Sirius shouted through his laughter.

Harry nodded.

**and he was in fact a conductor on the triple-decker Knight Bus. He turned to tell Ron this, but Ron's face had gone oddly slack, and next second Ron was yelling,**

"Oh no." Ron muttered.

**"Did I tell you I've invented a broomstick that'll reach Jupiter?"**

Sirius and James barely suppressed their laughter.

"You had to show that didn't you?" Ron asked Harry grumpily.

"Of course." Harry grinned.

"Hey Harry, you weren't affected that time." Percy commented.

"Oh yeah... No idea why though."

**"Honestly!" said Hermione, and she and Harry grabbed Ron firmly by the arms, wheeled him around, and marched him away. By the time the sounds of the veela and their admirers had faded completely, they were in the very heart of the wood. They seemed to be alone now; everything was much quieter.**

**Harry looked around. "I reckon we can just wait here, you know. We'll hear anyone coming a mile off."**

**The words were hardly out of his mouth, when Ludo Bagman emerged from behind a tree right ahead of them.**

"Shouldn't he be helping the Ministry or something?" Lily asked.

"Probably." Remus answered.

"He was hiding. Probably had a bet he couldn't afford down." Arthur chuckled.

**Even by the feeble light of the two wands, Harry could see that a great change had come over Bagman. He no longer looked buoyant and rosy-faced; there was no more spring in his step. He looked very white and strained.**

**"Who's that?" he said, blinking down at them, trying to make out their faces. "What are you doing in here, all alone?"**

**They looked at one another, surprised.**

**"Well - there's a sort of riot going on," said Ron.**

**Bagman stared at him.**

**"What?"**

"He doesn't even know?" Remus asked.

**"At the campsite... some people have got hold of a family of Muggles..."**

**Bagman swore loudly.**

**"Damn them!" he said, looking quite distracted, and without another word, he Disapparated with a small pop.**

**"Not exactly on top of things, Mr. Bagman, is he?" said Hermione, frowning.**

**"He was a great Beater, though," said Ron, leading the way off the path into a small clearing, and sitting down on a patch of dry grass at the foot of a tree. "The Wimbourne Wasps won the league three times in a row while he was with them."**

**He took his small figure of Krum out of his pocket, set it down on the ground, and watched it walk around. Like the real Krum, the model was slightly duck-footed and round-shouldered, much less impressive on his splayed feet than on his broomstick. Harry was listening for noise from the campsite. Everything seemed much quieter; perhaps the riot was over.**

**"I hope the others are okay," said Hermione after a while.**

**"They'll be fine," said Ron.**

**"Imagine if your dad catches Lucius Malfoy,"**

"Would be good all round." Sirius laughed.

"Not exactly. I still idolised him back then, I would have been bitter about his arrest like I was in my 6th year and caused even more trouble for those three." Draco nodded at the Golden Trio.

"True but you're easy to deal with." Harry shrugged, "All we'd have to do is turn you into a little white ferret, problem solved." Draco glared as most in the room laughed.

**said Harry, sitting down next to Ron and watching the small figure of Krum slouching over the fallen leaves. "He's always said he'd like to get something on him."**

**"That'd wipe the smirk off old Draco's face, all right," said Ron.**

**"Those poor Muggles, though," said Hermione nervously. "What if they can't get them down?"**

**"They will," said Ron reassuringly. "They'll find a way."**

**"Mad, though, to do something like that when the whole Ministry of Magic's out here tonight!" said Hermione. "I mean, how do they expect to get away with it? Do you think they've been drinking, or are they just -"**

**But she broke off abruptly and looked over her shoulder. Harry and Ron looked quickly around too. It sounded as though someone was staggering toward their clearing. They waited, listening to the sounds of the uneven steps behind the dark trees. But the footsteps came to a sudden halt.**

**"Hello?" called Harry.**

**There was silence. Harry got to his feet and peered around the tree.**

"Sit back down." James growled, "You don't even have a wand."

**It was too dark to see very far, but he could sense somebody standing just beyond the range of his vision.**

**"Who's there?" he said.**

**And then, without warning, the silence was rent by a voice unlike any they had heard in the wood; and it uttered, not a panicked shout, but what sounded like a spell.**

**"MORSMORDRE!"**

Regulus groaned making the others look at him oddly. "It's the spell that put's the Dark Mark up." Draco nodded in confirmation.

**And something vast, green, and glittering erupted from the patch of darkness Harry's eyes had been struggling to penetrate; it flew up over the treetops and into the sky.**

**"What the -?" gasped Ron as he sprang to his feet again, staring up at the thing that had appeared.**

**For a split second, Harry thought it was another leprechaun formation. Then he realized that it was a colossal skull, comprised of what looked like emerald stars, with a serpent protruding from its mouth like a tongue. As they watched, it rose higher and higher, blazing in a haze of greenish smoke, etched against the black sky like a new constellation.**

**Suddenly, the wood all around them erupted with screams. Harry didn't understand why,**

"That's right you don't know." James said sadly.

**but the only possible cause was the sudden appearance of the skull, which had now risen high enough to illuminate the entire wood like some grisly neon sign. He scanned the darkness for the person who had conjured the skull, but he couldn't see anyone.**

**"Who's there?" he called again.**

**"Harry, come on, move!" Hermione had seized the collar of his jacket and was tugging him backward.**

**"What's the matter?" Harry said, startled to see her face so white and terrified.**

**"It's the Dark Mark, Harry!" Hermione moaned, pulling him as hard as she could. "You-Know-Who's sign!"**

**"Voldemort's -"**

**"Harry, come on!"**

**Harry turned - Ron was hurriedly scooping up his miniature Krum - the three of them started across the clearing - but before they had taken a few hurried steps, a series of popping noises announced the arrival of twenty wizards, appearing from thin air, surrounding them.**

**Harry whirled around, and in an instant, he registered one fact: Each of these wizards had his wand out, and every wand was pointing right at himself, Ron, and Hermione.**

"They didn't do it!" Neville protested.

**Without pausing to think, he yelled, "DUCK!"**

**He seized the other two and pulled them down onto the ground.**

"Good reflexes." Dora praised.

"Kept us alive on more than one occasion. Definitely a good thing." Ron chuckled.

Harry shrugged, "It was more instinct than reflex."

"Still a good thing." Hermione told him.

**"STUPEFY!" roared twenty voices - there was a blinding series of flashes and Harry felt the hair on his head ripple as though a powerful wind had swept the clearing. Raising his head a fraction of an inch he saw jets of fiery red light flying over them from the wizards' wands, crossing one another, bouncing off tree trunks, rebounding into the darkness -**

**"Stop!" yelled a voice he recognized. "STOP! That's my son!"**

"Excellent, Arthur's there." Molly sighed, clearly relieved.

**Harry's hair stopped blowing about. He raised his head a little higher. The wizard in front of him had lowered his wand. He rolled over and saw Mr. Weasley striding toward them, looking terrified.**

**"Ron - Harry" - his voice sounded shaky - "Hermione - are you all right?"**

**"Out of the way, Arthur," said a cold, curt voice.**

**It was Mr. Crouch. He and the other Ministry wizards were closing in on them. Harry got to his feet to face them. Mr. Crouch's face was taut with rage.**

**"Which of you did it?" he snapped, his sharp eyes darting between them. "Which of you conjured the Dark Mark?"**

"They didn't do it!" Petunia snapped.

**"We didn't do that!" said Harry, gesturing up at the skull.**

**"We didn't do anything!" said Ron, who was rubbing his elbow and looking indignantly at his father. "What did you want to attack us for?"**

**"Do not lie, sir!" shouted Mr. Crouch. His wand was still pointing directly at Ron, and his eyes were popping - he looked slightly mad.**

"That's because he is." Sirius said matter-of-factly.

"Definitely." Harry agreed.

**"You have been discovered at the scene of the crime!"**

**"Barty," whispered a witch in a long woolen dressing gown, "they're kids, Barty, they'd never have been able to."**

**"Where did the Mark come from, you three?" said Mr. Weasley quickly.**

**"Over there," said Hermione shakily, pointing at the place where they had heard the voice. "There was someone behind the trees... they shouted words - an incantation -"**

**"Oh, stood over there, did they?" said Mr. Crouch, turning his popping eyes on Hermione now, disbelief etched all over his face. "Said an incantation, did they? You seem very well informed about how that Mark is summoned, missy -"**

Fred and George exchanged a look before the latter said, "Funny how a lot of spells work like that."

"You would have thought he'd be smart enough to realise that." Fred added.

"Would've also thought they'd realise they were accusing three 14-year-olds of conjuring the Dark Mark, one of them being the guy who got rid of Voldemort in the first place. At least got rid of him for a while." Bill frowned.

**But none of the Ministry wizards apart from Mr. Crouch seemed to think it remotely likely that Harry, Ron, or Hermione had conjured the skull; on the contrary, at Hermione's words, they had all raised their wands again and were pointing in the direction she had indicated, squinting through the dark trees.**

**"We're too late," said the witch in the woolen dressing gown, shaking her head. "They'll have Disapparated."**

**"I don't think so," said a wizard with a scrubby brown beard. It was Amos Diggory, Cedric's father. "Our Stunners went right through those trees... There's a good chance we got them..."**

**"Amos, be careful!" said a few of the wizards warningly as Mr. Diggory squared his shoulders, raised his wand, marched across the clearing, and disappeared into the darkness. Hermione watched him vanish with her hands over her mouth. A few seconds later, they heard Mr. Diggory shout.**

**"Yes! We got them! There's someone here! Unconscious! It's - but - blimey..."**

**"You've got someone?" shouted Mr. Crouch, sounding highly disbelieving. "Who? Who is it?"**

**They heard snapping twigs, the rustling of leaves, and then crunching footsteps as Mr. Diggory reemerged from behind the trees. He was carrying a tiny, limp figure in his arms. Harry recognized the tea towel at once. It was Winky.**

"What?" Remus asked shocked, "The House-Elf?"

**Mr. Crouch did not move or speak as Mr. Diggory deposited his elf on the ground at his feet. The other Ministry wizards were all staring at Mr. Crouch. For a few seconds Crouch remained transfixed, his eyes blazing in his white face as he stared down at Winky. Then he appeared to come to life again.**

**"This - cannot - be," he said jerkily. "No -"**

**He moved quickly around Mr. Diggory and strode off toward the place where he had found Winky.**

**"No point, Mr. Crouch," Mr. Diggory called after him. "There's no one else there."**

**But Mr. Crouch did not seem prepared to take his word for it. They could hear him moving around and the rustling of leaves as he pushed the bushes aside, searching.**

**"Bit embarrassing," Mr. Diggory said grimly, looking down at Winky's unconscious form. "Barty Crouch's house-elf... I mean to say..."**

**"Come off it, Amos," said Mr. Weasley quietly, "you don't seriously think it was the elf? The Dark Mark's a wizard's sign. It requires a wand."**

**"Yeah," said Mr. Diggory, "and she had a wand."**

**"What?" said Mr. Weasley.**

**"Here, look." Mr. Diggory held up a wand and showed it to Mr. Weasley. "Had it in her hand. So that's clause three of the Code of Wand Use broken, for a start. No non-human creature is permitted to carry or use a wand."**

**Just then there was another pop, and Ludo Bagman Apparated right next to Mr. Weasley. Looking breathless and disorientated, he spun on the spot, goggling upward at the emerald-green skull.**

**"The Dark Mark!" he panted, almost trampling Winky as he turned inquiringly to his colleagues. "Who did it? Did you get them? Barty! What's going on?"**

**Mr. Crouch had returned empty-handed. His face was still ghostly white, and his hands and his toothbrush mustache were both twitching.**

**"Where have you been, Barty?" said Bagman. "Why weren't you at the match? Your elf was saving you a seat too - gulping gargoyles!" Bagman had just noticed Winky lying at his feet. "What happened to her?"**

**"I have been busy, Ludo," said Mr. Crouch, still talking in the same jerky fashion, barely moving his lips. "And my elf has been stunned."**

**"Stunned? By you lot, you mean? But why -?"**

**Comprehension dawned suddenly on Bagman's round, shiny face; he looked up at the skull, down at Winky, and then at Mr. Crouch.**

**"No!" he said. "Winky? Conjure the Dark Mark? She wouldn't know how! She'd need a wand, for a start!"**

**"And she had one," said Mr. Diggory. "I found her holding one, Ludo. If it's all right with you, Mr. Crouch, I think we should hear what she's got to say for herself."**

**Crouch gave no sign that he had heard Mr. Diggory, but Mr. Diggory seemed to take his silence for assent. He raised his own wand, pointed it at Winky, and said, "Rennervate!"**

**Winky stirred feebly. Her great brown eyes opened and she blinked several times in a bemused sort of way. Watched by the silent wizards, she raised herself shakily into a sitting position.**

**She caught sight of Mr. Diggory's feet, and slowly, tremulously, raised her eyes to stare up into his face; then, more slowly still, she looked up into the sky. Harry could see the floating skull reflected twice in her enormous, glassy eyes. She gave a gasp, looked wildly around the crowded clearing, and burst into terrified sobs.**

**"Elf!" said Mr. Diggory sternly. "Do you know who I am? I'm a member of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures!"**

**Winky began to rock backward and forward on the ground, her breath coming in sharp bursts.**

**Harry was reminded forcibly of Dobby in his moments of terrified disobedience.**

**"As you see, elf, the Dark Mark was conjured here a short while ago," said Mr. Diggory. "And you were discovered moments later, right beneath it! An explanation, if you please!"**

**"I - I - I is not doing it, sir!" Winky gasped. "I is not knowing how, sir!"**

**"You were found with a wand in your hand!" barked Mr. Diggory, brandishing it in front of her. And as the wand caught the green light that was filling the clearing from the skull above, Harry recognized it.**

**"Hey - that's mine!" he said**

"Winky took Harry's wand?" James asked.

"Yes..." Harry said slowly.

**Everyone in the clearing looked at him.**

**"Excuse me?" said Mr. Diggory, incredulously.**

**"That's my wand!" said Harry. "I dropped it!"**

**"You dropped it?" repeated Mr. Diggory in disbelief. "Is this a confession? You threw it aside after you conjured the Mark?"**

"Did he just accuse Harry of conjuring the Dark Mark?" James asked, stunned.

"Yes he did." Hermione growled angrily.

**"Amos, think who you're talking to!" said Mr. Weasley, very angrily. "Is Harry Potter likely to conjure the Dark Mark?"**

**"Er - of course not," mumbled Mr. Diggory. "Sorry... carried away..."**

"Of course he got carried away." Sirius scoffed.

**"I didn't drop it there, anyway," said Harry, jerking his thumb toward the trees beneath the skull. "I missed it right after we got into the wood."**

**"So," said Mr. Diggory, his eyes hardening as he turned to look at Winky again, cowering at his feet. "You found this wand, eh, elf? And you picked it up and thought you'd have some fun with it, did you?"**

**"I is not doing magic with it, sir!" squealed Winky, tears streaming down the sides of her squashed and bulbous nose. "I is... I is... I is just picking it up, sir! I is not making the Dark Mark, sir, I is not knowing how!"**

**"It wasn't her!" said Hermione. She looked very nervous, speaking up in front of all these Ministry wizards, yet determined all the same. "Winky's got a squeaky little voice, and the voice we heard doing the incantation was much deeper!" She looked around at Harry and Ron, appealing for their support. "It didn't sound anything like Winky, did it?"**

**"No," said Harry, shaking his head. "It definitely didn't sound like an elf."**

**"Yeah, it was a human voice," said Ron.**

**"Well, we'll soon see," growled Mr. Diggory, looking unimpressed. "There's a simple way of discovering the last spell a wand performed, elf, did you know that?"**

**Winky trembled and shook her head frantically, her ears flapping, as Mr. Diggory raised his own wand again and placed it tip to tip with Harry's.**

**"Prior Incantato!" roared Mr. Diggory.**

**Harry heard Hermione gasp, horrified, as a gigantic serpent-tongued skull erupted from the point where the two wands met, but it was a mere shadow of the green skull high above them; it looked as though it were made of thick gray smoke: the ghost of a spell.**

"Look's wrong coming from your wand." Dora shuddered.

"Especially since he's the main leader of the Light side since Albus died." Ginny agreed, "And don't even argue Harry. You know it's true." she added making Harry, who had been about to protest, close his mouth and pout.

**"Deletrius!" Mr. Diggory shouted, and the smoky skull vanished in a wisp of smoke.**

**"So," said Mr. Diggory with a kind of savage triumph, looking down upon Winky, who was still shaking convulsively.**

**"I is not doing it!" she squealed, her eyes rolling in terror. "I is not, I is not, I is not knowing how! I is a good elf, I isn't using wands, I isn't knowing how!"**

**"You've been caught red-handed, elf!" Mr. Diggory roared. "Caught with the guilty wand in your hand!"**

**"Amos," said Mr. Weasley loudly, "think about it... precious few wizards know how to do that spell... Where would she have learned it?"**

**"Perhaps Amos is suggesting," said Mr. Crouch, cold anger in every syllable, "that I routinely teach my servants to conjure the Dark Mark?"**

"Is the entire ministry full of idiots? This is all ridiculous." Sirius muttered.

"It was full of mostly idiots, the majority of them in positions of power." Dora snorted.

"Over half of the ministry were idiots." Arthur agreed, "The number of idiots in power has went down since Kingsley took over."

**There was a deeply unpleasant silence. Amos Diggory looked horrified. "Mr. Crouch... not... not at all."**

**"You have now come very close to accusing the two people in this clearing who are least likely to conjure that Mark!" barked Mr. Crouch. "Harry Potter - and myself. I suppose you are familiar with the boy's story, Amos?"**

**"Of course - everyone knows -" muttered Mr. Diggory, looking highly discomforted.**

**"And I trust you remember the many proofs I have given, over a long career, that I despise and detest the Dark Arts and those who practice them?" Mr. Crouch shouted, his eyes bulging again.**

**"Mr. Crouch, I never suggested you had anything to do with it!" Amos Diggory muttered again, now reddening behind his scrubby brown beard.**

**"If you accuse my elf, you accuse me, Diggory!" shouted Mr. Crouch. "Where else would she have learned to conjure it?"**

"That doesn't even make sense! First he said he didn't do it, then he pretty much said he did!" Sirius said, looking confused.

**"She - she might've picked it up anywhere -"**

**"Precisely, Amos," said Mr. Weasley. "She might have picked it up anywhere... Winky?" he said kindly, turning to the elf, but she flinched as though he too was shouting at her. "Where exactly did you find Harry's wand?"**

**Winky was twisting the hem of her tea towel so violently that it was fraying beneath her fingers.**

**"I - I is finding it... finding it there, sir..." she whispered, "there... in the trees, sir.**

**"You see, Amos?" said Mr. Weasley. "Whoever conjured the Mark could have Disapparated right after they'd done it, leaving Harry's wand behind. A clever thing to do, not using their own wand, which could have betrayed them. And Winky here had the misfortune to come across the wand moments later and pick it up."**

**"But then, she'd have been only a few feet away from the real culprit!" said Mr. Diggory impatiently. "Elf? Did you see anyone?"**

**Winky began to tremble worse than ever. Her giant eyes flickered from Mr. Diggory, to Ludo Bagman, and onto Mr. Crouch. Then she gulped and said, "I is seeing no one, sir... no one..."**

**"Amos," said Mr. Crouch curtly, "I am fully aware that, in the ordinary course of events, you would want to take Winky into your department for questioning. I ask you, however, to allow me to deal with her."**

"What's he going to do?" Lily asked worriedly.

**Mr. Diggory looked as though he didn't think much of this suggestion at all, but it was clear to Harry that Mr. Crouch was such an important member of the Ministry that he did not dare refuse him.**

**"You may rest assured that she will be punished," Mr. Crouch added coldly.**

**"M-m-master..." Winky stammered, looking up at Mr. Crouch, her eyes brimming with tears. "M-m-master, p-p-please..."**

**Mr. Crouch stared back, his face somehow sharpened, each line upon it more deeply etched. There was no pity in his gaze.**

**"Winky has behaved tonight in a manner I would not have believed possible," he said slowly. "I told her to remain in the tent. I told her to stay there while I went to sort out the trouble. And I find that she disobeyed me. This means clothes."**

"He's letting her go?" Lily gasped, "But that's good... right?"

James shook his head slowly, "Not from the House-Elf's point of view."

**"No!" shrieked Winky, prostrating herself at Mr. Crouch's feet. "No, master! Not clothes, not clothes!"**

**Harry knew that the only way to turn a house-elf free was to present it with proper garments. It was pitiful to see the way Winky clutched at her tea towel as she sobbed over Mr. Crouch's feet.**

**"But she was frightened!" Hermione burst out angrily, glaring at Mr. Crouch. "Your elf's scared of heights, and those wizards in masks were levitating people! You can't blame her for wanting to get out of their way!"**

**Mr. Crouch took a step backward, freeing himself from contact with the elf, whom he was surveying as though she were something filthy and rotten that was contaminating his over-shined shoes.**

**"I have no use for a house-elf who disobeys me," he said coldly, looking over at Hermione. "I have no use for a servant who forgets what is due to her master, and to her master's reputation."**

**Winky was crying so hard that her sobs echoed around the clearing. There was a very nasty silence, which was ended by Mr. Weasley, who said quietly, "Well, I think I'll take my lot back to the tent, if nobody's got any objections. Amos, that wand's told us all it can - if Harry could have it back, please -"**

**Mr. Diggory handed Harry his wand and Harry pocketed it.**

**"Come on, you three," Mr. Weasley said quietly. But Hermione didn't seem to want to move; her eyes were still upon the sobbing elf. "Hermione!" Mr. Weasley said, more urgently. She turned and followed Harry and Ron out of the clearing and off through the trees.**

**"What's going to happen to Winky?" said Hermione, the moment they had left the clearing.**

**"I don't know," said Mr. Weasley.**

**"The way they were treating her!" said Hermione furiously. "Mr. Diggory, calling her 'elf' all the time... and Mr. Crouch! He knows she didn't do it and he's still going to sack her! He didn't care how frightened she'd been, or how upset she was - it was like she wasn't even human!"**

**"Well, she's not," said Ron.**

Lily didn't say anything but she gave Ron a glare that made him flinch.

**Hermione rounded on him.**

**"That doesn't mean she hasn't got feelings, Ron. It's disgusting the way -"**

**"Hermione, I agree with you," said Mr. Weasley quickly, beckoning her on, "but now is not the time to discuss elf rights. I want to get back to the tent as fast as we can. What happened to the others?"**

**"We lost them in the dark," said Ron. "Dad, why was everyone so uptight about that skull thing?"**

**"I'll explain everything back at the tent," said Mr. Weasley tensely.**

**But when they reached the edge of the wood, their progress was impeded. A large crowd of frightened-looking witches and wizards was congregated there, and when they saw Mr. Weasley coming toward them, many of them surged forward.**

**"What's going on in there?"**

**"Who conjured it?"**

**"Arthur - it's not - Him?"**

"Voldemort? No I dont think so." Harry said, rolling his eyes, "I know exactly what he was like and how strong he was at that moment, he wasn't able to even feed himself. He was too weak." he sighed, "Shame he didn't stay that way."

**"Of course it's not Him," said Mr. Weasley impatiently. "We don't know who it was; it looks like they Disapparated. Now excuse me, please, I want to get to bed."**

**He led Harry, Ron, and Hermione through the crowd and back into the campsite.**

**All was quiet now; there was no sign of the masked wizards, though several ruined tents were still smoking.**

**Charlie's head was poking out of the boys' tent.**

**"Dad, what's going on?" he called through the dark. "Fred, George, and Ginny got back okay, but the others -"**

**"I've got them here," said Mr. Weasley, bending down and entering the tent. Harry, Ron, and Hermione entered after him.**

**Bill was sitting at the small kitchen table, holding a bedsheet to his arm, which was bleeding profusely.**

Everyone shared a wince.

"What was it that got you?" Alice asked.

"Just a cutting curse." Bill said quickly.

Harry looked at him, "You're lying." he stated, "I can tell. If you dont want to tell us you don't have to." he added.

Bill winced and muttered something.

"What was that?" Fleur asked.

"I got hit by a Cruciatus." he said louder wincing.

"Bill you idiot! You should have said something!" Charlie shouted.

"I didn't want to worry you, besides, I was fine."

"Charlie's right Bill. You should have told me." Arthur frowned.

"I wasn't going to say it in front of the younger ones was I?" he said defensively.

"You could have told him when we went to sleep." Ginny pointed out.

"Fine. Yes I should have said something but I didn't so I'm sorry. Happy now?" Bill snapped.

"Not really but it will do for now." Molly told him, frowning.

**Charlie had a large rip in his shirt, and Percy was sporting a bloody nose. Fred, George, and Ginny looked unhurt, though shaken.**

**"Did you get them, Dad?" said Bill sharply. "The person who conjured the Mark?"**

**"No," said Mr. Weasley. "We found Barry Crouch's elf holding Harry's wand, but we're none the wiser about who actually conjured the Mark."**

**"What?" said Bill, Charlie, and Percy together. "Harry's wand?" said Fred.**

**"Mr. Crouch's elf" said Percy, sounding thunderstruck.**

**With some assistance from Harry, Ron, and Hermione, Mr. Weasley explained what had happened in the woods. When they had finished their story, Percy swelled indignantly.**

**"Well, Mr. Crouch is quite right to get rid of an elf like that!"**

"Did you honestly think that Perce?" Ron asked. Percy nodded reluctantly. "Well we can prove Winky didn't disobey Crouch at all."

**he said. "Running away when he'd expressly told her not to... embarrassing him in front of the whole Ministry... how would that have looked, if she'd been brought up in front of the Department for the Regulation and Control."**

**"She didn't do anything - she was just in the wrong place at the wrong time!" Hermione snapped at Percy, who looked very taken aback. Hermione had always got on fairly well with Percy - better, indeed, than any of the others.**

**"Hermione, a wizard in Mr. Crouch's position can't afford a house-elf who's going to run amok with a wand!" said Percy pompously, recovering himself.**

**"She didn't run amok!" shouted Hermione. "She just picked it up off the ground!"**

**"Look, can someone just explain what that skull thing was?" said Ron impatiently. "It wasn't hurting anyone... Why's it such a big deal?"**

**"I told you, it's You-Know-Who's symbol, Ron," said Hermione, before anyone else could answer. "I read about it in The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts."**

"Oh, of course, a book." Sirius muttered.

Hermione glared at him and muttered, threateningly, "You know, there's a lot of hexes and jinxes in books that you wouldn't want coming at you."

Sirius shuddered and apologized to Hermione, who looked smug.

"Never mess with 'Mione when it comes to books Snuffles. She usually wins." Ron snickered making Sirius growl at him for the use of the name.

**"And it hasn't been seen for thirteen years," said Mr. Weasley quietly. "Of course people panicked... it was almost like seeing You-Know-Who back again."**

**"I don't get it," said Ron, frowning. "I mean... it's still only a shape in the sky..."**

**"Ron, You-Know-Who and his followers sent the Dark Mark into the air whenever they killed," said Mr. Weasley. "The terror it inspired... you have no idea, you're too young. Just picture coming home and finding the Dark Mark hovering over your house, and knowing what you're about to find inside..."**

Everyone winced.

**Mr. Weasley winced. "Everyone's worst fear... the very worst."**

**There was silence for a moment. Then Bill, removing the sheet from his arm to check on his cut, said, "Well, it didn't help us tonight, whoever conjured it. It scared the Death Eaters away the moment they saw it. They all Disapparated before we'd got near enough to unmask any of them. We caught the Roberts' before they hit the ground, though. They're having their memories modified right now."**

**"Death Eaters?" said Harry. "What are Death Eaters?"**

"You didnt know that either?" Lily asked.

"Nope." Harry shrugged.

**"It's what You-Know-Who's supporters called themselves," said Bill. "I think we saw what's left of them tonight - the ones who managed to keep themselves out of Azkaban, anyway."**

**"We can't prove it was them, Bill," said Mr. Weasley. "Though it probably was," he added hopelessly.**

**"Yeah, I bet it was!" said Ron suddenly. "Dad, we met Draco Malfoy in the woods, and he as good as told us his dad was one of those nutters in masks! And we all know the Malfoys were right in with You-Know-Who!"**

**"But what were Voldemort's supporters -"** **Harry began. Everybody flinched - like most of the wizarding world, the Weasleys always avoided saying Voldemort's name. "Sorry," said Harry quickly. "What were You-Know-Who's supporters up to, levitating Muggles? I mean, what was the point?"**

**"The point?" said Mr. Weasley with a hollow laugh. "Harry, that's their idea of fun. Half the Muggle killings back when You-Know-Who was in power were done for fun. I suppose they had a few drinks tonight and couldn't resist reminding us all that lots of them are still at large. A nice little reunion for them," he finished disgustedly.**

**"But if they were the Death Eaters, why did they Disapparate when they saw the Dark Mark?" said Ron. "They'd have been pleased to see it, wouldn't they?"**

**"Use your brains, Ron," said Bill. "If they really were Death Eaters, they worked very hard to keep out of Azkaban when You-Know-Who lost power, and told all sorts of lies about him forcing them to kill and torture people. I bet they'd be even more frightened than the rest of us to see him come back. They denied they'd ever been involved with him when he lost his powers, and went back to their daily lives... I don't reckon he'd be over-pleased with them, do you?"**

**"So... whoever conjured the Dark Mark..." said Hermione slowly, "were they doing it to show support for the Death Eaters, or to scare them away?"**

**"Your guess is as good as ours, Hermione," said Mr. Weasley. "But I'll tell you this... it was only the Death Eaters who ever knew how to conjure it. I'd be very surprised if the person who did it hadn't been a Death Eater once, even if they're not now... Listen, it's very late, and if your mother hears what's happened she'll be worried sick. We'll get a few more hours sleep and then try and get an early Portkey out of here."**

**Harry got back into his bunk with his head buzzing. He knew he ought to feel exhausted: It was nearly three in the morning, but he felt wide awake - wide awake, and worried.**

**Three days ago - it felt like much longer, but it had only been three days - he had awoken with his scar burning. And tonight, for the first time in thirteen years, Lord Voldemort's mark had appeared in the sky. What did these things mean? He thought of the letter he had written to Sirius before leaving Privet Drive. Would Sirius have gotten it yet? When would he reply?**

"The reply was on it's way." Sirius grinned.

**Harry lay looking up at the canvas, but no flying fantasies came to him now to ease him to sleep, and it was a long time after Charlie's snores filled the tent that Harry finally dozed off.**

"And that's the end of darkness for now." Harry announced, "It does come back later but right now I think we need a time-out." he decided. "We'll continue after dinner."

* * *

><p>Review please (Even if its just to say what you're favourite line is from any of the chapters already up!) x<p> 


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19 - The Removal of Mr Wormtail.

16th August. 1998. 12.00pm.

"Hmm... Harry have you got the map on you?" James asked while they waited on lunch to be made. Harry nodded taking it out of his pocket, "Can I see it for a moment?" Harry nodded again and handed it to his Father.

"What are you thinking Prongs?" Remus asked.

"I'm thinking we should take Wormtail's name off it." he replied, the other two Marauders nodded.

Remus took his wand out and put the tip on the parchment while James and Sirius just put a finger on it.

"Mr Moony requests the map to allow him access to it's secrets." Remus started.

"Mr Padfoot reminds the map it has to obey what we say." Sirius continued.

"Mr Prongs would like to remind the map that the Marauders created it so have full rights to access the information it holds." James finished.

Red ink started appearing on the parchment. When it was done the map read, 'Where is Mr Wormtail? I will not allow you access unless you have a valid reason, you thick heads.'

"Mr Wormtail is dead." Harry answered.

'Who's that? He sounds familiar.'

"That is the son of Mr Prongs." Sirius announced.

'Okay, okay, you pushy git's.' the map printed. It proceed to print a series of complicated lines.

"Messrs Moony, Padfoot and Prongs command you to remove the name of Messer Wormtail. He is a traitor and is no longer a Marauder." the Marauders said together.

'... A traitor... He was a git anyway, consider it done - idiots.' the map printed on a blank space before a cluster of lines in the middle started glowing white before fading.

"The Marauders say thank you and goodbye. Mischief Managed."

'Goodbye foolish people.' the map printed before going blank.

"Seems the map likes name calling." Harry chuckled.

"Well... When we were making it the map gained some of our personalities... It gained a mind of it's own in a way, it insults anyone who uses it to some extent." James explained frowning, "It knows we created it so it'll only use names we called each other."

"Uh oh." Remus muttered. "Fred! George! Come here for a moment."

"Yes oh great and wise Marauder?" Fred asked as they approached.

"By any chance did the map insult you when you tried to use it?" Remus asked.

"Yes it did. Care to explain that?" George asked.

"The map gained some of our personalities when we made it." Sirius told them, "We were just telling Harry that it know's we made it so it will only use the names we used to describe each other."

"Are you aware it picked up Minerva's favourite phrase?" Fred asked, "'You blithering idiots'."

"Yes, Moony here used something similar to that often when talking to me and Paddy." James smirked. "It was Minnie who heard it off him one day and she used it ever since."

"Not true. I said 'You two are the biggest bumbling idiots I'd ever met'." Remus chuckled. "Minerva heard that and used 'you blithering idiots' since then."

Sirius's face was screwed up in concentration, he suddenly sighed, frustrated, "It's no use, I can't remember it clearly."

Harry frowned, "I'll be right back." he said before getting up and going over to Draco and Astoria.

"Need something Harry?" Astoria asked.

"Yes actually. Do either of you know any potions or spells that can help someone recover memories? Sirius is having trouble remembering and I think it's driving him mad." he explained.

Draco looked thoughtful, "I have a potion that might help." he admitted, "It's called 'Memento Quod et tu dementors cepit'. Remember you were with me when it was used on people on the light who were in Azkaban last year?"

"You created that potion and called it 'Remember what the dementors took from you' in Latin?" Harry chuckled, "Very original. Though I suppose it explains why you didn't tell us what it meant."

"Hey, it tell's you what it's for." Draco shrugged. "I have a batch made at the Mannor, do you want me to go get a vial for him? It should be taken before eating." he added.

"If you would be so kind." Harry nodded.

Draco got up and left so Harry stood and talked to Astoria for a while.

"So how have you been?" he asked.

"Up and down. Pregnancy doesn't look hard until you experience it." she chuckled, "The morning sickness is a pain and apparently it get's worse further along but I'm looking forward to being a Mum." she smiled.

"How did your sister take it?"

"Well... I spent most of last night trying to get Draco out of ferret form. Daphne didn't take the news of our plans as well as my parents did, she turned him into a ferret and I couldn't undo it, neither could Cissy." she frowned, "No idea how Daphne did it but Draco had to force himself into his Lycan form before going back to human and he said it hurt a little."

"That's odd. Do you want me to come talk to her next time you go see her? I don't know her that well but she might tell me what she did." he shrugged.

"It's a nice offer but I'll get it out of her eventually. I'll tell her it's to help keep Draco in line." she giggled. "He's certainly not keen for a repeat of that experience."

"I can imagine." he laughed, "So how are you liking the memories?"

"There very... Informative? Detailed? I just can't beleive half the things you, Ron and Hermione have done." she admitted, "People would call you crazy if they knew half of it."

"They did that when I was 15 and they didn't know any of my story." Harry pointed out as Ginny joined them.

"Hello you two. What are you talking about?" she asked.

"Oh just Draco being stuck as a ferret most of last night thanks to my lovely sister." Astoria replied innocently making Ginny giggle.

"I'm going to leave you two women to talk. I need to talk Sirius into something anyway." Harry smiled before heading back over to his Father, Sirius and Remus, the twins had disappeared at some point. "Sirius? What if I told you I had a way to help you remember your memories easier?" he asked.

"Then I'd be eternally grateful." he replied as Draco came back in and joined them.

"In that case Draco? Do you want to explain?" Harry questioned the blonde.

"Certainly. When I was 16 just before school started after the summer, I was developing a line of healing potions working from my own notes and some of Uncle Sev's notes. While I was doing this I decided to make a potion that helps people recover memories they've lost from being exposed to dementors for extended periods of time." he explained.

He pulled a vial out of his pocket that was filled with a bright blue potion that had white swirls going through it. It looked a bit like a memory in a pensive, neither liquid or gas.

"I came up with this and it works. If you're willing Sirius you can take this just before you eat, it works better that way." he explained.

"What exactly does it do and how do you know it works?" Sirius asked hesitantly.

"It's called ''Memento Quod et tu dementors cepit' it means 'Remember what the dementors took from you' in Latin. That's what it dose, it returns your memories to full strength and brings back those you've forgotten completely. I know it works because it's been tested multiple times, it's a registered potion too, I had it registered but it's not well known because hardly anyone leaves Azkaban after 10 years, if they do they recover on their own." he shrugged. "It's not got anything poisonous or dangerous in it." he added.

"You say it's been tested. Who tested it?" James asked.

"Uncle Sev checked it to make sure it wasn't dangerous first then I got Aunt Bella to take it, as well as the other Death Eater's that escaped with her. It's been tested on people from the light side too. The people who were thrown in Azkaban during the war for upsetting the Death Eater's tried it and it never caused any damage inside or out."

"Apparently the only thing bad about it is the taste." Harry added, "I helped him test it on people on the light side, they wouldn't trust him otherwise." he explained, "They said it tastes like a mix between a pepper Every-Flavour bean and saltwater."

"Peppery saltwater? Gross." Sirius shuddered, "But I'll go mad if I keep trying to force my memories to return. It's worth a shot." he shrugged, Draco handed him the vial, "I'll take it just before eating then?"

"Would be best. Help's the taste too." Draco added.

"I'd imagine." Remus chuckled as Molly called saying lunch was ready.

They all headed through to the kitchen and sat down in front of a plate of pasta.

"Here it goes." Sirius opened the vial and drank it in one. He gasped when he finished, "Ack! That is horrible." he quickly started eating to get rid of the taste.

When everyone had finished Draco turned to Sirius.

"How'd you feel?" he asked making everyone look curious.

"Draco provided a potion that'll help Sirius remember the memories the dementors took." Harry explained. They all nodded and looked at Sirius. "So how do you feel Snuffles?"

Sirius glared at the name, "Don't call me Snuffles!" he growled, Harry just smirked, "And I feel odd... Like my mind's spinning but it's not painful." he frowned.

"That's the normal reaction to the potion." Draco nodded looking at his watch. "Remus you might want to steady him." he said. Remus nodded from next to Sirius and grabbed his shoulder as Sirius swayed in his chair holding his head as though he was dizzy. "5... 4... 3... 2... 1! Done, your memories are back."

"What the - You never said anything about it making people dizzy." Sirius shook his head like a dog. "You're right though, my memories are way more clearer."

"Did you really doubt my skills?" Draco smirked, "I've been making my own potions for at least 4 years now."

"Wait... You made that potion?" Lily asked.

"Yes. He created it when he was 16." Cissy nodded. "Draco's been making them since he was 14." she added, "Mostly healing ones."

"And they've helped quite a few people." Astoria smiled at her blushing fiancée.

"That's quite advanced." Dora said shocked.

"I know that. Uncle Sev's notes helped. There's one I'm currently working on and so far I've..."

"Created a lot of explosions." Cissy cut her son off, "I know what one your meaning."

"How many have you actually created?" Remus asked.

"Since I was 14 at least 4 that actually do something. I've improved most of the common healing potions too, pain reducers, Pepper-up potion, Skele-Grow and Dreamless sleep."

"How long did it take you to improve those?" Lily questioned.

Draco frowned, "It took longer for the more complicated ones but about a year for the day to day potions. I'm still trying to improve Dreamless sleep to make it stronger without wearing off faster." he admitted.

"What's the one you're working on?" Alice asked curiously.

"Umm... It's supposed to help with the effects of PTSD, or remove it completely if I can." he admitted looking significantly at Harry, Ron and Hermione. "I've been trying to get it right since I first became friendly with the those three."

"He has." Hermione nodded, "Speaking of which... Harry when's our next check up with Poppy?"

"Hmm... I think it was on the 28th, just before we go back to school." he frowned, "It could be the 2nd of September though."

"We'll owl her later." Ron smiled.

"Do you have any idea how long you'll have Post Traumatic Stress Disorder?" Lily asked.

"Poppy said the way we are with it now could last a year or more..." Hermione sighed, "It's never going to go away fully because of how it developed but it'll get better. Draco's trying to speed up the process." she smiled at the blonde.

"Nothing's impossible. I almost have it, the last explosion was about 2 months ago and I only need a few more weeks before I'll have it." Draco smiled. "And Professor Slughorn agreed to double check that it's not poisonous."

"Good. We don't like being poisoned thank you very much." Ron said firmly.

"I wouldn't poison anyone on purpose." Draco frowned, "Except that stupid attempt years ago with..."

"Draco shut up. Not everyone knows about that." Harry cut him off.

"Right, I forgot..." he admitted sheepishly.

"So what are we going to do for the rest of the day then?" Amber asked after they had cleaned up after eating lunch and were sitting in the kitchen.

"I know I said we'd continue the memories after lunch but it's up to yourselves. I have to nip out for an hour or so." Harry told them, "Another meeting at the bank. Then we'll continue the memories after dinner."

"There not still mad at you are they?" Regulus asked.

"No it's something else." he grinned, "And a surprise so don't bother asking. Not even these three know yet." he added nodding towards Ginny, Ron and Hermione.

"He's right." Ron muttered.

"We have no idea." Hermione agreed.

"And your blocking it effectively." Ginny sighed, "It better not be dangerous what ever the 'surprise' is."

"It's not and you'll like it." Harry said mysteriously, "I'm just not telling anyone until I'm sure it's going to happen."

"You live to annoy people. You know that don't you?" Ron asked.

"Absolutely. You do it too if you hadn't noticed." he smirked.

"He's right Ron, you do it as well. All three of you because Hermione dose it too." Neville grinned.

"Well... It's fun." Hermione shrugged with a smirk.

"Annoying when you don't know something, but fun when you do and no one else dose." James nodded, "That was our favourite game to play at school."

"And you constantly annoyed Gryffindor tower with it." Frank smirked, "I think you got hexed at least 10 times playing that game."

"Yes mostly those two though." Remus chuckled, "I'll admit I got hit a few times for encouraging them."

"Why did you encourage them then?" Regulus asked.

"Do you have any idea how annoying it is trying to study or read with the two of them bouncing around and humming 'I know something you don't know' as loud as they can?"

"Fair point." Dora nodded, "I remember them doing it when I was in 1st year, your 7th." she added. "I was so tempted to hex them."

"What was it you knew anyway?" Lily asked her husband.

Sirius and James both blushed.

"You dont want to know." Sirius told her, "Really you don't."

"Lily you know what it was..." James said looking at his wife and humming softly in a seemingly random tune.

"Oh yeah... I forgot about that." when she noticed everyone's confused looks she shook her head, "Sirius is right, you really don't want to know."

"Right. I must be off, I'll see you in an hour maybe more depending on how this goes." Harry smiled, he said his goodbyes and left through the back door. A minute later everyone heard the tell tale 'Pop' of Apparation.

"Told you he was hiding something." Hermione said immediately.

"He's still not going to tell us what." Ron pointed out.

"And as I said he'll tell us when he's ready to."

Everyone split up into groups or couples and went to find something to do until Harry returned.

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><p>Review please x<p> 


	20. Chapter 20

I believe I'm losing my memory with the amount of things I've forgotten to tell you all... I don't know how people will perceive my version of the French accent for Fluer, it may be the case of her words chop and change - sometimes she'll say something properly, other times it will be with an accent - this chapter has the accent and I'd appreciate it if you could tell me if you'd prefer having her speaking with the obvious accent written (typed) down or leaving all the words properly English and just thinking the accent when you yourself read it... I'm not too sure since I cant really remember her speaking passed the 4th movie after she'd spent a few years improving her English so I don't know whether to leave it in or not.

Happy reading!

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><p>Chapter 20 - A Sister Understands.<p>

16th August. 1998. 2.30pm.

It had been half an hour after Harry had left and Ginny was sitting talking to Astoria, Fleur, Hermione and Molly.

"So how dose it feel being pregnant?" Hermione asked Astoria and Fleur.

"Besides the morning sickness it's not all that bad actually." Astoria admitted.

"Just wait a month or two." Molly advised, "It gets harder."

Fleur nodded, "My Maman and Papa are coming over to see me, along with my Auntie. Hopefully my Auntie Astrid will be able to shed some light on being a pregnant part-veela." she sighed, "She herself has a son and daugher, twins, even if she is single."

"Accidental pregnancy?" Ginny asked.

"Non, it was 'er ex-husband. 'E was killed during the first war when she was only 17 and they came 'ere for a holiday, she was pregnant at the time."

"That is so sad." Hermione sighed.

Fleur nodded, "She was 'eartbroken. I remember her coming to our home, Gabrielle had just been born at that time and Auntie Astrid needed support. I heard she's looking for love again though. She may find an Englishman to love and who loves 'er like I found Bill." she smiled.

"Where about is she from?" Astoria asked.

"France in a little town called 'Beynae-et-Cazenae' it is quite close to where I lived." the older witch smiled.

"Oh I've been there before." Hermione grinned, "Beautiful village and so much history behind it."

"When did you go?" Fleur asked.

"It was during the summer after our 2nd year."

Molly nodded, "You were telling Ginny and I about it when you got back and met us at the Leaky Cauldron."

"It cheered me up immensely just hearing about such a beautiful place." Ginny told them. "I was still... In a bad way after the... Chamber incident." she winced, "That and I couldn't even talk to Harry without stuttering or blushing like an idiot."

"And I helped you with that too." Hermione chuckled, "Mainly by telling you to relax and be yourself."

"And it only tool 6 years for him to realise his love for you." Astoria smirked, "It took Draco longer, about 10 years. We grew up together and I started fancying him when I was 7, despite how much I hated the way he acted." she explained.

"Well all boys and men are the same. They won't realise something until someone else points it out." Molly chuckled. "Arthur took 4 years to ask me out on a date, we were both 16 and I already loved him. He just didn't seem to notice."

"Be glad you eventually managed to talk to Harry, Ginny. Ron and I only fought for almost 8 years, it was very rare for us to have a rational conversation." Hermione muttered.

"Your fight's always seemed to go on forever." Ginny agreed, "I know Ron started most of them for a reason though." she added as the other witches went for some fresh air.

"What's the reason?"

"He didn't know how to get your attention any other way and he was didn't know how to ask you out so he'd argue with you to get your attention." Ginny said wisely.

"You know that how?"

"You've never been told me and Ron were always the closest have you? Well besides Fred and George."

"No, I didn't know."

"Well it's true, I was always with Ron growing up. The others were either at school or too busy to deal with their younger sibling's. Charlie and Bill were the only two who actively played with us and taught us thing's, beside Mum and Dad that is, but that was only when they were home or not busy." she smiled, "So me and Ron were always left with only each other for company. As a result of that even now I know why he acts a certain way or why he does certain things."

"I never noticed. With how often you argued it didn't seem you two were closest to each other." Hermione sighed.

"Ron only argues with me because he cares. Haven't you noticed he's more protective over me than the other's?" Ginny asked gently, Hermione frowned for a minute before nodding, "It's because we were closest. He argued with you because you didn't seem to notice him and he realised he loved you. I've watched all of my brothers grow up but I understand Ron the best out of all of them." she smiled, "When he went away to Hogwarts to wrestle troll's and help fight Voldemort, we grew apart I got closer my own friends, he got closer to you and Harry." she shrugged, "It was bound to happen eventually and we both knew and accepted that."

"Doesn't make it any easier."

"That's true but... I understood that he couldn't continue to be my friend as well as my brother... I suppose it's like you and Harry, you know when he needs something, when he's hiding something, when he needs to be left alone, in short your like a sister to him." she explained, "I understand Ron like you do Harry."

Hermione nodded, "I understand now." she said as Lily and Petunia joined them.

"Hello. What are you two talking about?" Lily asked.

Ginny explained.

Petunia nodded after she had finished, "A sister always understands. When we were younger Lily and I were inseparable. We didn't ever want to be apart."

"That's why Petunia reacted so badly to finding out I was a witch." Lily sighed, "We both knew it meant separation."

"I felt I wouldn't be able to understand Lily but... I was wrong. I just didn't realise that at the time and by the time I did realise it she was 17, engaged to James and I was married to Vernon." Petunia sighed. "I tried to escape Vernon three years after we married but I fell pregnant with Dudley and couldn't leave. I knew full well Vernon would take Dudley, then Harry came to us and I had to stay to protect him. Even if it made me miserable and bitter." she admitted.

"You could have told Dumbledore." Ginny pointed out.

"I couldn't. Not with Vernon keeping such a close eye on me. With two young kids I wouldn't be able to manage to feed us or keep a stable household running smoothly..."

"Albus would have helped you with that. He probably would have gotten Remus or one of the Order members to help." Lily smiled, "I'm grateful you did take Harry in though, even though you suffered greatly."

"Better me than him. Even though we both suffered slightly." Petunia frowned, "I know I done the wrong thing when he was growing up and I wish I could change that but I cant..."

"If he grew up protected from the bad things in life he wouldn't be the man he is now, he might have been killed instead of killing Voldemort." Hermione shuddered, "He suffered, yes, but at the same time I don't think he'd change anything."

"He wouldnt." Ginny nodded, "He's been listening in and he's on his way back right now." she tapped her temple to show she meant the soul bond.

"Being nosey then?" Lily chuckled, "Sound's like something James would do."

"He said he's taking that as a compliment and that he lives to be nosey." Ginny grinned.

"Mainly because it annoys everybody else when you find out things no one else knows." Hermione smirked. "Even if they don't know you know."

"Like where you three went last year? Remus and Dora were telling me and James a bit about Harry." Lily explained, "And Remus said you must have found out something's when you were away."

"Hmm... He's partly right. We knew most of the things but we needed them confirmed and that happened while we were in hiding. And before you ask, I know everybody is curious about where we were but Harry, Ron and I agree that it's for the best if you wait to find out." Hermione said, "It'll stop us having to re-live the memories that are more fresh than others before we have to." she added shuddering.

"I wasn't going to ask but I think Sirius, Remus and Dora were. I'll pass along the message so they don't ask you." Lily smiled and she and Petunia left as Harry walked in the door.

"Hey 'Mione? Where's Ron?" he asked walking over to them.

"Um... I don't know actually." she frowned, "Ginny have you seen him?"

"He went upstairs I think." she told them, "Why?"

"I need to talk to you all, wait here and I'll go get Ron."

The women nodded and Harry headed upstairs towards Ron's room. He stopped at the door and knocked, "You in there Ron?" he called.

"No." a voice said, "Of course not."

Harry frowned, Ron sounded odd, as though he had a cold.

"Can I come in?"

"Whatever. I know you're going to anyway."

Harry quietly opened the door and walked in. Ron was lying face down on his bed his arms above his head.

"What's up mate?"

"Nothing." came the muffled reply.

"I know something's up Ron. I can smell your emotions." Harry superstitiously sniffed and his nose picked up a few mixed emotions, "I can smell your upset, worried, angry, scared and guilty. Now what's up?"

"How can you smell all that?" Ron asked, "No one else has been able to do that yet."

"Yes they can. I only realised it about half an hour ago during my meeting with the Goblins, and it's only if I focus on what I smell. And don't try to change the subject."

"Fine." Ron reluctantly rolled over revealing red puffy eyes, he'd obviously been crying. "It's stupid you know."

"Tell me anyway." Harry smiled, "You've seen me do plenty of stupid thing's." he added.

"Well... I-I guess it's about what happened between us this year... And what happened in 4th year. I'm sure you can guess the rest."

Harry frowned, "I can try and guess. Let me see... You feel guilty because you didn't beleive me in 4th year and you left last year." Ron nodded once, "Your scared about how people will react to those two events." another nod, "Worried that I'll hold it against you." a hesitant nod, "Or are you worried it'll re-open old wounds between us?"

"Your good at this." Ron said with a nod.

"It's called practice." he chuckled, "Now," he sniffed again and frowned, "Your angry at yourself?" he asked shocked, Ron nodded, "Is this because of your actions? You blame yourself for not believing me and leaving?"

"Yeah..."

"Ron, you know I wouldn't hold anything against you. You also know I didn't do anything to stop you leaving and I encoraged you to tell me what was on your mind both times."

"Doesn't stop me feeling terrible though." he muttered.

Harry sighed, "I know there's not much I can do about that but... How about this, think about how much closer and stronger our friendship got because of those event's. Sure you had to gain trust with me again but when you did it grew more. Your like a brother to me Ron, it'll just be official when Ginny and I get married." he grinned, "By the way, I know it's a bit early to be asking but will you be the best man?"

"Of course. When are you thinking about setting the wedding for?" Ron asked clearly cheering up a little bit after Harry's little speech.

Harry shrugged, "Maybe at the start of summer, I need to ask Ginny about it."

Ron nodded, definitely cheered up.

Harry smiled and sniffed slightly, "Your still scared at how people are going to react arent you?"

Ron nodded, "Just a little."

"So am I." Harry admitted, "And remember most thing's I've done, like in 4th and 5th year, will get far worse reactions compared to one of our arguments."

"True. I hope your shield's strong enough to stop everyone cursing you." Ron chuckled.

"It is. Anyway, there's something I need to tell you Hermione and Ginny."

"Sure. I'll be down in a minute, just going to wash my face."

Harry nodded and went back downstairs and sat beside Ginny and Hermione, "He'll be down in a few minute's." he explained.

Two minutes later Ron joined them.

"So what was it you need to tell us?" Hermione asked.

"As you know I was just at Gringotts." the three nodded, "The Goblins have decided they want us to help them with something."

"Even me?" Ginny asked in surprise.

Harry nodded, "What they want is for us to help them improve Human/Goblin relationship's. At least that's what Clanut said. Oh and I have these for you too." he pulled out three little pin-sized boxes and enlarged them with his wand before handing one to each of them, "They're to be worn like a watch." he explained as the three opened the boxes curiously.

Inside the boxes were three identical bangles, on them it had a golden disk with runes on it, the band was made of silver and, like Harry had said, it was like a watch with the clasp being made of a purplish looking metal.

"There gifts from the bank and will tell Goblin's all around the world that we can be trusted and that we're trying to improve Human/Goblin relationships. They'll resize so there an exact fit and there flexible so they wont get in the way of movement." Harry explained showing them his where it was wrapped around his wrist above the watch he got for his 17th birthday.

"Friendship, Communication, Loyalty, Bravery, Honesty, Trustworthy, Safe." Hermione said reading the runes. "Quite simple runes. Did Clanut tell you if the runes do anything?"

"They don't. It's just so Goblin's can tell we can be trusted and that we wont be afraid of them. Ginny I told him about how we understand most languages and can speak it, he thinks it could do wonders if we taught some other people how to speak Gobbledygook." he added as the other three put their bangle's on.

"It would." she agreed, "We need to figure out how to access it without someone who speaks that language talking to us first." she frowned.

"I told Clanut that and he say's we have all the time we could want." he shrugged.

"Should we tell the other's about these?" Ron asked indicating his bangle.

"Yes. I had to run it by you first to make sure you all agree."

"Well we do agree so let's tell them all after dinner." Ginny suggested, "In the mean time I'm going for a run as Misty. Anyone care to join me?" she asked, the Golden Trio nodded and they went outside before changing and starting to run around the Burrow.

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><p>Review please x<p> 


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21 - Fourth Year (Part 5)

16th August. 1998. 5.00pm.

After everyone had finished eating their dinner, Harry stood up.

"Another announcement for you." he smiled, "I was just at the bank and they asked me to help them improve Human/Goblin relationships along with Ron, Hermione and Ginny."

"We've all accepted." Ginny added.

"And according to what Harry's told us these," Hermione gestured to the bangle around her wrist, "will tell other Goblins we can be trusted and what we do."

Bill looked shocked, "You're going to have to be extra careful not to annoy the Goblins again. They dont give those bangles to anyone." he warned.

"You've seen them before then?" Ron asked.

Fleur nodded, "Mostly it's Goblins who wear them. It's a symbol of trust for them. Bill's right, you really will need to be extra careful."

"Mainly because there's a nasty hex on them if you ever willingly or knowingly betray a Goblin." Bill added darkly, "I'm guessing you weren't told about that? Or the fact they won't come off unless Clanut specifically gives you permission to take them off?"

"I guessed they wouldn't come off but I wasn't told about any hexes." Harry frowned, "It's a good thing we plan to stay in the Goblin's good books from now on."

"It is." Hermione agreed with Ron nodding.

"I was never in their bad books." Ginny shrugged, "But I don't plan on annoying any Goblins anyway. Doesn't seem like it's a good idea to be honest." she mused.

"It's not. We can tell you that without hesitation, we were just lucky they forgive us." Ron muttered.

"Lucky being we only got fined and heave to help them when they ask if we can." Harry added.

"Better than being banned from the bank or at least better than having them be unforgiving." Bill pointed out, "They're all vicious when they want to be."

"And after successfully robbing Gringotts people would expect them to hate you forever." Sirius laughed.

"Wait - you did what?" Alice asked Harry.

"Successfully robbed Gringotts." Hermione smirked, "Ron, Harry and I got in, stole something and escaped on the back of their guard-dragon. To top it all off we were forgiven."

"Actually they thanked us for proving people can escape with one of their protective measures." Harry grinned.

"I don't beleive you did it." Frank stated.

"They did." Charlie nodded, "As I said to the others who didn't beleive them, I was part of the team who had to catch the dragon they set loose whilst escaping."

"You'll have proof when we watch that memory. Let's go continue. I'll be skipping a lot so we're done quicker." Harry explained. They all went back through to the living room and sat down. "This is the morning after the World Cup." he added putting the memory in the pensive and sitting down, two blurs came out of nowhere and Jinx and Jet claimed his knee.

**Mr. Weasley woke them after only a few hours sleep. He used magic to pack up the tents, and they left the campsite as quickly as possible, passing Mr. Roberts at the door of his cottage. Mr. Roberts had a strange, dazed look about him, and he waved them off with a vague "Merry Christmas."**

"Poor guy." Petunia muttered.

**"He'll be all right," said Mr. Weasley quietly as they marched off onto the moor. "Sometimes, when a person's memory's modified, it makes him a bit disorientated for a while... and that was a big thing they had to make him forget."**

**They heard urgent voices as they approached the spot where the Portkeys lay, and when they reached it, they found a great number of witches and wizards gathered around Basil, the keeper of the Portkeys, all clamoring to get away from the campsite as quickly as possible. Mr. Weasley had a hurried discussion with Basil; they joined the queue, and were able to take an old rubber tire back to Stoatshead Hill before the sun had really risen. They walked back through Ottery St. Catchpole and up the damp lane toward the Burrow in the dawn light, talking very little because they were so exhausted, and thinking longingly of their breakfast. As they rounded the corner and the Burrow came into view, a cry echoed along the lane.**

**"Oh thank goodness, thank goodness!"**

**Mrs. Weasley, who had evidently been waiting for them in the front yard, came running toward them, still wearing her bedroom slippers, her face pale and strained, a rolled-up copy of the Daily Prophet clutched in her hand.**

**"Arthur - I've been so worried - so worried -"**

"You heard about it then?" Lily asked sympathetically as Molly nodded.

**She flung her arms around Mr. Weasley's neck, and the Daily Prophet fell out of her limp hand onto the ground. Looking down, Harry saw the headline: SCENES OF TERROR AT THE QUIDDITCH WORLD CUP, complete with a twinkling black-and-white photograph of the Dark Mark over the treetops.**

**"You're all right," Mrs. Weasley muttered distractedly, releasing Mr. Weasley and staring around at them all with red eyes, "you're alive... Oh boys..." And to everybody's surprise, she seized Fred and George and pulled them both into such a tight hug that their heads banged together.**

"Sorry boys." Molly chuckled, "I felt guilty for shouting at you before you left."

"We guessed that." George muttered.

"It's fine though." Fred added, grinning.

**"Ouch! Mum - you're strangling us -"**

**"I shouted at you before you left!" Mrs. Weasley said, starting to sob. "It's all I've been thinking about! What if You-Know-Who had got you, and the last thing I ever said to you was that you didn't get enough OW.L.s? Oh Fred... George..."**

**"Come on, now, Molly, we're all perfectly okay," said Mr. Weasley soothingly, pricing her off the twins and leading her back toward the house. "Bill," he added in an undertone, "pick up that paper, I want to see what it says..."**

**When they were all crammed into the tiny kitchen, and Hermione had made Mrs. Weasley a cup of very strong tea, into which Mr. Weasley insisted on pouring a shot of Ogdens Old Firewhiskey, Bill handed his father the newspaper. Mr. Weasley scanned the front page while Percy looked over his shoulder.**

**"I knew it," said Mr. Weasley heavily. "Ministry blunders... culprits not apprehended... lax security... Dark wizards running unchecked... national disgrace... Who wrote this? Ah... of course... Rita Skeeter."**

Everyone in the room that knew Skeeter snarled, Harry the loudest.

**"That woman's got it in for the Ministry of Magic!" said Percy furiously. "Last week she was saying we're wasting our time quibbling about cauldron thickness, when we should be stamping out vampires! As if it wasn't specifically stated in paragraph twelve of the Guidelines for the Treatment of Non-Wizard Part-Humans ****-****"**

**"Do us a favor, Perce," said Bill, yawning, "and shut up."**

Everyone snickered as Percy glared at his big brother.

**"I'm mentioned," said Mr. Weasley, his eyes widening behind his glasses as he reached the bottom of the Daily Prophet article.**

**"Where?" spluttered Mrs. Weasley, choking on her tea and whiskey. "If I'd seen that, I'd have known you were alive!"**

**"Not by name," said Mr. Weasley. "Listen to this: 'If the terrified wizards and witches who waited breathlessly for news at the edge of the wood expected reassurance from the Ministry of Magic, they were sadly disappointed. A Ministry official emerged some time after the appearance of the Dark Mark alleging that nobody had been hurt, but refusing to give any more information. Whether this statement will be enough to quash the rumors that several bodies were removed from the woods an hour later, remains to be seen.' Oh really," said Mr. Weasley in exasperation, handing the paper to Percy. "Nobody was hurt. What was I supposed to say? 'Rumors that several bodies were removed from the woods...' well, there certainly will be rumors now she's printed that."**

"I hate that woman." Sirius growled.

Harry nodded in agreement.

**He heaved a deep sigh. "Molly, I'm going to have to go into the office; this is going to take some smoothing over."**

**"I'll come with you, Father," said Percy importantly. "Mr. Crouch will need all hands on deck. And I can give him my cauldron report in person."**

**He bustled out of the kitchen. Mrs. Weasley looked most upset. "Arthur, you're supposed to be on holiday! This hasn't got anything to do with your office; surely they can handle this without you?"**

**"I've got to go, Molly," said Mr. Weasley. "I've made things worse. I'll just change into my robes and I'll be off..."**

**"Mrs. Weasley," said Harry suddenly, unable to contain himself, "Hedwig hasn't arrived with a letter for me, has she?"**

**"Hedwig, dear?" said Mrs. Weasley distractedly. "No... no, there hasn't been any post at all."**

**Ron and Hermione looked curiously at Harry. With a meaningful look at both of them he said, "All right if I go and dump my stuff in your room, Ron?"**

**"Yeah... think I will too," said Ron at once. "Hermione?"**

**"Yes," she said quickly, and the three of them marched out of the kitchen and up the stairs.**

**"What's up, Harry?" said Ron, the moment they had closed the door of the attic room behind them.**

**"There's something I haven't told you," Harry said. "On Saturday morning, I woke up with my scar hurting again."**

**Ron's and Hermione's reactions were almost exactly as Harry had imagined them back in his bedroom on Privet Drive. Hermione gasped and started making suggestions at once, mentioning a number of reference books, and everybody from Albus Dumbledore to Madam Pomfrey, the Hogwarts nurse. Ron simply looked dumbstruck.**

"You know us too well mate." Ron grinned.

**"But - he wasn't there, was he? You-Know-Who? I mean - last time your scar kept hurting, he was at Hogwarts, wasn't he?"**

**"I'm sure he wasn't on Privet Drive," said Harry. "But I was dreaming about him... him and Peter - you know, Wormtail. I can't remember all of it now, but they were plotting to kill... someone."**

"Yeah, you." Hermione growled.

Harry ducked his head slightly, "Sorry, I wasn't going to tell you that willingly." he told her, "You were worried enough about it as it was."

"He's got a point 'Mione, we didn't really need to know that." Ron cringed when she glared at him, "I mean we could probably guess he was the target anyway, not at that point but later on, it was just that neither of us wanted to think that so we didn't realise it at the time."

She narrowed her eyes but nodded, albeit reluctantly.

**He had teetered for a moment on the verge of saying "me," but couldn't bring himself to make Hermione look any more horrified than she already did.**

**"It was only a dream," said Ron bracingly. "Just a nightmare."**

**"Yeah, but was it, though?" said Harry, turning to look out of the window at the brightening sky. "It's weird, isn't it...? My scar hurts, and three days later the Death Eaters are on the march, and Voldemort's sign's up in the sky again."**

**"Don't - say - his - name!" Ron hissed through gritted teeth.**

"Voldemort." Harry stuck his tongue out at Ron childishly, making the others laugh.

Ron rolled his eyes, "I'm fine with it now. Voldemort's dead, we don't have to worry about him anymore."

"Just his followers." Hermione wrinkled her nose. "There easy enough to deal with when we find them though."

"Yes, because Mass Murderers are very easy to deal with." Remus commented dryly.

"Half of them cant think for themselves." Draco rolled his eyes, "Trust me, they've not got that much talent. Most of them are probably on Crabbe and Goyle's level. As far as we know only 2 of them actually have brains to form any sort of plan." he shrugged.

"One of them is Lucius, so I'd say fairly easy to deal with." Cissy mused, "The others may follow his or Yaxley's plan, but I know most of them were ones who put Voldemorts plans in danger of failing, or just generally messing them up." she shrugged, "It's only finding them that's the real problem."

"We'll get them eventually." Kingsley sighed.

**"And remember what Professor Trelawney said?" Harry went on, ignoring Ron. "At the end of last year?"**

**Professor Trelawney was their Divination teacher at Hogwarts. Hermione's terrified look vanished as she let out a derisive snort.**

**"Oh Harry, you aren't going to pay attention to anything that old fraud says?"**

**"You weren't there," said Harry. "You didn't hear her. This time was different. I told you, she went into a trance - a real one. And she said the Dark Lord would rise again... greater and more terrible than ever before... and he'd manage it because his servant was going to go back to him... and that night Wormtail escaped."**

**There was a silence in which Ron fidgeted absentmindedly with a hole in his Chudley Cannons bedspread.**

**"Why were you asking if Hedwig had come, Harry?" Hermione asked. "Are you expecting a letter?"**

**"I told Sirius about my scar," said Harry, shrugging. "I'm waiting for his answer."**

**"Good thinking!" said Ron, his expression clearing. "I bet Sirius'll know what to do!"**

"I might not know but I can give you advice." Sirius shrugged.

**"I hoped he'd get back to me quickly," said Harry.**

**"But we don't know where Sirius is... he could be in Africa or somewhere, couldn't he?" said Hermione reasonably. "Hedwig's not going to manage that journey in a few days."**

**"Yeah, I know," said Harry, but there was a leaden feeling in his stomach as he looked out of the window at the Hedwig-free sky.**

**"Come and have a game of Quidditch in the orchard, Harry" said Ron. "Come on - three on three, Bill and Charlie and Fred and George will play... You can try out the Wronski Feint..."**

**"Ron," said Hermione, in an I-don't-think-you're-being-very-sensitive sort of voice, "Harry doesn't want to play Quidditch right now... He's worried, and he's tired... We all need to go to bed..."**

**"Yeah, I want to play Quidditch," said Harry suddenly. "Hang on, I'll get my Firebolt."**

**Hermione left the room, muttering something that sounded very much like "Boys."**

"'Mione you know flying helps me clear my head." Harry pointed out.

"Yes I do know that. It was mainly because Ron suggested you try the Wronski Feint." she admitted. "I didnt want you hurt because you were tired and done something wrong."

**Neither Mr. Weasley nor Percy was at home much over the following week. Both left the house each morning before the rest of the family got up, and returned well after dinner every night.**

**"It's been an absolute uproar," Percy told them importantly the Sunday evening before they were due to return to Hogwarts. "I've been putting out fires all week. People keep sending Howlers, and of course, if you don't open a Howler straight away, it explodes. Scorch marks all over my desk and my best quill reduced to cinders."**

"Oh what a tragedy." James muttered.

**"Why are they all sending Howlers?" asked Ginny, who was mending her copy of One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi with Spellotape on the rug in front of the living room fire.**

**"Complaining about security at the World Cup," said Percy. "They want compensation for their ruined property. Mundungus Fletcher's put in a claim for a twelve-bedroomed tent with en-suite Jacuzzi, but I've got his number. I know for a fact he was sleeping under a cloak propped on sticks."**

**Mrs. Weasley glanced at the grandfather clock in the corner. Harry liked this clock. It was completely useless if you wanted to know the time, but otherwise very informative. It had nine golden hands, and each of them was engraved with one of the Weasley family's names. There were no numerals around the face, but descriptions of where each family member might be. "Home," "school," and "work" were there, but there was also "traveling," "lost," "hospital," "prison," and, in the position where the number twelve would be on a normal clock, "mortal peril."**

**Eight of the hands were currently pointing to the "home" position, but Mr. Weasley's, which was the longest, was still pointing to "work." Mrs. Weasley sighed.**

**"Your father hasn't had to go into the office on weekends since the days of You- Know-Who," she said. "They're working him far too hard. His dinner's going to be ruined if he doesn't come home soon."**

**"Well, Father feels he's got to make up for his mistake at the match, doesn't he?"**

"He didn't do anything wrong!" Lily shouted.

"It was that horrid Skeeter!" Sirius agreed.

"It was my mistake. I shouldn't have made a statement without talking to my boss first." Arthur smiled.

**said Percy. "If truth be told, he was a tad unwise to make a public statement without clearing it with his Head of Department first -"**

**"Don't you dare blame your father for what that wretched Skeeter woman wrote!" said Mrs. Weasley, flaring up at once.**

**"If Dad hadn't said anything, old Rita would just have said it was disgraceful that nobody from the Ministry had commented," said Bill, who was playing chess with Ron. "Rita Skeeter never makes anyone look good. Remember, she interviewed all the Gringotts' Charm Breakers once, and called me 'a long-haired pillock'?"**

**"Well, it is a bit long, dear," said Mrs. Weasley gently. "If you'd just let me -"**

**"No, Mum."**

The men grinned.

**Rain lashed against the living room window. Hermione was immersed in The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 4, copies of which Mrs. Weasley had bought for her, Harry, and Ron in Diagon Alley. Charlie was darning a fireproof balaclava. Harry was polishing his Firebolt, the broomstick servicing kit Hermione had given him for his thirteenth birthday open at his feet. Fred and George were sitting in a far corner, quills out, talking in whispers, their heads bent over a piece of parchment.**

**"What are you two up to?" said Mrs. Weasley sharply, her eyes on the twins.**

**"Homework," said Fred vaguely.**

"Please, you two never do your homework." Ginny scoffed. "You leave it until the last minute like these two." she gestured Ron and Harry who looked guilty.

**"Don't be ridiculous, you're still on holiday," said Mrs. Weasley.**

**"Yeah, we've left it a bit late," said George.**

**"You're not by any chance writing out a new order form, are you?" said Mrs. Weasley shrewdly. "You wouldn't be thinking of restarting Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, by any chance?"**

**"Now, Mum," said Fred, looking up at her, a pained look on his face. "If the Hogwarts Express crashed tomorrow, and George and I died, how would you feel to know that the last thing we ever heard from you was an unfounded accusation?"**

Everyone laughed, even Jinx and Jet yipped in their form of laughter when Ginny translated for them.

**Everyone laughed, even Mrs. Weasley.**

**"Oh your father's coming!" she said suddenly, looking up at the clock again.**

**Mr. Weasley's hand had suddenly spun from "work" to "traveling"; a second later it had shuddered to a halt on "home" with the others, and they heard him calling from the kitchen.**

**"Coming, Arthur!" called Mrs. Weasley, hurrying out of the room. A few moments later, Mr. Weasley came into the warm living room carrying his dinner on a tray. He looked completely exhausted.**

**"Well, the fat's really in the fire now," he told Mrs. Weasley as he sat down in an armchair near the hearth and toyed unenthusiastically with his somewhat shriveled cauliflower. "Rita Skeeter's been ferreting around all week, looking for more Ministry mess-ups to report. And now she's found out about poor old Bertha going missing, so that'll be the headline in the Prophet tomorrow. I told Bagman he should have sent someone to look for her ages ago."**

**"Mr. Crouch has been saying it for weeks and weeks," said Percy swiftly.**

**"Crouch is very lucky Rita hasn't found out about Winky," said Mr. Weasley irritably. "There'd be a week's worth of headlines in his house-elf being caught holding the wand that conjured the Dark Mark."**

**"I thought we were all agreed that that elf, while irresponsible, did not conjure the Mark?" said Percy hotly.**

"Winky may have been irresponsible but that doesn't mean she should have been sacked." Hermione frowned.

**"If you ask me, Mr. Crouch is very lucky no one at the Daily Prophet knows how mean he is to elves!" said Hermione angrily.**

James rolled his eyes then laughed, "Percy's not going to like that!"

**"Now look here, Hermione!" said Percy. "A high-ranking Ministry official like Mr. Crouch deserves unswerving obedience from his servants -"**

**"His slave, you mean!" said Hermione, her voice rising passionately, "because he didn't pay Winky, did he?"**

**"I think you'd all better go upstairs and check that you've packed properly!" said Mrs. Weasley, breaking up the argument. "Come on now, all of you..."**

**Harry repacked his broomstick servicing kit, put his Firebolt over his shoulder, and went back upstairs with Ron. The rain sounded even louder at the top of the house, accompanied by loud whistlings and moans from the wind, not to mention sporadic howls from the ghoul who lived in the attic. Pigwidgeon began twittering and zooming around his cage when they entered. The sight of the half-packed trunks seemed to have sent him into a frenzy of excitement.**

**"Bung him some Owl Treats," said Ron, throwing a packet across to Harry. "It might shut him up."**

**Harry poked a few Owl Treats through the bars of Pigwidgeon's cage, then turned to his trunk. Hedwig's cage stood next to it, still empty.**

**"It's been over a week," Harry said, looking at Hedwig's deserted perch. "Ron, you don't reckon Sirius has been caught, do you?"**

"It would've been in the Prophet." Sirius muttered, "I'm not going to get caught."

**"Nah, it would've been in the Daily Prophet," said Ron. "The Ministry would want to show they'd caught someone, wouldn't they?"**

**"Yeah, I suppose..."**

**"Look, here's the stuff Mum got for you in Diagon Alley. And she's got some gold out of your vault for you... and she's washed all your socks."**

**He heaved a pile of parcels onto Harry's camp bed and dropped the money bag and a load of socks next to it. Harry started unwrapping the shopping. Apart from The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 4, by Miranda Goshawk, he had a handful of new quills, a dozen rolls of parchment, and refills for his potion-making kit - he had been running low on spine of lionfish and essence of belladonna. He was just piling underwear into his cauldron when Ron made a loud noise of disgust behind him.**

**"What is that supposed to be?"**

**He was holding up something that looked to Harry like a long, maroon velvet dress. It had a moldy-looking lace frill at the collar and matching lace cuffs. There was a knock on the door, and Mrs. Weasley entered, carrying an armful of freshly laundered Hogwarts robes.**

**"Here you are," she said, sorting them into two piles. "Now, mind you pack them properly so they don't crease."**

**"Mum, you've given me Ginny's new dress," said Ron, handing it out to her.**

**"Of course I haven't," said Mrs. Weasley. "That's for you. ****Dress robes."**

**"What?" said Ron, looking horror-struck.**

**"Dress robes!" repeated Mrs. Weasley. "It says on your school list that you're supposed to have dress robes this year... robes for formal occasions."**

**"You've got to be kidding," said Ron in disbelief. "I'm not wearing that, no way."**

**"Everyone wears them, Ron!" said Mrs. Weasley crossly. "They're all like that! Your father's got some for smart parties!"**

**"I'll go starkers before I put that on," said Ron stubbornly.**

**"Don't be so silly," said Mrs. Weasley. "You've got to have dress robes, they're on your list! I got some for Harry too... show him, Harry..."**

**In some trepidation, Harry opened the last parcel on his camp bed. It wasn't as bad as he had expected, however; his dress robes didn't have any lace on them at all - in fact, they were more or less the same as his school ones, except that they were bottle green instead of black.**

"Why green?" James asked curiously.

**"I thought they'd bring out the color of your eyes, dear," said Mrs. Weasley fondly.**

"Ah, that's why."

**"Well, they're okay!" said Ron angrily, looking at Harry's robes. "Why couldn't I have some like that?"**

**"Because... well, I had to get yours secondhand, and there wasn't a lot of choice!" said Mrs. Weasley, flushing.**

**Harry looked away. He would willingly have split all the money in his Gringotts vault with the Weasleys, but he knew they would never take it.**

Harry blushed slightly and Ron gave him a grateful look.

**"I'm never wearing them," Ron was saying stubbornly. "Never."**

**"Fine," snapped Mrs. Weasley. "Go naked. And, Harry, make sure you get a picture of him. Goodness knows I could do with a laugh."**

"Probably a good thing I decided just to wear them." Ron muttered.

"Yeah, I'm sure you'd rather not have the whole school see you naked." Harry laughed.

**She left the room, slamming the door behind her. There was a funny spluttering noise from behind them. Pigwidgeon was choking on an overlarge Owl Treat.**

"That's where this memory ends." Harry smiled, Ron looked grateful that he'd left out his last comment saying 'Why's everything I own rubbish'.


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22 - Fourth Year (Part 5.5)

16th August. 1998. 6.00pm.

"We're skipping until we're getting on the train." Harry explained.

**The Hogwarts Express, a gleaming scarlet steam engine, was already there, clouds of steam billowing from it, through which the many Hogwarts students and parents on the platform appeared like dark ghosts. Pigwidgeon became noisier than ever in response to the hooting of many owls through the mist. Harry, Ron, and Hermione set off to find seats, and were soon stowing their luggage in a compartment halfway along the train. They then hopped back down onto the platform to say good-bye to Mrs. Weasley, Bill, and Charlie.**

**"I might be seeing you all sooner than you think," said Charlie, grinning, as he hugged Ginny good-bye.**

**"Why?" said Fred keenly.**

**"You'll see,"** **said Charlie. "Just don't tell Percy I mentioned it... it's 'classified information, until such time as the Ministry sees fit to release it,' after all."**

**"Yeah, I sort of wish I were back at Hogwarts this year," said Bill, hands in his pockets, looking almost wistfully at the train.**

**"Why?" said George impatiently.**

**"You're going to have an interesting year," said Bill, his eyes twinkling. "I might even get time off to come and watch a bit of it."**

**"A bit of what?" said Ron.**

"That was annoying." Fred muttered, "I think you can consider yourself lucky Bill."

"Oh? Why would that be?"

"Another day of you saying things related to what was going on that year and refusing to tell us would have resulted in you being purple for a week or two." George answered.

Bill smirked, "Is that right? And how would that occur when I know for a fact you'd not figured out any more of your Wheezes? And I'm a curse breaker, I could probably remove whatever you put on me even if it took a few hours." he stated.

"Accidental products." Fred told him bluntly, "An interesting side affect of our first attempt at making Ton-Tongue Toffee's was turning purple with green polkadots. And they were more like tablets than sweets, it would be all too easy to slip one into something you were drinking." he smirked.

Bill looked wary, "Alright, in future I think I'll just tell you then."

"You learn quickly big bro." George grinned, reaching over and patting his head as he would if Bill was in wolf form.

Bill swiped his hand away irritably as the others laughed a little.

**But at that moment, the whistle blew, and Mrs. Weasley chivvied them toward the train doors.**

**"Thanks for having us to stay, Mrs. Weasley," said Hermione as they climbed on board, closed the door, and leaned out of the window to talk to her.**

**"Yeah, thanks for everything, Mrs. Weasley," said Harry.**

**"Oh it was my pleasure, dears," said Mrs. Weasley. "I'd invite you for Christmas, but... well, I expect you're all going to want to stay at Hogwarts, what with... one thing and another."**

"Cant you just tell us?" Lily asked.

Harry shook his head.

"Why not? It's only really Lily, Regulus, Alice, Frank and I who're in the dark about this." James pouted. "The others know so it's not fair if we don't." he added pleadingly.

"Guilt's not going to work, Dad." Harry said, smirking.

"You're an evil son." James groaned.

"Yes I am." he agreed cheekily, "I love keeping information from people who really want to know." he smirked.

"Its so fun." Ron and Hermione agreed.

**"Mum!" said Ron irritably. "What d'you three know that we don't?"**

**"You'll find out this evening, I expect," said Mrs. Weasley, smiling. "It's going to be very exciting - mind you, I'm very glad they've changed the rules -"**

**"What rules?" said Harry, Ron, Fred, and George together.**

"This is torture!" James yelled.

"We had to live it. It took longer for us to find out than it will you." Hermione pointed out.

**"I'm sure Professor Dumbledore will tell you... Now, behave, won't you? Won't you, Fred? And you, George?"**

**The pistons hissed loudly and the train began to move.**

**"Tell us what's happening at Hogwarts!" Fred bellowed out of the window as Mrs. Weasley, Bill, and Charlie sped away from them. "What rules are they changing?"**

**But Mrs. Weasley only smiled and waved. Before the train had rounded the corner, she, Bill, and Charlie had Disapparated.**

**Harry, Ron, and Hermione went back to their compartment. The thick rain splattering the windows made it very difficult to see out of them. Ron undid his trunk, pulled out his maroon dress robes, and flung them over Pigwidgeon's cage to muffle his hooting.**

**"Bagman wanted to tell us what's happening at Hogwarts," he said grumpily, sitting down next to Harry. "At the World Cup, remember? But my own mother won't say. Wonder what -"**

**"Shh!" Hermione whispered suddenly, pressing her finger to her lips and pointing toward the compartment next to theirs. Harry and Ron listened, and heard a familiar drawling voice drifting in through the open door.**

**"... Father actually considered sending me to Durmstrang rather than Hogwarts, you know. He knows the headmaster, you see. Well, you know his opinion of Dumbledore - the man's such a Mudblood-lover -"**

"Draco." Sirius growled.

Draco shrugged, "It's who I was. Not who I am now. I regret everything I said and did and I am sorry for that but... I cant change the past." he shrugged.

**"and Durmstrang doesn't admit that sort of riffraff. But Mother didn't like the idea of me going to school so far away. Father says Durmstrang takes a far more sensible line than Hogwarts about the Dark Arts. Durmstrang students actually learn them, not just the defense rubbish we do..."**

**Hermione got up, tiptoed to the compartment door, and slid it shut, blocking out Malfoy's voice.**

**"So he thinks Durmstrang would have suited him, does he?" she said angrily. "I wish he had gone, then we wouldn't have to put up with him."**

**"Durmstrang's another wizarding school?" said Harry.**

**"Yes," said Hermione sniffily, "and it's got a horrible reputation. According to An Appraisal of Magical Education in Europe, it puts a lot of emphasis on the Dark Arts."**

**"I think I've heard of it," said Ron vaguely. "Where is it? What country?"**

**"Well, nobody knows, do they?" said Hermione, raising her eyebrows.**

"Bulgaria." Draco supplied. "That's why it's so hard to find, not many people are willing to go and look in the cold."

**"Er - why not?" said Harry.**

**"There's traditionally been a lot of rivalry between all the magic schools. Durmstrang and Beauxbatons like to conceal their whereabouts so nobody can steal their secrets," said Hermione matter-of-factly.**

**"Come off it," said Ron, starting to laugh. "Durmstrang's got to be about the same size as Hogwarts - how are you going to hide a great big castle?"**

**"But Hogwarts is hidden," said Hermione, in surprise. "Everyone knows that... well, everyone who's read Hogwarts, A History, anyway."**

**"Just you, then," said Ron. "So go on - how d'you hide a place like Hogwarts?"**

**"It's bewitched," said Hermione. "If a Muggle looks at it, all they see is a moldering old ruin with a sign over the entrance saying DANGER, DO NOT ENTER, UNSAFE."**

"Really?" Petunia asked shocked, "It's quite clever."

**"So Durmstrang'll just look like a ruin to an outsider too?"**

**"Maybe," said Hermione, shrugging, "or it might have Muggle-repelling charms on it, like the World Cup stadium. And to keep foreign wizards from finding it, they'll have made it Unplottable -"**

**"Come again?"**

**"Well, you can enchant a building so it's impossible to plot on a map, can't you?"**

**"Er... if you say so," said Harry.**

**"But I think Durmstrang must be somewhere in the far north," said Hermione thoughtfully. "Somewhere very cold, because they've got fur capes as part of their uniforms."**

**"Ah, think of the possibilities," said Ron dreamily. "It would've been so easy to push Malfoy off a glacier and make it look like an accident... Shame his mother likes him..."**

"Sorry but we really did hate each other until the end of the war." Ron said to a glaring Draco, Astoria and Cissy.

"You have a point." Draco sighed.

"And it would be easy to make it look like an accident." Astoria deflated.

"We didn't ever want to actually kill him anyway." Hermione smiled.

"Maybe just maim... or seriously injure." Harry smirked. "Never kill though."

"I realised that when you had the chance to kill me and only hexed me." Draco admitted.

"We're not killers." Ron shrugged, "We prefer saving people, it's much more satisfying."

"Right. Next memory is at the feast. So it's skipping to when we just got into the castle and out of the storm outside." Harry explained.

**"Blimey," said Ron, shaking his head and sending water everywhere, "if that keeps up the lake's going to overflow. I'm soak - ARRGH!"**

**A large, red, water-filled balloon had dropped from out of the ceiling onto Ron's head and exploded. Drenched and sputtering, Ron staggered sideways into Harry, just as a second water bomb dropped - narrowly missing Hermione, it burst at Harry's feet, sending a wave of cold water over his sneakers into his socks. People all around them shrieked and started pushing one another in their efforts to get out of the line of fire. Harry looked up and saw, floating twenty feet above them, Peeves the Poltergeist,**

"Of course." James said, shaking his head and grinning.

"That sounds familiar, did we teach him that?" Sirius asked.

Lily frowned, "Yes, you three dropped water balloons on a bunch of 3rd years in our 6th year."

"Oh yeah!" Sirius laughed. "Now that was fun."

"Very." James nodded chuckling.

"And landed you two in detention for two weeks." Remus shook his head amusedly.

**a little man in a bell-covered hat and orange bow tie, his wide, malicious face contorted with concentration as he took aim again.**

**"PEEVES!" yelled an angry voice. "Peeves, come down here at ONCE!" Professor McGonagall, Deputy Headmistress and head of Gryffindor House, had come dashing out of the Great Hall; she skidded on the wet floor and grabbed Hermione around the neck to stop herself from falling.**

"Ouch." Ginny muttered as Hermione rubbed her neck in remembrance.

**"Ouch - sorry, Miss Granger -"**

**"That's all right, Professor!" Hermione gasped, massaging her throat.**

**"Peeves, get down here NOW!" barked Professor McGonagall, straightening her pointed hat and glaring upward through her square-rimmed spectacles.**

**"Not doing nothing!" cackled Peeves, lobbing a water bomb at several fifth-year girls, who screamed and dived into the Great Hall. "Already wet, aren't they? Little squirts! Wheeeeeeeeee!" And he aimed another bomb at a group of second years who had just arrived.**

James snickered, "We taught him that too."

**"I shall call the headmaster!" shouted Professor McGonagall. "I'm warning you, Peeves -"**

**Peeves stuck out his tongue, threw the last of his water bombs into the air, and zoomed off up the marble staircase, cackling insanely.**

**"Well, move along, then!" said Professor McGonagall sharply to the bedraggled crowd. "Into the Great Hall, come on!"**

**Harry, Ron, and Hermione slipped and slid across the entrance hall and through the double doors on the right, Ron muttering furiously under his breath as he pushed his sopping hair off his face.**

"Poor Ickle Ronniekins." the twins laughed. Ron glared at them.

**The Great Hall looked its usual splendid self, decorated for the start-of-term feast.**

**Golden plates and goblets gleamed by the light of hundreds and hundreds of candles, floating over the tables in midair. The four long House tables were packed with chattering students; at the top of the Hall, the staff sat along one side of a fifth table, facing their pupils. It was much warmer in here. Harry, Ron, and Hermione walked past the Slytherins, the Ravenclaws, and the Hufflepuffs, and sat down with the rest of the Gryffindors at the far side of the Hall, next to Nearly Headless Nick, the Gryffindor ghost. Pearly white and semitransparent, Nick was dressed tonight in his usual doublet, but with a particularly large ruff, which served the dual purpose of looking extra-festive, and insuring that his head didn't wobble too much on his partially severed neck.**

**"Good evening," he said, beaming at them.**

**"Says who?" said Harry,**

"That was rude.", Lily muttered.

Harry blushed slightly, "I was hungry and soaked." he protested.

**taking off his sneakers and emptying them of water. "Hope they hurry up with the Sorting. I'm starving."**

"You sound like Padfoot." Remus said, laughing.

"The only difference is Sirius eats the whole way to Hogwarts and is still hungry." James agreed.

Sirius huffed.

**The Sorting of the new students into Houses took place at the start of every school year, but by an unlucky combination of circumstances, Harry hadn't been present at one since his own. He was quite looking forward to it. Just then, a highly excited, breathless voice called down the table.**

**"Hiya, Harry!"**

**It was Colin Creevey, a third year to whom Harry was something of a hero.**

**"Hi, Colin," said Harry warily.**

**"Harry, guess what? Guess what, Harry? My brother's starting! My brother Dennis!"**

**"Er - good," said Harry.**

**"He's really excited!" said Colin, practically bouncing up and down in his seat. "I just hope he's in Gryffindor! Keep your fingers crossed, eh, Harry?"**

**"Er - yeah, all right," said Harry. He turned back to Hermione, Ron, and Nearly Headless Nick.**

**"Brothers and sisters usually go in the same Houses, don't they?" he said. He was judging by the Weasleys, all seven of whom had been put into Gryffindor.**

**"Oh no, not necessarily," said Hermione. "Parvati Patil's twin's in Ravenclaw, and they're identical. You'd think they'd be together, wouldn't you?"**

"I don't think we'd survive for long if we were split up." Fred commented.

"Or rather we'd survive, but we'd suffer." George mused, "Or we'd drive the teachers insane."

"Or all of the above." Fred smirked.

**Harry looked up at the staff table. There seemed to be rather more empty seats there than usual. Hagrid, of course, was still fighting his way across the lake with the first years; Professor McGonagall was presumably supervising the drying of the entrance hall floor, but there was another empty chair too, and Harry couldn't think who else was missing.**

**"Where's the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher?" said Hermione, who was also looking up at the teachers.**

**They had never yet had a Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher who had lasted more than three terms. Harry's favorite by far had been Professor Lupin,**

"Still is." Harry answered.

"Ours too." the others who had been taught by Remus said together.

Remus smiled at them and they returned it with full grins.

**who had resigned last year. He looked up and down the staff table. There was definitely no new face there.**

**"Maybe they couldn't get anyone!" said Hermione, looking anxious.**

**"Just late, probably."**

**Harry scanned the table more carefully. Tiny little Professor Flitwick, the Charms teacher, was sitting on a large pile of cushions beside Professor Sprout, the Herbology teacher, whose hat was askew over her flyaway gray hair. She was talking to Professor Sinistra of the Astronomy department. On Professor Sinistra's other side was the sallow-faced, hook-nosed, greasy-haired Potions master, Snape - Harry's least favorite person at Hogwarts. Harry's loathing of Snape was matched only by Snape's hatred of him, a hatred which had, if possible, intensified last year, when Harry had helped Sirius escape right under Snape's overlarge nose**

Sirius cheered and James joined him.

**- Snape and Sirius had been enemies since their own school days.**

**On Snape's other side was an empty seat, which Harry guessed was Professor McGonagall's. Next to it, and in the very center of the table, sat Professor Dumbledore, the headmaster, his sweeping silver hair and beard shining in the candlelight, his magnificent deep green**

James gasped, "There not purple!" a few people gave him odd looks. "He usually wears purple for the start of term feast's." he explained.

**robes embroidered with many stars and moons. The tips of Dumbledore's long, thin fingers were together and he was resting his chin upon them, staring up at the ceiling through his half-moon spectacles as though lost in thought. Harry glanced up at the ceiling too. It was enchanted to look like the sky outside, and he had never seen it look this stormy. Black and purple clouds were swirling across it, and as another thunderclap sounded outside, a fork of lightning flashed across it.**

**"Oh hurry up," Ron moaned, beside Harry, "I could eat a hippogriff."**

Sirius surprised them all by suddenly laughing.

"What?"

"Remember? In the last year when Hagrid had made sure Moony didn't eat Buckbeak?" Sirius said, still laughing.

Everyone (except who hadn't been there) laughed.

**The words were no sooner out of his mouth than the doors of the Great Hall opened and silence fell. Professor McGonagall was leading a long line of first years up to the top of the Hall. If Harry, Ron, and Hermione were wet, it was nothing to how these first years looked. They appeared to have swum across the lake rather than sailed.**

"Or been pushed in!" Sirius shouted at James.

"No, Padfoot. I pulled you in because I fell over and grabbed you to try and keep from falling. And we both went in."

"It was so cold," Sirius moaned, "And the squid touched me."

**All of them were shivering with a combination of cold and nerves as they filed along the staff table and came to a halt in a line facing the rest of the school - all of them except the smallest of the lot, a boy with mousy hair, who was wrapped in what Harry recognized as Hagrid's moleskin overcoat. The coat was so big for him that it looked as though he were draped in a furry black circus tent. His small face protruded from over the collar, looking almost painfully excited. When he had lined up with his terrified-looking peers, he caught Colin Creevey's eye, gave a double thumbs-up, and mouthed, "I fell in the lake!" He looked positively delighted about it.**

**Professor McGonagall now placed a three-legged stool on the ground before the first years and, on top of it, an extremely old, dirty patched wizard's hat. The first years stared at it. So did everyone else. For a moment, there was silence. Then a long tear near the brim opened wide like a mouth, and the hat broke into song:**

**A thousand years or more ago,**

**When I was newly sewn,**

**There lived four wizards of renown,**

**Whose names are still well known:**

**Bold Gryffindor, from wild moor,**

**Fair Ravenclaw, from glen,**

**Sweet Hufflepuff, from valley broad,**

**Shrewd Slytherin, from fin.**

**They shared a wish, a hope, a dream,**

**They hatched a daring plan**

**To educate young sorcerers**

**Thus Hogwarts School began.**

**Now each of these four founders**

**Formed their own house, for each**

**Did value different virtues**

**In the ones they had to teach.**

**By Gryffindor, the bravest were**

**Prized far beyond the rest;**

**For Ravenclaw, the cleverest**

**Would always be the best;**

**For Hufflepuff, hard workers were**

**Most worthy of admission;**

**And power-hungry Slytherin,**

**Loved those of great ambition.**

**While still alive they did divide**

**Their favorites from the throng,**

**Yet how to pick the worthy ones**

**When they were dead and gone?**

**'Twas Gryffindor who found the way,**

**He whipped me off his head**

**The founders put some brains in me**

**So I could choose instead!**

**Now slip me snug about your ears,**

**I've never yet been wrong,**

**I'll have a look inside your mind**

**And tell where you belong!**

**The Great Hall rang with applause as the Sorting Hat finished.**

**"That's not the song it sang when it Sorted us," said Harry, clapping along with everyone else.**

"You didn't know it changed every year?" Frank asked.

"It was the first sorting he'd seen since his own." Neville chuckled.

"We missed it in our second year because we flew a car to school and got in trouble and the year before was Remus's fault for me." Harry explained.

"Hey! You had passed out because of dementors so I sent an owl to Minerva to inform her. She was the one who got Poppy to check you over not me." Remus protested.

"You still told her." he replied, looking smug, "Your fault not mine."

**"Sings a different one every year," said Ron. "It's got to be a pretty boring life, hasn't it, being a hat? I suppose it spends all year making up the next one."**

**Professor McGonagall was now unrolling a large scroll of parchment.**

**"When I call out your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool," she told the first years. "When the hat announces your House, you will go and sit at the appropriate table. Ackerley, Stewart!"**

**A boy walked forward, visibly trembling from head to foot, picked up the Sorting Hat, put it on, and sat down on the stool.**

**"RAVENCLAW!" shouted the hat.**

**Stewart Ackerley took off the hat and hurried into a seat at the Ravenclaw table, where everyone was applauding him. Harry caught a glimpse of Cho, the Ravenclaw Seeker, cheering Stewart Ackerley as he sat down. For a fleeting second, Harry had a strange desire to join the Ravenclaw table too.**

Harry swallowed deeply and avoided Ginny's glare.

**"Baddock, Malcolm!"**

**"SLYTHERIN!"**

**The table on the other side of the hall erupted with cheers; Harry could see Malfoy clapping as Baddock joined the Slytherins. Harry wondered whether Baddock knew that Slytherin House had turned out more Dark witches and wizards than any other. Fred and George hissed Malcolm Baddock as he sat down.**

**"Branstone, Eleanor!"**

**"HUFFLEPUFF!"**

**"Cauldwell, Owen!"**

**"HUFFLEPUFF!"**

**"Creevey, Dennis!"**

**Tiny Dennis Creevey staggered forward, tripping over Hagrid's moleskin, just as Hagrid himself sidled into the Hall through a door behind the teachers' table. About twice as tall as a normal man, and at least three times as broad, Hagrid, with his long, wild, tangled black hair and beard, looked slightly alarming – a misleading impression, for Harry, Ron, and Hermione knew Hagrid to possess a very kind nature. He winked at them as he sat down at the end of the staff table and watched Dennis Creevey putting on the Sorting Hat. The rip at the brim opened wide -**

**"GRYFFINDOR!" the hat shouted.**

**Hagrid clapped along with the Gryffindors as Dennis Creevey, beaming widely, took off the hat, placed it back on the stool, and hurried over to join his brother.**

**"Colin, I fell in!" he said shrilly, throwing himself into an empty seat. "It was brilliant! And something in the water grabbed me and pushed me back in the boat!"**

"It would have been the squid." Regulus chuckled.

**"Cool!" said Colin, just as excitedly. "It was probably the giant squid, Dennis!"**

**"Wow!" said Dennis, as though nobody in their wildest dreams could hope for more than being thrown into a storm-tossed, fathoms-deep lake, and pushed out of it again by a giant sea monster.**

**"Dennis! Dennis! See that boy down there? The one with the black hair and glasses? See him? Know who he is, Dennis?"**

**Harry looked away, staring very hard at the Sorting Hat, now Sorting Emma Dobbs.**

**The Sorting continued; boys and girls with varying degrees of fright on their faces moving one by one to the three-legged stool, the line dwindling slowly as Professor McGonagall passed the L's.**

**"Oh hurry up," Ron moaned, massaging his stomach.**

**"Now, Ron, the Sorting's much more important than food," said Nearly Headless Nick as**

**"Madley, Laura!" became a Hufflepuff.**

**"Course it is, if you're dead," snapped Ron.**

**"I do hope this year's batch of Gryffindors are up to scratch," said Nearly Headless Nick, applauding as "McDonald, Natalie!" joined the Gryffindor table. "We don't want to break our winning streak, do we?"**

**Gryffindor had won the Inter-House Championship for the last three years in a row.**

"'Course because Harry, Ron and Hermione, have been there." commented Astoria. "And they always end up getting a lot of point's for doing something to save the school. Or something along those lines anyway."

**"Pritchard, Graham!"**

**"SLYTHERIN!"**

"He was actually alright." Draco smiled, "He used to get picked on because he had a friend in Ravenclaw. I never picked on him though." he added.

**"Quirke, Orla!"**

**"RAVENCLAW!"**

**And finally, with "Whitby, Kevin!" ("HUFFLEPUFF!"), the Sorting ended. Professor McGonagall picked up the hat and the stool and carried them away. "About time," said Ron, seizing his knife and fork and looking expectantly at his golden plate.**

**Professor Dumbledore had gotten to his feet. He was smiling around at the students, his arms opened wide in welcome.**

**"I have only two words to say to you," he told them, his deep voice echoing around the Hall. "Tuck in."**

**"Hear, hear!" said Harry and Ron loudly as the empty dishes filled magically before their eyes.**

**Nearly Headless Nick watched mournfully as Harry, Ron, and Hermione loaded their own plates.**

**"Aaah, 'at's be'er," said Ron,**

"What?" Lily asked.

James and Remus, who both had experience with this sort of eating (Because of Sirius) said, "Ah, that's better."

**with his mouth full of mashed potato.**

**"You're lucky there's a feast at all tonight, you know," said Nearly Headless Nick. "There was trouble in the kitchens earlier."**

**"Why? Wha' 'appened?" said Harry, through a sizable chunk of steak.**

**"Peeves, of course," said Nearly Headless Nick, shaking his head, which wobbled dangerously. He pulled his ruff a little higher up on his neck. "The usual argument, you know. He wanted to attend the feast - well, it's quite out of the question, you know what he's like, utterly uncivilized, can't see a plate of food without throwing it. We held a ghost's council - the Fat Friar was all for giving him the chance - but most wisely, in my opinion, the Bloody Baron put his foot down."**

**The Bloody Baron was the Slytherin ghost, a gaunt and silent specter covered in silver bloodstains. He was the only person at Hogwarts who could really control Peeves.**

"Used to be anyway." Hermione laughed, "He listens to Harry now."

"Us too on occasion." George added as Fred nodded.

**"Yeah, we thought Peeves seemed hacked off about something," said Ron darkly.**

**"So what did he do in the kitchens?"**

**"Oh the usual," said Nearly Headless Nick, shrugging. "Wreaked havoc and mayhem. Pots and pans everywhere. Place swimming in soup. Terrified the house-elves out of their wits -"**

**Clang.**

**Hermione had knocked over her golden goblet. Pumpkin juice spread steadily over the tablecloth, staining several feet of white linen orange, but Hermione paid no attention.**

**"There are house-elves here?" she said, staring, horror-struck, at Nearly Headless Nick. "Here at Hogwarts?"**

**"Certainly," said Nearly Headless Nick, looking surprised at her reaction. "The largest number in any dwelling in Britain, I believe. Over a hundred."**

**"I've never seen one!" said Hermione.**

**"Well, they hardly ever leave the kitchen by day, do they?" said Nearly Headless Nick. "They come out at night to do a bit of cleaning... see to the fires and so on... I mean, you're not supposed to see them, are you? That's the mark of a good house-elf, isn't it, that you don't know it's there?"**

**Hermione stared at him.**

**"But they get paid?" she said. "They get holidays, don't they? And - and sick leave, and pensions, and everything?"**

**Nearly Headless Nick chortled so much that his ruff slipped and his head flopped off, dangling on the inch or so of ghostly skin and muscle that still attached it to his neck.**

**"Sick leave and pensions?" he said, pushing his head back onto his shoulders and securing it once more with his ruff. "House-elves don't want sick leave and pensions!"**

**Hermione looked down at her hardly touched plate of food, then put her knife and fork down upon it and pushed it away from her.**

**"Oh c'mon, 'Er-my-knee," said Ron, accidentally spraying Harry with bits of Yorkshire pudding. "Oops - sorry, 'Arry -" He swallowed. "You won't get them sick leave by starving yourself!"**

**"Slave labor," said Hermione, breathing hard through her nose. "That's what made this dinner. Slave labor."**

**And she refused to eat another bite.**

**The rain was still drumming heavily against the high, dark glass. Another clap of thunder shook the windows, and the stormy ceiling flashed, illuminating the golden plates as the remains of the first course vanished and were replaced, instantly, with puddings.**

**"Treacle tart, Hermione!" said Ron, deliberately wafting its smell toward her. "Spotted dick, look! Chocolate gateau!"**

**But Hermione gave him a look so reminiscent of Professor McGonagall**

"Yikes." James winced.

Hermione glared at Harry.

"Sorry. I cant control my thoughts." he apologised.

**that he gave up.**

**When the puddings too had been demolished, and the last crumbs had faded off the plates, leaving them sparkling clean, Albus Dumbledore got to his feet again. The buzz of chatter filling the Hall ceased almost at once, so that only the howling wind and pounding rain could be heard.**

**"So!" said Dumbledore, smiling around at them all. "Now that we are all fed and watered," ("Hmph!" said Hermione) "I must once more ask for your attention, while I give out a few notices. Mr. Filch, the caretaker, has asked me to tell you that the list of objects forbidden inside the castle has this year been extended to include Screaming Yo-yos, Fanged Frisbees, and Ever-Bashing Boomerangs. The full list comprises some four hundred and thirty-seven items,"**

"It's grown." James commented.

"Remember when we stole his list and bought everything on it, then used it on him." Remus recalled.

"Yeah..." James said laughing. "That was fun."

"When was this?" Dora asked.

"Would have been our 5th year." Sirius smiled.

**"I believe, and can be viewed in Mr. Filch's office, if anybody would like to check it."**

**The corners of Dumbledore's mouth twitched. He continued, "As ever, I would like to remind you all that the forest on the grounds is out-of-bounds to students, as is the village of Hogsmeade to all below third year. It is also my painful duty to inform you that the Inter-House Quidditch Cup will not take place this year."**

The Quidditch fans protested loudly.

Lily shushed them and said reasonably, "There's probably a good reason."

**"What?" Harry gasped. He looked around at Fred and George, his fellow members of the Quidditch team. They were mouthing soundlessly at Dumbledore, apparently too appalled to speak. Dumbledore went on, "This is due to an event that will be starting in October, and continuing throughout the school year, taking up much of the teachers' time and energy - but I am sure you will all enjoy it immensely. I have great pleasure in announcing that this year at Hogwarts -"**

**But at that moment, there was a deafening rumble of thunder and the doors of the Great Hall banged open.**

**A man stood in the doorway, leaning upon a long staff, shrouded in a black traveling cloak. Every head in the Great Hall swiveled toward the stranger, suddenly brightly illuminated by a fork of lightning that flashed across the ceiling. He lowered his hood, shook out a long mane of grizzled, dark gray hair, then began to walk up toward the teachers' table.**

**A dull clunk echoed through the Hall on his every other step. He reached the end of the top table, turned right, and limped heavily toward Dumbledore. Another flash of lightning crossed the ceiling. Hermione gasped.**

**The lightning had thrown the man's face into sharp relief, and it was a face unlike any Harry had ever seen. It looked as though it had been carved out of weathered wood by someone who had only the vaguest idea of what human faces are supposed to look like, and was none too skilled with a chisel. Every inch of skin seemed to be scarred. The mouth looked like a diagonal gash, and a large chunk of the nose was missing. But it was the man's eyes that made him frightening.**

"Mad-Eye." Alice grinned.

**One of them was small, dark, and beady. The other was large, round as a coin, and a vivid, electric blue. The blue eye was moving ceaselessly, without blinking, and was rolling up, down, and from side to side, quite independently of the normal eye-and then it rolled right over, pointing into the back of the man's head, so that all they could see was whiteness.**

**The stranger reached Dumbledore. He stretched out a hand that was as badly scarred as his face, and Dumbledore shook it, muttering words Harry couldn't hear. He seemed to be making some inquiry of the stranger, who shook his head unsmilingly and replied in an undertone. Dumbledore nodded and gestured the man to the empty seat on his right-hand side.**

**The stranger sat down, shook his mane of dark gray hair out of his face, pulled a plate of sausages toward him, raised it to what was left of his nose, and sniffed it. He then took a small knife out of his pocket, speared a sausage on the end of it, and began to eat. His normal eye was fixed upon the sausages, but the blue eye was still darting restlessly around in its socket, taking in the Hall and the students.**

**"May I introduce our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher?" said Dumbledore brightly into the silence. "Professor Moody."**

**It was usual for new staff members to be greeted with applause, but none of the staff or students chapped except Dumbledore and Hagrid, who both put their hands together and applauded, but the sound echoed dismally into the silence, and they stopped fairly quickly. Everyone else seemed too transfixed by Moody's bizarre appearance to do more than stare at him.**

**"Moody?" Harry muttered to Ron. "Mad-Eye Moody? The one your dad went to help this morning?"**

**"Must be," said Ron in a low, awed voice.**

**"What happened to him?" Hermione whispered. "What happened to his face?"**

**"Dunno," Ron whispered back, watching Moody with fascination.**

**Moody seemed totally indifferent to his less-than-warm welcome. Ignoring the jug of pumpkin juice in front of him, he reached again into his traveling cloak, pulled out a hip flask, and took a long draught from it.**

**As he lifted his arm to drink, his cloak was pulled a few inches from the ground, and Harry saw, below the table, several inches of carved wooden leg, ending in a clawed foot.**

**Dumbledore cleared his throat.**

**"As I was saying," he said, smiling at the sea of students before him, all of whom were still gazing transfixed at Mad-Eye Moody, "we are to have the honor of hosting a very exciting event over the coming months, an event that has not been held for over a century. It is my very great pleasure to inform you that the Triwizard Tournament will be taking place at Hogwarts this year."**

"They brought it back!?" James asked looking exited.

"Yes. They did. That's why Beauxbatons and Durmstrang were there for the year." Fleur smiled.

**"You're JOKING!" said Fred Weasley loudly.**

Everyone laughed and the cubs made noise's that sounded like snickering.

**The tension that had filled the Hall ever since Moody's arrival suddenly broke. Nearly everyone laughed, and Dumbledore chuckled appreciatively.**

**"I am not joking, Mr. Weasley," he said, "though now that you mention it, I did hear an excellent one over the summer about a troll, a hag, and a leprechaun who all go into a bar."**

**Professor McGonagall cleared her throat loudly.**

**"Er - but maybe this is not the time... no..."**

"Minnie ruins all the fun." Sirius grumbled.

**said Dumbledore, "where was I? Ah yes, the Triwizard Tournament, well, some of you will not know what this tournament involves, so I hope those who do know will forgive me for giving a short explanation, and allow their attention to wander freely. The Triwizard Tournament was first established some seven hundred years ago as a friendly competition between the three largest European schools of wizardry: Hogwarts, Beauxbatons, and Durmstrang. A champion was selected to represent each school, and the three champions competed in three magical tasks. The schools took it in turns to host the tournament once every five years, and it was generally agreed to be a most excellent way of establishing ties between young witches and wizards of different nationalities - until, that is, the death toll mounted so high that the tournament was discontinued."**

**"Death toll?" Hermione whispered, looking alarmed. But her anxiety did not seem to be shared by the majority of students in the Hall; many of them were whispering excitedly to one another, and Harry himself was far more interested in hearing about the tournament than in worrying about deaths that had happened hundreds of years ago.**

Lily glared at him but he was unaffected, just smiling innocently back at her.

**"There have been several attempts over the centuries to reinstate the tournament," Dumbledore continued, "none of which has been very successful. However, our own departments of International Magical Cooperation and Magical Games and Sports have decided the time is ripe for another attempt. We have worked hard over the summer to ensure that this time, no champion will find himself or herself in mortal danger."**

Ginny muttered, "Yeah, right," under her breath. Harry heard her though and held her hand, giving it a small reassuring squeeze.

**"The heads of Beauxbatons and Durmstrang will be arriving with their short-listed contenders in October, and the selection of the three champions will take place at Halloween. An impartial judge will decide which students are most worthy to compete for the Triwizard Cup, the glory of their school, and a thousand Galleons personal prize money."**

**"I'm going for it!" Fred Weasley hissed down the table, his face lit with enthusiasm at the prospect of such glory and riches. He was not the only person who seemed to be visualizing himself as the Hogwarts champion. At every House table, Harry could see people either gazing raptly at Dumbledore, or else whispering fervently to their neighbors. But then Dumbledore spoke again, and the Hall quieted once more.**

**"Eager though I know all of you will be to bring the Triwizard Cup to Hogwarts," he said, "the heads of the participating schools, along with the Ministry of Magic, have agreed to impose an age restriction on contenders this year. Only students who are of age - that is to say, seventeen years or older"**

Lily looked relived. "You wont be able to enter then."

She missed the looks the Trio and Ginny shared.

**"- will be allowed to put forward their names for consideration. This" - Dumbledore raised his voice slightly, for several people had made noises of outrage at these words, and the Weasley twins were suddenly looking furious - "is a measure we feel is necessary, given that the tournament tasks will still be difficult and dangerous, whatever precautions we take, and it is highly unlikely that students below sixth and seventh year will be able to cope with them. I will personally be ensuring that no underage student hoodwinks our impartial judge into making them Hogwarts champion." His light blue eyes twinkled as they flickered over Fred's and George's mutinous faces. "I therefore beg you not to waste your time submitting yourself if you are under seventeen. The delegations from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang will be arriving in October and remaining with us for the greater part of this year. I know that you will all extend every courtesy to our foreign guests while they are with us, and will give your whole-hearted support to the Hogwarts champion when he or she is selected. And now, it is late, and I know how important it is to you all to be alert and rested as you enter your lessons tomorrow morning. Bedtime! Chop chop!"**

**Dumbledore sat down again and turned to talk to Mad-Eye Moody. There was a great scraping and banging as all the students got to their feet and swarmed toward the double doors into the entrance hall.**

"That's the end of the memory." Harry smiled.


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23 - Fourth Year (Part 6)

16th August. 1998. 7.00pm.

"Next memory is our first lesson with Hagrid. Not terribly important but you'd get confused later on without this memory." Harry explained.

"Skrewt's?" Ron asked quietly. Harry nodded.

**Hagrid was standing outside his hut, one hand on the collar of his enormous black boarhound, Fang. There were several open wooden crates on the ground at his feet, and Fang was whimpering and straining at his collar, apparently keen to investigate the contents more closely. As they drew nearer, an odd rattling noise reached their ears, punctuated by what sounded like minor explosions.**

**"Mornin'!" Hagrid said, grinning at Harry, Ron, and Hermione. "Be'er wait fer the Slytherins, they won' want ter miss this - Blast-Ended Skrewts!"**

"What?" Frank asked.

**"Come again?" said Ron.**

**Hagrid pointed down into the crates.**

**"Eurgh!" squealed Lavender Brown, jumping backward. "Eurgh" just about summed up the Blast-Ended Skrewts in Harry's opinion. They looked like deformed, shell-less lobsters, horribly pale and slimy-looking, with legs sticking out in very odd places and no visible heads. There were about a hundred of them in each crate, each about six inches long, crawling over one another, bumping blindly into the sides of the boxes. They were giving off a very powerful smell of rotting fish. Every now and then, sparks would fly out of the end of a skrewt, and with a small phut, it would be propelled forward several inches.**

**"On'y jus' hatched," said Hagrid proudly, "so yeh'll be able ter raise 'em yerselves! Thought we'd make a bit of a project of it!"**

"Oh, yay!" James said sarcastically.

**"And why would we want to raise them?" said a cold voice.**

**The Slytherins had arrived. The speaker was Draco Malfoy. Crabbe and Goyle were chuckling appreciatively at his words.**

**Hagrid looked stumped at the question.**

**"I mean, what do they do?" asked Malfoy. "What is the point of them?"**

**Hagrid opened his mouth, apparently thinking hard; there was a few seconds' pause, then he said roughly, "Tha's next lesson, Malfoy. Yer jus' feedin' 'em today. Now, yeh'll wan' ter try 'em on a few diff'rent things - I've never had 'em before, not sure what they'll go fer - I got ant eggs an' frog livers an' a bit o' grass snake - just try 'em out with a bit of each."**

**"First pus and now this," muttered Seamus.**

**Nothing but deep affection for Hagrid could have made Harry, Ron, and Hermione pick up squelchy handfuls of frog liver and lower them into the crates to tempt the Blast-Ended Skrewts. Harry couldn't suppress the suspicion that the whole thing was entirely pointless, because the skrewts didn't seem to have mouths.**

**"Ouch!" yelled Dean Thomas after about ten minutes. "It got me."**

**Hagrid hurried over to him, looking anxious.**

**"Its end exploded!" said Dean angrily, showing Hagrid a burn on his hand.**

**"Ah, yeah, that can happen when they blast off," said Hagrid, nodding.**

**"Eurgh!" said Lavender Brown again. "Eurgh, Hagrid, what's that pointy thing on it?"**

**"Ah, some of 'em have got stings," said Hagrid enthusiastically (Lavender quickly withdrew her hand from the box). "I reckon they're the males... The females've got sorta sucker things on their bellies... I think they might be ter suck blood."**

**"Well, I can certainly see why we're trying to keep them alive," said Malfoy sarcastically. "Who wouldn't want pets that can burn, sting, and bite all at once?"**

**"Just because they're not very pretty, it doesn't mean they're not useful," Hermione snapped. "Dragon blood's amazingly magical, but you wouldn't want a dragon for a pet, would you?"**

"You knew that reminded me of 1st year? When Hagrid actually did have a dragon." Draco smirked.

"I didnt think about that at the time." Hermione admitted.

**Harry and Ron grinned at Hagrid, who gave them a furtive smile from behind his bushy beard. Hagrid would have liked nothing better than a pet dragon, as Harry, Ron, and Hermione knew only too well - he had owned one for a brief period during their first year, a vicious Norwegian Ridgeback by the name of Norbert. Hagrid simply loved monstrous creatures, the more lethal, the better.**

**"Well, at least the skrewts are small,"**

"For now." Harry muttered.

**said Ron as they made their way back up to the castle for lunch an hour later.**

**"They are now," said Hermione in an exasperated voice, "but once Hagrid's found out what they eat, I expect they'll be six feet long."**

**"Well, that won't matter if they turn out to cure seasickness or something, will it?" said Ron, grinning slyly at her.**

**"You know perfectly well I only said that to shut Malfoy up," said Hermione. "As a matter of fact I think he's right. The best thing to do would be to stamp on the lot of them before they start attacking us all."**

"You agreed with something Draco said!" Fred asked shocked.

"And that was when we still hated each other." Draco grinned.

"You were right about the Skrewt's though. Pain in the back end if you ask me." Harry muttered. "They were only good for giving you injuries."

"And giving you exercise." Ron added.

"Exactly. Let's continue, I just needed to show you lot what the Skrewt's were." Harry explained, "The next one is the reason Draco get's called ferret boy when he annoys us."

"Urgh!" Draco groaned, "Please dont show that one."

"Sorry but it's important." Harry chuckled, "Or at least what you point out to us is."

**"Miserable old bat," said Ron bitterly as they joined the crowds descending the staircases back to the Great Hall and dinner. "That'll take all weekend, that will..."**

"Who -" Sirius started.

"Trelawny gave us a ton of homework because Ron told a joke." Harry explained, "Divination." he added to Frank and Alice who looked confused.

**"Lots of homework?" said Hermione brightly, catching up with them. "Professor Vector didn't give us any at all!"**

**"Well, bully for Professor Vector," said Ron moodily.**

**They reached the entrance hall, which was packed with people queuing for dinner. They had just joined the end of the line, when a loud voice rang out behind them.**

**"Weasley! Hey, Weasley!"**

**Harry, Ron, and Hermione turned. Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle were standing there, each looking thoroughly pleased about something.**

**"What?" said Ron shortly.**

**"Your dad's in the paper, Weasley!" said Malfoy, brandishing a copy of the Daily Prophet and speaking very loudly, so that everyone in the packed entrance hall could hear. "Listen to this!**

**FURTHER MISTAKES AT THE MINISTRY OF MAGIC**

**It seems as though the Ministry of Magic's troubles are not yet at an end, writes Rita Skeeter,"**

"Skeeter's worse than Skrewt's." Remus muttered making everyone who knew her laugh.

**"Special Correspondent. Recently under fire for its poor crowd control at the Quidditch World Cup, and still unable to account for the disappearance of one of its witches, the Ministry was plunged into fresh embarrassment yesterday by the antics of Arnold Weasley,"**

"Couldn't she at least get his name right?" Hermione made a face.

**"of the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office."**

**Malfoy looked up.**

**"Imagine them not even getting his name right, Weasley. It's almost as though he's a complete nonentity, isn't it?" he crowed.**

**Everyone in the entrance hall was listening now. Malfoy straightened the paper with a flourish and read on:**

**"Arnold Weasley, who was charged with possession of a flying car two years ago, was yesterday involved in a tussle with several Muggle law-keepers ("policemen") over a number of highly aggressive dustbins. Mr. Weasley appears to have rushed to the aid of "Mad-Eye" Moody, the aged ex-Auror who retired from the Ministry when no longer able to tell the difference between a handshake and attempted murder. Unsurprisingly, Mr. Weasley found, upon arrival at Mr. Moody's heavily guarded house, that Mr. Moody had once again raised a false alarm. Mr. Weasley was forced to modify several memories before he could escape from the policemen, but refused to answer Daily Prophet questions about why he had involved the Ministry in such an undignified and potentially embarrassing scene.**

**And there's a picture, Weasley!" said Malfoy, flipping the paper over and holding it up. "A picture of your parents outside their house - if you can call it a house! Your mother could do with losing a bit of weight, couldn't she?"**

**Ron was shaking with fury. Everyone was staring at him.**

**"Get stuffed, Malfoy," said Harry. "C'mon, Ron..."**

**"Oh yeah, you were staying with them this summer, weren't you, Potter?" sneered Malfoy. "So tell me, is his mother really that porky, or is it just the picture?"**

Everyone was glaring at Draco by now; he looked very ashamed and apologetic, his face was red.

**"You know your mother, Malfoy?" said Harry - both he and Hermione had grabbed the back of Ron's robes to stop him from launching himself at Malfoy - "that expression she's got, like she's got dung under her nose? Has she always looked like that, or was it just because you were with her?"**

"Nope. That was Lucius." Cissy smirked.

**Malfoy's pale face went slightly pink.**

**"Don't you dare insult my mother, Potter."**

"Never really understood that." Hermione muttered, "You stood and insulted Mr and Mrs Weasley but we weren't allowed to say anything about your parents."

"That would have been because of the spell's Lucius had on him." Cissy sighed, "Loyalty potions didnt help Draco's attitude much either."

"And I'm really sorry about that." Draco winced.

**"Keep your fat mouth shut, then," said Harry, turning away.**

**BANG!**

**Several people screamed - Harry felt something white-hot graze the side of his face - he plunged his hand into his robes for his wand, but before he'd even touched it, he heard a second loud BANG, and a roar that echoed through the entrance hall.**

**"OH NO YOU DON'T, LADDIE!"**

**Harry spun around. Professor Moody was limping down the marble staircase. His wand was out and it was pointing right at a pure white ferret, which was shivering on the stone-flagged floor, exactly where Malfoy had been standing.**

**There was a terrified silence in the entrance hall. Nobody but Moody was moving a muscle. Moody turned to look at Harry - at least, his normal eye was looking at Harry; the other one was pointing into the back of his head.**

**"Did he get you?" Moody growled. His voice was low and gravelly.**

**"No," said Harry, "missed."**

"You really do need to work on your aim." Harry told Draco who shrugged.

"Thought you'd be glad I missed on that occasion."

**"LEAVE IT!" Moody shouted.**

**"Leave - what?" Harry said, bewildered.**

**"Not you - him!" Moody growled, jerking his thumb over his shoulder at Crabbe, who had just frozen, about to pick up the white ferret. It seemed that Moody's rolling eye was magical and could see out of the back of his head.**

"I'm not sure whether to say that's cool or gross." Dudley muttered.

A few people laughed and nodded in agreement.

**Moody started to limp toward Crabbe, Goyle, and the ferret, which gave a terrified squeak and took off, streaking toward the dungeons.**

**"I don't think so!" roared Moody, pointing his wand at the ferret again - it flew ten feet into the air, fell with a smack to the floor, and then bounced upward once more.**

**"I don't like people who attack when their opponent's back's turned," growled Moody as the ferret bounced higher and higher, squealing in pain. "Stinking, cowardly, scummy thing to do..."**

"I never heard about this, why?" Cissy asked, turning to glare at her son.

"I wasnt going to tell you I was turned into a ferret by a teacher then humiliated in front of a large amount of people." Draco protested, "Would you have believed me anyway?"

"If Severus could confirm it then, yes."

**The ferret flew through the air, its legs and tail flailing helplessly. "Never - do - that - again -" said Moody, speaking each word as the ferret hit the stone floor and bounced upward again.**

**"Professor Moody!" said a shocked voice.**

**Professor McGonagall was coming down the marble staircase with her arms full of books.**

**"Hello, Professor McGonagall," said Moody calmly, bouncing the ferret still higher.**

**"What - what are you doing?" said Professor McGonagall, her eyes following the bouncing ferret's progress through the air.**

**"Teaching," said Moody.**

**"Teach - Moody, is that a student?" shrieked Professor McGonagall, the books spilling out of her arms.**

**"Yep," said Moody.**

**"No!" cried Professor McGonagall, running down the stairs and pulling out her wand; a moment later, with a loud snapping noise, Draco Malfoy had reappeared, lying in a heap on the floor with his sleek blond hair all over his now brilliantly pink face. He got to his feet, wincing.**

"You were okay weren't you?" Amber asked worriedly.

"Yeah. I had quite a few bruises and a cracked rib but nothing life threatening." he shrugged.

"It wasnt that bad." Astoria agreed, "It was me who fixed him up. I put the bruise balm on for him and gave him some pain reducer before fixing his rib."

"You should have gone to Poppy." Lily frowned.

"He knew I had been healing things since I was 9. My Mum thought I needed to know the basics and then taught me more after my 1st year." Astoria explained. "It came in handy for minor injuries."

**"Moody, we never use Transfiguration as a punishment!" said Professor McGonagall wealdy. "Surely Professor Dumbledore told you that?"**

**"He might've mentioned it, yeah," said Moody, scratching his chin unconcernedly, "but I thought a good sharp shock -"**

**"We give detentions, Moody! Or speak to the offender's Head of House!"**

**"I'll do that, then," said Moody, staring at Malfoy with great dislike.**

**Malfoy, whose pale eyes were still watering with pain and humiliation, looked malevolently up at Moody and muttered something in which the words "my father" were distinguishable.**

**"Oh yeah?" said Moody quietly, limping forward a few steps, the dull clunk of his wooden leg echoing around the hall. "Well, I know your father of old, boy... You tell him Moody's keeping a close eye on his son... you tell him that from me... Now, your Head of House'll be Snape, will it?"**

**"Yes," said Malfoy resentfully.**

**"Another old friend," growled Moody. "I've been looking forward to a chat with old Snape... Come on, you..."**

**And he seized Malfoy's upper arm and marched him off toward the dungeons.**

**Professor McGonagall stared anxiously after them for a few moments, then waved her wand at her fallen books, causing them to soar up into the air and back into her arms.**

**"Don't talk to me," Ron said**

"Why?" Draco asked.

Ron, Hermione and Harry grinned, "You'll see."

**quietly to Harry and Hermione as they sat down at the Gryffindor table a few minutes later, surrounded by excited talk on all sides about what had just happened.**

**"Why not?" said Hermione in surprise.**

**"Because I want to fix that in my memory forever," said Ron, his eyes closed and an uplifted expression on his face. "Draco Malfoy, the amazing bouncing ferret."**

"I should have known." Draco muttered.

"Come on. It could've been worse." Ron smirked, "He could have turned you into a ferret again after Minerva left and left you like that until someone else changed you back." he said cheerfully.

"Or he could have turned you into something worse." Hermione put in.

"Like what?"

"Like a chicken." Harry cheerfully supplied.

"You three are too damn cheerful about things." Draco sighed.

"We've learned to look on the bright side of things." Hermione shrugged, "In the word's of Albus Dumbledore 'Light can be found even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light'."

"And it's better seeing the good in everything than it is only seeing the bad." Ginny smiled. "Sometimes it's difficult but it's always possible."

"Alright I get the message." Draco smiled, "It's better looking at that event as a lesson on not being a coward and cursing from behind rather than focusing on being humiliated."

"Just be glad your not Lucius. He had to deal with us on a daily basis." Sirius smirked.

"Most of Slytherin had to deal with the Marauders on a daily basis." Regulus pointed out, "And you could be quite mean with some of it too."

"Maybe not the best idea to go into that." Remus said wincing, "We know we were idiots, you don't need to rub it in." the two dark-haired Marauders nodded.

"Wasn't going to. I was just saying you could be mean." Regulus shrugged.

"And don't deny it." Sirius advised James who had been about to say something, "Harry already knows a few of our worst bit's."

Harry nodded, "And I found out more in May." he admitted.

James looked ashamed as did Sirius, Remus just looked guilty.

"Anyway let's move on." Harry smiled.


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24 - Fourth Year (Part 6.5)

16th August. 1998. 7.30pm.

"Mum, Dad, Frank, Alice and Neville can I have a word before we start this memory?" Harry asked, the five nodded and they all went through to the kitchen, "Moody's class." he said looking at Neville who had looked confused.

"Oh." he said with understanding in his eyes.

"What?" Alice asked.

"In our first lesson with Moody we covered the Unforgivables." Neville explained.

"They were demonstrated for us on spiders, the Imperious actually being put on us during a different lesson." Harry added, "Are you all going to be okay seeing them demonstrated?"

The four parents looked pale but after a moment James said, "If we're not we can just leave the room. We should be fine though."

"We'll cope." Lily added.

Neville looked quizzically at his parent's.

"Can you warn us before it happens?" Frank asked.

"Of course." Harry nodded, "I'll do it with all three. I figured I'd ask you because you have all had worse experiences with two of the curses."

"We'll be fine if you warn us." Alice decided.

"Neville?" Harry asked.

"I'll be fine. I seen it used a lot during the war... Well the after effects anyway." he sighed, his eyes looked slightly haunted. "Will you be alright Harry? With all three having been used on you before."

"I'll be fine. It was years ago and I'll be expecting it this time." he smiled as they all headed back to the living room. "Time to warn the rest of you then. This memory is of our first class with Moody, we covered all of the unforgivables and had them performed in front of us on spiders."

"Do you have to show that horrid lesson?" Hermione asked warily.

"'Mione you know I do. I'll keep it short though, I have a lot of depressing thoughts after seeing the Killing Curse so I'm going to stop it before them." he explained.

"Good. I had those type after seeing the Cruciatus and it wouldn't help anyone to hear depressing thing's after a lesson like that." Neville sighed.

"That's what I thought." Harry nodded. "Anyway let's start." he put the memory in the pensive and sat down.

**The Gryffindor fourth years were looking forward to Moody's first lesson so much that they arrived early on Thursday lunchtime and queued up outside his classroom before the bell had even rung. The only person missing was Hermione, who turned up just in time for the lesson.**

**"Been in the -"**

**"Library." Harry finished her sentence for her.**

**"C'mon, quick, or we won't get decent seats."**

**They hurried into three chairs right in front of the teacher's desk, took out their copies of The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection, and waited, unusually quiet. Soon they heard Moody's distinctive clunking footsteps coming down the corridor, and he entered the room, looking as strange and frightening as ever. They could just see his clawed, wooden foot protruding from underneath his robes.**

**"You can put those away," he growled, stumping over to his desk and sitting down, "those books. You won't need them."**

"Is it just me, or is someone else noticing a pattern here?" Sirius muttered.

"Huh?" James asked.

"Moony and Mad-Eye both started with practical lessons."

"Lockhart did too." Ron said, "Did Quirrell?"

"I don't think so..." Harry muttered, thinking hard.

"He never." Fred supplied, "Claimed it was too dangerous with a new class since he didn't know anyone's abilities and there was too much that could go wrong."

George nodded, "It was only after 5 or 6 lessons with him that he let our class start doing practical work."

**They returned the books to their bags, Ron looking excited.**

**Moody took out a register, shook his long mane of grizzled gray hair out of his twisted and scarred face, and began to call out names, his normal eye moving steadily down the list while his magical eye swiveled around, fixing upon each student as he or she answered.**

**"Right then," he said, when the last person had declared themselves present, "I've had a letter from Professor Lupin about this class. Seems you've had a pretty thorough grounding in tackling Dark creatures - you've covered boggarts, Red Caps, hinkypunks, grindylows, Kappas, and werewolves, is that right?"**

**There was a general murmur of assent.**

**"But you're behind - very behind - on dealing with curses," said Moody. "So I'm here to bring you up to scratch on what wizards can do to each other. I've got one year to teach you how to deal with Dark -"**

**"What, aren't you staying?" Ron blurted out.**

"Bad move, Ron." James murmured.

"Mad-Eye won't be happy about being interrupted." Dora agreed.

"He didn't care actually." Harry frowned.

"That's not like him." Frank commented.

**Moody's magical eye spun around to stare at Ron; Ron looked extremely apprehensive, but after a moment Moody smiled - the first time Harry had seen him do so. The effect was to make his heavily scarred face look more twisted and contorted than ever, but it was nevertheless good to know that he ever did anything as friendly as smile. Ron looked deeply relieved.**

**"You'll be Arthur Weasley's son, eh?" Moody said. "Your father got me out of a very tight corner a few days ago... Yeah, I'm staying just the one year. Special favor to Dumbledore... One year, and then back to my quiet retirement."**

**He gave a harsh laugh, and then clapped his gnarled hands together.**

**"So - straight into it. Curses. They come in many strengths and forms. Now, according to the Ministry of Magic, I'm supposed to teach you countercurses and leave it at that. I'm not supposed to show you what illegal Dark curses look like until you're in the sixth year. You're not supposed to be old enough to deal with it till then."**

"Thats true." Lily frowned. "Especially when you were only 14."

"And with the amount of people in that class with bad experiences involving those curses." Regulus frowned.

"We dealt with it." Neville shrugged.

"It took time but we did." Harry nodded.

**"But Professor Dumbledore's got a higher opinion of your nerves, he reckons you can cope, and I say, the sooner you know what you're up against, the better. How are you supposed to defend yourself against something you've never seen? A wizard who's about to put an illegal curse on you isn't going to tell you what he's about to do. He's not going to do it nice and polite to your face. You need to be prepared. You need to be alert and watchful. You need to put that away, Miss Brown, when I'm talking."**

**Lavender jumped and blushed. She had been showing Parvati her completed horoscope under the desk. Apparently Moody's magical eye could see through solid wood, as well as out of the back of his head.**

**"So... do any of you know which curses are most heavily punished by wizarding law?"**

"Yeah, the Unforgivable curses." Draco said glumly.

"The Imperius Curse, the Cruciatus Curse -" James began.

"And Avada Kedavra." Harry finished, having plenty of experience with that last one.

**Several hands rose tentatively into the air, including Ron's and Hermione's. Moody pointed at Ron, though his magical eye was still fixed on Lavender.**

**"Er," said Ron tentatively, "my dad told me about one... Is it called the Imperius Curse, or something?"**

"Arthur! I told you not to tell any of them about the Unforgivables!" Molly scolded.

"I asked him Mum. And I was 10 when he told me." Ron explained.

"Sorry Molly but I think it's a good thing I did tell them all." Arthur admitted, "I waited until they were 10 or until they asked. And Ron asked after his little bit of accidental magic that made Charlie dance around the kitchen."

"Technically I asked if there were any spell's that force people to do stuff because I was scared about what I made Charlie do." Ron added.

"I'd noticed that. That's why I told you to run and get Dad." Charlie chuckled, "I shouldn't have annoyed you anyway so I deserved being made to look like an idiot for a while."

**"Ah, yes," said Moody appreciatively. "Your father would know that one. Gave the Ministry a lot of trouble at one time, the Imperius Curse."**

**Moody got heavily to his mismatched feet, opened his desk drawer, and took out a glass jar. Three large black spiders were scuttling around inside it. Harry felt Ron recoil slightly next to him - Ron hated spiders. Moody reached into the jar, caught one of the spiders, and held it in the palm of his hand so that they could all see it.**

"Warning for the Imperius." Harry announced.

**He then pointed his wand at it and muttered, "Imperio!"**

**The spider leapt from Moody's hand on a fine thread of silk and began to swing backward and forward as though on a trapeze. It stretched out its legs rigidly, then did a back flip, breaking the thread and landing on the desk, where it began to cartwheel in circles. Moody jerked his wand, and the spider rose onto two of its hind legs and went into what was unmistakably a tap dance.**

**Everyone was laughing - everyone except Moody.**

**"Think it's funny, do you?" he growled. "You'd like it, would you, if I did it to you?"**

**The laughter died away almost instantly.**

**"Total control," said Moody quietly as the spider balled itself up and began to roll over and over. "I could make it jump out of the window, drown itself, throw itself down one of your throats..."**

**Ron gave an involuntary shudder.**

**"Years back, there were a lot of witches and wizards being controlled by the Imperius Curse," said Moody, and Harry knew he was talking about the days in which Voldemort had been all-powerful. "Some job for the Ministry, trying to sort out who was being forced to act, and who was acting of their own free will. The Imperius Curse can be fought, and I'll be teaching you how, but it takes real strength of character, and not everyone's got it. Better avoid being hit with it if you can. CONSTANT VIGILANCE!" he barked, and everyone jumped.**

Everyone in the Burrow jumped too.

"I'd forgotten he liked to do that." Dora chuckled.

**Moody picked up the somersaulting spider and threw it back into the jar.**

**"Anyone else know one? Another illegal curse?"**

**Hermione's hand flew into the air again and so, to Harry's slight surprise, did Neville's. The only class in which Neville usually volunteered information was Herbology which was easily his best subject. Neville looked surprised at his own daring.**

**"Yes?" said Moody, his magical eye rolling right over to fix on Neville.**

**"There's one - the Cruciatus Curse," said Neville in a small but distinct voice.**

**Moody was looking very intently at Neville, this time with both eyes.**

**"Your name's Longbottom?" he said, his magical eye swooping down to check the register again.**

**Neville nodded nervously, but Moody made no further inquiries. Turning back to the class at large, he reached into the jar for the next spider and placed it upon the desktop, where it remained motionless, apparently too scared to move.**

**"The Cruciatus Curse," said Moody. "Needs to be a bit bigger for you to get the idea," he said, pointing his wand at the spider. "Engorgio!"**

**The spider swelled. It was now larger than a tarantula. Abandoning all pretense, Ron pushed his chair backward, as far away from Moody's desk as possible.**

"Warning for the Cruciatus." Neville informed them all.

**Moody raised his wand again, pointed it at the spider, and muttered, "Crucio!"**

**At once, the spider's legs bent in upon its body; it rolled over and began to twitch horribly, rocking from side to side. No sound came from it, but Harry was sure that if it could have given voice, it would have been screaming. Moody did not remove his wand, and the spider started to shudder and jerk more violently - "Stop it!" Hermione said shrilly.**

**Harry looked around at her. She was looking, not at the spider, but at Neville, and Harry, following her gaze, saw that Neville's hands were clenched upon the desk in front of him, his knuckles white, his eyes wide and horrified.**

"Were you okay?" Cissy asked worriedly.

"I was fine. Just a little shocked." Neville smiled, he looked at his parent's, "You two okay?"

"Fine." a pale Frank answered, Alice was shaking slightly but smiled weakly none the less.

**Moody raised his wand. The spider's legs relaxed, but it continued to twitch.**

**"Reducio," Moody muttered, and the spider shrank back to its proper size. He put it back into the jar.**

**"Pain," said Moody softly. "You don't need thumbscrews or knives to torture someone if you can perform the Cruciatus Curse... That one was very popular once too. Right... anyone know any others?"**

**Harry looked around. From the looks on everyone's faces, he guessed they were all wondering what was going to happen to the last spider. Hermione's hand shook slightly as, for the third time, she raised it into the air.**

**"Yes?" said Moody, looking at her.**

**"Avada Kedavra," Hermione whispered.**

**Several people looked uneasily around at her, including Ron.**

**"Ah," said Moody, another slight smile twisting his lopsided mouth. "Yes, the last and worst. Avada Kedavra... the Killing Curse."**

**He put his hand into the glass jar, and almost as though it knew what was coming, the third spider scuttled frantically around the bottom of the jar, trying to evade Moody's fingers, but he trapped it, and placed it upon the desktop. It started to scuttle frantically across the wooden surface.**

**Moody raised his wand, and Harry felt a sudden thrill of foreboding.**

"You know what's going to happen." Harry sighed.

**"Avada Kedavra!" Moody roared.**

**There was a flash of blinding green light and a rushing sound, as though a vast, invisible something was soaring through the air - instantaneously the spider rolled over onto its back, unmarked, but unmistakably dead. Several of the students stifled cries; Ron had thrown himself backward and almost toppled off his seat as the spider skidded toward him.**

**Moody swept the dead spider off the desk onto the floor.**

**"Not nice," he said calmly. "Not pleasant. And there's no countercurse. There's no blocking it. Only one known person has ever survived it, and he's sitting right in front of me."**

**Harry felt his face redden as Moody's eyes (both of them) looked into his own. He could feel everyone else looking around at him too. Harry stared at the blank blackboard as though fascinated by it, but not really seeing it at all...**

"We could tell." Hermione sighed, "Your reaction was worse than Neville's..."

"Because you never reacted at all." Ron finished for her.

"I was more shocked than anything." Harry admitted, "I just never let it show." he shrugged. "That's where I'm ending this memory." he added.

"I wonder why Moody singled you out and not Neville." Regulus commented.

"Not many people knew about Alice and Frank until their 5th year." Luna explained.

Neville nodded, "I never told anyone. It only became public when Azkaban was broken into... And 'They' escaped." he shuddered.

"'They'?" Alice asked.

"The Lestrange's." Luna clarified.

"Let's continue before we go anymore into that." Hermione suggested, the Longbottom's looked at her gratefully.

"Okay this one isn't important or necessary but it will cheer you all up." Harry smirked. "It's me and Ron doing our Divination homework."

"How's that going to cheer us up?" Dudley asked curiously.

"You'll see." Ron grinned.

**Harry and Ron took their copies of Unfogging the Future back down to the common room, found a table, and set to work on their predictions for the coming month. An hour later, they had made very little progress, though their table was littered with bits of parchment bearing sums and symbols, and Harry's brain was as fogged as though it had been filled with the fumes from Professor Trelawney's fire.**

"Mine too mate." Ron chuckled.

**"I haven't got a clue what this lot's supposed to mean," he said, staring down at a long list of calculations.**

**"You know," said Ron, whose hair was on end because of all the times he had run his fingers through it in frustration, "I think it's back to the old Divination standby."**

**"What - make it up?"**

"As long as it's tragic, Trelawney will love it." Hermione said grinning. "I see why it'll cheer us up now."

**"Yeah," said Ron, sweeping the jumble of scrawled notes off the table, dipping his pen into some ink, and starting to write.**

**"Next Monday," he said as he scribbled, "I am likely to develop a cough, owing to the unlucky conjunction of Mars and Jupiter." He looked up at Harry. "You know her - just put in loads of misery, she'll lap it up."**

"Normally I'd not be happy with you two not doing your homework properly but... I've never really been able to stand Divination." Molly chuckled.

"I agree with you on that one." Lily nodded.

"The homework wasnt that bad when we did it together." Harry admitted.

"Amusing really." Ron agreed.

**"Right," said Harry, crumpling up his first attempt and lobbing it over the heads of a group of chattering first years into the fire. "Okay... on Monday, I will be in danger of - er - burns."**

**"Yeah, you will be," said Ron darkly, "we're seeing the skrewts again on Monday. Okay, Tuesday, I'll... erm..."**

**"Lose a treasured possession," said Harry, who was flicking through Unfogging the Future for ideas.**

**"Good one," said Ron, copying it down. "Because of... erm... Mercury. Why don't you get stabbed in the back by someone you thought was a friend?"**

Ron and Harry exchanged looks, Ron hadn't believed Harry that year, technically stabbing Harry in the back.

**"Yeah... cool..." said Harry, scribbling it down, "because... Venus is in the twelfth house."**

**"And on Wednesday, I think I'll come off worst in a fight."**

James laughed, "Remember when we did that?"

Sirius laughed and Remus smiled.

"You two came up with the most ridiculous things." Remus said, laughing now.

"Yeah, so? We got an 'E'." Sirius said.

James snorted, "We should always get an 'E'. We're Exceeding Expectations just by doing our homework."

"That's what we said about doing our OWL's." Fred laughed.

"We should have got E's just for showing up to the exams." George chuckled.

**"Aaah, I was going to have a fight. Okay, I'll lose a bet."**

**"Yeah, you'll be betting I'll win my fight..."**

**They continued to make up predictions (which grew steadily more tragic) for another hour, while the common room around them slowly emptied as people went up to bed. Crookshanks wandered over to them, leapt lightly into an empty chair, and stared inscrutably at Harry, rather as Hermione might look if she knew they weren't doing their homework properly.**

"Creepy when he did that." Ron muttered.

"I told him to." Hermione smirked, "I knew there was no chance of you two doing your homework properly without me there." she looked smug, "And I was right."

"Even if you were there we would have made it up anyway." Harry chuckled, "It's Divination Hermione, would you really have cared?"

"Probably not." she admitted.

"Anyway we're skipping a little bit. Or should I show the start of S.P.E.W?" Harry asked.

"Nah, we'll explain." Ron answered.

"Okay. Basically Hermione had been spending a lot of time in the library and just as we were finishing our homework she came in carrying a sheaf of parchment in one hand and a box in the other." Harry gestured Hermione to continue.

"I had been in the library looking up House-Elf right's and I decided to start the Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare or S.P.E.W for short. In the box Harry mentioned I had badges with S.P.E.W on them..." she explained exactly what her aims were for starting S.P.E.W.

"She made me treasurer and Harry secretary and wouldn't listen to me when I pointed out that the House-Elves liked being enslaved, well most of them." Ron added when she had finished.

"After that Hedwig returned." Harry frowned, "Along with a letter I wasn't all that happy about from Sirius."

"Why not?" James asked.

"It was very short and said:

**_Harry -_**

**_I'm flying north immediately._**

**_This news about your scar is the latest in a series of strange rumors that have reached me here. If it hurts again, go straight to Dumbledore - they're saying he's got Mad-Eye out of retirement, which means he's reading the signs, even if no one else is. I'll be in touch soon. My best to Ron and Hermione. Keep your eyes open, Harry._**

**_Sirius_**

So naturally I wasn't happy about it." Harry glared at his Godfather who cringed.

"Come on. I wasnt going to stay where I was when you so obviously needed me." Sirius frowned, "Besides you were happy to see me no matter how much you tried to hide it. Worried but happy."

"It was still risky Paddy." Remus frowned, "You could have been caught."

Sirius nodded grudgingly, "I could have but I wasnt." he stated.

"You're right though. I was happy to see you again." Harry admitted, "After the letter I tried to think of a way to stop Sirius returning, eventually I sent a letter saying I probably just imagined my scar was hurting because I was half asleep and everything was fine but..."

"I didnt work." Sirius smirked, "I knew you were lying." he added.

"Of course it didn't fool you." James chuckled. "You'd be able to smell the emotions off the paper."

"Which I did. I detected lies and guilt." he smirked. "I love being able to turn into a dog."

"We'll be continuing from when I was at the Owlery to send that letter." Harry smiled.

**The Owlery was a circular stone room, rather cold and drafty, because none of the windows had glass in them. The floor was entirely covered in straw, owl droppings, and the regurgitated skeletons of mice and voles. Hundreds upon hundreds of owls of every breed imaginable were nestled here on perches that rose right up to the top of the tower, nearly all of them asleep, though here and there a round amber eye glared at Harry. He spotted Hedwig nestled between a barn owl and a tawny, and hurried over to her, sliding a little on the dropping-strewn floor.**

**It took him a while to persuade her to wake up and then to look at him, as she kept shuffling around on her perch, showing him her tail. She was evidently still furious about his lack of gratitude the previous night.**

"I don't really blame her." Ginny muttered.

"What? Are we going to have to start a S-P-O-W now?" Ron asked.

"Of course." Harry grinned as Snow flew in the window and came to perch on his shoulder, "Hello you. I'd wondered where you'd gotten to."

_I was hunting._ Snow seemed as though he didn't know Harry could understand him.

"Ah. I thought that." Ginny smiled. Snow looked at her reproachfully, "Both me and Harry can understand you Snow." she explained.

"Yeah, and I don't mind if you're out hunting." Harry added.

_How come you never told me before then? _the owl asked.

"Never thought about it." Ginny shrugged.

_Okay... If you need me I'll be upstairs sleeping._

Harry nodded and Snow flew off and out the window again.

"It's so weird seeing you two hoot like owls." Petunia muttered. The two just chuckled.

**In the end, it was Harry suggesting she might be too tired, and that perhaps he would ask Ron to borrow Pigwidgeon, that made her stick out her leg and allow him to tie the letter to it.**

A few of them laughed and everyone else smiled.

"She really didn't like Pig." Ron chuckled. Harry nodded in agreement.

**"Just find him, all right?" Harry said, stroking her back as he carried her on his arm to one of the holes in the wall. "Before the dementors do."**

**She nipped his finger, perhaps rather harder than she would ordinarily have done, but hooted softly in a reassuring sort of way all the same. Then she spread her wings and took off into the sunrise. Harry watched her fly out of sight with the familiar feeling of unease back in his stomach. He had been so sure that Sirius's reply would alleviate his worries rather than increasing them.**

Sirius huffed.

**"That was a lie, Harry," said Hermione sharply over breakfast, when he told her and Ron what he had done. "You didn't imagine your scar hurting and you know it."**

**"So what?" said Harry. "He's not going back to Azkaban because of me."**

"Harry, you worry way to much." Sirius sighed.

Everyone, except Harry, agreed.

**"Drop it," said Ron sharply to Hermione as she opened her mouth to argue some more, and for once, Hermione heeded him, and fell silent.**

**Harry did his best not to worry about Sirius over the next couple of weeks. True, he could not stop himself from looking anxiously around every morning when the post owls arrived, nor, late at night before he went to sleep, prevent himself from seeing horrible visions of Sirius, cornered by dementors down some dark London street, but between times he tried to keep his mind off his godfather.**

"Merlin Harry. It's nice to know you worry about me and all, but it's getting a little out of hand." Sirius said, surprised.

"Well, think about it Padfoot." Remus began, always the logical one, "You were the closest thing Harry had to a parent and you were on the run from the Ministry and had a fair chance of getting attacked by Dementors... and you don't have a wand. Wouldn't you worry if on of your parents was in a situation like that?"

Sirius gave Remus a blank look at his question.

"If it was one of my parent's Paddy?" James suggested. Sirius's eyes widened and he nodded towards Remus instantly.

**He wished he still had Quidditch to distract him; nothing worked so well on a troubled mind as a good, hard training session.**

**On the other hand, their lessons were becoming more difficult and demanding than ever before, particularly Moody's Defense Against the Dark Arts.**

**To their surprise, Professor Moody had announced that he would be putting the Imperius Curse on each of them in turn, to demonstrate its power and to see whether they could resist its effects.**

Regulus was the first to voice his protest, "WHAT?! But they're just kids! That's a dark curse."

Harry, Ron and Hermione couldn't help but laugh a at the 'just kids' bit.

"What?" Sirius growled at them.

"It's just, we've faced far worse than having an unforgivable curse placed on us by a teacher... a good bit of it before we even got to fourth year." Ron explained.

"Like what?" Alice asked.

"Well, let's see..." Harry began, thinking, "I've had Voldemort trying to kill me at least three times before we got this far, we fought a troll, a three-headed dog, a relatively weak Voldemort, and a dragon as first years, giant spiders, a basilisk and another Voldemort as second years, and Dementors, a Werewolf and what we believed to be an insane mass murderer who we thought was after me in our third year. No offense, Remus, Sirius."

"None taken." they said together.

"That's just scratching the surface of those years and we still have four years to cover." Hermione said.

"Do you realize how boring life would be if you weren't my friend?" Ron asked.

Harry laughed, "I could imagine."

"You seem to be treating these things as day-to-day life." Frank commented.

"For us it was." Harry shrugged, "Life is far more interesting when we're around."

"Definitely." the Weasley brothers, minus Ron, said as one.

"Life would be very boring without those three." the twins chuckled together.

**"But - but you said it's illegal, Professor," said Hermione uncertainly as Moody cleared away the desks with a sweep of his wand, leaving a large clear space in the middle of the room. "You said - to use it against another human was -"**

**"Dumbledore wants you taught what it feels like," said Moody, his magical eye swiveling onto Hermione and fixing her with an eerie, unblinking stare. "If you'd rather learn the hard way - when someone's putting it on you so they can control you completely - fine by me. You're excused. Off you go."**

"I guess it's alright as long as it's not Crucio and Avada Kedavra because Moody's not going to do anything to make them hurt themselves." Alice said reasonably.

**He pointed one gnarled finger toward the door. Hermione went very pink and muttered something about not meaning that she wanted to leave. Harry and Ron grinned at each other. They knew Hermione would rather eat bubotuber pus than miss such an important lesson.**

**Moody began to beckon students forward in turn and put the Imperius Curse upon them. Harry watched as, one by one, his classmates did the most extraordinary things under its influence. Dean Thomas hopped three times around the room, singing the national anthem. Lavender Brown imitated a squirrel. Neville performed a series of quite astonishing gymnastics he would certainly not have been capable of in his normal state. Not one of them seemed to be able to fight off the curse, and each of them recovered only when Moody had removed it.**

**"Potter," Moody growled, "you next."**

**Harry moved forward into the middle of the classroom, into the space that Moody had cleared of desks. Moody raised his wand, pointed it at Harry, and said, "Imperio!"**

**It was the most wonderful feeling. Harry felt a floating sensation as every thought and worry in his head was wiped gently away, leaving nothing but a vague, untraceable happiness. He stood there feeling immensely relaxed, only dimly aware of everyone watching him.**

**And then he heard Mad-Eye Moody's voice, echoing in some distant chamber of his empty brain: Jump onto the desk... jump onto the desk...**

**Harry bent his knees obediently, preparing to spring.**

**Jump onto the desk...**

**Why, though? Another voice had awoken in the back of his brain. Stupid thing to do, really, said the voice.**

"Your fighting it." James said shocked.

"Not completely, but yes I was." Harry smiled.

**Jump onto the desk...**

**No, I don't think I will, thanks, said the other voice, a little more firmly... no, I don't really want to.**

**Jump! NOW!**

**The next thing Harry felt was considerable pain. He had both jumped and tried to prevent himself from jumping - the result was that he'd smashed headlong into the desk knocking it over, and, by the feeling in his legs, fractured both his kneecaps.**

"Ow." Sirius muttered as Harry rubbed his knee in remembrance.

**"Now, that's more like it!" growled Moody's voice, and suddenly, Harry felt the empty, echoing feeling in his head disappear. He remembered exactly what was happening, and the pain in his knees seemed to double.**

**"Look at that, you lot... Potter fought! He fought it, and he damn near beat it! We'll try that again, Potter, and the rest of you, pay attention - watch his eyes, that's where you see it - very good, Potter, very good indeed! They'll have trouble controlling you!"**

"I guess that's a good thing." Sirius muttered.

"Oh it is." Harry said evasively, "By the time I was done with that class I could throw it off completely."

"At 14?!" Andy asked, "Not many grown Witches and Wizards can fight that curse off."

"It took me a few weeks and I was 16." James muttered, "At 14 though... That's impressive."

**"The way he talks," Harry muttered as he hobbled out of the Defense Against the Dark Arts class an hour later (Moody had insisted on putting Harry through his paces four times in a row, until Harry could throw off the curse entirely)**

"And now it's even more impressive because it only took you 4 tries." Dora chuckled.

Harry blushed, "I couldn't not fight it if I wanted to. I always fought even if I didnt mean to. I suppose it's a good thing." he shrugged.

"Very good thing." Ron nodded.

**"you'd think we were all going to be attacked any second."**

**"Yeah, I know," said Ron, who was skipping on every alternate step. He had had much more difficulty with the curse than Harry, though Moody assured him the effects would wear off by lunchtime. "Talk about paranoid..." Ron glanced nervously over his shoulder to check that Moody was definitely out of earshot and went on. "No wonder they were glad to get shot of him at the Ministry. Did you hear him telling Seamus what he did to that witch who shouted 'Boo' behind him on April Fools Day? And when are we supposed to read up on resisting the Imperius Curse with everything else we've got to do?"**

"Right we'll take a quick break while I quickly sort through my memories." Harry decided.


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25 - Fourth Year (Part 7)

16th August. 1998. 8.30pm.

"Right." Harry said after a few minutes of pacing, "We'll do a short one to start with. Then we'll watch the two other schools arriving." he decided, "We had been complaining about the amount of homework we had been getting and Hagrid didnt help much by adding more to it." he explained.

**Even Hagrid was adding to their workload. The Blast-Ended Skrewts were growing at a remarkable pace given that nobody had yet discovered what they ate. Hagrid was delighted, and as part of their "project," suggested that they come down to his hut on alternate evenings to observe the skrewts and make notes on their extraordinary behavior.**

**"I will not," said Draco Malfoy flatly when Hagrid had proposed this with the air of Father Christmas pulling an extra-large toy out of his sack. "I see enough of these foul things during lessons, thanks."**

**Hagrid's smile faded off his face.**

**"Yeh'll do wha' yer told," he growled, "or I'll be takin' a leaf outta Professor Moody's book... I hear yeh made a good ferret, Malfoy."**

"I wonder how fast that story spread." Astoria mused. "I know all of the Slytherins knew it almost instantly."

"The Gryffindor's knew in an hour." Ginny smiled, "Mainly because we were laughing too much to explain what happened."

"So we eventually shouted it out to the whole tower." George grinned, gesturing Fred.

"The Ravenclaw's found out from the Hufflepuff's that night at dinner." Luna smiled, "I think the Hufflepuff's found out from the Gryffindor's."

"Though of course there was a lot of by-standers, there's bound to have been a few from each house that saw what happened." Neville smirked, "Either way everyone knew about it by dinner time that night."

"Fairly quick spreading then." James chuckled.

**The Gryffindors roared with laughter. Malfoy flushed with anger, but apparently the memory of Moody's punishment was still sufficiently painful to stop him from retorting. Harry, Ron, and Hermione returned to the castle at the end of the lesson in high spirits; seeing Hagrid put down Malfoy was particularly satisfying, especially because Malfoy had done his very best to get Hagrid sacked the previous year.**

**When they arrived in the entrance hall, they found themselves unable to proceed owing to the large crowd of students congregated there, all milling around a large sign that had been erected at the foot of the marble staircase. Ron, the tallest of the three, stood on tiptoe to see over the heads in front of them and read the sign aloud to the other two:**

**TRIWIZARD TOURNAMENT**

**THE DELEGATIONS FROM BEAUXBATONS AND DURMSTRANG WILL BE ARRIVING AT 6 O'CLOCK ON FRIDAY THE 30TH OF OCTOBER. LESSONS WILL END HALF AN HOUR EARLY ****-**

**"Brilliant!" said Harry. "It's Potions last thing on Friday! Snape won't have time to poison us all!"**

**STUDENTS WILL RETURN THEIR BAGS AND BOOKS TO THEIR DORMITORIES AND ASSEMBLE IN FRONT OF THE CASTLE TO GREET OUR GUESTS BEFORE THE WELCOMING FEAST.**

"Right now you've seen that one we can skip to when they arrive." Harry smiled.

**There was a pleasant feeling of anticipation in the air that day. Nobody was very attentive in lessons, being much more interested in the arrival that evening of the people from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang; even Potions was more bearable than usual, as it was half an hour shorter. When the bell rang early, Harry, Ron, and Hermione hurried up to Gryffindor Tower, deposited their bags and books as they had been instructed, pulled on their cloaks, and rushed back downstairs into the entrance hall.**

**The Heads of Houses were ordering their students into lines.**

**"Weasley, straighten your hat," Professor McGonagall snapped at Ron. "Miss Patil, take that ridiculous thing out of your hair."**

"Someone's nervous..." Sirius said, looking amused.

**Parvati scowled and removed a large ornamental butterfly from the end of her plait.**

**"Follow me, please," said Professor McGonagall. "First years in front... no pushing..."**

**They filed down the steps and lined up in front of the castle. It was a cold, clear evening; dusk was falling and a pale, transparent-looking moon was already shining over the Forbidden Forest. Harry, standing between Ron and Hermione in the fourth row from the front, saw Dennis Creevey positively shivering with anticipation among the other first years.**

**"Nearly six," said Ron, checking his watch and then staring down the drive that led to the front gates. "How d'you reckon they're coming? The train?"**

**"I doubt it," said Hermione.**

**"How, then? Broomsticks?" Harry suggested, looking up at the starry sky.**

**"I don't think so... not from that far away..."**

**"A Portkey?" Ron suggested. "Or they could Apparate - maybe you're allowed to do it under seventeen wherever they come from?"**

**"You can't Apparate inside the Hogwarts grounds, how often do I have to tell you?" said Hermione impatiently.**

"Every time we brought it up." Ron smirked at his girlfriend.

"Dont worry Hermione, we remembered it eventually." Harry grinned.

**They scanned the darkening grounds excitedly, but nothing was moving; everything was still, silent, and quite as usual. Harry was starting to feel cold. He wished they'd hurry up... Maybe the foreign students were preparing a dramatic entrance... He remembered what Mr. Weasley had said back at the campsite before the Quidditch World Cup: "always the same - we can't resist showing off when we get together..."**

"Of course we're going to have a dramatic entrance." Fleur chuckled, "Well semi-dramatic." she shrugged, "Madame Maxime wanted to have something bigger than what we did have but she changed her mind."

**And then Dumbledore called out from the back row where he stood with the other teachers - "Aha! Unless I am very much mistaken, the delegation from Beauxbatons approaches!"**

**"Where?" said many students eagerly, all looking in different directions.**

**"There!" yelled a sixth year, pointing over the forest.**

**Something large, much larger than a broomstick-or, indeed, a hundred broomsticks-was hurtling across the deep blue sky toward the castle, growing larger all the time.**

**"It's a dragon!" shrieked one of the first years, losing her head completely.**

Nearly everyone laughed, Harry merely smiled, not having any good experiences with dragons.

**"Don't be stupid... it's a flying house!" said Dennis Creevey.**

"Oh, yeah, don't be stupid." Sirius muttered, causing the others to laugh.

**Dennis's guess was closer... ****As the gigantic black shape skimmed over the treetops of the Forbidden Forest and the lights shining from the castle windows hit it, they saw a gigantic, powder blue, horse-drawn carriage, the size of a large house,**

"Oh. Dennis's guess was closer then." Sirius laughed.

**soaring toward them, pulled through the air by a dozen winged horses, all palominos, and each the size of an elephant.**

"Wow." Petunia gasped.

"Arthur wasn't kidding about us liking to show off." Fleur said. "But at Beaubaton those 'orses were normal for us to see everyday." she smiled, "You lot just weren't used to them."

**The front three rows of students drew backward as the carriage hurtled ever lower, coming in to land at a tremendous speed - then, with an almighty crash that made Neville jump backward onto a Slytherin fifth year's foot,****the horses' hooves, larger than dinner plates, hit the ground. A second later, the carriage landed too, bouncing upon its vast wheels, while the golden horses tossed their enormous heads and rolled large, fiery red eyes.**

**Harry just had time to see that the door of the carriage bore a coat of arms (two crossed, golden wands, each emitting three stars) before it opened. A boy in pale blue robes jumped down from the carriage, bent forward, fumbled for a moment with something on the carriage floor, and unfolded a set of golden steps. He sprang back respectfully. Then Harry saw a shining, high-heeled black shoe emerging from the inside of the carriage - a shoe the size of a child's sled****- followed, almost immediately, by the largest woman he had ever seen in his life. The size of the carriage, and of the horses, was immediately explained. A few people gasped.**

**Harry had only ever seen one person as large as this woman in his life, and that was Hagrid; he doubted whether there was an inch difference in their heights. Yet somehow - maybe simply because he was used to Hagrid - this woman (now at the foot of the steps, and looking around at the waiting, wide-eyed crowd) seemed even more unnaturally large. As she stepped into the light flooding from the entrance hall, she was revealed to have a handsome,****olive-skinned face; large, black, liquid-looking eyes; and a rather beaky nose. Her hair was drawn back in a shining knob at the base of her neck. She was dressed from head to foot in black satin, and many magnificent opals gleamed at her throat and on her thick fingers.**

**Dumbledore started to clap; the students, following his lead, broke into applause too, many of them standing on tiptoe, the better to look at this woman.**

**Her face relaxed into a gracious smile and she walked forward toward Dumbledore, extending a glittering hand. Dumbledore, though tall himself, had barely to bend to kiss it.**

**"My dear Madame Maxime," he said. "Welcome to Hogwarts."**

**"Dumbly-dort," said Madame Maxime in a deep voice. "I 'ope I find you well?"**

"Dumbly-dort?" Sirius laughed.

"She had been trying to say it properly all the way to Hogwarts. That was zee closest she could get to Dumbledore." Fleur explained. "It was zee closest many of us could get." she shrugged.

**"In excellent form, I thank you," said Dumbledore.**

**"My pupils," said Madame Maxime, waving one of her enormous hands carelessly behind her.**

**Harry, whose attention had been focused completely upon Madame Maxime, now noticed that about a dozen boys and girls, all, by the look of them, in their late teens, had emerged from the carriage and were now standing behind Madame Maxime. They were shivering, which was unsurprising, given that their robes seemed to be made of fine silk, and none of them were wearing cloaks. A few had wrapped scarves and shawls around their heads. From what Harry could see of them (they were standing in Madame Maxime's enormous shadow), they were staring up at Hogwarts with apprehensive looks on their faces.**

"Werent you told it would be cold?" Lily asked Fleur.

"Non, we were told to were our school uniform's." she replied, "Zee reason we look apprehensive is because we had never seen a castle as big as Hogwarts before." she added. "Beauxbatons is only half the size."

**"'As Karkaroff arrived yet?" Madame Maxime asked.**

**"He should be here any moment,"****said Dumbledore. "Would you like to wait here and greet him or would you prefer to step inside and warm up a trifle?"**

**"Warm up, I think," said Madame Maxime. "But ze 'orses -"**

**"Our Care of Magical Creatures teacher will be delighted to take care of them," said Dumbledore, "the moment he has returned from dealing with a slight situation that has arisen with some of his other****-****er****-****charges."**

**"Skrewts," Ron muttered to Harry, grinning.**

**"My steeds require - er - forceful 'andling," said Madame Maxime, looking as though she doubted whether any Care of Magical Creatures teacher at Hogwarts could be up to the job. "Zey are very strong..."**

"So is Hagrid." Sirius mumbled.

"You 'ave to remember we did not know much about Hogwarts." Fleur pointed out.

"Not much information about other schools is known to others." Hermione nodded, "We didn't really know much about Beauxbatons or Durmstrang other than roughly where they were."

"That's true." Fleur agreed.

**"I assure you that Hagrid will be well up to the job," said Dumbledore, smiling.**

**"Very well," said Madame Maxime, bowing slightly. "Will you please inform zis 'Agrid zat ze 'orses drink only single-malt whiskey?"**

**"It will be attended to," said Dumbledore, also bowing.**

**"Come," said Madame Maxime imperiously to her students, and the Hogwarts crowd parted to allow her and her students to pass up the stone steps.**

**"How big d'you reckon Durmstrang's horses are going to be?" Seamus Finnigan said, leaning around Lavender and Parvati to address Harry and Ron.**

**"Well, if they're any bigger than this lot, even Hagrid won't be able to handle them," said Harry. "That's if he hasn't been attacked by his skrewts. Wonder what's up with them?"**

**"Maybe they've escaped," said Ron hopefully.**

"That would be awesome!" Fred exclaimed, imagining the chaos.

"That would be bad." Lily replied, also imagining.

"Very bad." Harry agreed, "I don't fancy being attacked while walking around the grounds."

"Good point." George conceded.

**"Oh don't say that," said Hermione with a shudder. "Imagine that lot loose on the grounds..."**

**They stood, shivering slightly now, waiting for the Durmstrang party to arrive. Most people were gazing hopefully up at the sky.**

**For a few minutes, the silence was broken only by Madame Maxime's huge horses snorting and stamping. But then - "Can you hear something?" said Ron suddenly. Harry listened; a loud and oddly eerie noise was drifting toward them from out of the darkness: a muffled rumbling and sucking sound, as though an immense vacuum cleaner were moving along a riverbed.**

**"The lake!" yelled Lee Jordan, pointing down at it. "Look at the lake!"**

**From their position at the top of the lawns overlooking the grounds, they had a clear view of the smooth black surface of the water - except that the surface was suddenly not smooth at all. Some disturbance was taking place deep in the center; great bubbles were forming on the surface, waves were now washing over the muddy banks - and then, out in the very middle of the lake, a whirlpool appeared, as if a giant plug had just been pulled out of the lake's floor... What seemed to be a long, black pole began to rise slowly out of the heart of the whirlpool... and then Harry saw the rigging...**

**"It's a mast!" he said to Ron and Hermione.**

"They're coming out of the lake?!" James exclaimed in surprise.

"Of course." Hermione smiled.

**Slowly, magnificently, the ship rose out of the water, gleaming in the moonlight. It had a strangely skeletal look about it, as though it were a resurrected wreck, and the dim, misty lights shimmering at its portholes looked like ghostly eyes. Finally, with a great sloshing noise, the ship emerged entirely, bobbing on the turbulent water, and began to glide toward the bank. A few moments later, they heard the splash of an anchor being thrown down in the shallows, and the thud of a plank being lowered onto the bank.**

**People were disembarking; they could see their silhouettes passing the lights in the ship's portholes. All of them, Harry noticed, seemed to be built along the lines of Crabbe and Goyle... but then, as they drew nearer, walking up the lawns into the light streaming from the entrance hall, he saw that their bulk was really due to the fact that they were wearing cloaks of some kind of shaggy, matted fur.**

"Durmstrang must be somewhere cold." Sirius said.

"Didn't you mention that earlier Hermione?" Amber asked.

"Yeah," Hermione said, "I said that they must be somewhere cold because heavy cloaks were part of their uniform."

**But the man who was leading them up to the castle was wearing furs of a different sort: sleek and silver, like his hair.**

**"Dumbledore!" he called heartily as he walked up the slope. "How are you, my dear fellow, how are you?"**

**"Blooming, thank you, Professor Karkaroff,"****Dumbledore replied. **

"Why is that name familiar?" James asked.

Sirius concentrated, "It's familiar to me too... might have something to do with my parents."

"What makes you associate the headmaster of Durmstrang with your parents?" Remus asked.

"I don't know."

"Karkaroff was a Death Eater." Cissy supplied.

"Which is why you associated him with our parents." Regulus snorted, "Not to mention the fact he used to tutor us as kids."

"Oh, I'd forgotten about that." Andy made a face, "He was the one I 'accidentally' hexed during one of our history lessons, wasn't he?"

"That's the one." Cissy smiled, "Served him right. He shouldn't have insulted Sirius and Regulus behind their backs."

"Didn't he spend a week in St Mungo's?" Sirius grinned.

"Two weeks." Andy smiled, "It was a borderline Dark spell I hit him with. Just on the grey side by a few millimeters."

"Really Mum?" Dora asked incredulously.

"Yeah, I was about 19, possibly 20, and he really did deserve it. He called those two," she nodded at Regulus and Sirius, "the 'brats from hell who won't be good for anything except target practice for the Killing Curse'." she growled.

"So that's what he said!" Regulus exclaimed.

"Regulus had just turned 2 and Sirius was 4 at the time, I was supposed to be watching both of them whilst supervising Cissy and Bella's lesson and they accidentally knocked over a big statue belonging to my parents when I looked away for a minute." she explained.

"It almost crushed him." Cissy nodded, "I was only 11 at that time, Bella was 15. I managed to get the boys out of the room before he cursed them."

"And conveniently left Bella and I to deal with Karkaroff." Andy sighed, "Bella hexed him too. Cissy told our parents and Karkaroff was sacked on the spot."

"Glad you got him Andy." Sirius growled, "I don't remember much of that but I can remember a little."

"Anytime, I was just waiting on a reason to hex him anyway. He was an annoying git." she admitted.

"What was he tutoring you on?" Remus asked curiously.

"What else but the history of Bloodlines?" Cissy snorted, "Our parents thought we needed the information. As if we hadn't learned it all since birth. Even at 4 if you asked Sirius anything about it he could tell you, Regulus could tell you too come to think of it." she mused.

"Not as much as him." Regulus added, "But I probably could recite half of it by the time I was 2." he nodded.

"Only because it's about the only thing we knew." Sirius muttered, "Our parents took pride in making sure we knew what we were talking about if the subject came up, especially for me, I honestly think they were trying to brainwash us."

"If they were they wouldn't have left you alone with me for three weeks whilst they went on holiday." Andy smirked, "That's all it took to turn their 5 year old prejudiced heir into a kid who loved to make trouble and fought against everything they believed in, I was 21 that time and it was the best thing they could've done, leaving me to watch the four kids."

"Two." Cissy frowned, "I was not a kid. And neither was Bella."

"You were 12, she was 16. You were kids." she retorted, "Besides, I got a lot of time to tell them whatever the hell I wanted without getting in trouble for it." she smirked, "Therefore, Sirius ended up disliking the views on blood status that was drilled into him. I think you two were on the fence, but evidently you at least thought about it." she mused, looking at Cissy and Regulus.

"I think we're all glad about that." James grinned, "Even if Sirius still believed some of it when I first met him I changed that quickly."

"Compulsion charms." the named man shrugged, "I swear they were determined to keep me the way they wanted me."

"You were the only one except Andy to actively fight against it." Regulus pointed out, "Of course they were determined."

"Not to mention you grew up with their beliefs." Draco added, "It took me almost 3 months to stop calling Muggleborn's 'Mudbloods' or 'scum' and a month or two to stop the behavior you've seen in the memories. I wouldn't have managed to change if not for the help from those six and Aunt Andy." he added gesturing the two Trio's, "I knew they'd likely hex me if I kept being a git."

"Glad we could help." Neville grinned, "Better than having you be a pompous git around us."

"And your right, we would've hexed you." Harry smirked as they all turned back to the memory.

**Karkaroff had a fruity, unctuous voice; when he stepped into the light pouring from the front doors of the castle they saw that he was tall and thin like Dumbledore, but his white hair was short, and his goatee (finishing in a small curl) did not entirely hide his rather weak chin. When he reached Dumbledore, he shook hands with both of his own.**

**"Dear old Hogwarts," he said, looking up at the castle and smiling; his teeth were rather yellow, and Harry noticed that his smile did not extend to his eyes, which remained cold and shrewd. "How good it is to be here, how good... Viktor, come along, into the warmth... you don't mind, Dumbledore? Viktor has a slight head cold..."**

**Karkaroff beckoned forward one of his students. As the boy passed, Harry caught a glimpse of a prominent curved nose and thick black eyebrows.**

Ron frowned and Hermione rolled her eyes.

**He didn't need the punch on the arm Ron gave him, or the hiss in his ear, to recognize that profile.**

**"Harry - it's Krum!"**

"Still a fan?" James asked.

"At that time yes. Now, definitely not." Ron answered frowning.

Harry snickered, "Your just jealous because Hermione liked him." he muttered so only Ron heard him, Ron flushed red. "We're skipping a little bit by the way, mainly the feast so this is just after the feast." he added louder.

**Once the golden plates had been wiped clean, Dumbledore stood up again. A pleasant sort of tension seemed to fill the Hall now. Harry felt a slight thrill of excitement, wondering what was coming. Several seats down from them, Fred and George were leaning forward, staring at Dumbledore with great concentration.**

**"The moment has come," said Dumbledore, smiling around at the sea of upturned faces. "The Triwizard Tournament is about to start. I would like to say a few words of explanation before we bring in the casket -"**

**Most of the room looked confused.**

**"The what?" Harry muttered.**

**Ron shrugged.**

**"- just to clarify the procedure that we will be following this year. But first, let me introduce, for those who do not know them, Mr. Bartemius Crouch, Head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation" - there was a smattering of polite applause - "and Mr. Ludo Bagman, Head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports."**

**There was a much louder round of applause for Bagman than for Crouch, perhaps because of his fame as a Beater, or simply because he looked so much more likable. He acknowledged it with a jovial wave of his hand. Bartemius Crouch did not smile or wave when his name was announced. Remembering him in his neat suit at the Quidditch World Cup, Harry thought he looked strange in wizard's robes. His toothbrush mustache and severe parting looked very odd next to Dumbledore's long white hair and beard.**

**"Mr. Bagman and Mr. Crouch have worked tirelessly over the last few months on the arrangements for the Triwizard Tournament," Dumbledore continued, "and they will be joining myself, Professor Karkaroff, and Madame Maxime on the panel that will judge the champions' efforts."**

**At the mention of the word "champions," the attentiveness of the listening students seemed to sharpen. Perhaps Dumbledore had noticed their sudden stillness, for he smiled as he said, "The casket, then, if you please, Mr. Filch."**

**Filch, who had been lurking unnoticed in a far corner of the Hall, now approached Dumbledore carrying a great wooden chest encrusted with jewels. It looked extremely old. A murmur of excited interest rose from the watching students; Dennis Creevey actually stood on his chair to see it properly, but, being so tiny, his head hardly rose above anyone else's.**

**"The instructions for the tasks the champions will face this year have already been examined by Mr. Crouch and Mr. Bagman," said Dumbledore as Filch placed the chest carefully on the table before him, "and they have made the necessary arrangements for each challenge. There will be three tasks, spaced throughout the school year, and they will test the champions in many different ways... their magical prowess - their daring - their powers of deduction - and, of course, their ability to cope with danger."**

**At this last word, the Hall was filled with a silence so absolute that nobody seemed to be breathing.**

"Which was so weird for Hogwarts." Ginny commented.

"Yeah it only really happened with big thing's. Or whenever Harry, Ron and Hermione did something big or dangerous... Or both." Draco added slyly.

"Silence didn't last long when those three were involved." Astoria pointed out, "Most people whispered or shouted out to them."

"And that was annoying." Harry muttered.

**"As you know, three champions compete in the tournament," Dumbledore went on calmly, "one from each of the participating schools. They will be marked on how well they perform each of the Tournament tasks and the champion with the highest total after task three will win the Triwizard Cup. The champions will be chosen by an impartial selector: the Goblet of Fire."**

**Dumbledore now took out his wand and tapped three times upon the top of the casket. The lid creaked slowly open. Dumbledore reached inside it and pulled out a large, roughly hewn wooden cup. It would have been entirely unremarkable had it not been full to the brim with dancing blue-white flames. Dumbledore closed the casket and placed the goblet carefully on top of it, where it would be clearly visible to everyone in the Hall.**

**"Anybody wishing to submit themselves as champion must write their name and school clearly upon a slip of parchment and drop it into the goblet," said Dumbledore. "Aspiring champions have twenty-four hours in which to put their names forward. Tomorrow night, Halloween, the goblet will return the names of the three it has judged most worthy to represent their schools. The goblet will be placed in the entrance hall tonight, where it will be freely accessible to all those wishing to compete. To ensure that no underage student yields to temptation," said Dumbledore, "I will be drawing an Age Line around the Goblet of Fire once it has been placed in the entrance hall. Nobody under the age of seventeen will be able to cross this line."**

Lily let out a sigh of relief, Harry couldn't enter.

**"Finally, I wish to impress upon any of you wishing to compete that this tournament is not to be entered into lightly. Once a champion has been selected by the Goblet of Fire, he or she is obliged to see the tournament through to the end."**

Harry flinched violently, thinking how literal that term had been for Cedric.

"Explained later." he said noticing the curious and worried looks everyone gave him.

**"The placing of your name in the goblet constitutes a binding, magical contract. There can be no change of heart once you have become a champion. Please be very sure, therefore, that you are wholeheartedly prepared to play before you drop your name into the goblet. Now, I think it is time for bed. Good night to you all."**

**"An Age Line!" Fred Weasley said, his eyes glinting, as they all made their way across the Hall to the doors into the entrance hall. "Well, that should be fooled by an Aging Potion, shouldn't it? And once your name's in that goblet, you're laughing - it can't tell whether you're seventeen or not!"**

**"If it's drawn by Dumbledore it can." Ron said.**

**"But I don't think anyone under seventeen will stand a chance," said Hermione, "we just haven't learned enough…"**

**"Speak for yourself," said George shortly. "You'll try and get in, won't you, Harry?"**

"No." Harry sighed, "But I'm entered anyway." he muttered so no one heard him.

**Harry thought briefly of Dumbledore's insistence that nobody under seventeen should submit their name, but then the wonderful picture of himself winning the Triwizard Tournament filled his mind again... He wondered how angry Dumbledore would be if someone younger than seventeen did find a way to get over the Age Line.**

"Very." Charlie frowned, "It's supposed to be impossible to get passed age lines... Especially one's Albus drew."

"Anyway, Fred, George? You two don't mind if we have a laugh at your expense do you?" Harry asked.

"Let me guess... The beard's?" George asked, Harry nodded.

"Then go ahead. It was funny." Fred shrugged with a grin.

"Okay." Harry said flicking his wand to play the memory.

**As the next day was Saturday, most students would normally have breakfasted late.**

**Harry, Ron, and Hermione, however, were not alone in rising much earlier than they usually did on weekends. When they went down into the entrance hall, they saw about twenty people milling around it, some of them eating toast, all examining the Goblet of Fire. It had been placed in the center of the hall on the stool that normally bore the Sorting Hat. A thin golden line had been traced on the floor, forming a circle ten feet around it in every direction.**

**"Anyone put their name in yet?" Ron asked a third-year girl eagerly.**

**"All the Durmstrang lot," she replied. "But I haven't seen anyone from Hogwarts yet."**

**"Bet some of them put it in last night after we'd all gone to bed," said Harry. "I would've if it had been me... wouldn't have wanted everyone watching. What if the goblet just gobbed you right back out again?"**

**Someone laughed behind Harry. Turning, he saw Fred, George, and Lee Jordan hurrying down the staircase, all three of them looking extremely excited.**

**"Done it," Fred said in a triumphant whisper to Harry, Ron, and Hermione. "Just taken it."**

**"What?" said Ron.**

**"The Aging Potion, dung brains," said Fred.**

**"One drop each," said George, rubbing his hands together with glee. "We only need to be a few months older."**

**"We're going to split the thousand Galleons between the three of us if one of us wins," said Lee, grinning broadly.**

**"I'm not sure this is going to work, you know," said Hermione warningly. "I'm sure Dumbledore will have thought of this."**

**Fred, George, and Lee ignored her.**

**"Ready?" Fred said to the other two, quivering with excitement. "C'mon, then - I'll go first -"**

**Harry watched, fascinated, as Fred pulled a slip of parchment out of his pocket bearing the words Fred Weasley - Hogwarts. Fred walked right up to the edge of the line and stood there, rocking on his toes like a diver preparing for a fifty-foot drop. Then, with the eyes of every person in the entrance hall upon him, he took a great breath and stepped over the line.**

**For a split second Harry thought it had worked - George certainly thought so, for he let out a yell of triumph and leapt after Fred - but next moment, there was a loud sizzling sound, and both twins were hurled out of the golden circle as though they had been thrown by an invisible shot-putter.**

"Huh?" Frank asked.

"Muggle thing." Hermione explained.

**They landed painfully, ten feet away on the cold stone floor, and to add insult to injury, there was a loud popping noise, and both of them sprouted identical long white beards. The entrance hall rang with laughter. Even Fred and George joined in, once they had gotten to their feet and taken a good look at each other's beards.**

They all laughed.

**"I did warn you," said a deep, amused voice, and everyone turned to see Professor Dumbledore coming out of the Great Hall. He surveyed Fred and George, his eyes twinkling. "I suggest you both go up to Madam Pomfrey. She is already tending to Miss Fawcett, of Ravenclaw, and Mr. Summers, of Hufflepuff, both of whom decided to age themselves up a little too. Though I must say, neither of their beards is anything like as fine as yours."**

Everyone laughed even harder at this.

**Fred and George set off for the hospital wing, accompanied by Lee, who was howling with laughter, and Harry, Ron, and Hermione, also chortling, went in to breakfast.**

"And that's where we'll end this memory."


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26 - Fourth Year (Part 7.5)

16th August. 1998. 9.00pm.

"Um... Is there anything important leading up to Halloween?" Harry asked Ron and Hermione.

They frowned, "Only the people putting their name in the goblet I think." Ron said.

Hermione nodded, "That's all I can think of too." she admitted.

"We can just explain that though." Ron added.

"Right, Fleur you can help with this one. We dont know if it was everyone from Beaubaxton's that put their name in." Harry explained.

"It was." she nodded, "Same as Durmstrang, all of them put their names in too."

"Right. From Hogwarts we had a few people. Angelina from Gryffindor." Harry started.

"Warrington from Slytherin." Draco added. "And a few other higher up students, I don't know what their names were." he shrugged.

"Did any Ravenclaw's put their name in?" Ron asked Luna.

She frowned, "I think so." she shrugged, "Maybe some of the older ones but I can't remember their names."

"Fair enough. There's also Cedric Diggory from Hufflepuff." Hermione finished, "Probably a few others, but we don't know who." she shrugged.

"Now we're going to skip until Halloween and the selection of the champions." Harry smiled. "Unless we've missed anything?" he asked Ron and Hermione.

"Oh! Hagrid developed a crush on Madame Maxime." Hermione giggled.

"Oh yeah..." Harry grinned.

"Z'at was very amusing to see. Madame Maxime had a crush on 'Agrid too." Fleur laughed. "She tried so hard to deny it."

"So did Hagrid." Ron chuckled. "That's the only interesting thing until Halloween." Harry nodded and started the memory.

**The Halloween feast seemed to take much longer than usual. Perhaps because it was their second feast in two days, Harry didn't seem to fancy the extravagantly prepared food as much as he would have normally.**

**Like everyone else in the Hall, judging by the constantly craning necks, the impatient expressions on every face, the fidgeting, and the standing up to see whether Dumbledore had finished eating yet, Harry simply wanted the plates to clear, and to hear who had been selected as champions. At long last, the golden plates returned to their original spotless state; there was a sharp upswing in the level of noise within the Hall, which died away almost instantly as Dumbledore got to his feet.**

**On either side of him, Professor Karkaroff and Madame Maxime looked as tense and expectant as anyone. Ludo Bagman was beaming and winking at various students. Mr. Crouch, however, looked quite uninterested, almost bored.**

**"Well, the goblet is almost ready to make its decision," said Dumbledore. "I estimate that it requires one more minute. Now, when the champions' names are called, I would ask them please to come up to the top of the Hall, walk along the staff table, and go through into the next chamber" - he indicated the door behind the staff table - "where they will be receiving their first instructions."**

"Isn't that the trophy room?" Sirius asked.

"Yes." Remus nodded.

**He took out his wand and gave a great sweeping wave with it; at once, all the candles except those inside the carved pumpkins were extinguished, plunging them into a state of semidarkness.**

**The Goblet of Fire now shone more brightly than anything in the whole Hall, the sparkling bright, bluey-whiteness of the flames almost painful on the eyes. Everyone watched, waiting... A few people kept checking their watches...**

**"Any second," Lee Jordan whispered, two seats away from Harry.**

**The flames inside the goblet turned suddenly red again. Sparks began to fly from it. Next moment, a tongue of flame shot into the air, a charred piece of parchment fluttered out of it - the whole room gasped.**

**Dumbledore caught the piece of parchment and held it at arm's length, so that he could read it by the light of the flames, which had turned back to blue-white.**

**"The champion for Durmstrang," he read, in a strong, clear voice, "will be Viktor Krum."**

"No surprises there." Sirius said.

**"No surprises there!" yelled Ron**

Sirius and Ron looked at each other, surprised. Everyone just laughed.

**as a storm of applause and cheering swept the Hall. Harry saw Viktor Krum rise from the Slytherin table and slouch up toward Dumbledore; he turned right, walked along the staff table, and disappeared through the door into the next chamber.**

**"Bravo, Viktor!" boomed Karkaroff, so loudly that everyone could hear him, even over all the applause. "Knew you had it in you!"**

**The clapping and chatting died down. Now everyone's attention was focused again on the goblet, which, seconds later, turned red once more. A second piece of parchment shot out of it, propelled by the flames.**

**"The champion for Beauxbatons," said Dumbledore, "is Fleur Delacour!"**

"You were a champion?" Alice asked.

"Yes I was." Fleur smiled.

**"It's her, Ron!" Harry shouted as the girl who so resembled a veela got gracefully to her feet, shook back her sheet of silvery blonde hair, and swept up between the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff tables.**

**"Oh look, they're all disappointed," Hermione said over the noise, nodding toward the remainder of the Beauxbatons party. "Disappointed" was a bit of an understatement, Harry thought. Two of the girls who had not been selected had dissolved into tears and were sobbing with their heads on their arms.**

"Jeez, it's not that big a deal." Lily said.

"Zey were disappointed." Fleur shrugged, "But the two crying were good friends of mine, zey put their names too and zey were really worried about me." she smiled fondly.

**When Fleur Delacour too had vanished into the side chamber, silence fell again, but this time it was a silence so stiff with excitement you could almost taste it. The Hogwarts champion next...**

**And the Goblet of Fire turned red once more; sparks showered out of it; the tongue of flame shot high into the air, and from its tip Dumbledore pulled the third piece of parchment.**

**"The Hogwarts champion," he called, "is Cedric Diggory!"**

"Nooooo!" James cried in disappointment.

"E' was actually a worthy opponent." Fleur snapped.

**"No!" said Ron loudly, but nobody heard him except Harry; the uproar from the next table was too great. Every single Hufflepuff had jumped to his or her feet, screaming and stamping, as Cedric made his way past them, grinning broadly, and headed off toward the chamber behind the teachers' table. Indeed, the applause for Cedric went on so long that it was some time before Dumbledore could make himself heard again.**

**"Excellent!" Dumbledore called happily as at last the tumult died down. "Well, we now have our three champions. I am sure I can count upon all of you, including the remaining students from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang, to give your champions every ounce of support you can muster. By cheering your champion on, you will contribute in a very real -"**

**But Dumbledore suddenly stopped speaking, and it was apparent to everybody what had distracted him.**

**The fire in the goblet had just turned red again. Sparks were flying out of it. A long flame shot suddenly into the air, and borne upon it was another piece of parchment.**

**Automatically, it seemed, Dumbledore reached out a long hand and seized the parchment.**

Harry glanced worriedly at his mother, and moved himself as far away as possible without being noticed. He ended up standing beside the door.

**He held it out and stared at the name written upon it. There was a long pause, during which Dumbledore stared at the slip in his hands, and everyone in the room stared at Dumbledore. And then Dumbledore cleared his throat and read out - "Harry Potter."**

"WHAT!?" Lily rounded on Harry, he was glad he'd moved further away, "How did your name get in the goblet! You were only 14!"

"Your supposed to be too young to enter!" James added, he was furious too.

"Calm down!" Sirius yelled, "He didn't put it in himself!" he told them.

Harry nodded hurriedly, "I never. Someone else put it in but I can't tell you who yet." he explained sadly.

"Besides, we all know someone has it in for Harry and that Harry wouldn't want more fame." Ginny added going over to her fiancée and pulling him back over to the sofa where he'd been sitting before he moved.

"Ginny's right. Harry didn't want more fame." Ron nodded, "He had enough to deal with already."

Lily and James along with the other returnees, Frank and Alice still looked furious but were silent.

"I swear I never wanted it and you'll be able to tell I'm not lying with the next memory." Harry said as the memory started again.

**Harry sat there, aware that every head in the Great Hall had turned to look at him. He was stunned. He felt numb. He was surely dreaming. He had not heard correctly.**

"I wish." Lily and James mumbled at the same time.

**There was no applause. A buzzing, as though of angry bees, was starting to fill the Hall; some students were standing up to get a better look at Harry as he sat, frozen, in his seat. Up at the top table, Professor McGonagall had got to her feet and swept past Ludo Bagman and Professor Karkaroff to whisper urgently to Professor Dumbledore, who bent his ear toward her, frowning slightly. Harry turned to Ron and Hermione; beyond them, he saw the long Gryffindor table all watching him, open mouthed.**

**"I didn't put my name in," Harry said blankly. "You know I didn't."**

**Both of them stared just as blankly back.**

**At the top table, Professor Dumbledore had straightened up, nodding to Professor McGonagall.**

**"Harry Potter!" he called again. "Harry! Up here, if you please!"**

"He better tell Harry he can't compete." James muttered.

"The contract was binding. I was in it no matter what." Harry sighed.

"The contracts stated all champions must participate in all tasks. The only loophole is going into the arena, where ever it is, and forfeiting." Fleur explained, she looked at Harry, "You did read the terms of competing guide, didnt you?"

He shook his head, "I just went with what I was told I could and couldn't do by staff, or with what Hermione told me." he shrugged.

"I kept him on track." Hermione nodded, "I knew he wouldn't read through them, so I read them so I could tell him what he needed to know. He was too distracted to read them properly, he could barely do his homework."

"It's a distracting thing." he shrugged again.

**"Go on," Hermione whispered, giving Harry a slight push.**

**Harry got to his feet, trod on the hem of his robes, and stumbled slightly.**

**He set off up the gap between the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff tables. It felt like an immensely long walk; the top table didn't seem to be getting any nearer at all, and he could feel hundreds and hundreds of eyes upon him, as though each were a searchlight. The buzzing grew louder and louder. After what seemed like an hour, he was right in front of Dumbledore, feeling the stares of all the teachers upon him.**

**"Well... through the door, Harry," said Dumbledore.**

James and Lily had expressions on their faces that mingled anger and fear.

**He wasn't smiling. Harry moved off along the teachers' table. Hagrid was seated right at the end. He did not wink at Harry, or wave, or give any of his usual signs of greeting. He looked completely astonished and stared at Harry as he passed like everyone else.**

**Harry went through the door out of the Great Hall and found himself in a smaller room, lined with paintings of witches and wizards. A handsome fire was roaring in the fireplace opposite him. The faces in the portraits turned to look at him as he entered. He saw a wizened witch flit out of the frame of her picture and into the one next to it, which contained a wizard with a walrus mustache. The wizened witch started whispering in his ear.**

**Viktor Krum, Cedric Diggory, and Fleur Delacour were grouped around the fire. They looked strangely impressive, silhouetted against the flames. Krum, hunched up and brooding, was leaning against the mantelpiece, slightly apart from the other two. Cedric was standing with his hands behind his back, staring into the fire.**

**Fleur Delacour looked around when Harry walked in and threw back her sheet of long, silvery hair.**

**"What is it?" she said. "Do zey want us back in ze Hall?"**

**She thought he had come to deliver a message.**

"Sadly, no." James sighed.

**Harry didn't know how to explain what had just happened. He just stood there, looking at the three champions. It struck him how very tall all of them were.**

**There was a sound of scurrying feet behind him, and Ludo Bagman entered the room. He took Harry by the arm and led him forward.**

**"Extraordinary!" he muttered, squeezing Harry's arm. "Absolutely extraordinary! Gentlemen... lady," he added, approaching the fireside and addressing the other three. "May I introduce - incredible though it may seem - the fourth Triwizard champion?"**

"They aren't going to be happy." George mumbled.

"We weren't." Fleur agreed.

**Viktor Krum straightened up. His surly face darkened as he surveyed Harry. Cedric looked nonplussed. He looked from Bagman to Harry and back again as though sure he must have misheard what Bagman had said. Fleur Delacour, however, tossed her hair, smiling, and said, "Oh, vairy funny joke, Meester Bagman."**

**"Joke?" Bagman repeated, bewildered. "No, no, not at all! Harry's name just came out of the Goblet of Fire!"**

**Krum's thick eyebrows contracted slightly. Cedric was still looking politely bewildered. Fleur frowned.**

**"But evidently zair 'as been a mistake," she said contemptuously to Bagman. "'E cannot compete. 'E is too young."**

"Exactly." Lily agreed.

**"Well... it is amazing," said Bagman, rubbing his smooth chin and smiling down at Harry. "But, as you know, the age restriction was only imposed this year as an extra safety measure. And as his name's come out of the goblet... I mean, I don't think there can be any ducking out at this stage... It's down in the rules, you're obliged... Harry will just have to do the best he -"**

**The door behind them opened again, and a large group of people came in: Professor Dumbledore, followed closely by Mr. Crouch, Professor Karkaroff, Madame Maxime, Professor McGonagall and Professor Snape. Harry heard the buzzing of the hundreds of students on the other side of the wall, before Professor McGonagall closed the door.**

**"Madame Maxime!" said Fleur at once, striding over to her headmistress. "Zey are saying zat zis little boy is to compete also!"**

**Somewhere under Harry's numb disbelief he felt a ripple of anger. Little boy?**

"Sorry 'Arry. That was a bit mean of me to say zat." Fleur apologised.

"It's fine Fleur. You were in shock." Harry shrugged, "And it helped me come back to myself a little, I was just as shocked as you were about the whole thing."

**Madame Maxime had drawn herself up to her full, and considerable, height. The top of her handsome head brushed the candle-filled chandelier, and her gigantic black-satin bosom swelled.**

**"What is ze meaning of zis, Dumbly-dorr?" she said imperiously.**

**"I'd rather like to know that myself, Dumbledore," said Professor Karkaroff. He was wearing a steely smile, and his blue eyes were like chips of ice. "Two Hogwarts champions? I don't remember anyone telling me the host school is allowed two champions - or have I not read the rules carefully enough?"**

**He gave a short and nasty laugh.**

"Of course, he thinks he's being cheated." Remus growled.

**"C'est impossible," said Madame Maxime, whose enormous hand with its many superb opals was resting upon Fleur's shoulder. "Ogwarts cannot 'ave two champions. It is most injust."**

**"We were under the impression that your Age Line would keep out younger contestants, Dumbledore," said Karkaroff, his steely smile still in place, though his eyes were colder than ever. "Otherwise, we would, of course, have brought along a wider selection of candidates from our own schools."**

**"It's no one's fault but Potter's, Karkaroff," said Snape softly. His black eyes were alight with malice. "Don't go blaming Dumbledore for Potter's determination to break rules. He has been crossing lines ever since he arrived here -"**

"Shut up, Uncle Sev." Draco groaned.

**"Thank you, Severus," said Dumbledore firmly, and Snape went quiet, though his eyes still glinted malevolently through his curtain of greasy black hair.**

**Professor Dumbledore was now looking down at Harry, who looked right back at him, trying to discern the expression of the eyes behind the half-moon spectacles.**

**"Did you put your name into the Goblet of Fire, Harry?" he asked calmly.**

"No." James said.

"Is your name Harry?" Dora asked. "I know you look alike but I thought you were James?"

James glared at her while the others laughed, the tension in the room disapearing slightly.

**"No," said Harry. He was very aware of everybody watching him closely. Snape made a soft noise of impatient disbelief in the shadows.**

**"Did you ask an older student to put it into the Goblet of Fire for you?" said Professor Dumbledore, ignoring Snape.**

**"No," said Harry vehemently.**

**"Ah, but of course 'e is lying!" cried Madame Maxime. Snape was now shaking his head, his lip curling.**

**"He could not have crossed the Age Line," said Professor McGonagall sharply. "I am sure we are all agreed on that -"**

**"Dumbly-dorr must 'ave made a mistake wiz ze line," said Madame Maxime, shrugging.**

**"It is possible, of course," said Dumbledore politely.**

"He didn't make a mistake though." Remus said.

**"Dumbledore, you know perfectly well you did not make a mistake!" said Professor McGonagall angrily. "Really, what nonsense! Harry could not have crossed the line himself, and as Professor Dumbledore believes that he did not persuade an older student to do it for him, I'm sure that should be good enough for everybody else!"**

**She shot a very angry look at Professor Snape.**

The Marauders and twins cheered Minerva on.

**"Mr. Crouch... Mr. Bagman," said Karkaroff, his voice unctuous once more, "you are our - er - objective judges. Surely you will agree that this is most irregular?"**

**Bagman wiped his round, boyish face with his handkerchief and looked at Mr. Crouch, who was standing outside the circle of the firelight, his face half hidden in shadow. He looked slightly eerie, the half darkness making him look much older, giving him an almost skull-like appearance. When he spoke, however, it was in his usual curt voice.**

**"We must follow the rules, and the rules state clearly that those people whose names come out of the Goblet of Fire are bound to compete in the tournament."**

"Damnit, Crouch, can't you break the rules for once?" James growled.

Lily glared at him, "Language, James."

"He could but it'd be very bad for me." Harry frowned, "Because the contract was binding." he reminded them.

"You wouldn't have like what would've happened." Fleur told him, "Anyone who broke the binding on the contract had their magic stripped almost instantly by the goblet." she winced. "I read it in Madame Maxime's rule book for the tournament."

Everyone winced upon hearing this fact.

**"Well, Barty knows the rule book back to front," said Bagman, beaming and turning back to Karkaroff and Madame Maxime, as though the matter was now closed.**

"No." James growled.

**"I insist upon resubmitting the names of the rest of my students," said Karkaroff. He had dropped his unctuous tone and his smile now. His face wore a very ugly look indeed. "You will set up the Goblet of Fire once more, and we will continue adding names until each school has two champions. It's only fair, Dumbledore."**

**"But Karkaroff, it doesn't work like that," said Bagman. "The Goblet of Fire's just gone out - it won't reignite until the start of the next tournament -"**

**"- in which Durmstrang will most certainly not be competing!"**

"We're better off without you!" Lily shouted.

**exploded Karkaroff. "After all our meetings and negotiations and compromises, I little expected something of this nature to occur! I have half a mind to leave now!"**

**"Empty threat, Karkaroff," growled a voice from near the door. "You can't leave your champion now. He's got to compete. They've all got to compete. Binding magical contract, like Dumbledore said. Convenient, eh?"**

**Moody had just entered the room. He limped toward the fire, and with every right step he took, there was a loud clunk.**

**"Convenient?" said Karkaroff. "I'm afraid I don't understand you, Moody." Harry could tell he was trying to sound disdainful, as though what Moody was saying was barely worth his notice, but his hands gave him away; they had balled themselves into fists.**

"What's up with them?" Fred asked.

"Moody was the one who caught Karkaroff the first time around." Arthur explained.

**"Don't you?" said Moody quietly. "It's very simple, Karkaroff. Someone put Potter's name in that goblet knowing he'd have to compete if it came out."**

"He's accusing Karkaroff?" Sirius suggested.

**"Evidently, someone 'oo wished to give 'Ogwarts two bites at ze apple!" said Madame Maxime.**

**"I quite agree, Madame Maxime," said Karkaroff, bowing to her. "I shall be lodging complaints with the Ministry of Magic and the International Confederation of Wizards -"**

**"If anyone's got reason to complain, it's Potter,"**

"Exactly! Speak up Harry." Hermione urged.

**growled Moody, "but... funny thing... I don't hear him saying a word..."**

**"Why should 'e complain?" burst out Fleur Delacour, stamping her foot. "E 'as ze chance to compete, 'asn't 'e? We 'ave all been 'oping to be chosen for weeks and weeks! Ze honor for our schools! A thousand Galleons in prize money - zis is a chance many would die for!"**

**"Maybe someone's hoping Potter is going to die for it,"** **said Moody, with the merest trace of a growl.**

"Moody sure is optimistic." Petunia said sarcastically.

"He was always like that." Dora told her, chuckling fondly.

**An extremely tense silence followed these words. Ludo Bagman, who was looking very anxious indeed, bounced nervously up and down on his feet and said, "Moody, old man... what a thing to say!"**

**"We all know Professor Moody considers the morning wasted if he hasn't discovered six plots to murder him before lunchtime," said Karkaroff loudly. "Apparently he is now teaching his students to fear assassination too. An odd quality in a Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Dumbledore, but no doubt you had your reasons."**

**"Imagining things, am I?" growled Moody. "Seeing things, eh? It was a skilled witch or wizard who put the boy's name in that goblet..."**

**"Ah, what evidence is zere of zat?" said Madame Maxime, throwing up her huge hands.**

**"Because they hoodwinked a very powerful magical object!" said Moody. "It would have needed an exceptionally strong Confundus Charm to bamboozle that goblet into forgetting that only three schools compete in the tournament... I'm guessing they submitted Potter's name under a fourth school, to make sure he was the only one in his category..."**

**"You seem to have given this a great deal of thought, Moody," said Karkaroff coldly, "and a very ingenious theory it is - though of course, I heard you recently got it into your head that one of your birthday presents contained a cunningly disguised basilisk egg, and smashed it to pieces before realizing it was a carriage clock. So you'll understand if we don't take you entirely seriously..."**

**"There are those who'll turn innocent occasions to their advantage," Moody retorted in a menacing voice. "It's my job to think the way Dark wizards do, Karkaroff - as you ought to remember..."**

**"Alastor!" said Dumbledore warningly. Harry wondered for a moment whom he was speaking to, but then realized "Mad-Eye" could hardly be Moody's real first name.**

Almost everyone laughed, Lily and James simply smiled, too stressed by the memory to do more.

**Moody fell silent, though still surveying Karkaroff with satisfaction - Karkaroff's face was burning.**

**"How this situation arose, we do not know," said Dumbledore, speaking to everyone gathered in the room. "It seems to me, however, that we have no choice but to accept it. Both Cedric and Harry have been chosen to compete in the Tournament. This, therefore, they will do..."**

"Dumbledore." James whined pathetically.

**"Ah, but Dumbly-dorr -"**

**"My dear Madame Maxime, if you have an alternative, I would be delighted to hear it."**

**Dumbledore waited, but Madame Maxime did not speak, she merely glared. She wasn't the only one either.**

**Snape looked furious; Karkaroff livid; Bagman, however, looked rather excited.**

"I think he's taken to many bludgers to the head." James muttered.

"Probably." Harry agreed, looking amused.

**"Well, shall we crack on, then?" he said, rubbing his hands together and smiling around the room. "Got to give our champions their instructions, haven't we? Barty, want to do the honors?"**

**Mr. Crouch seemed to come out of a deep reverie.**

**"Yes," he said, "instructions. Yes... the first task..."**

**He moved forward into the firelight. Close up, Harry thought he looked ill. There were dark shadows beneath his eyes and a thin, papery look about his wrinkled skin that had not been there at the Quidditch World Cup.**

**"The first task is designed to test your daring," he told Harry, Cedric, Fleur, and Viktor, "so we are not going to be telling you what it is."**

James groaned.

**"Courage in the face of the unknown is an important quality in a wizard... very important. The first task will take place on November the twenty-fourth, in front of the other students and the panel of judges. The champions are not permitted to ask for or accept help of any kind from their teachers to complete the tasks in the tournament. The champions will face the first challenge armed only with their wands. They will receive information about the second task when the first is over. Owing to the demanding and time-consuming nature of the tournament, the champions are exempted from end-of-year tests."**

**Mr. Crouch turned to look at Dumbledore.**

**"I think that's all, is it, Albus?"**

**"I think so," said Dumbledore, who was looking at Mr. Crouch with mild concern. "Are you sure you wouldn't like to stay at Hogwarts tonight, Barty?"**

**"No, Dumbledore, I must get back to the Ministry," said Mr. Crouch. "It is a very busy, very difficult time at the moment... I've left young Weatherby in charge"**

Everyone laughed.

"Did he ever get your name right?" Bill asked Percy.

"Nope. Not at all." he muttered.

**"... Very enthusiastic... a little overenthusiastic, if truth be told..."**

**"You'll come and have a drink before you go, at least?" said Dumbledore.**

**"Come on, Barty, I'm staying!" said Bagman brightly. "It's all happening at Hogwarts now, you know, much more exciting here than at the office!"**

**"I think not, Ludo," said Crouch with a touch of his old impatience.**

**"Professor Karkaroff - Madame Maxime - a nightcap?" said Dumbledore.**

**But Madame Maxime had already put her arm around Fleur's shoulders and was leading her swiftly out of the room. Harry could hear them both talking very fast in French as they went off into the Great Hall. Karkaroff beckoned to Krum, and they, too, exited, though in silence.**

**"Harry, Cedric, I suggest you go up to bed," said Dumbledore, smiling at both of them. "I am sure Gryffindor and Hufflepuff are waiting to celebrate with you, and it would be a shame to deprive them of this excellent excuse to make a great deal of mess and noise."**

"Not really. Hufflepuff celebrated with Cedric. Gryffindor's... Well they celebrated but I wasn't interested." Harry sighed.

**Harry glanced at Cedric, who nodded, and they left together.**

**The Great Hall was deserted now; the candles had burned low, giving the jagged smiles of the pumpkins an eerie, flickering quality.**

**"So," said Cedric, with a slight smile. "We're playing against each other again!"**

**"I s'pose," said Harry. He really couldn't think of anything to say. The inside of his head seemed to be in complete disarray, as though his brain had been ransacked.**

**"So… tell me…" said Cedric as they reached the entrance hall, which was now lit only by torches in the absence of the Goblet of Fire. "How did you get your name in?"**

**"I didn't," said Harry, staring up at him. "I didn't put it in. I was telling the truth."**

**"Ah... okay," said Cedric. Harry could tell Cedric didn't believe him.**

**"Well... see you, then."**

**Instead of going up the marble staircase, Cedric headed for a door to its right. Harry stood listening to him going down the stone steps beyond it, then, slowly, he started to climb the marble ones.**

**Was anyone except Ron and Hermione going to believe him, or would they all think he'd put himself in for the tournament?**

Ron gave Harry an apologetic look.

**Yet how could anyone think that, when he was facing competitors who'd had three years' more magical education than he had - when he was now facing tasks that not only sounded very dangerous, but which were to be performed in front of hundreds of people? Yes, he'd thought about it... he'd fantasized about it... but it had been a joke, really, an idle sort of dream... he'd never really, seriously considered entering...**

**But someone else had considered it... someone else had wanted him in the tournament, and had made sure he was entered. Why? To give him a treat? He didn't think so, somehow... To see him make a fool of himself? Well, they were likely to get their wish... But to get him killed? Was Moody just being his usual paranoid self?**

"We're not going to cover anything else tonight. It's already 10.30pm." Harry explained. "We'll continue at 10am tomorrow."

Everyone nodded and people headed home and up to bed for the night.


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27 - Fourth Year (Part 8)

17th August, Tuesday, 1998.

Everyone had just finished breakfast and were waiting on the Longbottom's and Luna arriving when Minerva and Kingsley walked in.

"Hello." Kingsley replied to the called greetings, "I have something for you lot." he pulled out an envelope, "It's the names of the escaped Death Eater's. I know it was supposed to come yesterday but-"

"Kingsley it's fine. You were busy." Arthur smiled.

Kingsley nodded, "Right the following people escaped:

Lucius Malfoy, you knew about him anyway, Pansy Parkinson, Vincent Crabbe Sr, Gregory Goyle Sr, Gregory Goyle Jr, Partculous Nott, Antonin Dolohov, And... You're really not going to like this one." he warned.

"We can handle it." Harry assured him as everyone else nodded, "Just tell us."

"Fenrir Greyback. His cell was checked later that day and it was empty with no sign of him." Kingsley sighed gloomily, "We know who it was who helped them." he added.

"Who?" Remus growled.

"The other Death Eater's." he said, "They had put almost every guard at Azkaban under the Imperious. There were only two guard's that weren't under it."

"Do you know why they left those two guards alone?" Harry frowned, "Doesn't seem like the Death Eater just to leave two."

"Yes, they were patrolling the cell's when it happened. All of Azkaban's prisoners were moved last night. They're in the holding cell's at the ministry, as are the guards that were on duty that night, they're getting re-checked and treated." he explained.

"And thanks to the Death Eater's Remus, Dora and Fred's killer's are on the loose again." Draco muttered.

"He's right. I never thought of that." Dora growled, "Stupid Dolohov." she added.

"Who was it who killed me?" Fred asked.

"How could you not know?" Regulus asked.

"I was killed by a wall." he explained. "Better than being killed by a curtain." he added with a shrug upon noticing Sirius's amused look.

"It was Augustus Rookwood." Cissy frowned, "He got impatient and decided to blow up the wall."

"Never would have guessed that." Fred winced, "After all I only had said wall collapse on me." he joked.

"Fred don't." George winced. "Don't joke about it." he pleaded.

Fred cocked his head to the side in confusion but nodded, "I won't, for now at least, we'll discuss this later." the other nodded.

"It wasn't Dolohov that killed me." Remus put in.

"Who was it then?" Harry asked.

"Bellatrix." he said simply, "She got me when Dora fell to Dolohov, I was distracted by Dolohov trying to hit me as well when she hit me."

"We were originally standing back to back." Dora nodded, "When I was killed it left Remus with no protection from behind him."

"Didn't help that I was fairly pissed off either." Remus muttered, "I was trying to kill Dolohov and got killed by Bellatrix instead."

"She was determined to kill both of us but she ordered Dolohov to just kill me, so he did." Dora added.

There was a short silence as they all processed this information.

"That's all who escaped then?" James asked.

"Yes, thankfully it wasn't more." Kingsley nodded.

"Are you two staying for today's memories?" Hermione asked while picking up Teddy's milk bottle, which he had dropped.

"If you don't have a problem with it then why not." Minerva smiled, "Heavens know's I need a break from paperwork."

Kingsley nodded, "I never want to see paperwork again." he muttered. "I thought being an Auror had enough paperwork." he chuckled.

"If it's more than what we had in the last few weeks of Fudge being minister then I feel sorry for you." Dora winced, the Longbottom's and Luna walked in as she said this.

"What's going on?" Luna asked. "All of your colours look odd... Like you're upset."

Ginny explained it to them while Harry filled Minerva and Kingsley in on what they had missed the day before.

When they had finished explaining it was 10.30 so everyone went through to the living room, Ron looking nervous, Hermione frowning and Harry looking reluctant.

"There's something you need to know." Harry told them, "In the next memory Ron and I have our first fall out where we didn't talk to each other for a while..."

"And I started it." Ron sighed, "I'll admit I was being stupid."

"And I'll ask you to please not hex Ron because I've already forgiven him and it's in the past." Harry finished, he put the memory in the pensive after everyone agreed not to hex Ron.

"Where are we continuing?" Ginny asked.

"From when I got to the tower, so just skipping a few depressing thought's."

**Harry got a shock to find himself facing the Fat Lady already. He had barely noticed where his feet were carrying him. It was also a surprise to see that she was not alone in her frame. The wizened witch who had flitted into her neighbor's painting when he had joined the champions downstairs was now sitting smugly beside the Fat Lady. She must have dashed through every picture lining seven staircases to reach here before him. Both she and the Fat Lady were looking down at him with the keenest interest.**

**"Well, well, well," said the Fat Lady, "Violet's just told me everything. Who's just been chosen as school champion, then?"**

**"Balderdash," said Harry dully.**

**"It most certainly isn't!" said the pale witch indignantly.**

**"No, no, Vi, it's the password," said the Fat Lady soothingly, and she swung forward on her hinges to let Harry into the common room.**

**The blast of noise that met Harry's ears when the portrait opened almost knocked him backward. Next thing he knew, he was being wrenched inside the common room by about a dozen pairs of hands, and was facing the whole of Gryffindor House, all of whom were screaming, applauding, and whistling.**

"Wow." Lily said, "I don't think I've ever heard the common room that loud."

"Neither have I. Albus and I actually heard that burst of noise from his office." Minerva chuckled.

"We heard it in our common room as well." Luna nodded.

**"You should've told us you'd entered!" bellowed Fred; he looked half annoyed, half deeply impressed.**

**"How did you do it without getting a beard? Brilliant!" roared George.**

**"I didn't," Harry said. "I don't know how -"**

"Sorry Harry. We should have listened to you." the twins apologised in unison. Harry waved the apology off.

**But Angelina had now swooped down upon him; "Oh if it couldn't be me, at least it's a Gryffindor -"**

**"You'll be able to pay back Diggory for that last Quidditch match, Harry!" shrieked Katie Bell, another of the Gryffindor Chasers.**

**"We've got food, Harry, come and have some -"**

**"I'm not hungry, I had enough at the feast -"**

**But nobody wanted to hear that he wasn't hungry; nobody wanted to hear that he hadn't put his name in the goblet; not one single person seemed to have noticed that he wasn't at all in the mood to celebrate... Lee Jordan had unearthed a Gryffindor banner from somewhere, and he insisted on draping it around Harry like a cloak. Harry couldn't get away;**

"Which is all you wanted to do." Hermione sighed, "I saw it on your face." she explained.

**whenever he tried to sidle over to the staircase up to the dormitories, the crowd around him closed ranks, forcing another butterbeer on him, stuffing crisps and peanuts into his hands... Everyone wanted to know how he had done it, how he had tricked Dumbledore's Age Line and managed to get his name into the goblet...**

**"I didn't," he said, over and over again, "I don't know how it happened."**

**But for all the notice anyone took, he might just as well not have answered at all.**

**"I'm tired!" he bellowed finally, after nearly half an hour. "No, seriously, George - I'm going to bed -"**

"I've just realised something George."

"Yes o' twin of mine?"

"Harry's been telling us apart since just before the summer of his 3rd year."

"Oh yeah..."

"I told you I figured your secret out." Harry said smugly.

**He wanted more than anything to find Ron and Hermione, to find a bit of sanity, but neither of them seemed to be in the common room. Insisting that he needed to sleep, and almost flattening the little Creevey brothers as they attempted to waylay him at the foot of the stairs, Harry managed to shake everyone off and climb up to the dormitory as fast as he could.**

**To his great relief, he found Ron was lying on his bed in the otherwise empty dormitory, still fully dressed. He looked up when Harry slammed the door behind him.**

**"Where've you been?" Harry said.**

**"Oh hello," said Ron.**

**He was grinning, but it was a very odd, strained sort of grin. Harry suddenly became aware that he was still wearing the scarlet Gryffindor banner that Lee had tied around him. He hastened to take it off, but it was knotted very tightly. Ron lay on the bed without moving, watching Harry struggle to remove it.**

**"So," he said, when Harry had finally removed the banner and thrown it into a corner. "Congratulations."**

**"What d'you mean, congratulations?" said Harry, staring at Ron. There was definitely something wrong with the way Ron was smiling: It was more like a grimace.**

"What's wrong with you?" Sirius asked Ron.

Ron gave him a sheepish expression.

**"Well... no one else got across the Age Line," said Ron. "Not even Fred and George. What did you use - the Invisibility Cloak?"**

"That wouldn't have worked." Remus said.

**"The Invisibility Cloak wouldn't have got me over that line," said Harry slowly.**

**"Oh right," said Ron. "I thought you might've told me if it was the cloak... because it would've covered both of us, wouldn't it? But you found another way, did you?"**

**"Listen," said Harry, "I didn't put my name in that goblet. Someone else must've done it."**

**Ron raised his eyebrows.**

**"What would they do that for?"**

**"I dunno," said Harry. He felt it would sound very melodramatic to say, "To kill me."**

"No, that would have gotten me to listen." Ron said sadly.

**Ron's eyebrows rose so high that they were in danger of disappearing into his hair.**

**"It's okay, you know, you can tell me the truth," he said. "If you don't want everyone else to know, fine, but I don't know why you're bothering to lie, you didn't get into trouble for it, did you? That friend of the Fat Lady's, that Violet, she's already told us all Dumbledore's letting you enter. A thousand Galleons prize money, eh? And you don't have to do end-of-year tests either..."**

"Your jealous?" Petunia guessed. Ron nodded before putting his face in his hands.

**"I didn't put my name in that goblet!" said Harry, starting to feel angry.**

**"Yeah, okay," said Ron, in exactly the same sceptical tone as Cedric. "Only you said this morning you'd have done it last night, and no one would've seen you... I'm not stupid, you know."**

**"You're doing a really good impression of it," Harry snapped.**

**"Yeah?" said Ron, and there was no trace of a grin, forced or otherwise, on his face now. "You want to get to bed, Harry. I expect you'll need to be up early tomorrow for a photo-call or something."**

**He wrenched the hangings shut around his four-poster, leaving Harry standing there by the door, staring at the dark red velvet curtains, now hiding one of the few people he had been sure would believe him.**

"Sorry mate. That was uncalled for." Ron told Harry.

"I didn't help any." Harry shrugged, "Besides I already forgave you back then and I dont regret it in the slightest."

"How long did it take you to make up?" Charlie asked curiously.

"Three weeks and four days." Hermione frowned.

"That make's it the day of the first task." Lily said after doing some quick counting.

"Yep, we didn't talk again as friends until then." Ron nodded, "And I regret every minute I spent not believing Harry."

"Hermione knocked some sense into you a week after your fall out." Ginny frowned, "And I did the week before the task."

"And I'm stupid so I didn't listen at first." Ron grimaced.

"You listened eventually." Harry shrugged, "The next memory is the morning after." he added.

**The prospect of going down into the Great Hall and facing the rest of the Gryffindors, all treating him like some sort of hero, was not inviting; it was that, however, or stay here and allow himself to be cornered by the Creevey brothers, who were both beckoning frantically to him to join them. He walked resolutely over to the portrait hole, pushed it open, climbed out of it, and found himself face-to-face with Hermione.**

**"Hello," she said, holding up a stack of toast, which she was carrying in a napkin. "I brought you this..."**

"That was nice of you." Lily said gratefully.

"I knew he probably wouldnt want to go to the great hall." Hermione shrugged.

"And you were right as always." Harry grinned at her.

**"Want to go for a walk?"**

**"Good idea," said Harry gratefully.**

**They went downstairs, crossed the entrance hall quickly without looking in at the Great Hall, and were soon striding across the lawn toward the lake, where the Durmstrang ship was moored, reflected blackly in the water. It was a chilly morning, and they kept moving, munching their toast, as Harry told Hermione exactly what had happened after he had left the Gryffindor table the night before.**

**To his immense relief, Hermione accepted his story without question.**

**"Well, of course I knew you hadn't entered yourself," she said when he'd finished telling her about the scene in the chamber off the Hall. "The look on your face when Dumbledore read out your name! But the question is, who did put it in? Because Moody's right, Harry... I don't think any student could have done it... they'd never be able to fool the Goblet, or get over Dumbledore's -"**

**"Have you seen Ron?" Harry interrupted.**

**Hermione hesitated.**

**"Erm... yes... he was at breakfast," she said.**

**"Does he still think I entered myself?"**

**"Well... no, I don't think so... not really," said Hermione awkwardly.**

**"What's that supposed to mean, 'not really'?"**

**"Oh Harry, isn't it obvious?" Hermione said despairingly. "He's jealous!"**

"Was it really that easy to see?" Ron blushed.

"It was so easy even I could tell." Neville nodded, "So could Seamus and Dean." he added.

"Brilliant." he muttered.

**"Jealous?" Harry said incredulously. "Jealous of what? He wants to make a prat of himself in front of the whole school, does he?"**

**"Look," said Hermione patiently, "it's always you who gets all the attention, you know it is. I know it's not your fault," she added quickly, seeing Harry open his mouth furiously. "I know you don't ask for it... but - well - you know, Ron's got all those brothers to compete against at home, and you're his best friend, and you're really famous - he's always shunted to one side whenever people see you, and he puts up with it, and he never mentions it, but I suppose this is just one time too many..."**

**"Great," said Harry bitterly. "Really great. Tell him from me I'll swap any time he wants. Tell him from me he's welcome to it... People gawping at my forehead everywhere I go..."**

**"I'm not telling him anything," Hermione said shortly. "Tell him yourself."**

Everyone laughed and a few people nodded.

**"It's the only way to sort this out."**

**"I'm not running around after him trying to make him grow up!"**

Lily glared at Harry, who tried to ignore her and succeeded quite well.

**Harry said, so loudly that several owls in a nearby tree took flight in alarm. "Maybe he'll believe I'm not enjoying myself once I've got my neck broken or -"**

**"That's not funny," said Hermione quietly. "That's not funny at all." She looked extremely anxious. "Harry, I've been thinking - you know what we've got to do, don't you? Straight away, the moment we get back to the castle?"**

"Yeah, write to Mr Snuffles over there." Harry grinned. Sirius made a face at him.

**"Write to Sirius. You've got to tell him what's happened. He asked you to keep him posted on everything that's going on at Hogwarts... It's almost as if he expected something like this to happen. I brought some parchment and a quill out with me -"**

**"Come off it," said Harry, looking around to check that they couldn't be overheard, but the grounds were quite deserted. "He came back to the country just because my scar twinged. He'll probably come bursting right into the castle if I tell him someone's entered me in the Triwizard Tournament -"**

"I will not." Sirius huffed.

**"He'd want you to tell him," said Hermione sternly. "He's going to find out anyway."**

**"How?"**

"The Prophet, though they probably didn't print the truth about it." Kingsley mused.

"They didn't." Harry sighed.

**"Harry, this isn't going to be kept quiet," said Hermione, very seriously. "This tournament's famous, and you're famous. I'll be really surprised if there isn't anything in the Daily Prophet about you competing... You're already in half the books about You-Know-Who, you know... and Sirius would rather hear it from you, I know he would."**

**"Okay, okay, I'll write to him," said Harry, throwing his last piece of toast into the lake. They both stood and watched it floating there for a moment, before a large tentacle rose out of the water and scooped it beneath the surface.**

**Then they returned to the castle.**

**"Whose owl am I going to use?" Harry said as they climbed the stairs. "He told me not to use Hedwig again."**

**"Ask Ron if you can borrow -"**

**"I'm not asking Ron for anything,"**

"You're worse than Sirius and James when they fight." Remus said chuckling.

Ron and Harry looked at each other.

"I'm guessing it's because they're both way too stubborn to admit when they're wrong." Ginny chuckled.

**Harry said flatly.**

**"Well, borrow one of the school owls, then, anyone can use them," said Hermione.**

**They went up to the Owlery. Hermione gave Harry a piece of parchment, a quill, and a bottle of ink, then strolled around the long lines of perches, looking at all the different owls, while Harry sat down against a wall and wrote his letter.**

**Dear Sirius,**

"You really shouldn't call him 'Sirius' in the letters, just in case they're intercepted." James said.

"Later on Sirius tells us to call him Snuffles." Ron said.

**You told me to keep you posted on what's happening at Hogwarts, so here goes - I don't know if you've heard, but the Triwizard Tournament's happening this year and on Saturday night I got picked as a fourth champion. I don't know who put my name in the Goblet of Fire, because I didn't. The other Hogwarts champion is Cedric Diggory, from Hufflepuff.**

**He paused at this point, thinking. He had an urge to say something about the large weight of anxiety that seemed to have settled inside his chest since last night, but he couldn't think how to translate this into words, so he simply dipped his quill back into the ink bottle and wrote,**

**Hope you're okay, and Buckbeak -**

**Harry**

**"Finished," he told Hermione, getting to his feet and brushing straw off his robes. At this, Hedwig fluttered down onto his shoulder and held out her leg.**

**"I can't use you," Harry told her, looking around for the school owls. "I've got to use one of these."**

**Hedwig gave a very loud hoot and took off so suddenly that her talons cut into his shoulder.**

"Ouch, maybe you should've explained why." Sirius said wincing.

**She kept her back to Harry all the time he was tying his letter to the leg of a large barn owl. When the barn owl had flown off, Harry reached out to stroke Hedwig, but she clicked her beak furiously and soared up into the rafters out of reach.**

**"First Ron, then you," Harry said angrily. "This isn't my fault."**

"You really do have the worst luck of any of the student's I've taught." Minerva sighed.

"Nah, thing's always go wrong for a while then there's a few weeks of good luck before it turns bad again." Harry shrugged, "Then it repeats. That was the end of that memory, let's move on."


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28 - Fourth Year (Part 8.5)

17th August. 1998. 12.00pm.

"This is the next day. And my conversation with -"

"Me!" Sirius cheered.

"Exactly but it's something else added in too." Harry finished.

**If Harry had thought that matters would improve once everyone got used to the idea of him being champion, the following day showed him how mistaken he was.**

**He could no longer avoid the rest of the school once he was back at lessons - and it was clear that the rest of the school, just like the Gryffindors, thought Harry had entered himself for the tournament. Unlike the Gryffindors, however, they did not seem impressed.**

"I bet the Hufflepuffs are angry." Kingsley chuckled.

**The Hufflepuffs, who were usually on excellent terms with the Gryffindors, had turned remarkably cold toward the whole lot of them.**

"Yep." Harry nodded, "The Ravenclaw's were on Hufflepuff's side on this too."

"Most of them." Luna corrected, "I wasnt. A few other people weren't either." she shrugged.

**One Herbology lesson was enough to demonstrate this. It was plain that the Hufflepuffs felt that Harry had stolen their champion's glory; a feeling exacerbated, perhaps, by the fact that Hufflepuff House very rarely got any glory, and that Cedric was one of the few who had ever given them any, having beaten Gryffindor once at Quidditch. Ernie Macmillan and Justin Finch Fletchley, with whom Harry normally got on very well, did not talk to him even though they were repotting Bouncing Bulbs at the same tray - though they did laugh rather unpleasantly when one of the Bouncing Bulbs wriggled free from Harry's grip and smacked him hard in the face.**

**Ron wasn't talking to Harry either. Hermione sat between them, making very forced conversation, but though both answered her normally, they avoided making eye contact with each other. Harry thought even Professor Sprout seemed distant with him - but then, she was Head of Hufflepuff House.**

**He would have been looking forward to seeing Hagrid under normal circumstances, but Care of Magical Creatures meant seeing the Slytherins too**

"We're not that bad are we?" Draco pouted.

"Draco, you were the worst." Hermione pointed out.

"You have to admit that Draco. She's right, you were the worst." Astoria frowned, "Not even Blaise could stop you. Daphne told me."

Draco sighed and nodded his agreement.

"Hold on, Zabini never spoke up around us." Ron frowned.

"He used to tell me exactly what he thought in the common room if it was empty from anyone not in our year." Draco shrugged, "He usually avoids confrontations around people he doesn't know."

**- the first time he would come face-to-face with them since becoming champion.**

**Predictably, Malfoy arrived at Hagrid's cabin with his familiar sneer firmly in place.**

**"Ah, look, boys, it's the champion," he said to Crabbe and Goyle the moment he got within earshot of Harry. "Got your autograph books? Better get a signature now, because I doubt he's going to be around much longer... Half the Triwizard champions have died... how long d'you reckon you're going to last, Potter? Ten minutes into the first task's my bet."**

"'E didn't even take 10 minutes to complete the task." Fleur pointed out with a laugh.

**Crabbe and Goyle guffawed sycophantically, but Malfoy had to stop there, because Hagrid emerged from the back of his cabin balancing a teetering tower of crates, each containing a very large Blast-Ended Skrewt.**

**To the class's horror, Hagrid proceeded to explain that the reason the skrewts had been killing one another was an excess of pent-up energy, and that the solution would be for each student to fix a leash on a skrewt and take it for a short walk.**

"Has Hagrid gone mad?" Sirius said.

"Hagrid's always been mad." Harry grinned, "That's why he's so brilliant."

**The only good thing about this plan was that it distracted Malfoy completely.**

**"Take this thing for a walk?" he repeated in disgust, staring into one of the boxes. "And where exactly are we supposed to fix the leash? Around the sting, the blasting end, or the sucker?"**

**"Roun' the middle," said Hagrid, demonstrating. "Er - yeh might want ter put on yer dragon-hide gloves, jus' as an extra precaution, like. Harry - you come here an' help me with this big one..."**

"This is where being the teacher's friend is a bad thing." Sirius mumbled.

"Quite bad." Harry agreed, "But us three usually volunteered anyway."

"That's true. Like our lesson on Hippogriffs." Draco nodded. "The three of you went forward instead of back like the rest of the class."

"If we didn't no one would." Ron shrugged.

**Hagrid's real intention, however, was to talk to Harry away from the rest of the class. He waited until everyone else had set off with their skrewts, then turned to Harry and said, very seriously, "So-yer competin', Harry. In the tournament. School champion."**

**"One of the champions," Harry corrected him.**

**Hagrid's beetle-black eyes looked very anxious under his wild eyebrows.**

**"No idea who put yeh in fer it, Harry?"**

**"You believe I didn't do it, then?" said Harry, concealing with difficulty the rush of gratitude he felt at Hagrid's words.**

**"Course I do," Hagrid grunted. "Yeh say it wasn' you, an' I believe yeh - an' Dumbledore believes yer, an' all."**

**"Wish I knew who did do it," said Harry bitterly.**

**The pair of them looked out over the lawn; the class was widely scattered now, and all in great difficulty. The skrewts were now over three feet long, and extremely powerful. No longer shell-less and colorless, they had developed a kind of thick, grayish, shiny armor. They looked like a cross between giant scorpions and elongated crabs**

"That's because they probably are something along those lines." Remus said.

"I bet Hagrid created them." James said.

"That, or he bought them illegally." Sirius agreed.

"They're legal. They were imported legally from Germany." Kingsley told them, "They're a mix between Manticores and Fire-crabs." he shrugged, "It was looked up for the tournament and Hagrid told me a little about them." he explained.

**- but still without recognizable heads or eyes. They had become immensely strong and very hard to control.**

**"Look like they're havin' fun, don' they?" Hagrid said happily. Harry assumed he was talking about the skrewts, because his classmates certainly weren't;**

"We definitely weren't." Ron muttered.

**every now and then, with an alarming bang, one of the skrewts' ends would explode, causing it to shoot forward several yards, and more than one person was being dragged along on their stomach, trying desperately to get back on their feet.**

**"Ah, I don' know, Harry," Hagrid sighed suddenly, looking back down at him with a worried expression on his face. "School champion... everythin' seems ter happen ter you, doesn' it?"**

"Of course. He wouldn't be Harry if it didn't." George joked.

**Harry didn't answer. Yes, everything did seem to happen to him... that was more or less what Hermione had said as they had walked around the lake, and that was the reason, according to her, that Ron was no longer talking to him.**

**The next few days were some of Harry's worst at Hogwarts. The closest he had ever come to feeling like this had been during those months, in his second year, when a large part of the school had suspected him of attacking his fellow students. But Ron had been on his side then. He thought he could have coped with the rest of the school's behavior if he could just have had Ron back as a friend, but he wasn't going to try and persuade Ron to talk to him if Ron didn't want to.**

"You know your both idiots?" Ginny asked, "Harry you would have been able to talk some sense into him."

"She's right mate. I would have listened by that point." Ron nodded, Harry shrugged.

**Nevertheless, it was lonely with dislike pouring in on him from all sides.**

**He could understand the Hufflepuff's attitude, even if he didn't like it; they had their own champion to support. He expected nothing less than vicious insults from the Slytherins - he was highly unpopular there and always had been, because he had helped Gryffindor beat them so often, both at Quidditch and in the Inter-House Championship. But he had hoped the Ravenclaws might have found it in their hearts to support him as much as Cedric.**

**He was wrong, however. Most Ravenclaws seemed to think that he had been desperate to earn himself a bit more fame by tricking the goblet into accepting his name.**

"Most of us were smart enough to figure out you couldn't have." Luna smiled. Harry grinned back.

**Then there was the fact that Cedric looked the part of a champion so much more than he did. Exceptionally handsome, with his straight nose, dark hair, and gray eyes, it was hard to say who was receiving more admiration these days, Cedric or Viktor Krum.**

**Harry actually saw the same sixth-year girls who had been so keen to get Krum's autograph begging Cedric to sign their school bags one lunchtime.**

**Meanwhile there was no reply from Sirius, Hedwig was refusing to come anywhere near him, Professor Trelawney was predicting his death with even more certainty than usual,**

"Can't anyone leave you alone?" James asked.

**and he did so badly at Summoning Charms**

"That's easy." Fred chuckled.

"Not for someone who is under a lot of stress." Minerva frowned.

"I got them eventually." Harry shrugged. "Right before the first task actually. Hermione helped." he added smiling at her, she smiled back.

**in Professor Flitwick's class that he was given extra homework-the only person to get any, apart from Neville.**

**"It's really not that difficult, Harry," Hermione tried to reassure him as they left Flitwick's class-she had been making objects zoom across the room to her all lesson, as though she were some sort of weird magnet for board dusters, wastepaper baskets, and lunascopes. "You just weren't concentrating properly -"**

**"Wonder why that was," said Harry darkly as Cedric Diggory walked past, surrounded by a large group of simpering girls, all of whom looked at Harry as though he were a particularly large Blast-Ended Skrewt. "Still - never mind, eh? Double Potions to look forward to this afternoon..."**

Everyone groaned.

**Double Potions was always a horrible experience, but these days it was nothing short of torture.**

**Being shut in a dungeon for an hour and a half with Snape and the Slytherins, all of whom seemed determined to punish Harry as much as possible for daring to become school champion, was about the most unpleasant thing Harry could imagine. He had already struggled through one Friday's worth, with Hermione sitting next to him intoning "ignore them, ignore them, ignore them" under her breath, and he couldn't see why today should be any better.**

**When he and Hermione arrived at Snape's dungeon after lunch, they found the Slytherins waiting outside, each and every one of them wearing a large badge on the front of his or her robes. For one wild moment Harry thought they were S.P.E.W. badges**

Sirius stared at Harry, "Were you okay?"

Harry laughed, "I'm not sure."

**- then he saw that they all bore the same message, in luminous red letters that burnt brightly in the dimly lit underground passage:**

**SUPPORT CEDRIC DIGGORY - THE REAL HOGWARTS CHAMPION!**

**"Like them, Potter?" said Malfoy loudly as Harry approached. "And this isn't all they do - look!"**

**He pressed his badge into his chest, and the message upon it vanished, to be replaced by another one, which glowed green: POTTER STINKS!**

"Nice." James said sarcastically.

Remus added, "It must've taken real brains to come up with that."

"It was Warrington." Draco shrugged, "He has a brain like a fish."

"No it's worse than a fish." Astoria frowned, "More like a peanut. It was mainly to annoy the Gryffindor's and Harry anyway, I think."

"Nothing new there." Ron muttered.

**The Slytherins howled with laughter. Each of them pressed their badges too, until the message POTTER STINKS was shining brightly all around Harry. He felt the heat rise in his face and neck.**

**"Oh very funny," Hermione said sarcastically to Pansy Parkinson and her gang of Slytherin girls, who were laughing harder than anyone, "really witty."**

**Ron was standing against the wall with Dean and Seamus. He wasn't laughing, but he wasn't sticking up for Harry either.**

**"Want one, Granger?" said Malfoy, holding out a badge to Hermione. "I've got loads. But don't touch my hand, now. I've just washed it, you see; don't want a Mudblood sliming it up."**

"Hex him, Harry!" Sirius urged.

"No." Lily said stiffly.

"Lily, come on." he pleaded.

"No," James said, shocking them all, "it'd be just Harry's luck for Snape to come along and catch him."

Harry and Draco shared looks.

**Some of the anger Harry had been feeling for days and days seemed to burst through a dam in his chest. He had reached for his wand before he'd thought what he was doing. People all around them scrambled out of the way, backing down the corridor.**

"Harry!" Lily said warningly.

"Too late to stop me Mum." he sighed, "Four years too late."

**"Go on, then, Potter," Malfoy said quietly, drawing out his own wand. "Moody's not here to look after you now - do it, if you've got the guts -"**

**For a split second, they looked into each other's eyes, then, at exactly the same time, both acted.**

**"Funnunculus!" Harry yelled.**

"Go, Harry!" the Marauders and the twins cheered.

Lily, Molly, Dora and Ginny glared at them and they cowered, Sirius turning into his animagus and whimpering.

"Shut up, Sirius." Dora said.

Padfoot growled at her.

**"Densaugeo!" screamed Malfoy.**

James snorted.

"You have a problem with that spell?" Draco asked.

"The teeth growing spell?" James asked.

"It's better than what my original was."

"What were you going to do?" Astoria asked.

"Another Serpensortia to distract him and then a tongue tier." he admitted.

"Wouldn't have worked." Harry smirked, "I was fine with speaking to snakes in public thanks to you in second year."

"Your a Parselmouth?" Frank asked shocked.

"Yes." Harry nodded, "That's how I got into the Chamber of Secrets to save Ginny. I thought we told you that?"

"Might have. We've had a lot to take in since we recovered from the insanity." Alice shrugged.

**Jets of light shot from both wands, hit each other in midair, and ricocheted off at angles - Harry's hit Goyle in the face, and Malfoy's hit Hermione. Goyle bellowed and put his hands to his nose, where great ugly boils were springing up - Hermione, whimpering in panic, was clutching her mouth.**

**"Hermione!"**

**Ron had hurried forward to see what was wrong with her; Harry turned and saw Ron dragging Hermione's hand away from her face. It wasn't a pretty sight. Hermione's front teeth-already larger than average-were now growing at an alarming rate; she was looking more and more like a beaver as her teeth elongated, past her bottom lip, toward her chin-panic-stricken, she felt them and let out a terrified cry.**

**"And what is all this noise about?" said a soft, deadly voice.**

**Snape had arrived.**

**The Slytherins clamored to give their explanations; Snape pointed a long yellow finger at Malfoy and said, "Explain."**

**"Potter attacked me, sir -"**

**"We attacked each other at the same time!" Harry shouted.**

**"- and he hit Goyle - look -"**

**Snape examined Goyle, whose face now resembled something that would have been at home in a book on poisonous fungi.**

**"Hospital wing, Goyle," Snape said calmly.**

**"Malfoy got Hermione!" Ron said. "Look!"**

**He forced Hermione to show Snape her teeth - she was doing her best to hide them with her hands, though this was difficult as they had now grown down past her collar. Pansy Parkinson and the other Slytherin girls were doubled up with silent giggles, pointing at Hermione from behind Snape's back.**

**Snape looked coldly at Hermione, then said, "I see no difference."**

Everybody either growled or swore. Harry had quickly covered Teddy's ears, being the one now holding him.

**Hermione let out a whimper; her eyes filled with tears, she turned on her heel and ran, ran all the way up the corridor and out of sight.**

**It was lucky, perhaps, that both Harry and Ron started shouting at Snape at the same time; lucky their voices echoed so much in the stone corridor, for in the confused din, it was impossible for him to hear exactly what they were calling him. He got the gist, however.**

"I reckon we were lucky right then." Ron commented.

"Very lucky." Harry agreed.

**"Let's see," he said, in his silkiest voice. "Fifty points from Gryffindor and a detention each for Potter and Weasley. Now get inside, or it'll be a week's worth of detentions."**

"Of course, no punishment for the innocent little Slytherin." James muttered.

"I did get detention." Draco frowned, "Uncle Sev just didn't hand out detentions to Slytherins in front of everybody."

**Harry's ears were ringing. The injustice of it made him want to curse Snape into a thousand slimy pieces. He passed Snape, walked with Ron to the back of the dungeon, and slammed his bag down onto the table. Ron was shaking with anger too-for a moment, it felt as though everything was back to normal between them, but then Ron turned and sat down with Dean and Seamus instead, leaving Harry alone at his table. On the other side of the dungeon, Malfoy turned his back on Snape and pressed his badge, smirking. POTTER STINKS flashed once more across the room. Harry sat there staring at Snape as the lesson began, picturing horrific things happening to him... If only he knew how to do the Cruciatus Curse... he'd have Snape flat on his back like that spider, jerking and twitching.**

Lily looked disapproving, "That's a little too much."

"I know but he was planning on poisoning us." Harry said, "And I was angry. I wouldn't follow through with it."

"It's like when he wanted to kill Snuffles in the Shack." Ron nodded, "Harry's terrifying when he's angry."

"And... I don't think it was completely my thought..." Harry muttered, "Remember I told you I had that connection with Voldemort?"

"What dose..." James trailed off, "You think it was his thought?"

Harry nodded, "Even though neither of us knew of the connection at that time there was the occasional emotion or thought that bled over from him to me, I'm not sure about the other way around, but I think that influenced a few of my thoughts."

"Particularly the ones that made you want to kill or torture people." Minerva nodded, "Albus told me very little about it but I know a few things you did that you would never have done without Voldemort's interference. He only told me because I was the Head of Gryffindor and you were one of my students." she explained, "It was incase something happened to you concerning the connection and he wasn't there. Severus was informed as well."

"Why?" Regulus asked shocked.

"He was attempting to teach me Occumelency. It failed dismally of course, we hated each other too much." Harry sighed.

**"Antidotes!" said Snape, looking around at them all, his cold black eyes glittering unpleasantly. "You should all have prepared your recipes now. I want you to brew them carefully, and then, we will be selecting someone on whom to test one..."**

**Snape's eyes met Harry's, and Harry knew what was coming. Snape was going to poison him. Harry imagined picking up his cauldron, and sprinting to the front of the class, and bringing it down on Snape's greasy head - And then a knock on the dungeon door burst in on Harry's thoughts.**

**It was Colin Creevey; he edged into the room, beaming at Harry, and walked up to Snape's desk at the front of the room.**

**"Yes?" said Snape curtly.**

**"Please, sir, I'm supposed to take Harry Potter upstairs."**

**Snape stared down his hooked nose at Colin, whose smile faded from his eager face.**

**"Potter has another hour of Potions to complete," said Snape coldly. "He will come upstairs when this class is finished."**

**Colin went pink.**

**"Sir-sir, Mr. Bagman wants him," he said nervously. "All the champions have got to go, I think they want to take photographs..."**

"Oh, Collin." Lily groaned.

"That wasnt the best thing to say but Colin didnt realise that." Harry defended Colin.

**Harry would have given anything he owned to have stopped Colin saying those last few words. He chanced half a glance at Ron, but Ron was staring determinedly at the ceiling.**

**"Very well, very well," Snape snapped. "Potter, leave your things here, I want you back down here later to test your antidote."**

**"Please, sir - he's got to take his things with him," squeaked Colin. "All the champions..."**

**"Very well!" said Snape. "Potter - take your bag and get out of my sight!"**

**Harry swung his bag over his shoulder, got up, and headed for the door. As he walked through the Slytherin desks, POTTER STINKS flashed at him from every direction.**

**"It's amazing, isn't it, Harry?" said Colin, starting to speak the moment Harry had closed the dungeon door behind him. "Isn't it, though? You being champion?"**

**"Yeah, really amazing," said Harry heavily as they set off toward the steps into the entrance hall. "What do they want photos for, Colin?"**

**"The Daily Prophet, I think!"**

**"Great," said Harry dully. "Exactly what I need. More publicity."**

**"Good luck!" said Colin when they had reached the right room. Harry knocked on the door and entered.**

**He was in a fairly small classroom; most of the desks had been pushed away to the back of the room, leaving a large space in the middle; three of them, however, had been placed end-to-end in front of the blackboard and covered with a long length of velvet. Five chairs had been set behind the velvet-covered desks, and Ludo Bagman was sitting in one of them, talking to a witch Harry had never seen before, who was wearing magenta robes.**

**Viktor Krum was standing moodily in a corner as usual and not talking to anybody.**

"You would think he'd be a little more social, being a Quidditch Star and all." James said.

"Victor didn't really talk to anyone at all." Fleur shrugged.

"He never talked to the other champions you mean." Harry smirked, "The only conversation I remember having with him was at your wedding and just after we were told about the third task."

"'E only talked to me a few times as well." she shrugged.

**Cedric and Fleur were in conversation. Fleur looked a good deal happier than Harry had seen her so far; she kept throwing back her head so that her long silvery hair caught the light. A paunchy man, holding a large black camera that was smoking slightly, was watching Fleur out of the corner of his eye.**

**Bagman suddenly spotted Harry, got up quickly, and bounded forward.**

**"Ah, here he is! Champion number four! In you come, Harry, in you come... nothing to worry about, it's just the wand weighing ceremony, the rest of the judges will be here in a moment -"**

**"Wand weighing?" Harry repeated nervously.**

**"We have to check that your wands are fully functional, no problems, you know, as they're your most important tools in the tasks ahead," said Bagman. "The expert's upstairs now with Dumbledore. And then there's going to be a little photoshoot. This is Rita Skeeter,"**

"Not her." James groaned.

"Unfortunately, yes, her." Molly sighed.

"The most vicious reporter in the world." Arthur explained to Frank, Alice and Regulus, who all looked confused.

"Reg she's the one that looks like a big bug." Sirius told him, "A few years above us in Slytherin." he added to Frank and Alice.

"She was in the year below me." Cissy put in.

"Oh... Her." Regulus wrinkled his nose, "She was always snooping around, trying to find out everyones business."

"Mainly yours and Sirius's." Cissy nodded, "She was very interested in the Black family history... Until Sirius cursed her." she smirked.

Sirius shrugged, "She was annoying and should've known not to mess with me or Reg by then."

**he added, gesturing toward the witch in magenta robes. "She's doing a small piece on the tournament for the Daily Prophet..."**

**"Maybe not that small, Ludo," said Rita Skeeter, her eyes on Harry.**

"And now she's going to somehow humiliate Harry." Lily said.

"She can't do it anymore." Harry smirked, "Thank's to Hermione."

"What did you do?" Alice asked.

"Blackmail, I dug up some information on her." Hermione grinned, "Therefore she can't come near us or she know's I'll tell the Ministry."

"What is it?" Kingsley frowned, "It sounds bad but something that would stop her slandering the Ministry would be great to know, even if its not used immediately."

"You're thinking about when she gets around to doing an article on the escaped Death Eaters, arent you?" Percy inquired, he nodded sheepishly.

"The last thing we need right now is her getting involved."

"You'll find out later." Harry smiled.

**Her hair was set in elaborate and curiously rigid curls that contrasted oddly with her heavy-jawed face. She wore jeweled spectacles. The thick fingers clutching her crocodile-skin handbag ended in two-inch nails, painted crimson.**

**"I wonder if I could have a little word with Harry before we start?"**

"No thank you bug lady." Harry said making them all chuckle or giggle.

**she said to Bagman, but still gazing fixedly at Harry. "The youngest champion, you know... to add a bit of color?"**

**"Certainly!" cried Bagman. "That is - if Harry has no objection?"**

**"Er -" said Harry.**

**"Lovely," said Rita Skeeter, and in a second, her scarlet-taloned fingers had Harry's upper arm in a surprisingly strong grip, and she was steering him out of the room again and opening a nearby door.**

**"We don't want to be in there with all that noise," she said. "Let's see... ah, yes, this is nice and cozy."**

**It was a broom cupboard. Harry stared at her.**

**"Come along, dear - that's right - lovely," said Rita Skeeter again, perching herself precariously upon an upturned bucket, pushing Harry down onto a cardboard box, and closing the door, throwing them into darkness. "Let's see now..."**

**She unsnapped her crocodile-skin handbag and pulled out a handful of candles, which she lit with a wave of her wand and magicked into midair, so that they could see what they were doing.**

**"You won't mind, Harry, if I use a Quick-Quotes Quill?"**

"Those things should be illegal." Remus muttered.

"They are now." Kingsley smirked. "Reporters have to use Dicta-Quills or write their stories by hand. I got annoyed with them trying to discredit the Ministry a month or two ago. Apparently a few reporters didn't like the fact I refused to let them question those three." he nodded at the Golden Trio, "So they tried to say I was 'unfair','unreasonable' and 'unfit to be Minister'."

"That's how the Prophet's so restricted now. Kingsley makes sure they follow the proper procedures and don't print lies anymore. Occasionally something slips through, but not too often." Hermione mused.

"And I force them to retract it and print an apology." Kingsley nodded.

"We had to arrest a few reporters who refused to follow the procedures, a few got blacklisted and others quickly started following them again." Percy added, "We've not had much trouble since then."

**"It leaves me free to talk to you normally..."**

**"A what?" said Harry.**

**Rita Skeeter's smile widened. Harry counted three gold teeth.**

**She reached again into her crocodile bag and drew out a long acid-green quill and a roll of parchment, which she stretched out between them on a crate of Mrs. Skower's All-Purpose Magical Mess Remover. She put the tip of the green quill into her mouth, sucked it for a moment with apparent relish, then placed it upright on the parchment, where it stood balanced on its point, quivering slightly.**

**"Testing... my name is Rita Skeeter, Daily Prophet reporter."**

**Harry looked down quickly at the quill. The moment Rita Skeeter had spoken, the green quill had started to scribble, skidding across the parchment:**

**Attractive blonde Rita Skeeter, forty-three, who's savage quill has punctured many inflated reputations -**

**"Lovely," said Rita Skeeter, yet again, and she ripped the top piece of parchment off, crumpled it up, and stuffed it into her handbag. Now she leaned toward Harry and said, "So, Harry... what made you decide to enter the Triwizard Tournament?"**

**"Er -" said Harry again, but he was distracted by the quill. Even though he wasn't speaking, it was dashing across the parchment, and in its wake he could make out a fresh sentence:**

**An ugly scar, souvenir of a tragic past, disfigures the otherwise charming face of Harry Potter,**

"It doesn't disfigure his face." Lily said scowling.

"Lil's you know what Skeeter's like." James frowned, "Probably never told the truth in her life."

"She has." Luna said, "Harry gave an interview for the Quibbler and it was 100% true." she explained making them all look shocked.

"She was under threat at the time, and it was given in a public place." Harry shrugged, "It was in my 5th year." he added.

**whose eyes -**

**"Ignore the quill, Harry," said Rita Skeeter firmly. Reluctantly Harry looked up at her instead. "Now - why did you decide to enter the tournament, Harry?"**

**"I didn't," said Harry. "I don't know how my name got into the Goblet of Fire. I didn't put it in there."**

**Rita Skeeter raised one heavily penciled eyebrow.**

**"Come now, Harry, there's no need to be scared of getting into trouble. We all know you shouldn't really have entered at all. But don't worry about that. Our readers love a rebel."**

**"But I didn't enter," Harry repeated. "I don't know who -"**

**"How do you feel about the tasks ahead?" said Rita Skeeter. "Excited? Nervous?"**

**"I haven't really thought... yeah, nervous, I suppose," said Harry. His insides squirmed uncomfortably as he spoke.**

**"Champions have died in the past, haven't they?" said Rita Skeeter briskly. "Have you thought about that at all?"**

**"Well... they say it's going to be a lot safer this year," said Harry.**

**The quill whizzed across the parchment between them, back and forward as though it were skating.**

**"Of course, you've looked death in the face before, haven't you?" said Rita Skeeter, watching him closely. "How would you say that's affected you?"**

**"Er," said Harry, yet again.**

**"Do you think that the trauma in your past might have made you keen to prove yourself? To live up to your name? Do you think that perhaps you were tempted to enter the Triwizard Tournament because -"**

**"I didn't enter," said Harry, starting to feel irritated.**

**"Can you remember your parents at all?" said Rita Skeeter, talking over him.**

**"No," said Harry.**

Lily and James frowned.

"I lied." Harry admitted, "I didn't want it public that I could remember things from when I was one. Especially not about that Halloween." he shrugged.

**"How do you think they'd feel if they knew you were competing in the Triwizard Tournament? Proud? Worried? Angry?"**

"A little of all three, but mainly the one in the middle." Lily said.

James nodded in agreement, "Proud you've obviously survived it without being killed or losing a limb, worried about what we're going to be seeing, and angry someone's trying to kill you again, son."

Harry grinned, "All valid reasons, I suppose."

**Harry was feeling really annoyed now. How on earth was he to know how his parents would feel if they were alive? He could feel Rita Skeeter watching him very intently. Frowning, he avoided her gaze and looked down at words the quill had just written:**

**Tears fill those startlingly green eyes as our conversation turns to the parents he can barely remember.**

"That's a bunch of rubbish!" Sirius growled.

**"I have NOT got tears in my eyes!" said Harry loudly.**

**Before Rita Skeeter could say a word, the door of the broom cupboard was pulled open.**

**Harry looked around, blinking in the bright light. Albus Dumbledore stood there,**

"Thank you, Albus." James sighed. "You can rescue him from the bug."

**looking down at both of them, squashed into the cupboard.**

**"Dumbledore!" cried Rita Skeeter, with every appearance of delight - but Harry noticed that her quill and the parchment had suddenly vanished from the box of Magical Mess Remover, and Rita's clawed fingers were hastily snapping shut the clasp of her crocodile-skin bag. "How are you?" she said, standing up and holding out one of her large, mannish hands to Dumbledore. "I hope you saw my piece over the summer about the International Confederation of Wizards' Conference?"**

**"Enchantingly nasty," said Dumbledore, his eyes twinkling. "I particularly enjoyed your description of me as an obsolete dingbat."**

"Did she do that?" Regulus asked.

"Yes she did. Got a lot of people hating her for that comment." Bill nodded.

**Rita Skeeter didn't look remotely abashed.**

**"I was just making the point that some of your ideas are a little old-fashioned, Dumbledore, and that many wizards in the street -"**

**"I will be delighted to hear the reasoning behind the rudeness, Rita," said Dumbledore, with a courteous bow and a smile, "but I'm afraid we will have to discuss the matter later. The Weighing of the Wands is about to start, and it cannot take place if one of our champions is hidden in a broom cupboard."**

**Very glad to get away from Rita Skeeter, Harry hurried back into the room. The other champions were now sitting in chairs near the door, and he sat down quickly next to Cedric, looking up at the velvet-covered table, where four of the five judges were now sitting - Professor Karkaroff, Madame Maxime, Mr. Crouch, and Ludo Bagman. Rita Skeeter settled herself down in a corner; Harry saw her slip the parchment out of her bag again, spread it on her knee, suck the end of the Quick-Quotes Quill, and place it once more on the parchment.**

**"May I introduce Mr. Ollivander?" said Dumbledore, taking his place at the judges' table and talking to the champions. "He will be checking your wands to ensure that they are in good condition before the tournament."**

**Harry looked around, and with a jolt of surprise saw an old wizard with large, pale eyes standing quietly by the window. Harry had met Mr. Ollivander before**

"Pretty much every witch or wizard over ten has met Ollivander." Sirius said.

"Not if zey dont go to Hogwarts." Fleur disagreed, "I 'ad mine made by my local wandmaker and Victor went to Gregorovitch for his."

"Every witch or wizard in Britain then." he corrected himself.

**- he was the wand-maker from whom Harry had bought his own wand over three years ago in Diagon Alley.**

**"Mademoiselle Delacour, could we have you first, please?" said Mr. Ollivander, stepping into the empty space in the middle of the room.**

**Fleur Delacour swept over to Mr. Ollivander and handed him her wand.**

**"Hmm..." he said.**

**He twirled the wand between his long fingers like a baton and it emitted a number of pink and gold sparks. Then he held it close to his eyes and examined it carefully.**

**"Yes," he said quietly, "nine and a half inches... inflexible... rosewood... and containing... dear me..."**

**"An 'air from ze 'ead of a veela," said Fleur. "One of my grandmuzzer's."**

**So Fleur was part veela, thought Harry, making a mental note to tell Ron... then he remembered that Ron wasn't speaking to him.**

"He was curious." Harry told a curious looking Fleur. "Mainly because he was so affected by your charm." Ron nodded, blushing slightly as the others laughed or smiled in amusement.

**"Yes," said Mr. Ollivander, "yes, I've never used veela hair myself, of course. I find it makes for rather temperamental wands... however, to each his own, and if this suits you..."**

**Mr. Ollivander ran his fingers along the wand, apparently checking for scratches or bumps; then he muttered, "Orchideous!" and a bunch of flowers burst from the wand tip.**

**"Very well, very well, it's in fine working order," said Mr. Ollivander, scooping up the flowers and handing them to Fleur with her wand. "Mr. Diggory, you next." Fleur glided back to her seat, smiling at Cedric as he passed her.**

**"Ah, now, this is one of mine, isn't it?" said Mr. Ollivander, with much more enthusiasm, as Cedric handed over his wand. "Yes, I remember it well. Containing a single hair from the tail of a particularly fine male unicorn... must have been seventeen hands; nearly gored me with his horn after I plucked his tail. Twelve and a quarter inches... ash... pleasantly springy."**

"How does he remember all of that?" James asked in awe.

"Magic." Minerva smiled, "How else?"

**"It's in fine condition... You treat it regularly?"**

**"Polished it last night," said Cedric, grinning.**

**Harry looked down at his own wand. He could see finger marks all over it. He gathered a fistful of robe from his knee and tried to rub it clean surreptitiously. Several gold sparks shot out of the end of it. Fleur Delacour gave him a very patronizing look, and he desisted.**

"Really?" Ginny asked Harry.

"Yes." Harry chuckled.

"I 'ad wondered what you were doing." Fleur commented, smiling.

**Mr. Ollivander sent a stream of silver smoke rings across the room from the tip of Cedric's wand, pronounced himself satisfied, and then said, "Mr. Krum, if you please."**

**Viktor Krum got up and slouched, round-shouldered and duck-footed, toward Mr. Ollivander. He thrust out his wand and stood scowling, with his hands in the pockets of his robes.**

**"Hmm," said Mr. Ollivander, "this is a Gregorovitch creation, unless I'm much mistaken? A fine wand-maker, though the styling is never quite what I... however..."**

**He lifted the wand and examined it minutely, turning it over and over before his eyes.**

**"Yes... hornbeam and dragon heartstring?" he shot at Krum, who nodded. "Rather thicker than one usually sees... quite rigid... ten and a quarter inches... Avis!"**

**The hornbeam wand let off a blast like a gun, and a number of small, twittering birds flew out of the end and through the open window into the watery sunlight.**

**"Good," said Mr. Ollivander, handing Krum back his wand. "Which leaves... Mr. Potter."**

**Harry got to his feet and walked past Krum to Mr. Ollivander. He handed over his wand.**

**"Aaaah, yes," said Mr. Ollivander, his pale eyes suddenly gleaming. "Yes, yes, yes. How well I remember."**

**Harry could remember too. He could remember it as though it had happened yesterday...**

**Four summers ago, on his eleventh birthday, he had entered Mr. Ollivander's shop with Hagrid to buy a wand. Mr. Ollivander had taken his measurements and then started handing him wands to try. Harry had waved what felt like every wand in the shop, until at last he had found the one that suited him - this one, which was made of holly, eleven inches long, and contained a single feather from the tail of a phoenix. Mr. Ollivander had been very surprised that Harry had been so compatible with this wand. "Curious," he had said, "curious," and not until Harry asked what was curious had Mr. Ollivander explained that the phoenix feather in Harry's wand had come from the same bird that had supplied the core of Lord Voldemort's.**

"It does?" Frank asked.

"It does." Harry confirmed, "And the feather was from Fawkes too." he smirked.

"Cool." Alice grinned.

**Harry had never shared this piece of information with anybody. He was very fond of his wand, and as far as he was concerned its relation to Voldemort's wand was something it couldn't help - rather as he couldn't help being related to Aunt Petunia.**

Petunia huffed.

"Sorry Aunt Petunia." Harry blushed.

**However, he really hoped that Mr. Ollivander wasn't about to tell the room about it.**

**He had a funny feeling Rita Skeeter's Quick-Quotes Quill might just explode with excitement if he did.**

**Mr. Ollivander spent much longer examining Harry's wand than anyone else's. Eventually, however, he made a fountain of wine shoot out of it, and handed it back to Harry, announcing that it was still in perfect condition.**

**"Thank you all," said Dumbledore, standing up at the judges' table. "You may go back to your lessons now - or perhaps it would be quicker just to go down to dinner, as they are about to end -"**

**Feeling that at last something had gone right today, Harry got up to leave, but the man with the black camera jumped up and cleared his throat.**

**"Photos, Dumbledore, photos!" cried Bagman excitedly. "All the judges and champions, what do you think, Rita?"**

"Who cares about her opinion?" Percy asked rhetorically.

**"Er - yes, let's do those first," said Rita Skeeter, whose eyes were upon Harry again. "And then perhaps some individual shots."**

**The photographs took a long time. Madame Maxime cast everyone else into shadow wherever she stood, and the photographer couldn't stand far enough back to get her into the frame; eventually she had to sit while everyone else stood around her. Karkaroff kept twirling his goatee around his finger to give it an extra curl; Krum, whom Harry would have thought would have been used to this sort of thing, skulked, half-hidden, at the back of the group. The photographer seemed keenest to get Fleur at the front, but Rita Skeeter kept hurrying forward and dragging Harry into greater prominence. Then she insisted on separate shots of all the champions.**

**At last, they were free to go. Harry went down to dinner. Hermione wasn't there - he supposed she was still in the hospital wing having her teeth fixed.**

**He ate alone at the end of the table, then returned to Gryffindor Tower, thinking of all the extra work on Summoning Charms that he had to do. Up in the dormitory, he came across Ron.**

**"You've had an owl," said Ron brusquely the moment he walked in. He was pointing at Harry's pillow. The school barn owl was waiting for him there.**

**"Oh - right," said Harry.**

**"And we've got to do our detentions tomorrow night, Snape's dungeon," said Ron. He then walked straight out of the room, not looking at Harry. For a moment, Harry considered going after him - he wasn't sure whether he wanted to talk to him or hit him, both seemed quite appealing**

Harry gave Ron a sheepish look.

Ron shrugged, "You should have hit me. Might have knocked some sense into me." he chuckled.

**- but the lure of Sirius's answer was too strong. Harry strode over to the barn owl, took the letter off its leg, and unrolled it.**

**Harry -**

**I can't say everything I would like to in a letter, it's too risky in case the owl is intercepted - we need to talk face-to-face.**

**Can you ensure that you are alone by the fire in Gryffindor Tower at one o'clock in the morning on the 22nd of November?**

"You're not going up there are you?" James asked, surprised.

"No, I found a way to Floo him." Sirius explained.

**I know better than anyone that you can look after yourself and while you're around Dumbledore and Moody I don't think anyone will be able to hurt you. However, someone seems to be having a good try. Entering you in that tournament would have been very risky, especially right under Dumbledore's nose.**

**Be on the watch, Harry. I still want to hear about anything unusual. Let me know about the 22nd of November as quickly as you can.**

**- Sirius**

"And that's the end of the memory. Let's have lunch before I give you a heart attack." Harry grinned. Everyone groaned. "It's not that dangerous, just scary." he added as they all went for lunch.


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter 29 - Fourth Year (Part 9)

17 August. 1998. 1.00pm.

After lunch everyone was back in the living room.

"This one skips a bit so it's just the important bit's." Harry explained. "And the article Skeeter wrote was a bunch of lies as always..." he quickly explained what the article said, naturally everyone was upset or angry, "And we're starting with a visit to Hogsmeade."

**It is a strange thing, but when you are dreading something, and would give anything to slow down time, it has a disobliging habit of speeding up.**

"Always does." Minerva muttered.

**The days until the first task seemed to slip by as though someone had fixed the clocks to work at double speed. Harry's feeling of barely controlled panic was with him wherever he went, as ever present as the snide comments about the Daily Prophet article.**

**On the Saturday before the first task, all students in the third year and above were permitted to visit the village of Hogsmeade. Hermione told Harry that it would do him good to get away from the castle for a bit, and Harry didn't need much persuasion.**

**"What about Ron, though?" he said. "Don't you want to go with him?"**

**"Oh... well..." Hermione went slightly pink. "I thought we might meet up with him in the Three Broomsticks..."**

**"No," said Harry flatly.**

"You should have told him I asked you to meet me with him." Ron told Hermione before turning to Harry, "I was feeling stupid by that time and I asked Hermione to help me find a way to apologize to you." he explained.

"I told you I wasn't interfering. It's not nice to have Harry angry at you." Hermione winced. "And the last thing anyone needed was for him to stop talking to me too."

"She's right Ron. I would have gone mad within hours." Harry sighed. "Not to mention I'd probably have been killed in the first task." Ron frowned but nodded.

**"Oh Harry, this is so stupid -"**

**"I'll come, but I'm not meeting Ron, and I'm wearing my Invisibility Cloak."**

**"Oh all right then..." Hermione snapped, "but I hate talking to you in that cloak, I never know if I'm looking at you or not."**

**So Harry put on his Invisibility Cloak in the dormitory, went back downstairs, and together he and Hermione set off for Hogsmeade.**

**Harry felt wonderfully free under the cloak; he watched other students walking past them as they entered the village, most of them sporting Support Cedric Diggory! badges, but no horrible remarks came his way for a change, and nobody was quoting that stupid article.**

**"People keep looking at me now," said Hermione grumpily as they came out of Honeydukes Sweetshop later, eating large cream-filled chocolates. "They think I'm talking to myself."**

**"Don't move your lips so much then."**

"Just take the cloak off." Lily said, annoyed.

"Hmm... No." Harry smirked.

**"Come on, please just take off your cloak for a bit, no one's going to bother you here."**

**"Oh yeah?" said Harry. "Look behind you."**

**Rita Skeeter and her photographer friend had just emerged from the Three Broomsticks pub. Talking in low voices, they passed right by Hermione without looking at her. Harry backed into the wall of Honeydukes to stop Rita Skeeter from hitting him with her crocodile-skin handbag. When they were gone, Harry said, "She's staying in the village. I bet she's coming to watch the first task."**

"Was she?" Neville frowned, "I didn't see her."

"Neither did I." Ginny added.

"We were all focused on watching the champions." Hermione pointed out.

"She was there." Minerva nodded, "She was the official reporter for the first task so she was sitting near the other teachers."

**As he said it, his stomach flooded with a wave of molten panic. He didn't mention this; he and Hermione hadn't discussed what was coming in the first task much; he had the feeling she didn't want to think about it.**

"You were right." Hermione smiled.

**"She's gone," said Hermione, looking right through Harry toward the end of the street. "Why don't we go and have a butterbeer in the Three Broomsticks, it's a bit cold, isn't it? You don't have to talk to Ron!" she added irritably, correctly interpreting his silence.**

**The Three Broomsticks was packed, mainly with Hogwarts students enjoying their free afternoon, but also with a variety of magical people Harry rarely saw anywhere else. Harry supposed that as Hogsmeade was the only all-wizard village in Britain, it was a bit of a haven for creatures like hags, who were not as adept as wizards at disguising themselves.**

**It was very hard to move through crowds in the Invisibility Cloak, in case you accidentally trod on someone, which tended to lead to awkward questions.**

"No it's not." Sirius said.

"Yeah, it's actually better when it's crowded so if you actually step on someone there's more people to blame." James agreed.

"And easier for you to sneak up on people." Remus scowled.

"You normally heard us coming." Sirius smirked.

"You know I couldn't in crowded places." he retorted. "Because of the Werewolf hearing, while not as good as Lycan hearing, I could usually hear or smell people coming unless I was in a crowded place filled with lots of smells and sounds." he added to the curious looks he was sent, "Those two took full advantage of that fact and tended to sneak up on me often." he shrugged, glaring at the two other Marauders, who just grinned at him.

**Harry edged slowly toward a spare table in the corner while Hermione went to buy drinks. On his way through the pub, Harry spotted Ron, who was sitting with Fred, George, and Lee Jordan. Resisting the urge to give Ron a good hard poke in the back of the head, he finally reached the table and sat down at it.**

**Hermione joined him a moment later and slipped him a butterbeer under his cloak.**

**"I look like such an idiot, sitting here on my own," she muttered. "Lucky I brought something to do."**

**And she pulled out a notebook in which she had been keeping a record of S.P.E.W. members. Harry saw his and Ron's names at the top of the very short list.**

**It seemed a long time ago that they had sat making up those predictions together, and Hermione had turned up and appointed them secretary and treasurer.**

**"You know, maybe I should try and get some of the villagers involved in S.P.E.W." Hermione said thoughtfully, looking around the pub.**

**"Yeah, right," said Harry. He took a swig of butterbeer under his cloak. "Hermione, when are you going to give up on this spew stuff?"**

**"When house-elves have decent wages and working conditions!" she hissed back. "You know, I'm starting to think it's time for more direct action. I wonder how you get into the school kitchens?"**

**"No idea, ask Fred and George," said Harry.**

**Hermione lapsed into thoughtful silence, while Harry drank his butterbeer, watching the people in the pub. All of them looked cheerful and relaxed. Ernie Macmillan and Hannah Abbot were swapping Chocolate Frog cards at a nearby table; both of them sporting Support Cedric Diggory! badges on their cloaks.**

**Right over by the door he saw Cho and a large group of her Ravenclaw friends. She wasn't wearing a Cedric badge though... This cheered up Harry very slightly.**

Ginny scowled at memory-Cho then glared at Harry who blushed.

**What wouldn't he have given to be one of those people, sitting around laughing and talking, with nothing to worry about but homework? He imagined how it would have felt to be here if his name hadn't come out of the Goblet of Fire.**

**He wouldn't be wearing the Invisibility Cloak, for one thing. Ron would be sitting with him. The three of them would probably be happily imagining what deadly dangerous task the school champions would be facing on Tuesday. He'd have been really hooking forward to it, watching them do whatever it was... cheering on Cedric with everyone else, safe in a seat at the back of the stands...**

**He wondered how the other champions were feeling. Every time he had seen Cedric lately, he had been surrounded by admirers and looking nervous but excited. Harry glimpsed Fleur Delacour from time to time in the corridors; she looked exactly as she always did, haughty and unruffled. And Krum just sat in the library, poring over books.**

"To answer that question I was nervous and scared. I was just a good actor." Fleur explained, "I had to be a good actor to stop myself cursing people who didn't like the fact I'm part-Veela, lots of girls I went to school with hated me for it because the boys zey had crushes on were more focused on me when I was around. I hated it, still do a bit, but I've got better control over that side of me now." she shrugged, "But Veela are hardly ever trusted by women, owing to the fact it's common for men to leave their partners for a Veela if a Veela is interested in them, it's all because of the charm." she sighed.

"Must be annoying." Hermione smiled sympathetically.

"It was very annoying." she agreed, "I'm glad not so many people I'm around are affected by it when I can't reign it in completely." she shook her head, "It's tricky to control it if I'm feeling strong emotions."

"Bet your glad I'm not affected in the slightest then." Bill grinned at his wife.

She chuckled, "Very."

**Harry thought of Sirius, and the tight, tense knot in his chest seemed to ease slightly.**

**He would be speaking to him in just over twelve hours, for tonight was the night they were meeting at the common room fire-assuming nothing went wrong, as everything else had done lately...**

**"Look, it's Hagrid!" said Hermione.**

**The back of Hagrid's enormous shaggy head - he had mercifully abandoned his bunches - emerged over the crowd. Harry wondered why he hadn't spotted him at once, as Hagrid was so large, but standing up carefully, he saw that Hagrid had been leaning low, talking to Professor Moody. Hagrid had his usual enormous tankard in front of him, but Moody was drinking from his hip flask. Madam Rosmerta, the pretty landlady, didn't seem to think much of this; she was looking askance at Moody as she collected glasses from tables around them. Perhaps she thought it was an insult to her mulled mead, but Harry knew better. Moody had told them all during their last Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson that he preferred to prepare his own food and drink at all times, as it was so easy for Dark wizards to poison an unattended cup.**

**As Harry watched, he saw Hagrid and Moody get up to leave. He waved, then remembered that Hagrid couldn't see him. Moody, however, paused, his magical eye on the corner where Harry was standing.**

"He can see through the cloak?" James said, surprised.

"Yes." Harry frowned, "He was the only one who could catch me if I had the cloak on. It was annoying at times." he muttered.

**He tapped Hagrid in the small of the back (being unable to reach his shoulder), muttered something to him, and then the pair of them made their way back across the pub toward Harry and Hermione's table.**

**"All right, Hermione?" said Hagrid loudly.**

**"Hello," said Hermione, smiling back.**

**Moody limped around the table and bent down; Harry thought he was reading the S.P.E.W. notebook, until he muttered, "Nice cloak, Potter."**

**Harry stared at him in amazement. The large chunk missing from Moody's nose was particularly obvious at a few inches' distance. Moody grinned.**

**"Can your eye - I mean, can you -?"**

**"Yeah, it can see through Invisibility Cloaks," Moody said quietly. "And it's come in useful at times, I can tell you."**

"Not many people have invisibility cloaks though." Lily said, slightly suspicious.

**Hagrid was beaming down at Harry too. Harry knew Hagrid couldn't see him, but Moody had obviously told Hagrid he was there. Hagrid now bent down on the pretext of reading the S.P.E.W. notebook as well, and said in a whisper so low that only Harry could hear it, "Harry, meet me tonight at midnight at me cabin. Wear that cloak."**

**Straightening up, Hagrid said loudly, "Nice ter see yeh, Hermione," winked, and departed. Moody followed him.**

**"Why does Hagrid want me to meet him at midnight?" Harry said, very surprised.**

**"Does he?" said Hermione, looking startled. "I wonder what he's up to? I don't know whether you should go, Harry..." She looked nervously around and hissed, "It might make you late for Sirius."**

"It didn't though." Harry smiled.

**It was true that going down to Hagrid's at midnight would mean cutting his meeting with Sirius very fine indeed; Hermione suggested sending Hedwig down to Hagrid's to tell him he couldn't go - always assuming she would consent to take the note, of course - Harry, however, thought it better just to be quick at whatever Hagrid wanted him for. He was very curious to know what this might be; Hagrid had never asked Harry to visit him so late at night.**

**At half past eleven that evening, Harry, who had pretended to go up to bed early, pulled the Invisibility Cloak back over himself and crept back downstairs through the common room. Quite a few people were still in there. The Creevey brothers had managed to get hold of a stack of Support Cedric Diggory! badges and were trying to bewitch them to make them say Support Harry Potter! instead. So far, however, all they had managed to do was get the badges stuck on POTTER STINKS.**

"Well, it was a nice gesture." Lily said with a shrug.

"I still have one upstairs." Harry admitted, "I kept it as a keepsake." he shrugged at the confused looks.

**Harry crept past them to the portrait hole and waited for a minute or so, keeping an eye on his watch. Then Hermione opened the Fat Lady for him from outside as they had planned.**

"We never did that." James said.

"We had her convinced there's a ghost that stays near her and says the passwords in the middle of the night to scare her." Remus said, smiling.

"So it was you who did that." Minerva muttered.

"Who else would do that?" Sirius smirked.

**He slipped past her with a whispered "Thanks!" and set off through the castle.**

**The grounds were very dark. Harry walked down the lawn toward the lights shining in Hagrid's cabin. The inside of the enormous Beauxbatons carriage was also lit up; Harry could hear Madame Maxime talking inside it as he knocked on Hagrid's front door.**

**"You there, Harry?" Hagrid whispered, opening the door and looking around.**

**"Yeah," said Harry, slipping inside the cabin and pulling the cloak down off his head. "What's up?"**

**"Got summat ter show yeh," said Hagrid.**

**There was an air of enormous excitement about Hagrid. He was wearing a flower that resembled an oversized artichoke in his buttonhole. It looked as though he had abandoned the use of axle grease, but he had certainly attempted to comb his hair - Harry could see the comb's broken teeth tangled in it.**

**"What're you showing me?" Harry said warily, wondering if the skrewts had laid eggs, or Hagrid had managed to buy another giant three-headed dog off a stranger in a pub.**

**"Come with me, keep quiet, an' keep yerself covered with that cloak," said Hagrid. "We won' take Fang, he won' like it..."**

**"Listen, Hagrid, I can't stay long... I've got to be back up at the castle by one o'clock -"**

**But Hagrid wasn't listening; he was opening the cabin door and striding off into the night. Harry hurried to follow and found, to his great surprise, that Hagrid was leading him to the Beauxbatons carriage.**

**"Hagrid, what -?"**

**"Shhh!" said Hagrid, and he knocked three times on the door bearing the crossed golden wands.**

**Madame Maxime opened it. She was wearing a silk shawl wrapped around her massive shoulders. She smiled when she saw Hagrid.**

**"Ah, 'Agrid... it is time?"**

**"Bong-sewer," said Hagrid,**

"What?" Charlie asked.

"I think he was trying to say, 'Bonsoir'." Fleur said uncertainly.

**beaming at her, and holding out a hand to help her down the golden steps.**

**Madame Maxime closed the door behind her, Hagrid offered her his arm, and they set off around the edge of the paddock containing Madame Maxime's giant winged horses, with Harry, totally bewildered,**

"Us too." Ron said, looking confused.

**running to keep up with them. Had Hagrid wanted to show him Madame Maxime? He could see her any old time he wanted... she wasn't exactly hard to miss...**

**But it seemed that Madame Maxime was in for the same treat as Harry, because after a while she said playfully, "Wair is it you are taking me, 'Agrid?"**

**"Yeh'll enjoy this," said Hagrid gruffly, "worth seein', trust me. On'y - don' go tellin' anyone I showed yeh, right?"**

Fleur snorted, "She won't tell anyone, except me. She told me everything anyway." she explained.

**"Yeh're not s'posed ter know."**

**"Of course not," said Madame Maxime, fluttering her long black eyelashes.**

**And still they walked, Harry getting more and more irritated as he jogged along in their wake, checking his watch every now and then.**

**Hagrid had some harebrained scheme in hand, which might make him miss Sirius. If they didn't get there soon, he was going to turn around, go straight back to the castle, and leave Hagrid to enjoy his moonlit stroll with Madame Maxime.**

**But then - when they had walked so far around the perimeter of the forest that the castle and the lake were out of sight - Harry heard something.**

**Men were shouting up ahead... then came a deafening, earsplitting roar... Hagrid**

"It wasn't Hagrid." Sirius said.

A few of the others laughed.

**led Madame Maxime around a clump of trees and came to a halt. Harry hurried up alongside them-for a split second, he thought he was seeing bonfires, and men darting around them - and then his mouth fell open.**

**Dragons.**

**Four**

"One for each champion." Lily said slowly.

"Can't beleive Hagrid showed you." Charlie muttered.

"We all knew then?" Fleur asked.

Harry nodded, "I told Cedric and Karkaroff told Victor."

**fully grown, enormous, vicious-looking dragons were rearing onto their hind legs inside an enclosure fenced with thick planks of wood, roaring and snorting-torrents of fire were shooting into the dark sky from their open, fanged mouths, fifty feet above the ground on their outstretched necks.**

**There was a silvery-blue one with long, pointed horns,**

"That's a Swedish Short-Snout." said Charlie, "It was one of the nicer ones, still quite mean though, especially since all of them were nesting mothers."

**snapping and snarling at the wizards on the ground; a smooth-scaled green one,**

"Common Welsh Green."

**which was writhing and stamping with all its might; a red one with an odd fringe of fine gold spikes around its face,**

"Chinese Fireball."

**which was shooting mushroom-shaped fire clouds into the air; and a gigantic black one, more lizard-like than the others,**

"And that's a Hungarian Horntail." Charlie winced, "Not nice at all."

**which was nearest to them.**

**At least thirty wizards, seven or eight to each dragon, were attempting to control them, pulling on the chains connected to heavy leather straps around their necks and legs. Mesmerized, Harry looked up, high above him, and saw the eyes of the black dragon, with vertical pupils like a cat's, bulging with either fear or rage, he couldn't tell which... It was making a horrible noise, a yowling, screeching scream.**

**"Keep back there, Hagrid!" yelled a wizard near the fence, straining on the chain he was holding. "They can shoot fire at a range of twenty feet, you know! I've seen this Horntail do forty!"**

**"Is'n' it beautiful?" said Hagrid softly.**

"No." Jinx and Jex said making Harry and Ginny jump as they came out from the side of the couch.

"You two have been quiet." Ginny told them.

"We prefer just watching." Jinx lifted a shoulder and dropped it in an imitation of a shrug.

"Oh and the two-legged cub on your knee looks confused and smells curious." Jex told Harry.

Teddy did indeed look curiously confused.

"See those big scary animals Teddy? There called dragon's." Harry smiled, "Can you say dragons?"

"D'agon's." the boy smiled. "Dwa'on's s'ary?"

"Yes, that's right. Dragon's are scary." Remus chuckled.

"S'ary Dwa'on's. Rawrr!" Teddy waved a chubby fist at the pensive, roaring like a dragon, making everyone laugh.

**"It's no good!" yelled another wizard. "Stunning Spells, on the count of three!"**

**Harry saw each of the dragon keepers pull out his wand.**

**"Stupefy!" they shouted in unison, and the Stunning Spells shot into the darkness like fiery rockets, bursting in showers of stars on the dragons' scaly hides - Harry watched the dragon nearest to them teeter dangerously on its back legs; its jaws stretched wide in a silent howl; its nostrils were suddenly devoid of flame, though still smoking - then, very slowly, it fell. Several tons of sinewy, scaly, black dragon hit the ground with a thud that Harry could have sworn made the trees behind him quake.**

**The dragon keepers lowered their wands and walked forward to their fallen charges, each of which was the size of a small hill.**

**They hurried to tighten the chains and fasten them securely to iron pegs, which they forced deep into the ground with their wands.**

**"Wan' a closer look?"**

**Hagrid asked Madame Maxime excitedly. The pair of them moved right up to the fence, and Harry followed.**

**The wizard who had warned Hagrid not to come any closer turned, and Harry realized who it was: Charlie Weasley.**

"And I had no idea you were there." Charlie frowned.

"That's why it's called an invisibility cloak. Your invisible." James smirked.

**"All right, Hagrid?" he panted, coming over to talk. "They should be okay now - we put them out with a Sleeping Draft on the way here, thought it might be better for them to wake up in the dark and the quiet - but, like you saw, they weren't happy, not happy at all-"**

**"What breeds you got here, Charlie?" said Hagrid, gazing at the closest dragon, the black one, with something chose to reverence. Its eyes were still just open. Harry could see a strip of gleaming yellow beneath its wrinkled black eyelid.**

**"This is a Hungarian Horntail," said Charlie. "There's a Common Welsh Green over there, the smaller one - a Swedish Short-Snout, that blue-gray - and a Chinese Fireball, that's the red."**

**Charlie looked around; Madame Maxime was strolling away around the edge of the enclosure, gazing at the stunned dragons.**

**"I didn't know you were bringing her, Hagrid,"**

"He shouldn't have." James said.

"Well, technically, he shouldn't have brought Harry either." Remus said logically.

"And it probably saved my life knowing what it was." Harry shrugged.

"Mine too." Fleur agreed.

**Charlie said, frowning. "The champions aren't supposed to know what's coming - she's bound to tell her student, isn't she?"**

**"Jus' thought she'd like ter see 'em," shrugged Hagrid, still gazing, enraptured, at the dragons.**

**"Really romantic date, Hagrid," said Charlie, shaking his head.**

**"Four..." said Hagrid, "so it's one fer each o' the champions, is it? What've they gotta do - fight 'em?"**

"Heaven's no. We'd never let student's fight dragons." Minerva exclaimed.

**"Just get past them, I think," said Charlie. "We'll be on hand if it gets nasty, Extinguishing Spells at the ready. They wanted nesting mothers,"**

"Uh oh. Not good." Regulus winced.

"It's not." Charlie agreed, "Those four were the most experienced mothers our reserve had... And the nastiest when they were nesting." he winced.

**"I don't know why... but I tell you this, I don't envy the one who gets the Horntail. Vicious thing. Its back end's as dangerous as its front, look."**

**Charlie pointed toward the Horntail's tail, and Harry saw long, bronze-colored spikes protruding along it every few inches.**

**Five of Charlie's fellow keepers staggered up to the Horntail at that moment, carrying a clutch of huge granite-gray eggs between them in a blanket. They placed them carefully at the Horntail's side. Hagrid let out a moan of longing.**

**"I've got them counted, Hagrid," said Charlie sternly. Then he said, "How's Harry?"**

"Absolutely terrified now I've seen the dragons." Harry admitted, "Not so good for the nerves, that one."

Charlie chuckled, "I'd imagine it wasn't. You didn't look terrified or nervous when you stepped into the arena."

"I didnt?" he questioned, "Good to know." he smirked when those who had seen the task shook their heads.

**"Fine," said Hagrid. He was still gazing at the eggs.**

**"Just hope he's still fine after he's faced this lot," said Charlie grimly, looking out over the dragons' enclosure. "I didn't dare tell Mum what he's got to do for the first task;"**

Molly huffed and Charlie looked sheepish.

**"she's already having kittens about him..." Charlie imitated his mother's anxious voice. "'How could they let him enter that tournament, he's much too young! I thought they were all safe, I thought there was going to be an age limit!' She was in floods after that Daily Prophet article about him. 'He still cries about his parents! Oh bless him, I never knew!'"**

James and Lily scowled.

"Sorry Harry." Molly blushed.

"It's fine."

**Harry had had enough.**

**Trusting to the fact that Hagrid wouldn't miss him, with the attractions of four dragons and Madame Maxime to occupy him, he turned silently and began to walk away, back to the castle.**

**He didn't know whether he was glad he'd seen what was coming or not. Perhaps this way was better.**

**The first shock was over now. Maybe if he'd seen the dragons for the first time on Tuesday, he would have passed out cold in front of the whole school... but maybe he would anyway... He was going to be armed with his wand - which, just now, felt like nothing more than a narrow strip of wood - against a fifty-foot-high, scaly, spike-ridden, fire-breathing dragon. And he had to get past it. With everyone watching. How?**

"How did you get past it?" Jinx asked.

Harry told him and Jex.

"Cool." Jex let out a wolfish grin.

**Harry sped up, skirting the edge of the forest; he had just under fifteen minutes to get back to the fireside and talk to Sirius, and he couldn't remember, ever, wanting to talk to someone more than he did right now - when, without warning, he ran into something very solid.**

**Harry fell backward, his glasses askew, clutching the cloak around him. A voice nearby said, "Ouch! Who's there?"**

**Harry hastily checked that the cloak was covering him and lay very still, staring up at the dark outline of the wizard he had hit. He recognized the goatee... it was Karkaroff.**

"What's he doing?" Percy asked.

"He heard about the dragons?" Bill guessed.

"He must have." Harry shrugged. "Either way all four of us knew what the first task was."

"How did Cedric find out?" Amber asked.

"I told him. I knew Fleur knew and Victor were told so I figured I'd make it fair." he explained.

**"Who's there?" said Karkaroff again, very suspiciously, looking around in the darkness. Harry remained still and silent. After a minute or so, Karkaroff seemed to decide that he had hit some sort of animal; he was looking around at waist height, as though expecting to see a dog.**

**Then he crept back under the cover of the trees and started to edge forward toward the place where the dragons were.**

**Very slowly and very carefully, Harry got to his feet and set off again as fast as he could without making too much noise, hurrying through the darkness back toward Hogwarts.**

**He had no doubt whatsoever what Karkaroff was up to. He had sneaked off his ship to try and find out what the first task was going to be. He might even have spotted Hagrid and Madame Maxime heading off around the forest together - they were hardly difficult to spot at a distance... and now all Karkaroff had to do was follow the sound of voices, and he, like Madame Maxime, would know what was in store for the champions.**

**By the looks of it, the only champion who would be facing the unknown on Tuesday was Cedric.**

**Harry reached the castle, slipped in through the front doors, and began to climb the marble stairs; he was very out of breath, but he didn't dare slow down... He had less than five minutes to get up to the fire.**

**"Balderdash!" he gasped at the Fat Lady, who was snoozing in her frame in front of the portrait hole.**

**"If you say so," she muttered sleepily, without opening her eyes, and the picture swung forward to admit him. Harry climbed inside. The common room was deserted, and, judging by the fact that it smelled quite normal, Hermione had not needed to set off any Dungbombs to ensure that he and Sirius got privacy. Harry pulled off the Invisibility Cloak and threw himself into an armchair in front of the fire. The room was in semidarkness; the flames were the only source of light. Nearby, on a table, the Support Cedric Diggory! badges the Creeveys had been trying to improve were glinting in the firelight. They now read POTTER REALLY STINKS.**

"That's so much better." James said sarcastically.

"It's better than nothing." Hermione pointed out.

Harry nodded, "At least they tried."

**Harry looked back into the flames, and jumped. Sirius's head was sitting in the fire.**

**If Harry hadn't seen Mr. Diggory do exactly this back in the Weasleys' kitchen, it would have scared him out of his wits.**

**Instead, he felt his face breaking into the first smile he had worn for days,**

Sirius smiled warmly.

**he scrambled out of his chair, crouched down by the hearth, and said, "Sirius - how're you doing?"**

**Sirius looked different from Harry's memory of him. When they had said goodbye, Sirius's face had been gaunt and sunken, surrounded by a quantity of long, black, matted hair - but the hair was short and clean now, Sirius's face was fuller, and he looked younger,**

"Much better." Lily smiled.

"I had had a few meals and I had a wand by that time so I cleaned myself up a little." Sirius smiled.

**much more like the only photograph Harry had of him, which had been taken at the Potters' wedding.**

**"Never mind me, how are you?" said Sirius seriously.**

**"I'm -" For a second, Harry tried to say "fine"**

"You are not, tell me the truth." Sirius said strictly.

Everyone looked startled at his tone, not having hear him be strict before.

**- but he couldn't do it. Before he could stop himself, he was talking more than he'd talked in days - about how no one believed he hadn't entered the tournament of his own free will, how Rita Skeeter had lied about him in the Daily Prophet, how he couldn't walk down a corridor without being sneered at-and about Ron, Ron not believing him, Ron's jealousy...**

Ron gave Harry an apologetic, guilty look.

**"... and now Hagrid's just shown me what's coming in the first task, and it's dragons, Sirius, and I'm a goner," he finished desperately.**

**Sirius looked at him, eyes full of concern, eyes that had not yet lost the look that Azkaban had given them-that deadened, haunted look.**

Sirius sighed, "There was no getting rid of that."

"It got better the happier you were." Remus pointed out.

**He had let Harry talk himself into silence without interruption, but now he said, "Dragons we can deal with, Harry, but we'll get to that in a minute - I haven't got long here... I've broken into a wizarding house to use the fire, but they could be back at any time. There are things I need to warn you about."**

**"What?" said Harry, feeling his spirits slip a further few notches... Surely there could be nothing worse than dragons coming?**

**"Karkaroff," said Sirius. "Harry, he was a Death Eater. You know what Death Eaters are, don't you?"**

**"Yes - he - what?"**

**"He was caught, he was in Azkaban with me,"**

Sirius shivered. "Cell right along the corridor too." he growled, "He only spent a few night's there though."

**"but he got released. I'd bet everything that's why Dumbledore wanted an Auror at Hogwarts this year - to keep an eye on him. Moody caught Karkaroff. Put him into Azkaban in the first place."**

**"Karkaroff got released?" Harry said slowly - his brain seemed to be struggling to absorb yet another piece of shocking information. "Why did they release him?"**

**"He did a deal with the Ministry of Magic," said Sirius bitterly. "He said he'd seen the error of his ways, and then he named names... he put a load of other people into Azkaban in his place..."**

"Bet he's real popular there." Ron said sarcastically.

**"He's not very popular in there, I can tell you. And since he got out, from what I can tell, he's been teaching the Dark Arts to every student who passes through that school of his. So watch out for the Durmstrang champion as well."**

**"Okay," said Harry slowly. "But... are you saying Karkaroff put my name in the goblet? Because if he did, he's a really good actor. He seemed furious about it. He wanted to stop me from competing."**

**"We know he's a good actor," said Sirius, "because he convinced the Ministry of Magic to set him free, didn't he? Now, I've been keeping an eye on the Daily Prophet, Harry..."**

"Which is full of rubbish." Sirius added.

**"- you and the rest of the world," said Harry bitterly.**

**"- and reading between the lines of that Skeeter woman's article last month, Moody was attacked the night before he started at Hogwarts. Yes, I know she says it was another false alarm," Sirius said hastily, seeing Harry about to speak, "but I don't think so, somehow. I think someone tried to stop him from getting to Hogwarts. I think someone knew their job would be a lot more difficult with him around. And no one's going to look into it too closely; Mad-Eye's heard intruders a bit too often. But that doesn't mean he can't still spot the real thing. Moody was the best Auror the Ministry ever had."**

**"So... what are you saying?" said Harry slowly. "Karkaroff's trying to kill me? But - why?"**

**Sirius hesitated.**

**"I've been hearing some very strange things," he said slowly. "The Death Eaters seem to be a bit more active than usual lately. They showed themselves at the Quidditch World Cup, didn't they? Someone set off the Dark Mark... and then-did you hear about that Ministry of Magic witch who's gone missing?"**

**"Bertha Jorkins?" said Harry.**

**"Exactly... she disappeared in Albania, and that's definitely where Voldemort was rumored to be last..."**

"Are you saying Voldemort's planning a return?" James asked Sirius.

"Trying to yes." Sirius nodded.

**"and she would have known the Triwizard Tournament was coming up, wouldn't she?"**

**"Yeah, but... it's not very likely she'd have walked straight into Voldemort, is it?" said Harry.**

**"Listen, I knew Bertha Jorkins," said Sirius grimly. "She was at Hogwarts when I was, a few years above your dad and me. And she was an idiot. Very nosy, but no brains, none at all. It's not a good combination, Harry. I'd say she'd be very easy to lure into a trap."**

**"So... so Voldemort could have found out about the tournament?" said Harry. "Is that what you mean? You think Karkaroff might be here on his orders?"**

"Someone is." Lily said frowning.

**"I don't know," said Sirius slowly, "I just don't know... Karkaroff doesn't strike me as the type who'd go back to Voldemort unless he knew Voldemort was powerful enough to protect him. But whoever put your name in that goblet did it for a reason, and I can't help thinking the tournament would be a very good way to attack you and make it look like an accident."**

**"Looks like a really good plan from where I'm standing," said Harry grinning bleakly. "They'll just have to stand back and let the dragons do their stuff."**

**"Right - these dragons," said Sirius, speaking very quickly now. "There's a way, Harry. Don't be tempted to try a Stunning Spell - dragons are strong and too powerfully magical to be knocked out by a single Stunner, you need about half a dozen wizards at a time to overcome a dragon -"**

**"Yeah, I know, I just saw," said Harry.**

**"But you can do it alone," said Sirius. "There is away, and a simple spell's all you need. Just -"**

**But Harry held up a hand to silence him, his heart suddenly pounding as though it would burst. He could hear footsteps coming down the spiral staircase behind him.**

**"Go!" he hissed at Sirius. "Go! There's someone coming!"**

"Damn." James muttered.

**Harry scrambled to his feet, hiding the fire - if someone saw Sirius's face within the walls of Hogwarts, they would raise an almighty uproar - the Ministry would get dragged in - he, Harry, would be questioned about Sirius's whereabouts - Harry heard a tiny pop! in the fire behind him and knew Sirius had gone.**

**He watched the bottom of the spiral staircase. Who had decided to go for a stroll at one o'clock in the morning, and stopped Sirius from telling him how to get past a dragon? It was Ron.**

"Oop's, bad timing." Ron winced.

**Dressed in his maroon paisley pajamas, Ron stopped dead facing Harry across the room, and looked around.**

**"Who were you talking to?" he said.**

**"What's that got to do with you?" Harry snarled. "What are you doing down here at this time of night?"**

**"I just wondered where you -" Ron broke off, shrugging. "Nothing. I'm going back to bed."**

**"Just thought you'd come nosing around, did you?" Harry shouted. He knew that Ron had no idea what he'd walked in on, knew he hadn't done it on purpose, but he didn't care**

Lily gave Harry a scolding look.

**- at this moment he hated everything about Ron, right down to the several inches of bare ankle showing beneath his pajama trousers.**

Ron blushed and Harry gave him a sheepish expression.

**"Sorry about that," said Ron, his face reddening with anger. "Should've realized you didn't want to be disturbed. I'll let you get on with practicing for your next interview in peace."**

"Boys." Molly sighed.

**Harry seized one of the POTTER REALLY STINKS badges off the table and chucked it, as hard as he could, across the room. It hit Ron on the forehead and bounced off.**

**"There you go," Harry said. "Something for you to wear on Tuesday. You might even have a scar now, if you're lucky... That's what you want, isn't it?"**

**He strode across the room toward the stairs; he half expected Ron to stop him, he would even have liked Ron to throw a punch at him, but Ron just stood there in his too-small pajamas, and Harry, having stormed upstairs, lay awake in bed fuming for a long time afterward and didn't hear him come up to bed.**

"That's because I didn't go up until around 4am." Ron muttered. "I'm really sorry Harry."

"If you apologize again I'll stick you to the ceiling." he warned, "I've already forgiven you and I never helped much either."

"I was still out of line."

"So was I." Harry shrugged, "We were both being stupid, end of story."

"But-"

"Would you both quit it." Hermione interrupted before Ron could finish talking. "Or you'll both be stuck to the ceiling." she warned.

"Sorry 'Mione." they said together.

"That was the end of the memory. We're skipping until the first task." Harry added.


	30. Chapter 30

Chapter 30 - Fourth Year (Part 9.5)

17, August. 1998. 1.30pm.

"Right what happened is I was telling Cedric about the dragons when Moody showed up and took me to his office. In the office he told me to play to my strengths against my dragon." Harry started.

"He helped you and knew that you knew about the dragons?" Ginny asked.

"Yes he did. He let me figure out that my main strength is flying." Harry grinned.

"So I helped Harry work on the Summoning Charm so he could summon his Firebolt for the task." Hermione explained. "We spent a whole night on it and after a few hours he got it."

"Which was a good idea." George grinned.

"Very good." Harry agreed, "Anyway this is the day of the task before it starts." he said as the memory started.

**Harry had been focusing so hard on learning the Summoning Charm that evening that some of his blind panic had left him. It returned in full measure, however, on the following morning. The atmosphere in the school was one of great tension and excitement. Lessons were to stop at midday, giving all the students time to get down to the dragons' enclosure - though of course, they didn't yet know what they would find there.**

**Harry felt oddly separate from everyone around him, whether they were wishing him good luck or hissing "We'll have a box of tissues ready, Potter" as he passed.**

"Which didn't help." Harry glared at Draco.

"Hey! It wasn't just me." he protested.

"You still didn't help."

"Fair enough."

**It was a state of nervousness so advanced that he wondered whether he mightn't just lose his head when they tried to lead him out to his dragon, and start trying to curse everyone in sight. Time was behaving in a more peculiar fashion than ever, rushing past in great dollops, so that one moment he seemed to be sitting down in his first lesson, History of Magic, and the next, walking into lunch... and then (where had the morning gone? the last of the dragon-free hours?), Professor McGonagall was hurrying over to him in the Great Hall. Lots of people were watching.**

**"Potter, the champions have to come down onto the grounds now... You have to get ready for your first task."**

**"Okay," said Harry, standing up, his fork falling onto his plate with a clatter.**

**"Good luck, Harry," Hermione whispered. "You'll be fine!"**

Lily glared at Ron, "You should have wished him luck too."

"I wasnt there." Ron frowned, "I was talking to Charlie."

Charlie nodded, "He was." he confirmed.

**"Yeah," said Harry in a voice that was most unlike his own.**

**He left the Great Hall with Professor McGonagall. She didn't seem herself either; in fact, she looked nearly as anxious as Hermione. As she walked him down the stone steps and out into the cold November afternoon, she put her hand on his shoulder.**

**"Now, don't panic," she said, "just keep a cool head... We've got wizards standing by to control the situation if it gets out of hand... The main thing is just to do your best, and nobody will think any the worse of you..."**

"You were worried werent you?" Alice asked.

"Of course I was." Minerva sighed. "I thought he'd get injured quite badly."

"Thank you for the confidence boost." Harry chuckled.

"Harry, you were a 14 year old going up against a dragon." she said, "What else was I supposed to think?"

"Maybe that I'd faced Voldemort twice already, faced a Basilisk and lived and that maybe there was a chance I'd be absolutely fine?"

"I didnt know about the Basilisk until we covered it." she reminded him, "Add to the fact that no matter how much danger you had been in previously you were still only a 14 year old boy against a very dangerous dragon."

Harry shrugged, "Thing's like that are normal for me." he stated.

He ignored the incredulous looks sent his way but the majority of the room.

**"****Are you all right?"**

**"Yes," Harry heard himself say. "Yes, I'm fine."**

**She was leading him toward the place where the dragons were, around the edge of the forest, but when they approached the clump of trees behind which the enclosure would be clearly visible, Harry saw that a tent had been erected, its entrance facing them, screening the dragons from view.**

**"You're to go in here with the other champions," said Professor McGonagall, in a rather shaky sort of voice,****"and wait for your turn, Potter. Mr. Bagman is in there... he'll be telling you the - the procedure... Good luck."**

**"Thanks," said Harry, in a flat, distant voice. She left him at the entrance of the tent. Harry went inside.**

**Fleur Delacour was sitting in a corner on a low wooden stool. She didn't look nearly as composed as usual, but rather pale and clammy. Viktor Krum looked even surlier than usual, which Harry supposed was his way of showing nerves. Cedric was pacing up and down. When Harry entered, Cedric gave him a small smile, which Harry returned, feeling the muscles in his face working rather hard, as though they had forgotten how to do it.**

**"Harry! Good-o!" said Bagman happily,**

"He really is a nutter." Dudley muttered making most nod.

**looking around at him. "Come in, come in, make yourself at home!"**

**Bagman looked somehow like a slightly overblown cartoon figure, standing amid all the pale-faced champions. He was wearing his old Wasp robes again.**

**"Well, now we're all here - time to fill you in!" said Bagman brightly. "When the audience has assembled, I'm going to be offering each of you this bag" - he held up a small sack of purple silk and shook it at them - "from which you will each select a small model of the thing you are about to face! There are different-er-varieties, you see. And I have to tell you something else too... ah, yes... your task is to collect the golden egg!"**

"So, they just have to get the egg from the dragon. That won't be too hard." Regulus said.

"Says you." Harry muttered. "It's different watching than it is experiencing it."

"You made it look easy." Fleur commented, "But it was quite difficult." she admitted.

**Harry glanced around. Cedric had nodded once, to show that he understood Bagman's words, and then started pacing around the tent again; he looked slightly green. Fleur Delacour and Krum hadn't reacted at all. Perhaps they thought they might be sick if they opened their mouths; that was certainly how Harry felt. But they, at least, had volunteered for this...**

**And in no time at all, hundreds upon hundreds of pairs of feet could be heard passing the tent, their owners talking excitedly, laughing, joking.. Harry felt as separate from the crowd as though they were a different species. And then ****-**** it seemed like about a second later to Harry - Bagman was opening the neck of the purple silk sack.**

**"Ladies first," he said, offering it to Fleur Delacour.**

"Very courteous of him." Fleur muttered sarcastically.

**She put a shaking hand inside the bag and drew out a tiny, perfect model of a dragon - a Welsh Green. It had the number two around its neck And Harry knew, by the fact that Fleur showed no sign of surprise, but rather a determined resignation, that he had been right: Madame Maxime had told her what was coming.**

**The same held true for Krum. He pulled out the scarlet Chinese Fireball. It had a number three around its neck. He didn't even blink, just sat back down and stared at the ground.**

**Cedric put his hand into the bag, and out came the blueish-gray Swedish Short-Snout,**

"Ugh. Just your luck getting the worst of the lot." Frank muttered.

Harry just smiled.

**the number one tied around its neck. Knowing what was left, Harry put his hand into the silk bag and pulled out the Hungarian Horntail, and the number four. It stretched its wings as he looked down at it, and bared its minuscule fangs.**

**"Well, there you are!" said Bagman. "You have each pulled out the dragon you will face, and the numbers refer to the order in which you are to take on the dragons, do you see?****"**

"So you were last?" Lily asked. Harry nodded.

**"Now, I'm going to have to leave you in a moment, because I'm commentating. Mr. Diggory, you're first, just go out into the enclosure when you hear a whistle, all right? Now... Harry... could I have a quick word? Outside?"**

**"Er... yes," said Harry blankly, and he got up and went out of the tent with Bagman, who walked him a short distance away, into the trees, and then turned to him with a fatherly expression on his face.**

**"Feeling all right, Harry? Anything I can get you?"**

**"What?" said Harry. "I - no, nothing."**

**"Got a plan?" said Bagman, lowering his voice conspiratorially. "Because I don't mind sharing a few pointers, if you'd like them, you know. I mean," Bagman continued, lowering his voice still further, "you're the underdog here, Harry... Anything I can do to help..."**

**"No," said Harry so quickly he knew he had sounded rude, "no - I - I know what I'm going to do, thanks."**

**"Nobody would know, Harry," said Bagman, winking at him.**

**"No, I'm fine," said Harry, wondering why he kept telling people this, and wondering whether he had ever been less fine. "I've got a plan worked out, I -"**

**A whistle had blown somewhere.**

**"Good lord, I've got to run!" said Bagman in alarm, and he hurried off.**

**Harry walked back to the tent and saw Cedric emerging from it, greener than ever. Harry tried to wish him luck as he walked past, but all that came out of his mouth was a sort of hoarse grunt.**

**Harry went back inside to Fleur and Krum. Seconds later, they heard the roar of the crowd, which meant Cedric had entered the enclosure and was now face-to face with the living counterpart of his model.**

**It was worse than Harry could ever have imagined, sitting there and listening. The crowd screamed... yelled... gasped like a single many-headed entity, as Cedric did whatever he was doing to get past the Swedish Short-Snout. Krum was still staring at the ground. Fleur had now taken to retracing Cedric's steps, around and around the tent. And Bagman's commentary made everything much, much worse... Horrible pictures formed in Harry's mind as he heard: "Oooh, narrow miss there, very narrow"... "He's taking risks, this one!"... "Clever move - pity it didn't work!"**

"That was the worst." Fleur shuddered. Harry nodded.

**And then, after about fifteen minutes, Harry heard the deafening roar that could mean only one thing: Cedric had gotten past his dragon and captured the golden egg.**

**"Very good indeed!" Bagman was shouting. "And now the marks from the judges!"**

**But he didn't shout out the marks; Harry supposed the judges were holding them up and showing them to the crowd.**

**"One down, three to go!" Bagman yelled as the whistle blew again. "Miss Delacour, if you please!"**

**Fleur was trembling from head to foot; Harry felt more warmly toward her than he had done so far as she ****l****eft the tent with her head held high and her hand clutching her wand. He and Krum were left alone, at opposite sides of the tent, avoiding each other's gaze.**

**The same process started again... "Oh I'm not sure that was wise!" they could hear Bagman shouting gleefully. "Oh... nearly! Careful now... good lord, I thought she'd had it then!"**

"This is horrible." Lily said.

**Ten minutes later, Harry heard the crowd erupt into applause once more... Fleur must have been successful too. A pause, while Fleur's marks were being shown... more clapping... then, for the third time, the whistle.**

**"And here comes Mr. Krum!" cried Bagman, and Krum slouched out, leaving Harry quite alone.**

**He felt much more aware of his body than usual; very aware of the way his heart was pumping fast, and his fingers tingling with fear... yet at the same time, he seemed to be outside himself, seeing the walls of the tent, and hearing the crowd, as though from far away.**

"I felt sorry for you being in there alone but zey wouldn't let me go back in." Fleur admitted.

**"Very daring!" Bagman was yelling, and Harry heard the Chinese Fireball emit a horrible, roaring shriek, while the crowd drew its collective breath. "That's some nerve he's showing - and - yes, he's got the egg!"**

**Applause shattered the wintery air like breaking glass; Krum had finished ****-**** it would be Harry's turn any moment.**

**He stood up, noticing dimly that his legs seemed to be made of marshmallow. He waited. And then he heard the whistle blow. He walked out through the entrance of the tent, the panic rising into a crescendo inside him. And now he was walking past the trees, through a gap in the enclosure fence.**

**He saw everything in front of him as though it was a very highly colored dream.**

**There were hundreds and hundreds of faces staring down at him from stands that had been magicked there since he'd last stood on this spot. And there was the Horntail, at the other end of the enclosure, crouched low over her clutch of eggs, her wings half-furled, her evil, yellow eyes upon him, a monstrous, scaly, black lizard, thrashing her spiked tail, heaving yard-long gouge marks in the hard ground.**

"It looks worse when it's light outside." Alice said.

"I thought it looked better. At least when its light I could see it better." Harry shrugged.

**The crowd was making a great deal of noise, but whether friendly or not, Harry didn't know or care. It was time to do what he had to do... to focus his mind, entirely and absolutely, upon the thing that was his only chance.**

**He raised his wand.**

**"Accio Firebolt!" he shouted.**

**Harry waited, every fiber of him hoping, praying... If it hadn't worked... if it wasn't coming... He seemed to be looking at everything around him through some sort of shimmering, transparent barrier, like a heat haze, which made the enclosure and the hundreds of faces around him swim strangely...**

**And then he heard it, speeding through the air behind him; he turned and saw his Firebolt hurtling toward him**

Everyone in the room let out a relieved sigh and cheered.

**around the edge of the woods, soaring into the enclosure, and stopping dead in midair beside him, waiting for him to mount. The crowd was making even more noise... Bagman was shouting something... but Harry's ears were not working properly anymore... listening wasn't important...**

**He swung his leg over the broom and kicked off from the ground. And a second later, something miraculous happened...**

**As he soared upward, as the wind rushed through his hair, as the crowd's faces became mere flesh-colored pinpricks below, and the Horntail shrank to the size of a dog, he realized that he had heft not only the ground behind, but also his fear...**

"Good." James said, "Now it'll be much easier."

**He was back where he belonged...**

**This was just another Quidditch match, that was all... just another Quidditch match, and that Horntail was just another ugly opposing team.**

**He looked down at the clutch of eggs and spotted the gold one, gleaming against its cement-colored fellows, residing safely between the dragon's front legs.**

**"Okay," Harry told himself, "diversionary tactics... let's go..."**

**He dived. The Horntail's head followed him; he knew what it was going to do and pulled out of the dive just in time; a jet of fire had been released exactly where he would have been had he not swerved away... but Harry didn't care... that was no more than dodging a Bludger.**

**"Great Scott, he can fly!"****yelled Bagman as the crowd shrieked and gasped. "Are you watching this, Mr. Krum?"**

"Victor wasn't happy about that." Fleur laughed, "He kept muttering that he should have thought of that. He admitted you were a better flyer than him, though." she added. Harry blushed.

**Harry soared higher in a circle; the Horntail was still following his progress; its head revolving on its long neck - if he kept this up, it would be nicely dizzy ****-**** but better not push it too long, or it would be breathing fire again ****-**

**Harry plummeted just as the Horntail opened its mouth, but this time he was less lucky ****- ****he missed the flames, but the tail came whipping up to meet him instead, and as he swerved to the left, one of the long spikes grazed his shoulder, ripping his robes ****-**

Everyone winced.

**He could feel it stinging, he could hear screaming and groans from the crowd, but the cut didn't seem to be deep...**

"Good." Sirius sighed in relief, "You never told me about that."

"I thought I did." Harry shrugged.

**Now he zoomed around the back of the Horntail, and a possibility occurred to him...**

**The Horntail didn't seem to want to take off, she was too protective of her eggs. Though she writhed and twisted, furling and unfurling her wings and keeping those fearsome yellow eyes on Harry, she was afraid to move too far from them... but he had to persuade her to do it, or he'd never get near them... The trick was to do it carefully, gradually...**

**He began to fly, first this way, then the other, not near enough to make her breathe fire to stave him off, but still posing a sufficient threat to ensure she kept her eyes on him. Her head swayed this way and that, watching him out of those vertical pupils, her fangs bared...**

**He flew higher. The Horntail's head rose with him, her neck now stretched to its fullest extent, still swaying, like a snake before its charmer... Harry rose a few more feet, and she let out a roar of exasperation. He was like a fly to her, a fly she was longing to swat; her tail thrashed again, but he was too high to reach now... She shot fire into the air, which he dodged... Her jaws opened wide...**

**"Come on," Harry hissed, swerving tantalizingly above her, "come on, come and get me... up you get now..."**

"Were you trying to convince her to eat you?" Ginny demanded.

"No. I was trying to convince her to follow me." Harry smirked, "What did it look like from the stands?"

"Terrifying." she scowled.

"Very terrifying." the others who had been there agreed.

"We thought you were trying to get her to eat you." Charlie snorted, "If it weren't for the fact they'd all been fed the night before she probably would have before we could stop her."

**And then she reared, spreading her great, black, leathery wings at last, as wide as those of a small airplane - and Harry dived. Before the dragon knew what he had done, or where he had disappeared to, he was speeding toward the ground as fast as he could go, toward the eggs now unprotected by her clawed front legs**

"Go, go, go." the Marauders urged.

**- he had taken his hands off his Firebolt - he had seized the golden egg ****-**

The room erupted in shouts of triumph and everyone started cheering and clapping.

**And with a huge spurt of speed, he was off, he was soaring out over the stands, the heavy egg safely under his uninjured arm, and it was as though somebody had just turned the volume back up - for the first time, he became properly aware of the noise of the crowd, which was screaming and applauding as loudly as the Irish supporters at the World Cup -**

**"Look at that!" Bagman was yelling. "Will you look at that! Our youngest champion is quickest to get his egg! Well, this is going to shorten the odds on Mr. Potter!"**

"See. I didn't even take 10 minutes." Harry smirked at Draco.

"I said I bet you wouldn't last 10 minutes and you didnt even take that long so it doesn't count." Draco shrugged.

**Harry saw the dragon keepers rushing forward to subdue the Horntail, and, over at the entrance to the enclosure, Professor McGonagall, Professor Moody, and Hagrid hurrying to meet him, all of them waving him toward them, their smiles evident even from this distance. He flew back over the stands, the noise of the crowd pounding his eardrums, and came in smoothly to land, his heart lighter than it had been in weeks... He had got through the first task, he had survived.**

**"That was excellent, Potter!" cried Professor McGonagall as he got off the Firebolt - which from her was extravagant praise. He noticed that her hand shook as she pointed at his shoulder. "You'll need to see Madam Pomfrey before the judges give out your score... Over there, she's had to mop up Diggory already..."**

"That didn't help. I thought it was worse than it was because you said it like that." Harry told Minerva.

"Sorry Harry, I'll admit I was in shock a little bit. And Cedric was a mess before Poppy got to him." she admitted.

**"Yeh did it, Harry!" said Hagrid hoarsely. "Yeh did it! An' agains' the Horntail an' all, an' yeh know Charlie said that was the wors'**** -"**

"It is." Charlie nodded, "By the way Harry, you managed to annoy her so much she wouldn't eat for three days."

"I live to annoy those who try to kill me." Harry smirked.

**"Thanks, Hagrid," said Harry loudly, so that Hagrid wouldn't blunder on and reveal that he had shown Harry the dragons beforehand.**

**Professor Moody looked very pleased too; his magical eye was dancing in its socket.**

**"Nice and easy does the trick, Potter," he growled.**

**"Right then, Potter, the first aid tent, please..." said Professor McGonagall.**

**Harry walked out of the enclosure, still panting, and saw Madam Pomfrey standing at the mouth of a second tent, looking worried.**

**"Dragons!" she said, in a disgusted tone, pulling Harry inside. The tent was divided into cubicles; he could make out Cedric's shadow through the canvas, but Cedric didn't seem to be badly injured; he was sitting up, at least. Madam Pomfrey examined Harry's shoulder, talking furiously all the while. "Last year dementors, this year dragons, what are they going to bring into this school next?****"**

"Were-toads?" Ginny suggested innocently. This made those who knew Umbridge taught the next year to laugh, except Minerva who just smiled.

**"You're very lucky... this is quite shallow... it'll need cleaning before I heal it up, though..."**

**She cleaned the cut with a dab of some purple liquid that smoked and stung, but then poked his shoulder with her wand, and he felt it heal instantly. "Now, just sit quietly for a minute - sit! And then you can go and get your score."**

**She bustled out of the tent and he heard her go next door and say, "How does it feel now, Diggory?"**

**Harry didn't want to sit still: He was too full of adrenaline. He got to his feet, wanting to see what was going on outside, but before he'd reached the mouth of the tent, two people had come darting inside - Hermione, followed closely by Ron.**

**"Harry, you were brilliant!" Hermione said squeakily. There were fingernail marks on her face where she had been clutching it in fear. "You were amazing! You really were!"**

**But Harry was looking at Ron, who was very white and staring at Harry as though he were a ghost.**

**"Harry," he said, very seriously, "whoever put your name in that goblet - I ****-**** I reckon they're trying to do you in!"**

**It was as though the last few weeks had never happened - as though Harry were meeting Ron for the first time, right after he'd been made champion.**

**"Caught on, have you?" said Harry coldly.**

"Harry." Lily groaned.

"I deserved it." Ron sighed.

**"Took you long enough."**

**Hermione stood nervously between them, looking from one to the other. Ron opened his mouth uncertainly. Harry knew Ron was about to apologize and suddenly he found he didn't need to hear it.**

**"It's okay," he said, before Ron could get the words out. "Forget it."**

**"No," said Ron, "I shouldn't've -"**

**"Forget it,"****Harry said.**

**Ron grinned nervously at him, and Harry grinned back**

**Hermione burst into tears.**

**"There's nothing to cry about!" Harry told her, bewildered.**

**"You two are so stupid!"****she shouted, stamping her foot on the ground, tears splashing down her front. Then, before either of them could stop her, she had given both of them a hug and dashed away, now positively howling.**

**"Barking mad," said Ron, shaking his head. "Harry, c'mon, they'll be putting up your scores..."**

**Picking up the golden egg and his Firebolt, feeling more elated than he would have believed possible an hour ago, Harry ducked out of the tent, Ron by his side, talking fast.**

**"You were the best, you know, no competition. Cedric did this weird thing where he Transfigured a rock on the ground... turned it into a dog... he was trying to make the dragon go for the dog instead of him. Well, it was a pretty cool bit of Transfiguration, and it sort of worked, because he did get the egg, but he got burned as well - the dragon changed its mind halfway through and decided it would rather have him than the Labrador; he only just got away. And that Fleur girl tried this sort of charm, I think she was trying to put it into a trance - well, that kind of worked too, it went all sleepy, but then it snored, and this great jet of flame shot out, and her skirt caught fire - she put it out with a bit of water out of her wand. And Krum - you won't believe this, but he didn't even think of flying! He was probably the best after you, though. Hit it with some sort of spell right in the eye. Only thing is, it went trampling around in agony and squashed half the real eggs - they took marks off for that, he wasn't supposed to do any damage to them."**

"So my idea was rubbish compared to what you did." Sirius smiled.

**Ron drew breath as he and Harry reached the edge of the enclosure. Now that the Horntail had been taken away, Harry could see where the five judges were sitting - right at the other end, in raised seats draped in gold.**

**"It's marks out of ten from each one," Ron said, and Harry squinting up the field, saw the first judge - Madame Maxime - raise her wand in the air. What hooked like a long silver ribbon shot out of it, which twisted itself into a large figure eight.**

**"Not bad!" said Ron as the crowd applauded. "I suppose she took marks off for your shoulder..."**

**Mr. Crouch came next. He shot a number nine into the air.**

**"Looking good!" Ron yelled, thumping Harry on the back.**

**Next, Dumbledore. He too put up a nine. The crowd was cheering harder than ever.**

**Ludo Bagman - ten.**

**"Ten?" said Harry in disbelief. "But... I got hurt... What's he playing at?"**

"He's playing favourites." Hermione giggled, "Not that it'll work."

**"Harry, don't complain!" Ron yelled excitedly.**

**And now Karkaroff raised his wand. He paused for a moment, and then a number shot out of his wand too - four.**

"Four?!" many people shouted.

"He gave me 2. Cedric got 2 as well. He was obviously playing favourites with his student." Fleur muttered.

**"What?" Ron bellowed furiously. "Four? You lousy, biased scumbag, you gave Krum ten!"**

**But Harry didn't care, he wouldn't have cared if Karkaroff had given him zero; Ron's indignation on his behalf was worth about a hundred points to him.**

Ron grinned at Harry, who returned it.

**He didn't tell Ron this, of course, but his heart felt lighter than air as he turned to leave the enclosure. And it wasn't just Ron... those weren't only Gryffindors cheering in the crowd. When it had come to it, when they had seen what he was facing, most of the school had been on his side as well as Cedric's... He didn't care about the Slytherins, he could stand whatever they threw at him now.**

Astoria giggled, "Most of the Slytherin's were on both of their sides too and were cheering, but they'd all deny it if they were asked." she informed them, making them chuckle slightly.

**"You're tied in first place, Harry! You and Krum!" said Charlie Weasley, hurrying to meet them as they set off back toward the school. "Listen, I've got to run, I've got to go and send Mum an owl, I swore I'd tell her what happened - but that was unbelievable! Oh yeah - and they told me to tell you you've got to hang around for a few more minutes... Bagman wants a word, back in the champions' tent."**

**Ron said he would wait, so Harry re-entered the tent, which somehow looked quite different now: friendly and welcoming.**

"You noticed that too then." Fleur smiled.

**He thought back to how he'd felt while dodging the Horntail, and compared it to the long wait before he'd walked out to face it... There was no comparison; the wait had been immeasurably worse. Fleur, Cedric, and Krum all came in together. One side of Cedric's face was covered in a thick orange paste, which was presumably mending his burn. He grinned at Harry when he saw him.**

**"Good one, Harry."**

**"And you," said Harry, grinning back.**

**"Well done, all of you!" said Ludo Bagman, bouncing into the tent and looking as pleased as though he personally had just got past a dragon. "Now, just a quick few words. You've got a nice long break before the second task, which will take place at half past nine on the morning of February the twenty-fourth - but we're giving you something to think about in the meantime! If you look down at those golden eggs you're all holding, you will see that they open... see the hinges there? You need to solve the clue inside the egg - because it will tell you what the second task is, and enable you to prepare for it! All clear? Sure? Well, off you go, then!"**

"That can't be as simple as it sounds." Remus said.

"It's not." Harry said cheerfully.

**Harry left the tent, rejoined Ron, and they started to walk back around the edge of the forest, talking hard; Harry wanted to hear what the other champions had done in more detail. Then, as they rounded the clump of trees behind which Harry had first heard the dragons roar, a witch leapt out from behind them.**

**It was Rita Skeeter.****She was wearing acid-green robes today; the Quick-Quotes Quill in her hand blended perfectly against them.**

**"Congratulations, Harry!" she said, beaming at him. "I wonder if you could give me a quick word?****How you felt facing that dragon? How you feel now, about the fairness of the scoring?"**

**"Yeah, you can have a word," said Harry savagely. "Good-bye."**

**And he set off back to the castle with Ron.**

"Well... That was the first task." Harry said, "And that's how I have the pure white scar on my shoulder when I'm Shadow."

"Wasn't that the only one you got during the tournament?" Hermione asked curiously.

Harry thought for a moment, "In the task's then yes." he nodded. "Otherwise you know the rest..."

"And are smart enough not to let it slip just yet." she finished for him, he nodded again.

"Exactly. If none of you object we're going to skip the Yule Ball."

"Why?" Neville asked.

"It didnt go well for us three. Specifically, those two had a fight and I was distracted all night." Harry sighed, "There is a little bit I'll have to show you though." he added.

"When?" Hermione asked hesitantly.

"Dont worry. It's you know... The thing me and Ron found out about..."

"Ah. Forgot about that." Ron winced, "We were in the wrong place at the wrong time." he muttered.

"I'd rather he'd have told us himself but I'm also glad we overheard. Better than a month's worth of detentions anyway." Harry added.

"What did you find out?" James asked curiously.

"You know what he's going to say." Hermione smirked.

"Wait and see." the whole room chanted.

Harry grinned, "So you figured out I'm not saying anything that you don't know about."

"No, you're just too predictable." Fred smirked.

"And you always say 'wait and see' or 'later'." George added with a shrug.

"Well let's continue so you can find out." Harry smiled.

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><p>Sorry for the wait, its been snowing here and snow isn't very good for my rather temperamental internet signal... And my proofreader takes forever to read through some of my chapters at times, blame her and the weather. Either way, I apologise for the wait :-)<p>

I didn't put it on the other chapters because I didn't feel like it, it is 2.30am after all (Also meaning there may be some mistakes spelling/grammar that I didn't get) but please review, there will definitely be some more up within the next 3 days. I'll be changing my update pattern after the next bunch of chapters are up - the more reviews I get the faster the chapters go up - just a little something to think about for my fabulous readers ;-)

Review please x

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><p>NOTE UPDATE: 1601/2015 - I HAVE NOTED THAT CHAPTER 26 REPEATED TWICE (VIA PEOPLES REVIEWS/PM'S) AND HAVE NOW FIXED THE PROBLEM


	31. Chapter 31

Chapter 31 - Fourth Year (Part 10)

17, August. 1998. 3.00pm.

"Who want's to see a Neville sized canary?" Harry asked, everyone, except those who had been there, gave him odd looks.

"Show it." Hermione nodded as the others who knew nodded.

"I was going to anyway. Basically what's happening is I've just sent a letter to Sirius using Pig so this is us leaving from the owlery." Harry explained.

**They watched Pigwidgeon disappear into the darkness, and then Ron said, "Well, we'd better get downstairs for your surprise party, Harry"**

"Not much of a surprise anymore, now. Is it?" George muttered.

**"- Fred and George should have nicked enough food from the kitchens by now."**

**Sure enough, when they entered the Gryffindor common room it exploded with cheers and yells again. There were mountains of cakes and flagons of pumpkin juice and butterbeer on every surface; Lee Jordan had let off some Filibuster's Fireworks,**

"Those have nothing on our's." Fred smirked.

"We'll arrange to have Lee bring some from the shop and we'll give you a show soon." George added, also smirking.

**so that the air was thick with stars and sparks; and Dean Thomas, who was very good at drawing, had put up some impressive new banners, most of which depicted Harry zooming around the Horntail's head on his Firebolt, though a couple showed Cedric with his head on fire.**

Harry winced slightly but only Hermione, Ron and Ginny noticed and smiled sadly.

**Harry helped himself to food; he had almost forgotten what it was like to feel properly hungry, and sat down with Ron and Hermione. He couldn't believe how happy he felt; he had Ron back on his side, he'd gotten through the first task, and he wouldn't have to face the second one for three months.**

**"Blimey, this is heavy," said Lee Jordan, picking up the golden egg, which Harry had left on a table, and weighing it in his hands. "Open it, Harry, go on! Let's just see what's inside it!"**

"Shouldn't do that." the Golden Trio, Neville, Ginny and the twins mumbled at the same time.

"Why not?" Frank frowned.

"You'll see." Harry told him, grimacing.

**"He's supposed to work out the clue on his own," Hermione said swiftly. "It's in the tournament rules..."**

**"I was supposed to work out how to get past the dragon on my own too," Harry muttered, so only Hermione could hear him, and she grinned rather guiltily.**

**"Yeah, go on, Harry, open it!" several people echoed.**

**Lee passed Harry the egg, and Harry dug his fingernails into the groove that ran all the way around it and prised it open.**

"Everyone cover your ears." Harry suggested covering Teddy's. They all quickly did as he suggested.

**It was hollow and completely empty - but the moment Harry opened it, the most horrible noise, a loud and screechy wailing, filled the room.**

**The nearest thing to it Harry had ever heard was the ghost orchestra at Nearly Headless Nick's deathday party, who had all been playing the musical saw.**

**"Shut it!" Fred bellowed, his hands over his ears.**

"Ow." Harry muttered, rubbing his own ears when the noise stopped, being unable to cover his own rather sensitive ears they were now ringing with the loud noise, "Forgot how loud that was."

"How is that supposed to be a clue?" Lily asked.

"You have to do something to it to stop the screeching." Hermione answered evasively.

**"What was that?" said Seamus Finnigan, staring at the egg as Harry slammed it shut again. "Sounded like a banshee... Maybe you've got to get past one of those next, Harry!"**

**"It was someone being tortured!" said Neville, who had gone very white and spilled sausage rolls all over the floor. "You're going to have to fight the Cruciatus Curse!"**

"Neville? How much do you remember of the night we were attacked." Frank asked slowly.

"All of it." Neville winced, "Like Harry the Dementors brought the memory forward."

"And you were older than I was when we were attacked." Harry pointed out.

"Only by a month or two." Frank sighed. "There wasn't that much of an age difference."

"Due to you two being born within a day of each other." Alice nodded. "Harry you were actually supposed to come to us. We were arguing with Albus about it." she said, "But we can explain that later." she smiled.

**"Don't be a prat, Neville, that's illegal," said George. "They wouldn't use the Cruciatus Curse on the champions. I thought it sounded a bit like Percy singing... maybe you've got to attack him while he's in the shower. Harry."**

Percy glared at his younger brother, who smiled innocently.

**"Want a jam tart, Hermione?" said Fred.**

**Hermione looked doubtfully at the plate he was offering her. Fred grinned.**

**"It's all right," he said. "I haven't done anything to them. It's the custard creams you've got to watch -"**

"We wouldn't dare prank you Hermione. We know you'd hex us quite badly and it was not an occasion to risk being hexed." Fred explained.

George nodded, "You three never noticed we never once targeted you unless we couldn't help it?" he inquired.

"I'd noticed but I thought it was something else." Ron admitted, "You always targeted me when we were growing up. Well... When Ginny wasn't around anyway."

"That's because Gin-Gin would be mad and yell and she's scary when she's mad." Fred grimaced.

"And what am I now?" Ginny asked, her eyes narrowed dangerously.

"Our lovely little sister who know's we say stupid things most of the time and isn't going to hex us out of the goodness of her heart?" George guessed.

"I might still hex you." she growled.

"Not in the house Ginny dear." Molly sighed.

"Of course not Mum." she replied innocently, "You two beware of something wet and squishy in your bed's tonight." she growled at the twins in an undertone, they looked scared.

**Neville, who had just bitten into a custard cream, choked and spat it out. Fred laughed.**

**"Just my little joke, Neville..."**

Neville frowned, "I should learn not to trust you two." he muttered.

"I honestly forgot we did do the Custard Creams. Sorry Neville." Fred told the younger man, who shrugged off the apology.

**Hermione took a jam tart. Then she said, "Did you get all this from the kitchens, Fred?"**

**"Yep," said Fred, grinning at her. He put on a high-pitched squeak and imitated a house-elf. "'Anything we can get you, sir, anything at all!' They're dead helpful... get me a roast ox if I said I was peckish."**

"The House-Elves really do go overboard sometimes." Minerva chuckled.

"Your not annoyed we snuck into the kitchens regularly?" Fred frowned.

"It's not exactly against the rules." Minerva shrugged, "A few people in my year at school did it too. Even I did it once or twice." she admitted, "As long as your not caught there after curfew, nothing can be done about it. That applies for the majority of the rules actually." she mused, "Mostly its because students don't know where the kitchens are, and the location isnt about to be broadcasted, but if a student finds them its not against the rules for them to be in there."

"Cool." George grinned.

James chuckled, "We found that out in our 4th year." he gestured his fellow Marauders, "We were caught by Albus a few times at night and often stayed to have a hot chocolate and a chat with him." he grinned.

"Now that was amusing." Remus laughed, "We never once got in trouble for it despite it being a repeated offence, usually around the full moon when I couldn't sleep and -"

"Moony needed walkies." Sirius cut him off, smirking.

The man rolled his eyes, "Basically." he agreed anyway, "We'd go to the kitchens and have a snack and some hot chocolate and that usually calmed Moony down enough so I could sleep, and the others liked midnight snacks as well." he cast an amused look at his best friends.

"It was more the sneaking about after curfew under the cloak bit. It was amusing at times." James grinned, "Though occasionally Sirius would be Padfoot on the way down, his hearing was good enough to hear anyone coming and cats were usually scared of him for some reason."

"It's the smell of canines." Minerva informed them, "Plays havoc with cat senses, I'm used to it but most cats are wary because of the smell." she shrugged, "Mostly big or medium sized canines though, cats arent really afraid of canines that are closer to their size. I could expand on that later if you want me to." she offered. They all nodded, quite curious about it now she'd explained a little bit about a cats point of view.

**"How do you get in there?" Hermione said in an innocently casual sort of voice.**

"Tickle the pear." the Marauders, twins and Golden Trio said in usion.

**"Easy," said Fred, "concealed door behind a painting of a bowl of fruit. Just tickle the pear, and it giggles and -" He stopped and looked suspiciously at her. "Why?"**

**"Nothing," said Hermione quickly.**

**"Going to try and lead the house-elves out on strike now, are you?" said George. "Going to give up all the leaflet stuff and try and stir them up into rebellion?"**

**Several people chortled. Hermione didn't answer.**

**"Don't you go upsetting them and telling them they've got to take clothes and salaries!" said Fred warningly. "You'll put them off their cooking!"**

**Just then, Neville caused a slight diversion by turning into a large canary.**

**"Oh - sorry, Neville!" Fred shouted over all the laughter. "I forgot - it was the custard creams we hexed -"**

"I actually did forget." Fred blushed.

"And I thought it was the mint's." George shrugged.

**Within a minute, however, Neville had molted, and once his feathers had fallen off, he reappeared looking entirely normal. He even joined in laughing.**

Everyone at the Burrow was laughing as well.

**"Canary Creams!" Fred shouted to the excitable crowd. "George and I invented them - seven Sickles each, a bargain!"**

"It's quite clever. You need to be careful who and what you use them on though." James chuckled, "Remember it got Sirius stuck in his Animagus."

"We know." the twins frowned.

"No idea why it did that." George added.

"We're having the recipes, spells and formula re-checked at this very moment." Fred said, "Lee and Angelina are doing it."

"Or they should be." George snickered.

"What do you mean?" Amber asked.

"We know Lee likes Angelina a lot. He was planning to ask her out soon." Fred explained.

"Ouch." George hissed sticking a hand in his pocket and pulling out a little crystal that had a green glowing light inside it. "Activate." he told it. The crystal immediately flashed blue, pink, yellow, red and finally back to green. "Lee's done it. Angelina and him are now dating." he smirked.

"What -" Alice started.

"Is this?" Fred suggested, pointing at the crystal, she nodded.

"Colour changing crystals. You work out your own code with your friends and only you can understand the message." George explained, "They heat up quite a bit when you have a message waiting." he added, "I cant figure out how to get them to cool down a bit but still heat up."

"Hmm... I might be able to help you on that." James offered. He summoned a flame to his hand, "After all I'm used to using fire with my bare hands, I know a few spells that helped these two as well." he made the fire ball into an arrow that pointed at the other Marauders.

"Mainly heat controlling spell's to stop us getting burned if he lost control of the temperature." Remus nodded.

"And we had to fireproof our dorm, and ourselves, incase he had a nightmare and everything went up in flames." Sirius added.

"It's difficult to tell the temperature if I cant feel it, and the fire occasionally gets out during a nightmare if it involves fire." James shrugged, he then looked at Harry, "You'll be the same but we should wait to unlock yours." he told him. "It's hard to control when you feel negative emotions and..."

"There's going to be a lot of moments that I'll either be angry or upset." Harry nodded, "It's probably for the best to wait then. Let's continue before it get's too late for me to show the ones I want to cover tonight." he added, "There's a little left of that one."

**It was nearly one in the morning when Harry finally went up to the dormitory with Ron, Neville, Seamus, and Dean. Before he pulled the curtains of his four-poster shut. Harry set his tiny model of the Hungarian Horntail on the table next to his bed, where it yawned, curled up, and closed its eyes.**

"It seemed rather nice when it stopped attacking us." Ron smiled.

"Once it stopped trying to bite or burn us you mean." Harry smirked, "I've still got it actually. It's upstairs in a little fireproof box." he grinned.

"I still have mine too." Fleur admitted.

Bill nodded, "We keep it in the kitchen now, it was kept in our room before that. It's useful when we want something burned. It's surrounded by wards so it cant set fire to everything." he explained.

"Fire breathing figurines?" Dudley asked.

"Only those ones." Fleur said, "The ones you get for kids dont breath real fire, but our one's do." she chuckled.

**Really, Harry thought, as he pulled the hangings on his four-poster closed, Hagrid had a point... they were all right, really, dragons...**

"That's the end. Lets move on." Harry grinned, standing up before the incredulous looks he was getting turned into questions about his sanity.

* * *

><p>Review please x<p> 


	32. Chapter 32

Chapter 32 - Fourth Year (Part 10.5)

17, August. 1998. 4.00pm.

"Kitchens?" Harry said to Ron and Hermione who nodded. "Right we were looking everywhere for Hermione and we just got back to Gryffindor tower when she caught up to us." he explained to the confused looking people in the room.

**"Wonder where she's got to?" Ron said as he and Harry went back to Gryffindor Tower.**

**"Dunno... balderdash."**

**But the Fat Lady had barely begun to swing forward when the sound of racing feet behind them announced Hermione's arrival.**

**"Harry!" she panted, skidding to a halt beside him (the Fat Lady stared down at her, eyebrows raised.) "Harry, you've got to come - you've got to come, the most amazing thing's happened - please -"**

"Hello to you too." Harry chuckled. Hermione just rolled her eyes.

**She seized Harry's arm and started to try to drag him back along the corridor.**

**"What's the matter?" Harry said.**

**"I'll show you when we get there - oh come on, quick -"**

**Harry looked around at Ron; he looked back at Harry, intrigued.**

**"Okay," Harry said, starting off back down the corridor with Hermione, Ron hurrying to keep up.**

**"Oh don't mind me!" the Fat Lady called irritably after them. "Don't apologize for bothering me! I'll just hang here, wide open, until you get back, shall I?"**

**"Yeah, thanks!" Ron shouted over his shoulder.**

**"Hermione, where are we going?" Harry asked, after she had led them down through six floors, and started down the marble staircase into the entrance hall.**

**"You'll see, you'll see in a minute!" said Hermione excitedly.**

**She turned left at the bottom of the staircase and hurried toward the door through which Cedric Diggory had gone the night after the Goblet of Fire had regurgitated his and Harry's names. Harry had never been through here before. He and Ron followed Hermione down a flight of stone steps, but instead of ending up in a gloomy underground passage like the one that led to Snape's dungeon, they found themselves in a broad stone corridor, brightly lit with torches, and decorated with cheerful paintings that were mainly of food.**

**"Oh hang on..." said Harry slowly, halfway down the corridor. "Wait a minute, Hermione..."**

**"What?" She turned around to look at him, anticipation all over her face.**

**"I know what this is about," said Harry.**

**He nudged Ron and pointed to the painting just behind Hermione. It showed a gigantic silver fruit bowl.**

**"Hermione!" said Ron, cottoning on. "You're trying to rope us into that spew stuff again!"**

**"No, no, I'm not!" she said hastily. "And it's not spew, Ron - It's S.P.E.W." Hermione corrected with irritation.**

**"Changed the name, have you?" said Ron, frowning at her. "What are we now, then, the House-Elf Liberation Front? I'm not barging into that kitchen and trying to make them stop work, I'm not doing it -"**

"It wouldn't work anyway." Minerva said. "They'd just kick you out of the kitchen."

"We know." the Golden Trio said in unison.

"Have you been kicked out before?" Sirius asked amused.

"Yes, it was Hermione's fault." Harry smirked.

Hermione nodded in confirmation, blushing slightly.

**"I'm not asking you to!" Hermione said impatiently. "I came down here just now, to talk to them all, and I found - oh come on, Harry, I want to show you!"**

"But not Ron?" Lily asked.

"Well, he isn't exactly being supportive." Remus pointed out.

"Neither is Harry." Ron pouted.

"But he isn't protesting as strongly." Ginny laughed.

**She seized his arm again, pulled him in front of the picture of the giant fruit bowl, stretched out her forefinger, and tickled the huge green pear. It began to squirm, chuckling, and suddenly turned into a large green door handle. Hermione seized it, pulled the door open, and pushed Harry hard in the back, forcing him inside.**

Harry rubbed his back in remembrance, "You know, there really wasn't a need for you to be so... forceful."

Hermione shrugged, "I might have been a bit too over enthusiastic."

"Might have been?" Ron snorted.

"Fine I was a little over enthusiastic." Hermione huffed, "But you know why I was, so drop it." both Harry and Ron nodded with a chuckle.

**He had one brief glimpse of an enormous, high-ceilinged room, large as the Great Hall above it, with mounds of glittering brass pots and pans heaped around the stone walls, and a great brick fireplace at the other end, when something small hurtled toward him from the middle of the room, squealing, "Harry Potter, sir! Harry Potter!"**

**Next second all the wind had been knocked out of him as the squealing elf hit him hard in the midriff, hugging him so tightly he thought his ribs would break.**

**"D-Dobby?" Harry gasped.**

**"It is Dobby, sir, it is!" squealed the voice from somewhere around his navel. "Dobby has been hoping and hoping to see Harry Potter, sir, and Harry Potter has come to see him, sir!"**

**Dobby let go and stepped back a few paces, beaming up at Harry, his enormous, green, tennis-ball-shaped eyes brimming with tears of happiness. He looked almost exactly as Harry remembered him; the pencil-shaped nose, the batlike ears, the long fingers and feet - all except the clothes, which were very different. When Dobby had worked for the Malfoys, he had always worn the same filthy old pillowcase.**

"What?" Draco asked when several people glared at him.

"It's not like we could do anything about it." Cissy sighed, "Lucius would have had a fit and tortured him if we did do anything."

"He may not have been happy with us but it wasn't my fault or my Mother's. We were nice to him when Lucius wasn't around." Draco added.

"It was out of Dobby's safety that we didn't dare free him." Cissy nodded, "If we did..."

"He would have been killed." Andy sighed, "At least you don't have to be horrible to your House-Elves anymore." she smiled.

"And that's the best bit. Not having to pretend to hate them or think they're scum." Draco grinned, "Much more freedom in our own home when Lucius's not there."

"I've just thought of something." Cissy frowned. "Dipsy!" she called, a female House-Elf appeared with a 'Crack'.

"Yes Mistress Cissy?" she squeaked.

"Have you heard about the break out at Azkaban?" Cissy asked nicely, Dipsy nodded, "You'll know Lucius is on the loose again then." she sighed.

"Master Lucius tried to summon Binky but Dipsy told him not to go because yous is Black's now and he's a Malfoy so Dipsy didn't think we should respond, we's belonging to the Black's now." Dipsy explained. "It's an automatic change when yous changed your names."

"Good. You were right not to respond to his summons, tell the others you've been ordered not to listen to or take orders from Lucius." Draco smiled. "And tell them you were right, we're Black's not Malfoy's so he's no longer your master."

"Is that an order or a request Master Draco?"

"It's an order." Cissy put in. "We need to know Lucius cant use you and the others to get information or to get supplies."

Dipsy nodded and dissapeared with a 'Crack'.

"That'll stop Lucius terrorising them." Cissy smirked smugly.

"And keep's us as well as them safer." Draco nodded, he looked at the others, "Do you beleive we treat them good now?"

"Yeah. If they were scared of you it would be easy to tell." James nodded, "But Dobby still acted afraid of you." he pointed out.

"Acting." Cissy said, "A few years before he became free I asked him to act terrified of us if he got set free, if he didn't Lucius would track him down and kill him. If a House-Elf has been free'd then they can choose to tell anyone anything and everything about their past families, so Dobby acted like he was too afraid to tell anyone anything."

"I suppose that makes sense and Dobby is a good actor, we didn't suspect a thing." Ron mused.

**Now, however, he was wearing the strangest assortment of garments Harry had ever seen; he had done an even worse job of dressing himself than the wizards at the World Cup. He was wearing a tea cozy for a hat, on which he had pinned a number of bright badges; a tie patterned with horse-shoes over a bare chest, a pair of what looked like children's soccer shorts, and odd socks. One of these, Harry saw, was the black one Harry had removed from his own foot and tricked Mr. Malfoy into giving Dobby, thereby setting Dobby free. The other was covered in pink and orange stripes.**

**"Dobby, what're you doing here?" Harry said in amazement.**

**"Dobby has come to work at Hogwarts, sir!" Dobby squealed excitedly. "Professor Dumbledore gave Dobby and Winky jobs, sir!"**

"Winky's there too?" Regulus said, surprised.

"I guess she didn't have anywhere else to go." Lily shrugged.

"Most freed House-Elves go to Hogwarts for work, there's always plenty to do and no-one would refuse the extra help." Minerva added, "They're treated with kindness and respect. Always have been according to the portraits in my office. I tend to believe it, if they weren't then their quality of work would be poorer than it is." she shrugged.

Cissy nodded, "Its a fact that they'll try harder to make people happy if said people are nice to them. Its a shame not many Elves know what kindness is." she sighed.

"Took us a few months to get ours to stop flinching if they made a mistake. They thought they'd be punished." Draco explained, "We told them as punishment for mistakes they weren't allowed to punish themselves. Same as what Harry's told Kreacher." Harry nodded in confirmation.

**"Winky?" said Harry. "She's here too?"**

**"Yes, sir, yes!" said Dobby, and he seized Harry's hand and pulled him off into the kitchen between the four long wooden tables that stood there. Each of these tables, Harry noticed as he passed them, was positioned exactly beneath the four House tables above, in the Great Hall. At the moment, they were clear of food, dinner having finished, but he supposed that an hour ago they had been laden with dishes that were then sent up through the ceiling to their counterparts above.**

**At least a hundred little elves were standing around the kitchen, beaming, bowing, and curtsying as Dobby led Harry past them.**

**They were all wearing the same uniform: a tea towel stamped with the Hogwarts crest, and tied, as Winky's had been, like a toga.**

**Dobby stopped in front of the brick fireplace and pointed.**

**"Winky, sir!" he said.**

**Winky was sitting on a stool by the fire. Unlike Dobby, she had obviously not foraged for clothes. She was wearing a neat little skirt and blouse with a matching blue hat, which had holes in it for her large ears. However, while every one of Dobby's strange collection of garments was so clean and well cared for that it looked brand-new, Winky was plainly not taking care of her clothes at all. There were soup stains all down her blouse and a burn in her skirt.**

**"Hello, Winky," said Harry.**

**Winky's lip quivered. Then she burst into tears, which spilled out of her great brown eyes and splashed down her front, just as they had done at the Quidditch World Cup.**

**"Oh dear," said Hermione. She and Ron had followed Harry and Dobby to the end of the kitchen. "Winky, don't cry, please don't..."**

**But Winky cried harder than ever. Dobby, on the other hand, beamed up at Harry.**

**"Would Harry Potter like a cup of tea?" he squeaked loudly, over Winky's sobs.**

"Dobby sure is... odd." James muttered.

"Was you mean." Hermione sighed, "He was killed saving us Dean, Olivander, Luna and a Goblin."

"That was when you all showed up at Shell Cottage." Bill narrowed his eyes at the four mentioned that were present, "Wasn't it?"

"Yeah." Harry said sadly, "He may have been a bit odd but he was brilliant." he smiled but it didn't reach his eyes, which looked rather haunted.

**"Er - yeah, okay," said Harry.**

**Instantly, about six house-elves came trotting up behind him, bearing a large silver tray laden with a teapot, cups for Harry, Ron, and Hermione, a milk jug, and a large plate of biscuits.**

**"Good service!" Ron said, in an impressed voice.**

**Hermione frowned at him, but the elves all looked delighted; they bowed very low and retreated.**

**"How long have you been here, Dobby?" Harry asked as Dobby handed around the tea.**

**"Only a week, Harry Potter, sir!" said Dobby happily. "Dobby came to see Professor Dumbledore, sir. You see, sir, it is very difficult for a house-elf who has been dismissed to get a new position, sir, very difficult indee -"**

**At this, Winky howled even harder, her squashed-tomato of a nose dribbling all down her front, though she made no effort to stem the flow.**

**"Dobby has traveled the country for two whole years, sir, trying to find work!" Dobby squeaked. "But Dobby hasn't found work, sir, because Dobby wants paying now!"**

**The house-elves all around the kitchen, who had been listening and watching with interest, all looked away at these words, as though Dobby had said something rude and embarrassing.**

**Hermione, however, said, "Good for you, Dobby!"**

**"Thank you, miss!" said Dobby, grinning toothily at her. "But most wizards doesn't want a house-elf who wants paying, miss. 'That's not the point of a house-elf,' they says, and they slammed the door in Dobby's face! Dobby likes work, but he wants to wear clothes and he wants to be paid. Harry Potter... Dobby likes being free!"**

**The Hogwarts house-elves had now started edging away from Dobby, as though he were carrying something contagious. Winky, however, remained where she was, though there was a definite increase in the volume of her crying.**

**"And then, Harry Potter, Dobby goes to visit Winky, and finds out Winky has been freed too, sir!" said Dobby delightedly.**

**At this, Winky flung herself forward off her stool and lay face-down on the flagged stone floor, beating her tiny fists upon it and positively screaming with misery. Hermione hastily dropped down to her knees beside her and tried to comfort her, but nothing she said made the slightest difference. Dobby continued with his story, shouting shrilly over Winky's screeches.**

"Poor Winky. I'm glad she finally cheered up, even if it took a year or two." Minerva sighed.

**"And then Dobby had the idea. Harry Potter, sir! 'Why doesn't Dobby and Winky find work together?' Dobby says. 'Where is there enough work for two house elves?' says Winky. And Dobby thinks, and it comes to him, sir! Hogwarts! So Dobby and Winky came to see Professor Dumbledore, sir, and Professor Dumbledore took us on!"**

**Dobby beamed very brightly, and happy tears welled in his eyes again.**

**"And Professor Dumbledore says he will pay Dobby, sir, if Dobby wants paying! And so Dobby is a free elf, sir, and Dobby gets a Galleon a week and one day off a month!"**

**"That's not very much!" Hermione shouted indignantly from the floor,**

"Dobby probably asked not to be payed too much." James said.

"Why?" Lily asked.

"Well, for one thing, Dumbledore would offer him more than that so he must have turned him down and Dobby is still a House-Elf and he probably isn't used to that much freedom yet." Sirius explained.

**over Winky's continued screaming and fist-beating.**

**"Professor Dumbledore offered Dobby ten Galleons a week, and weekends off," said Dobby, suddenly giving a little shiver, as though the prospect of so much leisure and riches were frightening, "but Dobby beat him down, miss..."**

"You see?" James said.

**"Dobby likes freedom, miss, but he isn't wanting too much, miss, he likes work better."**

**"And how much is Professor Dumbledore paying you, Winky?" Hermione asked kindly.**

"None, most likely. She probably doesn't want to be paid." Charlie said reasonably.

**If she had thought this would cheer up Winky, she was wildly mistaken. Winky did stop crying, but when she sat up she was glaring at Hermione through her massive brown eyes, her whole face sopping wet and suddenly furious.**

**"Winky is a disgraced elf, but Winky is not yet getting paid!" she squeaked. "Winky is not sunk so low as that! Winky is properly ashamed of being freed!"**

**"Ashamed?" said Hermione blankly. "But - Winky, come on! It's Mr. Crouch who should be ashamed, not you! You didn't do anything wrong, he was really horrible to you -"**

**But at these words, Winky clapped her hands over the holes in her hat, flattening her ears so that she couldn't hear a word, and screeched, "You is not insulting my master, miss! You is not insulting Mr. Crouch! Mr. Crouch is a good wizard, miss! Mr. Crouch is right to sack bad Winky!"**

Lily looked stunned and muttered, "House-Elves have far to much honor."

"Most of them." Hermione corrected, "We've met a few who don't really care what their Master's think as long as they can do their work." she explained.

**"Winky is having trouble adjusting, Harry Potter," squeaked Dobby confidentially. "Winky forgets she is not bound to Mr. Crouch anymore; she is allowed to speak her mind now, but she won't do it."**

**"Can't house-elves speak their minds about their masters, then?" Harry asked.**

**"Oh no, sir, no," said Dobby, looking suddenly serious. "'Tis part of the house-elf's enslavement, sir. We keeps their secrets and our silence, sir. We upholds the family's honor, and we never speaks ill of them - though Professor Dumbledore told Dobby he does not insist upon this. Professor Dumbledore said we is free to - to -"**

**Dobby looked suddenly nervous and beckoned Harry closer. Harry bent forward.**

**Dobby whispered, "He said we is free to call him a - a barmy old codger if we likes, sir!"**

**Dobby gave a frightened sort of giggle.**

Lily shook her head in astonishment, "Are they always like this?"

James thought for a moment, "Yeah, pretty much."

"Our's aren't though. They'll speak their minds as long as there's no one else there. And as long as it's not too offensive, if it is we tell them and they'll apologize." Cissy smiled.

"That's what Kreacher does now too, took him a while to get used to it but he's fine with it now." Harry grinned, he looked at the Black brothers, "I successfully corrupted him."

"Good." they both said.

"I had planned to corrupt him as soon as my Mother died anyway, he wouldn't listen to Sirius so he'd stay with me." Regulus shrugged, "No point in having him beleive in all the blood purity trash when I didn't and don't."

**"But Dobby is not wanting to, Harry Potter," he said, talking normally again, and shaking his head so that his ears flapped. "Dobby likes Professor Dumbledore very much, sir, and is proud to keep his secrets and our silence for him."**

**"But you can say what you like about the Malfoys now?" Harry asked him, grinning.**

**A slightly fearful look came into Dobby's immense eyes.**

**"Dobby - Dobby could," he said doubtfully. He squared his small shoulders. "Dobby could tell Harry Potter that his old masters were - were - bad Dark wizards'."**

Draco and Cissy frowned.

"He over played that request a little didn't he Mother."

"He did." she shrugged, "But perhaps it was for the best."

**Dobby stood for a moment, quivering all over, horror-struck by his own daring - then he rushed over to the nearest table and began banging his head on it very hard, squealing, "Bad Dobby! Bad Dobby!"**

Most people looked startled.

"Maybe it wasn't acting." Cissy frowned, looking closely at the memory, "He wouldn't have done that unless... Oh. I see what happened." she sighed, "I only told him to act afraid of Draco and I, he really was terrified of Lucius though... I'd bet anything he said about us linked to Lucius, he'd feel compelled to punish himself because of that." she shook her head sadly.

"Question, when was it he went to you?" Sirius frowned.

She paused, looking at him, "When Bella was arrested. He used to belong to the Lestranges, his mother was one of their Head Elves, he was born after the arrest though so his loyalty was transferred to me. But because of the vows used when I married Lucius, it automatically went to him since he was Lord Malfoy and the law at the time stated that all Elves left to a Lady of a house were to go to their Lords. Its a discriminatory thing." she shrugged, "At the time, women weren't allowed House-Elves tied to them unless they were the last in the line, the heir to the line was under 13 and there was no current Lord eligible to have them tied to him."

"So his loyalty went to Lucius by default." Sirius nodded, frowning slightly, "Doesnt that mean Kreacher should've come to you as well? Since I was in Azkaban and didn't have an heir eligible to have him tied to them?"

"You seem to forget the laws concerning House-Elves Sirius." Andy told him, "Cissy's not the oldest, Kreacher was only allowed to bond to the oldest in the line. With you and Bella both in Azkaban, he wouldn't have been able to bond to Cissy without one of you giving the say so, even then he'd go to Lucius by default. Remember your Father put that spell on him to ensure that fact?"

"He did." Regulus nodded, "Again when you left, Sirius. It meant he could literally only be bonded to a male, since you named Harry your heir, he would've easily have bonded to him."

"What do you mean by 'bonded'?" Hermione frowned.

"Can it wait until later?" Harry cut in before someone could answer, "There's still quite a bit of this memory left."

She reluctantly nodded and they all took the que to turn back to the memory.

**Harry seized Dobby by the back of his tie and pulled him away from the table.**

**"Thank you. Harry Potter, thank you," said Dobby breathlessly, rubbing his head.**

**"You just need a bit of practice," Harry said.**

**"Practice!" squealed Winky furiously. "You is ought to be ashamed of yourself, Dobby, talking that way about your masters!"**

"They aren't his masters anymore!" Alice, slightly frustrated.

**"They isn't my masters anymore, Winky!" said Dobby defiantly. "Dobby doesn't care what they think anymore!"**

**"Oh you is a bad elf, Dobby!" moaned Winky, tears leaking down her face once more. "My poor Mr. Crouch, what is he doing without Winky? He is needing me, he is needing my help! I is looking after the Crouches all my life, and my mother is doing it before me, and my grandmother is doing it before her... oh what is they saying if they knew Winky was freed? Oh the shame, the shame!" She buried her face in her skirt again and bawled.**

**"Winky," said Hermione firmly, "I'm quite sure Mr. Crouch is getting along perfectly well without you. We've seen him, you know -"**

**"You is seeing my master?" said Winky breathlessly, raising her tearstained face out of her skirt once more and goggling at Hermione. "You is seeing him here at Hogwarts?"**

"Don't tell her that, Hermione!" James said.

"Oop's." Hermione shrugged.

**"Yes," said Hermione, "he and Mr. Bagman are judges in the Triwizard Tournament."**

**"Mr. Bagman comes too?" squeaked Winky, and to Harry's great surprise (and Ron's and Hermione's too, by the looks on their faces), she looked angry again. "Mr. Bagman is a bad wizard! A very bad wizard! My master isn't liking him, oh no, not at all!"**

**"Bagman - bad?" said Harry.**

**"Oh yes," Winky said, nodding her head furiously, "My master is telling Winky some things! But Winky is not saying... Winky - Winky keeps her master's secrets..."**

**She dissolved yet again in tears; they could hear her sobbing into her skirt, "Poor master, poor master, no Winky to help him no more!"**

**They couldn't get another sensible word out of Winky. They left her to her crying and finished their tea, while Dobby chatted happily about his life as a free elf and his plans for his wages.**

**"Dobby is going to buy a sweater next, Harry Potter!" he said happily, pointing at his bare chest,**

**"Tell you what, Dobby," said Ron, who seemed to have taken a great liking to the elf, "I'll give you the one my mum knits me this Christmas, I always get one from her. You don't mind maroon, do you?"**

"Ron does." Harry said, smirking.

"Every year though." Ron mumbled, "I hate maroon."

Molly just chuckled, "Sorry Ron. I keep forgetting you don't like it, I'll remember that this year."

**Dobby was delighted.**

**"We might have to shrink it a bit to fit you," Ron told him, "but it'll go well with your tea cozy."**

**As they prepared to take their leave, many of the surrounding elves pressed in upon them, offering snacks to take back upstairs. Hermione refused, with a pained look at the way the elves kept bowing and curtsying, but Harry and Ron loaded their pockets with cream cakes and pies.**

**"Thanks a lot!" Harry said to the elves, who had all clustered around the door to say good night. "See you, Dobby!"**

**"Harry Potter... can Dobby come and see you sometimes, sir?" Dobby asked tentatively.**

**"'Course you can," said Harry, and Dobby beamed.**

Hermione smiled at Harry as well.

**"You know what?" said Ron, once he, Hermione, and Harry had left the kitchens behind and were climbing the steps into the entrance hall again. "All these years I've been really impressed with Fred and George, nicking food from the kitchens - well, it's not exactly difficult, is it? They can't wait to give it away!"**

**"I think this is the best thing that could have happened to those elves, you know," said Hermione, leading the way back up the marble staircase. "Dobby coming to work here, I mean. The other elves will see how happy he is, being free, and slowly it'll dawn on them that they want that too!"**

"I don't think so Hermione." James said.

"Most of the Hogwarts House-Elves were free at one point anyway." Minerva admitted, "Hogwarts is a place where there's always plenty work so most freed House-Elves come to the school for work." she explained, "It's always appreciated so they know they wouldn't be rejected."

**"Let's hope they don't look too closely at Winky," said Harry.**

**"Oh she'll cheer up," said Hermione, though she sounded a bit doubtful. "Once the shock's worn off, and she's got used to Hogwarts, she'll see how much better off she is without that Crouch man."**

**"She seems to love him," said Ron thickly (he had just started on a cream cake).**

**"Doesn't think much of Bagman, though, does she?" said Harry. "Wonder what Crouch says at home about him?"**

**"Probably says he's not a very good Head of Department," said Hermione, "and let's face it... he's got a point, hasn't he?"**

**"I'd still rather work for him than old Crouch," said Ron. "At least Bagman's got a sense of humor."**

**"Don't let Percy hear you saying that," Hermione said, smiling slightly.**

**"Yeah, well, Percy wouldn't want to work for anyone with a sense of humor, would he?" said Ron, now starting on a chocolate éclair. "Percy wouldn't recognize a joke if it danced naked in front of him wearing Dobby's tea cozy."**

Everybody laughed but Percy glared at Ron. "That was uncalled for Ron."

"Percy the first time I heard you tell a joke or laugh at one since I was 5 was at the end of the war. Can you really blame me?" Ron asked defensively.

Percy sighed, "I guess not."

"Why is it you six always picked on Percy anyway?" Arthur asked his children, "I remember having to tell you off a few times. Your Mother multiple times."

"He rarely fought back. And he acted like he was the best out of us all." George shrugged.

"Which was annoying." Fred added.

"I never really picked on him." Ginny grinned at her big brother, "Did I Perce?"

"No you just annoyed me when I was busy." he chuckled.

"Ron didn't really pick on Percy either." Hermione put in.

"Yeah I only complained about him being bossy and telling us to do stuff we didn't want to." Ron agreed.

Arthur looked at Bill and Charlie.

"You know we only picked on him because he'd never argue with us." Bill smirked at a red faced Percy.

"And we were trying to get him to relax the rules." Charlie grinned. "It worked eventually."

"Took almost 22 years but it did work." Bill chuckled, "You really were a stubborn child Perce."

"No I just followed the rules and respected authority." Percy smirked. "And it was my choice to relax the rules and such. Or rather I got sick of following unstable authority figures so I changed." he shrugged.

"And now you joke about like when we were kids?" Fred asked, "Or is that pushing our luck a little to far?" Percy stuck his tongue out at him.

"Nah Perce is way more relaxed. Basically Percy changed through the war... I'll explain it to you later." George told Fred, "I keep forgetting there's thing's you don't know yet." he frowned.

"We're not used to one of us knowing something and the other not knowing." Fred sighed. "I have a lot to catch up on."

"We'll help as much as we can. There's quite a bit all of you need to know." Harry smiled at the returnee's, Frank and Alice, "But we'll tell you as it becomes relevant or until one of you asks about something. We're still not saying anything about the memories unless we think you can know before seeing it, though." he added, "Now lets continue. This one is of an announcement/warning." he chuckled at their confused looks.

**"Potter! Weasley! Will you pay attention?"**

"Never!" the twins shouted.

"Ron and Harry pay attention?" George asked in disbelief.

"We have never heard something so ridiculous." Fred pretended to faint onto George's shoulder. Everyone laughed as Ron and Harry glared at the twins.

"Hey if we didn't pay attention we'd have been flattened by that troll in first year, and we'd be dead right now." Harry pointed out.

"It just so happens we weren't paying attention at that point." Ron added.

"True, they usually did pay attention." Hermione nodded, "In everything except History and Potions." she added.

"We did listen a little in potions." Harry protested, "Sure it was mainly just to find out what we were doing but..."

"You'd be asking for a miracle if you expected us to listen to Professor Snape with the way he treated us." Ron finished for him.

**Professor McGonagall's irritated voice cracked like a whip through the Transfiguration class on Thursday, and Harry and Ron both jumped and looked up.**

**It was the end of the lesson; they had finished their work; the guinea fowl they had been changing into guinea pigs had been shut away in a large cage on Professor McGonagall's desk (Neville's still had feathers); they had copied down their homework from the blackboard ("Describe, with examples, the ways in which Transforming Spells must be adapted when performing Cross-Species Switches").**

**The bell was due to ring at any moment, and Harry and Ron, who had been having a sword fight with a couple of Fred and George's fake wands** **at the back of the class, looked up, Ron holding a tin parrot and Harry, a rubber haddock.**

**"Now that Potter and Weasley have been kind enough to act their age,"**

"What's the fun in that?" Sirius asked; James nodded.

"We were acting our age." Harry told Minerva.

"Yeah what else do you expect two 14 year old boys to act like?" Ron asked.

"They have a point Minerva." Hermione smiled at the boys.

"I know that." she sighed, "I was hoping they'd be a bit more mature." she frowned.

"Nope. We weren't more mature until the end of this year." Harry smirked.

"Even then it took a few more years for us to properly grow up." Ron shrugged.

**said Professor McGonagall, with an angry look at the pair of them as the head of Harry's haddock drooped and fell silently to the floor - Ron's parrot's beak had severed it moments before - "I have something to say to you all. The Yule Ball is approaching - a traditional part of the Triwizard Tournament and an opportunity for us to socialize with our foreign guests. Now, the ball will be open only to fourth years and above-although you may invite a younger student if you wish -"**

**Lavender Brown let out a shrill giggle. Parvati Patil nudged her hard in the ribs, her face working furiously as she too fought not to giggle. They both looked around at Harry, Professor McGonagall ignored them, which Harry thought was distinctly unfair, as she had just told off him and Ron.**

"For having a fight with a fish and a tin parrot. I expected that kind of reaction from those two." Minerva smiled.

**"Dress robes will be worn," Professor McGonagall continued, "and the ball will start at eight o'clock on Christmas Day, finishing at midnight in the Great Hall. Now then -"**

**Professor McGonagall stared deliberately around the class.**

**"The Yule Ball is of course a chance for us all to - er - let our hair down," she said, in a disapproving voice.**

**Lavender giggled harder than ever, with her hand pressed hard against her mouth to stifle the sound. Harry could see what was funny this time: Professor McGonagall, with her hair in a tight bun, looked as though she had never let her hair down in any sense.**

**"But that does NOT mean," Professor McGonagall went on, "that we will be relaxing the standards of behavior we expect from Hogwarts students. I will be most seriously displeased if a Gryffindor student embarrasses the school in any way."**

"It's a very good thing you three aren't there." Lily said, looking at the Marauders.

"Us, embarrass the school? Never." Remus said at once. "Well... Maybe those two." he added looking at James and Sirius who pouted.

"We wouldn't." they protested.

"You would." Dora rolled her eyes. "Unless you tell us why you wouldn't we're going to assume you would."

"Why would we want to embarrass Hogwarts?" James frowned.

"We wouldn't want people thinking Hogwarts is full of nutters and crazy people." Sirius added, "So we wouldn't embarrass the school." he said smugly.

"Fine. You win this one." Dora grumbled.

**The bell rang, and there was the usual scuffle of activity as everyone packed their bags and swung them onto their shoulders.**

**Professor McGonagall called above the noise, "Potter - a word, if you please."**

**Assuming this had something to do with his headless rubber haddock, Harry proceeded gloomily to the teacher's desk. Professor McGonagall waited until the rest of the class had gone, and then said, "Potter, the champions and their partners -"**

**"What partners?" said Harry.**

**Professor**** McGonagall looked suspiciously at him, as though she thought he was trying to be funny.**

**"Your partners for the Yule Ball, Potter," she said coldly. "Your dance partners."**

**Harry's insides seemed to curl up and shrivel.**

**"Dance partners?" He felt himself going red. "I don't dance," he said quickly.**

**"Oh yes, you do," said Professor McGonagall irritably. "That's what I'm telling you. Traditionally, the champions and their partners open the ball."**

**Harry had a sudden mental image of himself in a top hat and tails, accompanied by a girl in the sort of frilly dress Aunt Petunia always wore to Uncle Vernon's work parties.**

**"I'm not dancing," he said.**

**"It is traditional," said Professor McGonagall firmly. "You are a Hogwarts champion, and you will do what is expected of you as a representative of the school. So make sure you get yourself a partner, Potter."**

"Thanks for asking what he thought about it, Minnie." Sirius said.

"I was told to tell him that." Minerva shrugged, "Albus was going to tell him but he thought Harry would listen to me better if I warned him."

"And as always he was right. Albus didn't like telling me unpleasant things or telling me I had to do something." Harry smiled, "You on the other hand, Minerva, I would listen to even if I protested at first. I would listen to you better than Albus."

"Why?" Hermione asked.

"Simple, I was used to taking instructions form Minerva and I wasnt that close to Albus at that time." Harry grinned.

**"But - I don't -"**

**"You heard me, Potter," said Professor McGonagall in a very final sort of way.**

"And that's what sealed my fate on that matter." Harry chuckled, "It's also the end of the memory so, next one!" he announced.

* * *

><p>Review please x<p> 


	33. Chapter 33

Chapter 33 - Fourth Year (Part 11)

17, August. 1998. 5.00pm.

"We're skipping to Christmas morning." Harry smiled.

**Harry awoke very suddenly on Christmas Day.**

**Wondering what had caused his abrupt return to consciousness, he opened his eyes, and saw something with very large, round, green eyes staring back at him in the darkness, so close they were almost nose to nose.**

**"Dobby!" Harry yelled, scrambling away from the elf so fast he almost fell out of bed. "Don't do that!"**

**"Dobby is sorry, sir!" squeaked Dobby anxiously, jumping backward with his long fingers over his mouth. "Dobby is only wanting to wish Harry Potter 'Merry Christmas' and bring him a present,"**

"That's nice of him." Lily said.

"Harry was Dobby's favourite person." Hermione giggled. Harry blushed but smiled fondly at the memory.

**"Sir! Harry Potter did say Dobby could come and see him sometimes, sir!"**

**"It's okay," said Harry, still breathing rather faster than usual, while his heart rate returned to normal. "Just - just prod me or something in future, all right, don't bend over me like that..."**

**Harry pulled back the curtains around his four-poster, took his glasses from his bedside table, and put them on. His yell had awoken Ron, Seamus, Dean, and Neville. All of them were peering through the gaps in their own hangings, heavyeyed and tousle-haired.**

**"Someone attacking you, Harry?" Seamus asked sleepily.**

**"No, it's just Dobby," Harry muttered. "Go back to sleep."**

**"Nah... presents!" said Seamus, spotting the large pile at the foot of his bed. Ron, Dean, and Neville decided that now they were awake they might as well get down to some present-opening too. Harry turned back to Dobby, who was now standing nervously next to Harry's bed, still looking worried that he had upset Harry. There was a Christmas bauble tied to the loop on top of his tea cozy.**

**"Can Dobby give Harry Potter his present?" he squeaked tentatively.**

**"'Course you can," said Harry. "Er... I've got something for you too."**

**It was a lie; he hadn't bought anything for Dobby at all, but he quickly opened his trunk and pulled out a particularly knobbly rolled-up pair of socks. They were his oldest and foulest, mustard yellow, and had once belonged to Uncle Vernon.**

"Yuck." Lily said.

"Dobby'll like them anyway." Remus reasoned.

**The reason they were extra-knobbly was that Harry had been using them to cushion his Sneakoscope for over a year now. He pulled out the Sneako-scope and handed the socks to Dobby, saying, "Sorry, I forgot to wrap them..."**

**But Dobby was utterly delighted.**

**"Socks are Dobby's favorite, favorite clothes, sir!" he said, ripping off his odd ones and pulling on Uncle Vernon's. "I has seven now, sir... But sir..." he said, his eyes widening, having pulled both socks up to their highest extent, so that they reached to the bottom of his shorts, "they has made a mistake in the shop, Harry Potter, they is giving you two the same!"**

They all laughed.

**"Ah, no, Harry, how come you didn't spot that?" said Ron, grinning over from his own bed, which was now strewn with wrapping paper. "Tell you what, Dobby - here you go - take these two, and you can mix them up properly. And here's your sweater."**

**He threw Dobby a pair of violet socks he had just unwrapped, and the handknitted sweater Mrs. Weasley had sent, Dobby looked quite overwhelmed.**

**"Sir is very kind!" he squeaked, his eyes brimming with tears again, bowing deeply to Ron. "Dobby knew sir must be a great wizard, for he is Harry Potter's greatest friend, but Dobby did not know that he was also as generous of spirit, as noble, as selfless -"**

"Ron's gonna love that." Sirius said, laughing as Ron blushed a little.

**"They're only socks," said Ron, who had gone slightly pink around the ears, though he looked rather pleased all the same. "Wow, Harry -" He had just opened Harry's present, a Chudley Cannon hat. "Cool!" He jammed it onto his head, where it clashed horribly with his hair.**

**Dobby now handed Harry a small package, which turned out to be - socks.**

**"Dobby is making them himself, sir!" the elf said happily. "He is buying the wool out of his wages, sir!"**

**The left sock was bright red and had a pattern of broomsticks upon it; the right sock was green with a pattern of Snitches.**

James laughed, "Cool, Quidditch socks."

"I've got those ones on actually." Harry admitted lifting the hem of his trousers up to show them all thet he did have them on.

**"They're... they're really... well, thanks, Dobby," said Harry, and he pulled them on, causing Dobby's eyes to leak with happiness again.**

**"Dobby must go now, sir, we is already making Christmas dinner in the kitchens!" said Dobby, and he hurried out of the dormitory, waving good-bye to Ron and the others as he passed.**

**Harry's other presents were much more satisfactory than Dobby's odd socks - with the obvious exception of the Dursleys', which consisted of a single tissue,**

"They might as well not have sent him anything." Sirius growled.

"It was Vernon not me." Petunia sighed, "I was going to send money but Vernon stopped me." she explained frowning.

**an all time low - Harry supposed they too were remembering the Ton-Tongue Toffee.**

**Hermione had given Harry a book called Quidditch Teams of Britain and Ireland; Ron, a bulging bag of Dungbombs; Sirius, a handy penknife with attachments to unlock any lock and undo any knot;**

"Where did you get that?" Remus frowned.

"Got it in America on my way back to Britain." Sirius shrugged.

**and Hagrid, a vast box of sweets including all Harry's favorites: Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans,**

"Bertie Bott's are you favorites?" Sirius asked in a disbelieving voice.

"I like the risk of getting a horrible one." Harry said shrugging. "And they're interesting."

"And dont be so shocked Paddy, they're Lily's favourites too. Remember Harry used to pinch one or two when she had a box?" James grinned.

"I did?" Harry asked curiously.

"You did. You always got lucky." Lily smiled, "You did get a soap one once though."

James laughed, "Your face was priceless when you finally tasted it."

Harry wrinkled his nose, "No wonder, I doubt anyone likes the taste of soap."

**Chocolate Frogs, Drooble's Best Blowing Gum, and Fizzing Whizbees. There was also, of course, Mrs. Weasley's usual package, including a new sweater (green, with a picture of a dragon on it - Harry supposed Charlie had told her all about the Horntail), and a large quantity of homemade mince pies.**

"You were right, Charlie did tell me all about the dragon." Molly smiled. "I thought it appropriate to put a dragon on your sweater." she chuckled.

"It is one of my favourite sweaters." Harry grinned. "Anyway we're skipping a little. This is the start of the Yule Ball, I was going with Parvati Patil and Ron with her twin Padma." he explained.

**The common room looked strange, full of people wearing different colors instead of the usual mass of black. Parvati was waiting for Harry at the foot of the stairs. She looked very pretty indeed, in robes of shocking pink, with her long dark plait braided with gold, and gold bracelets glimmering at her wrists. Harry was relieved to see that she wasn't giggling.**

**"You - er - look nice," he said awkwardly.**

**"Thanks," she said. "Padma's going to meet you in the entrance hall," she added to Ron.**

**"Right," said Ron, looking around. "Where's Hermione?"**

"Avoiding Lavender." Hermione muttered, "She kept asking annoying questions in an attempt to find out who I was going with, eventually I escaped and went to Ginny's dorm." she grinned.

Ginny nodded, "We decided since she couldn't get peace in her own dorm, she could come join me in mines. My dorm mates didnt mind." she shrugged, "Practically ignored us, normal occurrence for me." she mused.

They all frowned, "What do you mean dear?" Molly inquired.

"Oh they usually ignored me. We'd chat occasionally but not often." she shrugged again, "We just didn't really get on, not since my 1st year." she grimaced, "They're similar to Lavender and Parvati, gossipers, but there's three of them, there was no way in hell I could be friends with them."

"I know what you mean." Hermione smiled sympathetically, "Annoying, isn't it?"

"Very." she agreed, "But handy for finding out the latest rumours." she smirked.

"I'll agree that's a benefit of having gossipers in your dorm." the other grinned.

**Parvati shrugged. "Shall we go down then, Harry?"**

**"Okay," said Harry, wishing he could just stay in the common room. Fred winked at Harry as he passed him on the way out of the portrait hole.**

**The entrance hall was packed with students too, all milling around waiting for eight o'clock, when the doors to the Great Hall would be thrown open. Those people who were meeting partners from different Houses were edging through the crowd trying to find one another. Parvati found her sister, Padma, and led her over to Harry and Ron.**

**"Hi," said Padma, who was looking just as pretty as Parvati in robes of bright turquoise. She didn't look too enthusiastic about having Ron as a partner, though; her dark eyes lingered on the frayed neck and sleeves of his dress robes as she looked him up and down.**

Ron frowned.

**"Hi," said Ron, not looking at her, but staring around at the crowd. "Oh no..."**

**He bent his knees slightly to hide behind Harry, because Fleur Delacour was passing,**

"Why did you do that?" Fleur asked curiously.

"You know why." Ron frowned a faint blush starting.

Fleur giggled, "Of course I do. You should tell the others."

"No way."

"What did he do?" Bill smirked.

"'E walked past me when I was using a little of my veela charm and asked me to the ball." Fleur chuckled, "Sorry Ron but it was funny." she added as Ron blushed bright red.

"Why were you using your veela charm?" Bill asked confused, "Surely you didn't need it to get a date to the ball."

"I didn't, I was talking to Cedric and he asked me to see if he was immune to it, which he was. He said he was just curious." she shrugged, smirking, "Don't worry Ron you're not the only one who asked me when I was testing Cedric." she admitted, "It's hard to find boy's who are immune to a veelas charm." she smiled. "And it takes a while to get used to it."

"I'm used to it now." Ron muttered still blushing as the other men snickered.

**looking stunning in robes of silver-gray satin, and accompanied by the Ravenclaw Quidditch captain, Roger Davies. When they had disappeared, Ron stood straight again and stared over the heads of the crowd.**

**"Where is Hermione?" he said again.**

**A group of Slytherins came up the steps from their dungeon common room. Malfoy was in front; he was wearing dress robes of black velvet with a high collar, which in Harry's opinion made him look like a vicar.**

"Felt like one too. I didn't particularly like those robes, they were uncomfortable." Draco frowned.

"You said they were fine when you picked them out." Cissy rolled her eyes.

"Well I changed my mind." he shrugged.

**Pansy Parkinson in very frilly robes of pale pink was clutching Malfoy's arm.**

Astoria wrapped her arms around Draco and growled possessively.

"Dont worry Astoria. I'm yours now." he chuckled.

"I dont like her." Astoria growled.

"I dont like her either." he retorted. "I was, literally, brainwashed, as you know." he sighed.

**Crabbe and Goyle were both wearing green; they resembled moss-colored boulders, and neither of them, Harry was pleased to see, had managed to find a partner.**

**The oak front doors opened, and everyone turned to look as the Durmstrang students entered with Professor Karkaroff. Krum was at the front of the party, accompanied by a pretty girl in blue robes Harry didn't know.**

Hermione gave Harry a puzzled look, and he smiled sheepishly.

_I didnt know it was you did I?_ he sent to her through the pack bond, he was careful to make sure only she could hear him.

_Maybe not but I thought you'd at least recognise me,_ his sister in all but blood replied. Harry shrugged.

**Over their heads he saw that an area of lawn right in front of the castle had been transformed into a sort of grotto full of fairy lights - meaning hundreds of actual living fairies were sitting in the rosebushes that had been conjured there, and fluttering over the statues of what seemed to be Father Christmas and his reindeer.**

**Then Professor McGonagall's voice called, "Champions over here, please!"**

**Parvati re-adjusted her bangles, beaming; she and Harry said, "See you in a minute" to Ron and Padma and walked forward, the chattering crowd parting to let them through. Professor McGonagall, who was wearing dress robes of red tartan and had arranged a rather ugly wreath of thistles around the brim of her hat,**

Minerva frowned, "I thought it looked nice." she admitted.

**told them to wait on one side of the doors while everyone else went inside; they were to enter the Great Hall in procession when the rest of the students had sat down.**

**Fleur Delacour and Roger Davies stationed themselves nearest the doors; Davies looked so stunned by his good fortune in having Fleur for a partner that he could hardly take his eyes off her. Cedric and Cho were close to Harry too; he looked away from them so he wouldn't have to talk to them. His eyes fell instead on the girl next to Krum. His jaw dropped.**

**It was Hermione.**

Ron scowled as the others (except those who had seen her of course) looked a little shocked.

**But she didn't look like Hermione at all. She had done something with her hair; it was no longer bushy but sleek and shiny, and twisted up into an elegant knot at the back of her head. She was wearing robes made of a floaty, periwinkle-blue material, and she was holding herself differently, somehow - or maybe it was merely the absence of the twenty or so books she usually had slung over her back.**

**She was also smiling-rather nervously, it was true - but the reduction in the size of her front teeth was more noticeable than ever; Harry couldn't understand how he hadn't spotted it before.**

**"Hi, Harry!" she said. "Hi, Parvati!"**

**Parvati was gazing at Hermione in unflattering disbelief. She wasn't the only one either; when the doors to the Great Hall opened, Krum's fan club from the library stalked past, throwing Hermione looks of deepest loathing. Pansy Parkinson gaped at her as she walked by with Malfoy, and even he didn't seem to be able to find an insult to throw at her.**

Hermione grinned.

**Ron, however, walked right past Hermione without looking at her.**

"Jealous much?" Ginny teased.

Ron chose to ignore her and just put an arm around Hermione who rested her head on his shoulder.

**Once everyone else was settled in the Hall, Professor McGonagall told the champions and their partners to get in line in pairs and to follow her. They did so, and everyone in the Great Hall applauded as they entered and started walking up toward a large round table at the top of the Hall, where the judges were sitting. The walls of the Hall had all been covered in sparkling silver frost, with hundreds of garlands of mistletoe and ivy crossing the starry black ceiling. The House tables had vanished; instead, there were about a hundred smaller, lantern-lit ones, each seating about a dozen people.**

**Harry concentrated on not tripping over his feet. Parvati seemed to be enjoying herself; she was beaming around at everybody, steering Harry so forcefully that he felt as though he were a show dog she was putting through its paces.**

**He caught sight of Ron and Padma as he neared the top table. Ron was watching Hermione pass with narrowed eyes. Padma was looking sulky.**

**Dumbledore smiled happily as the champions approached the top table, but Karkaroff wore an expression remarkably like Ron's as he watched Krum and Hermione draw nearer. Ludo Bagman, tonight in robes of bright purple with large yellow stars, was clapping as enthusiastically as any of the students; and Madame Maxime, who had changed her usual uniform of black satin for a flowing gown of lavender silk, was applauding them politely. But Mr. Crouch, Harry suddenly realized, was not there. The fifth seat at the table was occupied by Percy Weasley.**

"Where was Crouch?" Remus frowned.

"Who cares?" Sirius growled.

"I asked Percy so it's explained." Harry told Remus, making him nod.

**When the champions and their partners reached the table, Percy drew out the empty chair beside him, staring pointedly at Harry. Harry took the hint and sat down next to Percy, who was wearing brand-new, navy-blue dress robes and an expression of such smugness that Harry thought it ought to be fined.**

**"I've been promoted," Percy said before Harry could even ask, and from his tone, he might have been announcing his election as supreme ruler of the universe. "I'm now Mr. Crouch's personal assistant, and I'm here representing him."**

**"Why didn't he come?" Harry asked. He wasn't looking forward to being lectured on cauldron bottoms all through dinner.**

**"I'm afraid to say Mr. Crouch isn't well, not well at all. Hasn't been right since the World Cup. Hardly surprising - overworked."**

Remus raised an eyebrow, "And what is it exactly that you were doing?"

"Paperwork." Percy groaned, "Lot's and lot's of paperwork."

"Sounds fun." Regulus muttered sarcastically.

"I still have no idea how I get less paperwork now." Percy shrugged, "I honestly thought it'd be more."

"You do have Gibbon helping you now though." Dora pointed out.

"He cant write yet, he can only read. Kingsley's getting someone to teach him to write." Percy told her, "He mostly reads through the stuff and tells me what it is and how urgent it is, he does the same with Kingsley."

Kingsley nodded, "I've got Amos teaching him how to write, it's quiet in his department right now so he has the time. Gibbon will go down for an hour each evening for his lessons except weekends when he gets time off to do whatever he wants." he explained.

**"He's not as young as he was - though still quite brilliant, of course, the mind remains as great as it ever was. But the World Cup was a fiasco for the whole Ministry, and then, Mr. Crouch suffered a huge personal shock with the misbehavior of that house-elf of his, Blinky,"**

"Winky." Hermione corrected.

**"or whatever she was called. Naturally, he dismissed her immediately afterward, but - well, as I say, he's getting on, he needs looking after, and I think he's found a definite drop in his home comforts since she left. And then we had the tournament to arrange, and the aftermath of the Cup to deal with - that revolting Skeeter woman buzzing around"**

"I have to agree with Percy there, Skeeter is revolting." Sirius said.

**"- no, poor man, he's having a well earned, quiet Christmas. I'm just glad he knew he had someone he could rely upon to take his place."**

**Harry wanted very much to ask whether Mr. Crouch had stopped calling Percy "Weatherby" yet,**

Percy pouted as the others laughed.

"Had he?" Bill asked.

"No." he replied sulkily.

**but resisted the temptation.**

**There was no food as yet on the glittering golden plates, but small menus were lying in front of each of them. Harry picked his up uncertainly and looked around - there were no waiters. Dumbledore, however, looked carefully down at his own menu, then said very clearly to his plate, "Pork chops!"**

**And pork chops appeared.**

**Getting the idea, the rest of the table placed their orders with their plates too. Harry glanced up at Hermione to see how she felt about this new and more complicated method of dining - surely it meant plenty of extra work for the house-elves? - but for once, Hermione didn't seem to be thinking about S.P.E.W. She was deep in talk with Viktor Krum and hardly seemed to notice what she was eating.**

**It now occurred to Harry that he had never actually heard Krum speak before, but he was certainly talking now, and very enthusiastically at that.**

"That was the first time you had heard him speak?" Kingsley asked.

"Yes, he hadn't spoke in front of me before." Harry shrugged. "Oh and he has a very heavy accent."

"His was almost as bad as mine." Fleur agreed, "He still got more of his words right than I did though."

"Yours is probably better than his now." Bill told her smiling, "The first time he was over here since then was last year wasnt it?"

"I think so." she shrugged.

**"Veil, ve have a castle also, not as big as this, nor as comfortable, I am thinking," he was telling Hermione. "Ve have just four floors, and the fires are lit only for magical purposes. But ve have grounds larger even than these - though in vinter, ve have very little daylight, so ve are not enjoying them. But in summer ve are flying every day, over the lakes and the mountains -"**

**"Now, now, Viktor!" said Karkaroff with a laugh that didn't reach his cold eyes, "don't go giving away anything else, now, or your charming friend will know exactly where to find us!"**

**Dumbledore smiled, his eyes twinkling. "Igor, all this secrecy... one would almost think you didn't want visitors."**

"That's because he probably doesn't." Minerva said.

**"Well, Dumbledore," said Karkaroff, displaying his yellowing teeth to their fullest extent, "we are all protective of our private domains, are we not? Do we not jealously guard the halls of learning that have been entrusted to us? Are we not right to be proud that we alone know our school's secrets, and right to protect them?"**

**"Oh I would never dream of assuming I know all Hogwarts' secrets, Igor," said Dumbledore amicably. "Only this morning, for instance, I took a wrong turn on the way to the bathroom and found myself in a beautifully proportioned room I have never seen before, containing a really rather magnificent collection of chamber pots. When I went back to investigate more closely, I discovered that the room had vanished."**

"The Room of Requirement, you think?" Neville asked.

"The what?" James frowned.

"Harry found a hidden room that changes into anything you need." Remus supplied.

"Actually Dobby told me where it was." Harry shrugged. "It's where I taught the DA." he added.

"It's also referred to the Come-and-Go room." Hermione supplied.

"Never heard of it." James shrugged.

"It wasn't one we ever found." Sirius agreed.

"You learn a lot by asking the House-Elves things." Harry smiled.

**"But I must keep an eye out for it. Possibly it is only accessible at five-thirty in the morning. Or it may only appear at the quarter moon - or when the seeker has an exceptionally full bladder."**

**Harry snorted into his plate of goulash. Percy frowned, but Harry could have sworn Dumbledore had given him a very small wink.**

**Meanwhile Fleur Delacour was criticizing the Hogwarts decorations to Roger Davies.**

**"Zis is nothing," she said dismissively, looking around at the sparkling walls of the Great Hall. "At ze Palace of Beauxbatons, we 'ave ice sculptures all around ze dining chamber at Chreestmas. Zey do not melt, of course... zey are like 'uge statues of diamond, glittering around ze place. And ze food is seemply superb. And we 'ave choirs of wood nymphs, 'oo serenade us as we eat. We 'ave none of zis ugly armor in ze 'alls,"**

"We could do without the suits of armor." James said reasonably.

Lily laughed, "You just don't like them because they got you in trouble all the time."

"So?"

"He's right." Minerva told them, "But they can't be moved due to the magic of the castle. It's only if they're collapsing and falling apart that they're removed. They're also a handy defense mechanism."

"How?" Alice frowned.

"There's a spell that brings them all to life, statues too, it helped quite a bit in the Final Battle when the Death Eater's couldn't get passed them." Remus explained, "I was saved by a statue early on in the battle when Greyback tried to attack me."

**"and eef a poltergeist ever entaired into Beauxbatons, 'e would be expelled like zat."**

"Could you expel Peeves?" Frank asked.

"I wouldn't think so, he isn't a student." Remus said.

"The ghosts can't leave either, can they?" Alice questioned.

"They cant." Minerva smiled. "Makes things easier for the teachers anyway. Ghost's help patrol the corridors so if there's trouble they can tell a teacher. Peeves is a massive pain but it wouldn't be Hogwarts without him and we cant get rid of him anyway, like the ghosts he cant leave." she shrugged.

**She slapped her hand onto the table impatiently.**

**Roger Davies was watching her talk with a very dazed look on his face, and he kept missing his mouth with his fork. Harry had the impression that Davies was too busy staring at Fleur to take in a word she was saying.**

**"Absolutely right," he said quickly, slapping his own hand down on the table in imitation of Fleur. "Like that. Yeah."**

"'Zat was amusing. I knew he wasn't listening." Fleur giggled, "I was following Madame Maxime's advice and acting as though I hated Hogwarts, so I complained a lot." she shrugged, "It's actually quite nice there." she smiled.

"Why did Madame Maxime advise you to do that?" Luna asked confused.

Fleur shrugged, "No idea. I think it was just so eet seemed her school was better. Victor complained a little too, I don't know if he had orders or not."

**Harry looked around the Hall. Hagrid was sitting at one of the other staff tables; he was back in his horrible hairy brown suit and gazing up at the top table. Harry saw him give a small wave, and looking around, saw Madame Maxime return it, her opals glittering in the candlelight.**

**Hermione was now teaching Krum to say her name properly; he kept calling her "Hermy-own."**

**"Her-my-oh-nee," she said slowly and clearly.**

**"Herm-own-ninny."**

**"Close enough," she said, catching Harry's eye and grinning.**

**When all the food had been consumed, Dumbledore stood up and asked the students to do the same. Then, with a wave of his wand, all the tables zoomed back along the walls leaving the floor clear, and then he conjured a raised platform into existence along the right wall. A set of drums, several guitars, a lute, a cello, and some bagpipes were set upon it.**

"We're skipping to later that night." Harry told them. "Ron and I decided to escape and that's where we're starting."

**Pretending they wanted more drinks Harry and Ron left the table, edged around the dance floor, and slipped out into the entrance hall. The front doors stood open, and the fluttering fairy lights in the rose garden winked and twinkled as they went down the front steps, where they found themselves surrounded by bushes; winding, ornamental paths; and large stone statues. Harry could hear splashing water, which sounded like a fountain. Here and there, people were sitting on carved benches. He and Ron set off along one of the winding paths through the rosebushes, but they had gone only a short way when they heard an unpleasantly familiar voice.**

**"... don't see what there is to fuss about, Igor."**

**"Severus, you cannot pretend this isn't happening!" Karkaroffs voice sounded anxious and hushed, as though keen not to be overheard. "It's been getting clearer and clearer for months. I am becoming seriously concerned, I can't deny it -"**

**"Then flee,"**

"What are the talking about?" James said curiously.

"Karkaroff was a Death Eater, maybe it's about the Dark Mark?" Remus suggested.

Everyone looked at Harry.

"Remus is right. It was coming back on everybody who had one." Cissy said before Harry could answer. "Almost half the 'Pureblood Society' were talking about it and what it must mean." she explained.

**said Snapes voice curtly. "Flee - I will make your excuses. I, however, am remaining at Hogwarts."**

**Snape and Karkaroff came around the corner. Snape had his wand out and was blasting rosebushes apart, his expression most ill-natured. Squeals issued from many of the bushes, and dark shapes emerged from them.**

**"Ten points from Ravenclaw, Fawcett!" Snape snarled as a girl ran past him. "And ten points from Hufflepuff too, Stebbins!" as a boy went rushing after her. "And what are you two doing?" he added, catching sight of Harry and Ron on the path ahead.**

"Certainly not what Fawcett and Stebbins were doing." James said with a smirk.

**Karkaroff, Harry saw, looked slightly discomposed to see them standing there. His hand went nervously to his goatee, and he began winding it around his finger.**

**"We're walking," Ron told Snape shortly. "Not against the law, is it?"**

**"Keep walking, then!" Snape snarled, and he brushed past them, his long black cloak billowing out behind him. Karkaroff hurried away after Snape. Harry and Ron continued down the path.**

"You know I think that's the first time he never took points off us for something like that." Ron grinned.

"It's a first." Harry smirked.

**"What's got Karkaroff all worried?" Ron muttered.**

**"And since when have he and Snape been on first name terms?"said Harry slowly.**

**They had reached a large stone reindeer now, over which they could see the sparkling jets of a tall fountain. The shadowy outlines of two enormous people were visible on a stone bench, watching the water in the moonlight. And then Harry heard Hagrid speak.**

**"Momen' I saw yeh, I knew," he was saying, in an oddly husky voice.**

**Harry and Ron froze. This didn't sound like the sort of scene they ought to walk in on, somehow... Harry looked around, back up the path, and saw Fleur Delacour and Roger Davies standing half-concealed in a rosebush nearby. He tapped Ron on the shoulder and jerked his head toward them, meaning that they could easily sneak off that way without being noticed (Fleur and Davies looked very busy to Harry), but Ron, eyes widening in horror at the sight of Fleur, shook his head vigorously, and pulled Harry deeper into the shadows behind the reindeer.**

**"What did you know, 'Agrid?" said Madame Maxime, a purr in her low voice.**

**Harry definitely didn't want to listen to this; he knew Hagrid would hate to be overheard in a situation like this (he certainly would have) - if it had been possible he would have put his fingers in his ears and hummed loudly, but that wasn't really an option. Instead he tried to interest himself in a beetle crawling along the stone reindeer's back, but the beetle just wasn't interesting enough to block out Hagrid's next words.**

**"I jus' knew... knew you were like me... Was it yer mother or yer father?"**

"What's he talking about?" Alice asked.

**"I - I don't know what you mean, 'Agrid..."**

**"It was my mother," said Hagrid quietly. "She was one o' the las' ones in Britain. 'Course, I can' remember her too well... she left, see. When I was abou' three. She wasn' really the maternal sort. Well... it's not in their natures, is it? Dunno what happened to her... might be dead fer all I know..."**

**Madame Maxime didn't say anything. And Harry, in spite of himself, took his eyes off the beetle and looked over the top of the reindeer's antlers, listening... He had never heard Hagrid talk about his childhood before.**

**"Me dad was broken-hearted when she wen'. Tiny little bloke, my dad was. By the time I was six I could lift him up an' put him on top o' the dresser if he annoyed me. Used ter make him laugh..." Hagrid's deep voice broke. Madame Maxime was listening, motionless, apparently staring at the silvery fountain. "Dad raised me... but he died, o' course, jus' after I started school. Sorta had ter make me own way after that. Dumbledore was a real help, mind. Very kind ter me, he was..."**

**Hagrid pulled out a large spotted silk handkerchief and blew his nose heavily.**

**"So... anyway... enough abou' me. What about you? Which side you got it on?"**

**But Madame Maxime had suddenly got to her feet.**

**"It is chilly," she said - but whatever the weather was doing, it was nowhere near as cold as her voice. "I think I will go in now."**

**"Eh?" said Hagrid blankly. "No, don go! I've - I've never met another one before!"**

**"Anuzzer what, precisely?" said Madame Maxime, her tone icy.**

"Oh no." Minerva muttered, "I know what this is."

"What?" half the room asked.

**Harry could have told Hagrid it was best not to answer; he stood there in the shadows gritting his teeth, hoping against hope he wouldn't - but it was no good.**

**"Another half-giant, o' course!" said Hagrid.**

"Oh. So that's why Hagrid's so big?" Alice asked.

Harry nodded and looked around the room, "A lot of you don't seem shocked at all." he commented.

"You told us about Grawp." James reminded him looking amused, "Then you told us about Hagrid."

"Oh yeah... I forgot." Harry admitted sheepishly.

**"'Ow dare you!" shrieked Madame Maxime. Her voice exploded through the peaceful night air like a foghorn; behind him. Harry heard Fleur and Roger fall out of their rosebush. "I 'ave nevair been more insulted in my life! 'Alf-giant? Moi? I 'ave - I 'ave big bones!"**

"No she doesnt. She just didnt like to admit she was 'alf-giant too." Fleur chuckled.

**She stormed away; great multicolored swarms of fairies rose into the air as she passed, angrily pushing aside bushes. Hagrid was still sitting on the bench, staring after her. It was much too dark to make out his expression. Then, after about a minute, he stood up and strode away, not back to the castle, but off out into the dark grounds in the direction of his cabin.**

**"C'mon," Harry said, very quietly to Ron. "Let's go..."**

**But Ron didn't move.**

**"What's up?" said Harry, looking at him.**

**Ron looked around at Harry, his expression very serious indeed.**

**"Did you know?" he whispered. "About Hagrid being half-giant?"**

**"No," Harry said, shrugging. "So what?"**

"Let me guess, something else you didn't know about?" Dudley asked.

"Exactly. Ron explained it to me but that's the end of that memory because I'm not showing anymore of that night." Harry said firmly. "Or anymore until after dinner." he added.

Everyone nodded and split into different conversations as most of the women went to make dinner.

* * *

><p>Review please x<p> 


	34. Chapter 34

Chapter 34 - Fourth Year (Part 11.5)

17, August. 1998. 7.00pm.

After dinner everyone was back in the living room.

"We're skipping untill the start of term. Nothing more interesting happened except Ron and Hermione arguing and lot's of homework." Harry smirked at his two friends, who were glaring at him, both were a little red-faced.

**Snow was still thick upon the grounds, and the greenhouse windows were covered in condensation so thick that they couldn't see out of them in Herbology. Nobody was looking forward to Care of Magical Creatures much in this weather, though as Ron said, the skrewts would probably warm them up nicely, either by chasing them, or blasting off so forcefully that Hagrid's cabin would catch fire.**

**When they arrived at Hagrid 's cabin, however, they found an elderly witch with closely cropped gray hair and a very prominent chin standing before his front door.**

"Where's Hagrid?" Sirius asked.

**"Hurry up, now, the bell rang five minutes ago," she barked at them as they struggled toward her through the snow.**

**"Who're you?" said Ron, staring at her. "Wheres Hagrid?"**

**"My name is Professor Grubbly-Plank," she said briskly. "I am your temporary Care of Magical Creatures teacher."**

**"Where's Hagrid?" Harry repeated loudly.**

**"He is indisposed," said Professor Grubbly-Plank shortly.**

**Soft and unpleasant laughter reached Harry's ears. He turned; Draco Malfoy and the rest of the Slytherins were joining the class. All of them looked gleeful, and none of them looked surprised to see Professor Grubbly-Plank.**

"It's somehow gotten out about Hagrid, hasn't it?" Regulus asked. Harry thought for a moment then nodded hesitantly.

**"This way, please," said Professor Grubbly-Plank, and she strode off around the paddock where the Beauxbatons horses were shivering. Harry, Ron, and Hermione followed her, looking back over their shoulders at Hagrid's cabin. All the curtains were closed. Was Hagrid in there, alone and ill?**

**"What's wrong with Hagrid?" Harry said, hurrying to catch up with Professor Grubbly-Plank.**

**"Never you mind," she said as though she thought he was being nosy.**

**"I do mind, though," said Harry hotly. "What's up with him?"**

**Professor Grubbly-Plank acted as though she couldn't hear him.**

**She led them past the paddock where the huge Beauxbatons horses were standing, huddled against the cold, and toward a tree on the edge of the forest, where a large and beautiful unicorn was tethered.**

**Many of the girls "ooooohed!" at the sight of the unicorn. "Oh it's so beautiful!" whispered Lavender Brown. "How did she get it? They're supposed to be really hard to catch!"**

**The unicorn was so brightly white it made the snow all around look gray. It was pawing the ground nervously with its golden hooves and throwing back its horned head.**

**"Boys keep back!" barked Professor Grubbly-Plank, throwing out an arm and catching Harry hard in the chest. "They prefer the woman's touch, unicorns. Girls to the front, and approach with care, come on, easy does it..."**

"Bit stupid bringing one to class then." Hermione muttered, "I never understood that. She know's Unicorns rarely put up with boys so she should have picked an animal that accepted the whole class."

"I'll agree with you on she should have picked a different animal but Hagrid would have done the same thing with the Unicorn anyway. It was him who caught it." Minerva explained, "It had been sick when he did catch it, so he treated it but kept it tied up for the class, he was going to release it after showing you all."

**She and the girls walked slowly forward toward the unicorn, leaving the boys standing near the paddock fence, watching. The moment Professor Grubbly-Plank was out of earshot. Harry turned to Ron.**

**"What d'you reckons wrong with him? You don't think a skrewt -?"**

**"Oh he hasn't been attacked, Potter, if that's what you're thinking," said Malfoy softly. "No, he's just too ashamed to show his big, ugly face."**

**"What d'you mean?" said Harry sharply.**

**Malfoy put his hand inside the pocket of his robes and pulled out a folded page of newsprint.**

**"There you go," he said. "Hate to break it to you. Potter..."**

"Yeah right." James muttered.

**He smirked as Harry snatched the page, unfolded it, and read it, with Ron, Seamus, Dean, and Neville looking over his shoulder. It was an article topped with a picture of Hagrid looking extremely shifty.**

**DUMBLEDORE'S GIANT MISTAKE**

**Albus Dumbledore, eccentric Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, has never been afraid to make controversial staff appointments, writes Rita Skeeter, Special Correspondent.**

**In September of this year, he hired Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody, the notoriously jinx-happy ex-Auror, to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts, a decision that caused many raised eyebrows at the Ministry of Magic, given Moody's well-known habit of attacking anybody who makes a sudden movement in his presence.**

**Mad-Eye Moody, however, looks responsible and kindly when set beside the part-human Dumbledore employs to teach Care of Magical Creatures.**

"How can she say Hagrid is more dangerous than Mad-Eye?" James said, surprised.

"Mad-Eye was more likely to attack you than Hagrid." Dora frowned.

**Rubeus Hagrid, who admits to being expelled from Hogwarts in his third year,**

"For something he didn't do." Harry added.

**has enjoyed the position of gamekeeper at the school ever since a job secured for him by Dumbledore. Last year, however, Hagrid used his mysterious influence over the headmaster to secure the additional post of Care of Magical Creatures teacher,**

"Dumbledore gave him the job!" Minerva protested, "And Hagrid would have gotten it earlier if his name had been cleared while he was still at school!"

**over the heads of many better-qualified candidates.**

"Like?" James said, glaring at the memory.

**An alarmingly large and ferocious-looking man, Hagrid has been using his newfound authority to terrify the students**

"What?!" Sirius yelped, "Hagrid, terrify students?"

Harry considered this for a moment, "Maybe the animals but not Hagrid, he isn't remotely scary once you know him."

"It was the Slytherins who told her that." Astoria said glaring at Draco, "Led by this idiot."

Draco winced, "She is, unfortunately, right. I really don't have a problem with Hagrid anymore but..."

"You were a prat who followed your Father's orders?" Ron suggested.

"Yes, I'll admit I was stupid."

"'Oopid." Teddy cheerfully repeated from his playpen, he was peering over the top while holding onto the edge.

"And Teddy agrees with you." Harry laughed as Remus went and picked him up. "Bring him over, there's nothing scary until the third task, just creepy for the second task." he added to Remus who had looked unsure.

Remus nodded and sat down with Teddy, toy wolf in hand, on his knee.

**in his care with a succession of horrific creatures. While Dumbledore turns a blind eye, Hagrid has maimed several pupils**

"Again, Hagrid hasn't maimed anyone and the creatures haven't seriously injured anyone." James said.

**during a series of lessons that many admit to being 'very frightening.' "I was attacked by a hippogriff,"**

"Draco." Cissy groaned.

**"and my friend Vincent Crabbe got a bad bite off a flobberworm,"**

"Can flobberworms bite?" Regulus asked, looking skeptical.

Remus shook his head, "They don't have any teeth."

**says Draco Malfoy, a fourth-year student. "We all hate Hagrid,"**

Sirius growled, "All the Slytherin's perhaps."

**"but we're just too scared to say anything."**

James had an extremely skeptical expression on his face, "Of Hagrid? No way."

**Hagrid has no intention of ceasing his campaign of intimidation, however. In conversation with a Daily Prophet reporter last month, he admitted breeding creatures he has dubbed "Blast-Ended Skrewts," highly dangerous crosses between manti-cores and fire-crabs. The creation of new breeds of magical creature is, of course, an activity usually closely observed by the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. Hagrid, however, considers himself to be above such petty restrictions.**

**"I was just having some fun," he says, before hastily changing the subject. As if this were not enough, the Daily Prophet has now unearthed evidence that Hagrid is not - as he has always pretended - a pure-blood wizard.**

"Hagrid never pretended to be a pureblood wizard." Ginny rolled her eyes.

**He is not, in fact, even pure human.**

**His mother, we can exclusively reveal, is none other than the giantess Fridwulfa, whose whereabouts are currently unknown. Bloodthirsty and brutal,**

"Quite the opposite of Hagrid." Draco said.

**the giants brought themselves to the point of extinction by warring amongst themselves during the last century. The handful that remained joined the ranks of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, and were responsible for some of the worst mass Muggle killings of his reign of terror.**

**While many of the giants who served He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named were killed by Aurors working against the Dark Side, Fridwulfa was not among them. It is possible she escaped to one of the giant communities still existing in foreign mountain ranges. If his antics during Care of Magical Creatures lessons are any guide, however, Fridwulfa's son appears to have inherited her brutal nature.**

"What?" many occupants of the room said in shock.

**In a bizarre twist, Hagrid is reputed to have developed a close friendship with the boy who brought around You-Know-Who's fall from power**

"That's because Harry's actually decent and has taken the time to get to know Hagrid!" Lily shouted.

**- thereby driving Hagrid's own mother, like the rest of You-Know-Who's supporters, into hiding. Perhaps Harry Potter is unaware of the unpleasant truth about his large friend ****- ****but Albus Dumbledore surely has a duty to ensure that Harry Potter, along with his fellow students, is warned about the dangers of associating with part-giants.**

"Hagrid isn't dangerous!" Harry growled. "And she needed to stop dragging me into things." he added as an afterthought.

**Harry finished reading and looked up at Ron, whose mouth was hanging open.**

**"How did she find out?" he whispered.**

"That's a good question..." Remus said, looking thoughtful.

**But that wasn't what was bothering Harry.**

**"What d'you mean, 'we all hate Hagrid'?" Harry spat at Malfoy. "What's this rubbish about him" - he pointed at Crabbe - "getting a bad bite off a flobberworm? They haven't even got teeth!"**

**Crabbe was sniggering, apparently very pleased with himself.**

**"Well, I think this should put an end to the oaf's teaching career,"****said Malfoy, his eyes glinting.**

Sirius growled again, "Your enjoying that way too much."

"I cant even remember saying that to be honest." Draco frowned.

**"Half-giant... and there was me thinking he'd just swallowed a bottle of Skele-Gro when he was young... None of the mummies and daddies are going to like this at all... They'll be worried he'll eat their kids, ha, ha..."**

**"You****-"**

**"Are you paying attention over there?"**

"Of course not." James said.

**Professor Grubbly-Planks voice carried over to the boys; the girls were all clustered around the unicorn now, stroking it. Harry was so angry that the Daily Prophet article shook in his hands as he turned to stare unseeingly at the unicorn,****whose many magical properties Professor Grubbly-Plank was now enumerating in a loud voice, so that the boys could hear too.**

**"I hope she stays, that woman!"**

"I don't." James growled.

**said Parvati Patil when the lesson had ended and they were all heading back to the castle for lunch. "That's more what I thought Care of Magical Creatures would be like... proper creatures like unicorns, not monsters..."**

"What does she expect? Not all the creatures in the Wizarding World are like Unicorns." Remus said reasonably, "Or didnt you lot get that message when I taught you?"

"Oh we got that message alright. Some of them just refused to acknowledge that fact." Hermione sighed.

**"What about Hagrid?" Harry said angrily as they went up the steps.**

**"What about him?" said Parvati in a hard voice. "He can still be gamekeeper, can't he?"**

"Yeah, but he's a teacher too." Sirius said, glaring at the memory.

**Parvati had been very cool toward Harry since the ball. He supposed that he ought to have paid her a bit more attention, but she seemed to have had a good time all the same. She was certainly telling anybody who would listen that she had made arrangements to meet the boy from Beauxbatons in Hogsmeade on the next weekend trip.**

"Pierre kept talking about that too." Fleur muttered, "It was very annoying, especially when no one could get him to shut up."

**"That was a really good lesson," said Hermione as they entered the Great Hall. "I didn't know half the things Professor Grubbly-Plank told us about uni****-"**

"Not helping 'Mione." Ron muttered.

"I didnt know yet!" she protested.

**"Look at this!" Harry snarled, and he shoved the Daily Prophet article under Hermione's nose.**

**Hermione's mouth fell open as she read. Her reaction was exactly the same as Ron's.**

**"How did that horrible Skeeter woman find out? You don't think Hagrid told her?"**

**"No," said Harry, leading the way over to the Gryffindor table and throwing himself into a chair, furious. "He never even told us, did he? I reckon she was so mad he wouldn't give her loads of horrible stuff about me, she went ferreting around to get him back."**

**"Maybe she heard him telling Madame Maxime at the ball," said Hermione quietly.**

"Harry and Ron would've seen her." Remus pointed out.

**"We'd have seen her in the garden!" said Ron. "Anyway, she's not supposed to come into school anymore, Hagrid said Dumbledore banned her..."**

Everyone cheered their approval.

**"Maybe she's got an Invisibility Cloak,"**

"Not likely." James said.

**said Harry, ladling chicken casserole onto his plate and splashing it everywhere in his anger. "Sort of thing she'd do, isn't it, hide in bushes listening to people."**

**"Like you and Ron did, you mean," said Hermione.**

**"We weren't trying to hear him!" said Ron indignantly. "We didn't have any choice! The stupid prat, talking about his giantess mother where anyone could have heard him!"**

"That's a bit harsh." Sirius said.

"Harsh, but true." Minerva sighed, "He really should have been more careful, simply because of the amount of people at the castly."

**"We've got to go and see him," said Harry. "This evening, after Divination. Tell him we want him back... you do want him back?" he shot at Hermione.**

**"I - well, I'm not going to pretend it didn't make a nice change, having a proper Care of Magical Creatures lesson for once****- but I do want Hagrid back, of course I do!" Hermione added hastily,**

"Good." Ginny nodded.

**quailing under Harry's furious stare.**

**So that evening after dinner, the three of them left the castle once more and went down through the frozen grounds to Hagrid's cabin. They knocked, and Fang's booming barks answered.**

**"Hagrid, it's us!" Harry shouted, pounding on the door. "Open up!"**

**Hagrid didn't answer. They could hear Fang scratching at the door, whining, but it didn't open. They hammered on it for ten more minutes; Ron even went and banged on one of the windows, but there was no response.**

"He must really be upset." James said.

**"What's he avoiding us for?" Hermione said when they had finally given up and were walking back to the school. "He surely doesn't think we'd care about him being half-giant?"**

**But it seemed that Hagrid did care. They didn't see a sign of him all week. He didn't appear at the staff table at mealtimes, they didn't see him going about his gamekeeper duties on the grounds, and Professor Grubbly-Plank continued to take the Care of Magical Creatures classes.**

"Merlin, he can't hide in his cabin forever." Sirius said reasonably.

**Malfoy was gloating at every possible opportunity.**

**"Missing your half-breed pal?" he kept whispering****to Harry whenever there was a teacher around, so that he was safe from Harry's retaliation.**

**"Missing the elephantman?"**

**There was a Hogsmeade visit halfway through January. Hermione was very surprised that Harry was going to go.**

**"I just thought you'd want to take advantage of the common room being quiet," she said. "Really get to work on that egg."**

"Yeah, right." Lily said sadly.

**"Oh I - I reckon I've got a pretty good idea what it's about now," Harry lied.**

**"Have you really?" said Hermione, looking impressed. "Well done!"**

Hermione glared at Harry and he looked guilty, regardless of the fact this event happened years ago.

**Harry's insides gave a guilty squirm, but he ignored them. He still had five weeks to work out that egg clue, after all, and that was ages****...**

"No, it's not." Hermione muttered.

**whereas if he went into Hogsmeade, he might run into Hagrid, and get a chance to persuade him to come back.**

"Oh." Sirius said.

**He, Ron, and Hermione left the castle together on Saturday and set off through the cold, wet grounds toward the gates. As they passed the Durmstrang ship moored in the lake, they saw Viktor Krum**

Ron frowned, causing Harry and Ginny to laugh and Hermione to roll her eyes.

**emerge onto the deck, dressed in nothing but swimming trunks. He was very skinny indeed, but apparently a lot tougher than he looked, because he climbed up onto the side of the ship, stretched out his arms, and dived, right into the lake.**

"He's mad! It's what, January?!" James said.

Remus nodded, "I suppose it's a lot colder wherever Durmstrang is."

"It is." Hermione nodded.

**"He's mad!" said Harry, staring at Krums dark head as it bobbed out into the middle of the lake. "It must be freezing, it's January!"**

**"It's a lot colder where he comes from," said Hermione.****"I suppose it feels quite warm to him."**

**"Yeah, but there's still the giant squid," said Ron. He didn't sound anxious ****-**** if anything, he sounded hopeful.**

Hermione rolled her eyes again.

**Hermione noticed his tone of voice and frowned.**

**"He's really nice, you know," she said. "He's not at all like you'd think, coming from Durmstrang. He likes it much better here, he told me."**

**Ron said nothing. He hadn't mentioned Viktor Krum since the ball, but Harry had found a miniature arm under his bed on Boxing Day, which had looked very much as though it had been snapped off a small model figure wearing Bulgarian Quidditch robes.**

**Harry kept his eyes skinned for a sign of Hagrid all the way down the slushy High Street, and suggested a visit to the Three Broomsticks once he had ascertained that Hagrid was not in any of the shops.**

"If he isn't going to come out of his cabin for his friends, I don't suppose he'd go to Hogsmeade either." Lily pointed out.

"Didnt think of that." Harry admitted.

**The pub was as crowded as ever, but one quick look around at all the tables told Harry that Hagrid wasn't there. Heart sinking, he went up to the bar with Ron and Hermione, ordered three butterbeers from Madam Rosmerta, and thought gloomily that he might just as well have stayed behind and listened to the egg wailing after all.**

**"Doesn't he ever go into the office?" Hermione whispered suddenly.****"Look!"**

**She pointed into the mirror behind the bar, and Harry saw Ludo Bagman reflected there, sitting in a shadowy corner with a bunch of goblins. Bagman was talking very fast in a low voice to the goblins, all of whom had their arms crossed and were looking rather menacing.**

**It was indeed odd. Harry thought, that Bagman was here at the Three Broomsticks on a weekend when there was no Triwizard event, and therefore no judging to be done. He watched Bagman in the mirror. He was looking strained again, quite as strained as he had that night in the forest before the Dark Mark had appeared. But just then Bagman glanced over at the bar, saw Harry,**

"Oh no." Ginny muttered.

**and stood up.**

**"In a moment, in a moment!" Harry heard him say brusquely to the goblins, and Bagman hurried through the pub toward Harry, his boyish grin back in place.**

**"Harry!" he said. "How are you? Been hoping to run into you! Everything going all right?"**

**"Fine, thanks," said Harry.**

**"Wonder if I could have a quick, private word, Harry?" said Bagman eagerly.**

**"You couldn't give us a moment, you two, could you?"**

**"Er okay," said Ron, and he and Hermione went off to find a table.**

**Bagman led Harry along the bar to the end furthest from Madam Rosmerta.**

**"Well, I just thought I'd congratulate you again on your splendid performance against that Horntail, Harry," said Bagman. "Really superb."**

**"Thanks," said Harry, but he knew this couldn't be all that Bagman wanted to say, because he could have congratulated Harry in front of Ron and Hermione.**

**Bagman didn't seem in any particular rush to spill the beans, though. Harry saw him glance into the mirror over the bar at the goblins, who were all watching him and Harry in silence through their dark, slanting eyes.**

**"Absolute nightmare," said Bagman to Harry in an undertone, noticing Harry watching the goblins too. "Their English isn't too good... it's like being back with all the Bulgarians at the Quidditch World Cup... but at least they used sign language another human could recognize. This lot keep gabbling in Gobbledegook... and I only know one word of Gobbledegook. Bladvak. It means 'pickax.'"**

"That's real useful." Remus muttered sarcastically.

**"****I don't like to use it in case they think I'm threatening them."**

**He gave a short, booming laugh.**

**"What do they want?" Harry said, noticing how the goblins were still watching Bagman very closely.**

**"Er - well..." said Bagman, looking suddenly nervous. "They... er... they're looking for Barty Crouch."**

**"Why are they looking for him here?" said Harry. "He's at the Ministry in London, isn't he?"**

**"Er... as a matter of fact, I've no idea where he is," said Bagman. "He's sort of... stopped coming to work. Been absent for a couple of weeks now. Young Percy, his assistant, says he's ill. Apparently he's just been sending instructions in by owl. But would you mind not mentioning that to anyone Harry?"**

"Why not?" Petunia asked.

"Skeeter?" Lily guessed.

Percy nodded, "She was very interested in where Mr Crouch had went and what was wrong with him."

**"****Because Rita Skeeter's still poking around everywhere she can, and I'm willing to bet she'd work up Bartys illness into something sinister. Probably say he's gone missing like Bertha Jorkins."**

**"Have you heard anything about Bertha Jorkins?" Harry asked.**

**"No," said Bagman, looking strained again. "I've got people looking, of course..." About time, thought Harry.****"and it's all very strange. She definitely arrived in Albania, because she met her second cousin there. And then she left the cousin's house to go south and see an aunt... and she seems to have vanished without trace en route. Blowed if I can see where she's got to... she doesn't seem the type to elope, for instance... but still... What are we doing, talking about goblins and Bertha Jorkins? I really wanted to ask you" - he lowered his voice - "how are you getting on with your golden egg?"**

**"Er... not bad," Harry said untruthfully.**

**Bagman seemed to know he wasn't being honest.**

**"Listen, Harry," he said still in a very low voice, "I feel very bad about all this... you were thrown into this tournament, you didn't volunteer for it... and if..." his voice was so quiet now, Harry had to lean closer to listen "if I can help at all..."**

"Harry doesn't need your help, Bagman." James said, clearly no longer liking the man.

**"a prod in the right direction... I've taken a liking to you... the way you got past that dragon... well, just say the word."**

**Harry stared up into Bagman's round, rosy face and his wide, baby-blue eyes.**

**"We're supposed to work out the clues alone, aren't we?" he said, careful to keep his voice casual and not sound as though he was accusing the head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports of breaking the rules.**

**"Well... well, yes," said Bagman impatiently, "but - come on. Harry - we all want a Hogwarts victory, don't we?"**

"I highly doubt he's offered Cedric any help." Lily said.

**"Have you offered Cedric help?" Harry said.**

**The smallest of frowns creased Bagman's smooth face. "No, I haven't," he said. "I - well, like I say, I've taken a liking to you. Just thought I'd offer..."**

**"Well, thanks," said Harry, "but I think I'm nearly there with the egg... couple more days should crack it."**

**He wasn't entirely sure why he was refusing Bagman's help, except that Bagman was almost a stranger to him, and accepting his assistance would feel somehow much more like cheating than asking advice from Ron, Hermione or Sirius.**

**Bagman looked almost affronted, but couldn't say much more as Fred and George turned up at that point.**

**"Hello, Mr. Bagman," said Fred brightly. "Can we buy you a drink?"**

**"Er... no," said Bagman, with a last disappointed glance at Harry, "no, thank you, boys..."**

**Fred and George looked quite as disappointed as Bagman, who was surveying Harry as though he had let him down badly.**

**"Well, I must dash," he said. "Nice seeing you all. Good luck, Harry."**

**He hurried out of the pub. The goblins all slid off their chairs and exited after him. Harry went to rejoin Ron and Hermione.**

**"What did he want?" Ron said, the moment Harry had sat down.**

**"He offered to help me with the golden egg," said Harry.**

**"He shouldn't be doing that!" said Hermione, looking very shocked. "He's one of the judges! And anyway, you've already worked it out - haven't you?"**

**"Er... nearly," said Harry.**

**"Well, I don't think Dumbledore would like it if he knew Bagman was trying to persuade you to cheat!" said Hermione, still looking deeply disapproving. "I hope he's trying to help Cedric as much!"**

**"He's not, I asked," said Harry.**

**"Who cares if Diggorys getting help?" said Ron.**

**Harry privately agreed.**

Lily and Molly looked disapproving. Harry and Ron both blushed, Harry looking sad and guilty too.

**"Those goblins didn't look very friendly," said Hermione, sipping her butterbeer. "What were they doing here?"**

**"Looking for Crouch, according to Bagman," said Harry. "He's still ill. Hasn't been into work."**

**"Maybe Percy****'****s poisoning him," said Ron. "Probably thinks if Crouch snuffs it he'll be made head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation."**

**Hermione gave Ron a don't-joke-about-things-like-that look,****and said, "Funny, goblins looking for Mr. Crouch... They'd normally deal with the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures."**

**"Crouch can speak loads of different languages, though," said Harry. "Maybe they need an interpreter."**

**"Worrying about poor 'ickle goblins, now, are you?" Ron asked Hermione. "Thinking of starting up S.P.U.G. or something? Society for the Protection of Ugly Goblins?"**

Sirius and James laughed once again.

"Better not say that when we start improving the bonds between Humans and Goblins." Ginny smirked. "I have a feeling they wouldnt like it very much."

**"Ha, ha, ha," said Hermione sarcastically. "Goblins don't need protection. Haven't you been listening to what Professor Binns has been telling us about goblin rebellions?"**

**"No," said Harry and Ron together.**

**"Well, they're quite capable of dealing with wizards," said Hermione, taking another sip of butterbeer. "They're very clever. They're not like house-elves, who never stick up for themselves."**

**"Uh-oh," said Ron, staring at the door.**

**Rita Skeeter had just entered.**

"Go away..." Sirius moaned.

**She was wearing banana-yellow robes today; her long nails were painted shocking pink, and she was accompanied by her paunchy photographer. She bought drinks, and she and the photographer made their way through the crowds to a table nearby. Harry, Ron, and Hermione glaring at her as she approached. She was talking fast and looking very satisfied about something.**

**"... didn't seem very keen to talk to us, did he, Bozo?"**

"Bozo." the twins repeated through laughter.

**"****Now, why would that be, do you think? And what's he doing with a pack of goblins in town anyway?****Showing them the sights... what nonsense... he was always a bad liar. Reckon something's up? Think we should do a bit of digging? 'Disgraced Ex-Head of Magical Games and Sports, Ludo Bagman...' Snappy start to a sentence, Bozo - we just need to find a story to fit it -"**

**"Trying to ruin someone else's life?" said Harry loudly.**

**A few people looked around. Rita Skeeter's eyes widened behind her jeweled spectacles as she saw who had spoken.**

**"Harry!" she said, beaming. "How lovely! Why don't you come and join****-?"**

"No thank you." Harry growled.

**"I wouldn't come near you with a ten-foot broomstick," said Harry furiously. "What did you do that to Hagrid for, eh?"**

**Rita Skeeter raised her heavily penciled eyebrows.**

**"Our readers have a right to the truth, Harry. I am merely doing my****-"**

**"Who cares if he's half-giant?" Harry shouted. "There's nothing wrong with him!"**

"It's great that your sticking up for Hagrid and all but you really should be quiet." Lily told Harry.

James nodded, "Just giving Skeeter all the more opportunity to twist your words."

"I didn't particularly care at that point." Harry shrugged.

**The whole pub had gone very quiet. Madam Rosmerta was staring over from behind the bar, apparently oblivious to the fact that the flagon she was filling with mead was overflowing.**

**Rita Skeeters smile flickered very slightly, but she hitched it back almost at once; she snapped open her crocodile-skin handbag, pulled out her Quick-Quotes Quill, and said, "How about giving me an interview about the Hagrid you know.****"**

"How dumb is Skeeter?" James said, a little shocked.

"Very." Hermione giggled, "She has a brain the size of a beetle." this made Harry and Ron laugh too, the others looked confused and curious as to why this would make them laugh.

**"****Harry? The man behind the muscles? Your unlikely friendship and the reasons behind it. Would you call him a father substitute?"**

**Hermione stood up very abruptly, her butterbeer clutched in her hand as though it were a grenade.**

**"You horrible woman," she said, through gritted teeth, "you don't care, do you, anything for a story, and anyone will do, wont they? Even Ludo Bagman****-"**

**"Sit down, you silly little girl, and don't talk about things you don't understand,"**

"I could say the same about her." Hermione said coldly.

**said Rita Skeeter coldly, her eyes hardening as they fell on Hermione. "I know things about Ludo Bagman that would make your hair curl... not that it needs it -" she added, eyeing Hermione's bushy hair.**

**"Let's go," said Hermione, "c'mon. Harry - Ron..."**

**They left; many people were staring at them as they went. Harry glanced back as they reached the door. Rita Skeeter's Quick-Quotes Quill was out; it was zooming backward and forward over a piece of parchment on the table.**

**"She'll be after you next, Hermione," said Ron in a low and worried voice as they walked quickly back up the street.**

**"Let her try!" said Hermione defiantly; she was shaking with rage. "I'll show her! Silly little girl, am I? Oh, I'll get her back for this. First Harry, then Hagrid..."**

**"You don't want to go upsetting Rita Skeeter," said Ron nervously. "I'm serious, Hermione, she'll dig up something on you -"**

**"My parents don't read the Daily Prophet. She can't scare me into hiding!" said Hermione, now striding along so fast that it was all Harry and Ron could do to keep up with her. The last time Harry had seen Hermione in a rage like this, she had hit Draco Malfoy around the face. "And Hagrid isn't hiding anymore! He should never have let that excuse for a human being upset him! Come on!"**

"Here, here!" the whole room cheered.

**Breaking into a run, she led them all the way back up the road, through the gates flanked by winged boars, and up through the grounds to Hagrid's cabin. The curtains were still drawn, and they could hear Fang barking as they approached.**

**"Hagrid!" Hermione shouted, pounding on his front door. "Hagrid, that's enough! We know you're in there! Nobody cares if your mum was a giantess, Hagrid! You can't let that foul Skeeter woman do this to you! Hagrid, get out here, you're just being -"**

**The door opened. Hermione said, "About t****-!" and then stopped, very suddenly, because she had found herself face-to-face, not with Hagrid, but with Albus Dumbledore.**

**"Good afternoon," he said pleasantly, smiling down at them.**

"Albus was hardly ever not smiling." Minerva chuckled, "Or should that be is, since his portrait is usually smiling too."

**"We****-****er****-****we wanted to see Hagrid," said Hermione in a rather small voice.**

**"Yes, I surmised as much," said Dumbledore, his eyes twinkling. "Why don't you come in?"**

**"Oh... um... okay," said Hermione.**

**She, Ron, and Harry went into the cabin; Fang launched himself upon Harry the moment he entered, barking madly and trying to lick his ears. Harry fended off Fang and looked around.**

**Hagrid was sitting at his table, where there were two large mugs of tea. He looked a real mess. His face was blotchy, his eyes swollen, and he had gone to the other extreme where his hair was concerned; far from trying to make it behave, it now looked like a wig of tangled wire.**

**"Hi, Hagrid," said Harry.**

**Hagrid looked up.**

**"'Lo," he said in a very hoarse voice.**

**"More tea, I think," said Dumbledore, closing the door behind Harry, Ron, and Hermione, drawing out his wand, and twiddling it; a revolving tea tray appeared in midair along with a plate of cakes. Dumbledore magicked the tray onto the table, and everybody sat down. There was a slight pause, and then Dumbledore said, "Did you by any chance hear what Miss Granger was shouting, Hagrid?"**

**Hermione went slightly pink, but Dumbledore smiled at her and continued, "Hermione, Harry, and Ron still seem to want to know you, judging by the way they were attempting to break down the door."**

Everyone laughed a little again at this and Lily said, "Of course they want to see him!"

**"Of course we still want to know you!" Harry said, staring at Hagrid. "You don't think anything that Skeeter cow****-****sorry, Professor," he added quickly, looking at Dumbledore.**

**"I have gone temporarily deaf and haven't any idea what you said. Harry,"**

They all laughed at this and James and Sirius cheered.

"You got away with quite a lot in front of Albus." Amber commented.

"Harry was the closest to him." Ron explained.

"That and Albus didn't like Skeeter much either." Minerva agreed, "Even I would've let students away with saying anything about her. Either using Albus's use of 'I've temporarily gone deaf' or just ignoring it." she chuckled.

**said Dumbledore, twiddling his thumbs and staring at the ceiling.**

**"Er****-****right," said Harry sheepishly. "I just meant****-****Hagrid, how could you think we'd care what that****-****woman****-****wrote about you?"**

**Two fat tears leaked out of Hagrid's beetle-black eyes and fell slowly into his tangled beard.**

**"Living proof of what I've been telling you, Hagrid," said Dumbledore, still looking carefully up at the ceiling. "I have shown you the letters from the countless parents who remember you from their own days here, telling me in no uncertain terms that if I sacked you, they would have something to say about it -"**

**"Not all of 'em," said Hagrid hoarsely. "Not all of 'em wan me ter stay."**

"So? Most of them probably do!" James shouted.

"Hogwarts wouldn't be the same without Hagrid!" Sirius agreed.

Minerva smiled, "There was more letters of support than hate recieved. Many people decided to owl their letters to Filius, Pomona, Severus and I about it. Usually people who were in our houses, it was assumed they were more comfortable sending a letter to their head of house during their years at Hogwarts than they were sending a letter to Albus." she chuckled.

"Hmm, Ted and I sent our letter straight to Hagrid." Andy mused, "Do you know if many people did that Minerva?"

"A few." she nodded, "Mostly people in the Order, or that knew him well enough to feel comfortable doing so. Most letters were to Albus though, stating a lot of them wouldn't be happy if he sacked Hagrid or let him resign, something that would never happen."

**"Really, Hagrid, if you are holding out for universal popularity, I'm afraid you will be in this cabin for a very long time," said Dumbledore, now peering sternly over his half-moon spectacles. "Not a week has passed since I became headmaster of this school when I haven't had at least one owl complaining about the way I run it. But what should I do? Barricade myself in my study and refuse to talk to anybody?"**

**"Yeh - yeh're not half-giant!" said Hagrid croakily.**

**"Nobody's perfect Hagrid."**

**"Hagrid, look what I've got for relatives!" Harry said furiously. "Look at the Dursleys!"**

"Exactly! Look at how we used to be!" Dudley nodded.

**"An excellent point," said Professor Dumbledore. "My own brother, Aberforth, was prosecuted for practicing inappropriate charms on a goat. It was all over the papers, but did Aberforth hide? No, he did not! He held his head high and went about his business as usual! Of course, I'm not entirely sure he can read, so that may not have been bravery..."**

The Marauders and twins got a good laugh out of this.

"I've just realised something." Harry said so only Hermione, Ron and Ginny could hear him. "About a year ago I had been thinking Albus had never mentioned Aberforth, that he hadn't even said he had a brother. I forgot about this time and because I forgot I resented Albus for not telling me things even more." he explained, frowning.

"Dont worry, we forgot too." Hermione told him, equally as quiet, "Until Skeeters trash book I'd forgotten it completely." the other two nodded too.

**"Come back and teach, Hagrid," said Hermione quietly, "please come back, we really miss you."**

**Hagrid gulped. More tears leaked out down his cheeks and into his tangled beard. Dumbledore stood up. "I refuse to accept your resignation, Hagrid, and I expect you back at work on Monday," he said. "You will join me for breakfast at eight-thirty in the Great Hall. No excuses. Good afternoon to you all."**

**Dumbledore left the cabin, pausing only to scratch Fangs ears. When the door had shut behind him, Hagrid began to sob into his dustbin-lid-sized hands. Hermione kept patting his arm, and at last, Hagrid looked up, his eyes very red indeed, and said, "Great man, Dumbledore... great man..."**

**"Yeah, he is," said Ron. "Can I have one of these cakes, Hagrid?"**

**"Help yerself," said Hagrid, wiping his eyes on the back of his hand. "Ar, he's righ', o' course - yeh're all righ'... I bin stupid... my ol' dad woulda bin ashamed o' the way I've bin behavin'..."**

**More tears leaked out, but he wiped them away more forcefully, and said, "Never shown you a picture of my old dad, have I? Here..."**

**Hagrid got up, went over to his dresser, opened a drawer, and pulled out a picture of a short wizard with Hagrid's crinkled black eyes, beaming as he sat on top of Hagrid's shoulder. Hagrid was a good seven or eight feet tall, judging by the apple tree beside him, but his face was beardless, young, round, and smooth - he looked hardly older than eleven.**

"Whoa. He looks weird." Sirius commented.

"Most people you know as adults look odd when you see younger versions of them." Minerva smiled.

**"Tha was taken jus' after I got inter Hogwarts," Hagrid croaked. "Dad was dead chuffed... thought I migh' not be a wizard, see, 'cos me mum... well, anyway. 'Course, I never was great shakes at magic, really... but at least he never saw me expelled. Died, see, in me second year...****Dumbledore was the one who stuck up for me after Dad went. Got me the gamekeeper job... trusts people, he does. Gives 'em second chances... tha's what sets him apar' from other heads, see. He'll accept anyone at Hogwarts, s'long as they've got the talent. Knows people can turn out okay even if their families weren'... well... all tha' respectable. But some don understand that. There's some who'd always hold it against yeh... there's some who'd even pretend they just had big bones rather than stand up an' say - I am what I am, an' I'm not ashamed. 'Never be ashamed,' my ol' dad used ter say, 'there's some who'll hold it against you, but they're not worth botherin' with.'****An' he was right. I've bin an idiot. I'm not botherin' with her no more, I promise yeh that. Big bones... I'll give her big bones."**

**Harry, Ron, and Hermione looked at one another nervously; Harry would rather have taken fifty Blast-Ended Skrewts for a walk than admit to Hagrid that he had overheard him talking to Madame Maxime, but Hagrid was still talking, apparently unaware that he had said anything odd.**

**"Yeh know wha, Harry?" he said, looking up from the photograph of his father, his eyes very bright, "when I firs' met you, you reminded me o' me a bit. Mum an' Dad gone,****"**

James and Lily exchanged a sad glance.

**"an' you was feelin' like yeh wouldn' fit in at Hogwarts, remember? Not sure yeh were really up to it... an' now look at yeh, Harry! School champion!"**

**He looked at Harry for a moment and then said, very seriously, "Yeh know what I'd love Harry? I'd love yeh ter win, I really would. It'd show 'em all... yeh don' have ter be pure-blood ter do it. Yeh don have ter be ashamed of what yeh are. It'd show 'em Dumbledore's the one who's got it righ', lettin' anyone in as long as they can do magic. How you doin' with that egg, Harry?"**

"Wonderfully." Lily said sarcastically.

**"Great," said Harry. "Really great."**

**Hagrid's miserable face broke into a wide, watery smile.**

**"Tha's my boy... you show 'em, Harry, you show 'em. Beat 'em all."**

**Lying to Hagrid wasn't quite like lying to anyone else. Harry went back to the castle later that afternoon with Ron and Hermione, unable to banish the image of the happy expression on Hagrid's whiskery face as he had imagined Harry winning the tournament. The incomprehensible egg weighed more heavily than ever on Harry's conscience that evening, and by the time he had got into bed, he had made up his mind - it was time to shelve his pride and see if Cedric's hint was worth anything.**

"Cedric's hint?" Amber asked.

"I knew I forgot something. Cedric gave me a hint for the egg, he told me to 'take a bath and mull things over in the hot water'." Harry explained. "Which confused me greatly. He also told me to use the prefects bathroom and gave me the password too." he added. "Let's move on."

* * *

><p>Review please x<p> 


	35. Chapter 35

Chapter 35 - Fourth Year (Part 12)

17, August. 1998. 8.00pm.

"Right I'm only going to show what the egg's clue was. I took Cedric's advice and took it to the prefects bathroom, while there guess who showed up." Harry made a face.

"Moaning Myrtle." Ron laughed.

"Exactly. Anyway she told me to put the egg under the water and helped me figure out the egg's clue and this is what the egg said." Harry went over to the pensive and swirled the contents around, a image of the egg rose out and, in the exact same voice he had heard all those years ago, it spoke.

**"Come seek us where our voices sound,**

**We cannot sing above the ground,**

**And while you're searching, ponder this:**

**We've taken what you'll sorely miss,**

**An hour long you'll have to look,**

**And to recover what we took,**

**But past an hour - the prospect's black,**

**Too late, it's gone, it won't come back"**

"Creepy." Ron commented.

"Very." Harry agreed, "The task it's self was creepier."

"Zat's exactly what I thought." Fleur nodded.

"Let's see if you lot can figure it out." Harry smirked. "Start with the first verse: Come seek us where our voices sound, We cannot sing above the ground."

"'Come seek us where our voices sound'?" Lily frowned.

"'We cannot sing above the ground'?" James mused, "Dose that mean it's like the egg? It can sing underwater but not above?"

Harry looked impressed, "That was quick. Yes it is something to do with water." he confirmed. "Next verse: 'And while you're searching, ponder this: We've taken what you'll sorely miss'."

"So they, whatever they are, have taken something you'll miss a lot." Regulus summarized.

"Oui, zat is basically it." Fleur nodded.

"Now the rest: 'An hour long you'll have to look, And to recover what we took, But past an hour - the prospect's black, Too late, it's gone, it won't come back'." Harry quoted.

"Well the hour part is obvious, you only have an hour to complete the task." Frank commented.

"'The prospect's black'. Is it something to do with the Black Lake?" Alice asked.

Harry nodded, "It has everything to do with the Black Lake."

"There are Merpeople in the lake." Remus frowned, "It's them that's took something isn't it?"

"Oui." Fleur nodded.

"The last bit, 'Too late its gone it wont come back'. I'm guessing it means if you don't get what it is they've took within an hour you don't get it back." Alice said.

"That was what I thought." Harry nodded, he looked at Fleur, who also nodded.

"So the Merpeople have taken something of yours and if you don't get it within an hour you don't get it back." Dora frowned, "That doesn't seem very fair." she commented.

"I wasn't focusing on how fair it was." Harry shrugged, "I was focusing on finding a way to breathe underwater for an hour."

"Which was the main problem with this task." Hermione sighed.

"Bubble-head charm?" George suggested.

"We didn't know that spell." Harry admitted.

"It's a 6th year spell." Minerva pointed out.

"So what did you do?" Dora frowned, "If you didn't use that spell?"

"I'm only going to say -"

"You're not going to tell us? Or wait and see?" Kingsley suggested.

"No, I'm going to tell you that I grew gills." Harry smirked at their confused faces.

"How'd you do that?" Lily asked confused.

"Now I'm going to tell you to wait and see. This next memory is when I'm on my way back to Gryffindor tower." he told them.

**Out in the dark corridor, Harry examined the Marauders Map to check that the coast was still clear. Yes, the dots belonging to Filch and his cat, Mrs. Norris, were safely in their office...**

"What about Peeves or Minnie?" Sirius asked, "Even Snape?"

"I wouldn't really go out of my way to catch him at that time." Minerva smiled, "If I did then it would only be to tell him to go back to the tower."

"Why?" Harry asked, "Every time you caught me you took points and usually gave me detention."

"You were a champion, if you were out at night I'd assume it was so you could figure out something to do with the tasks." she shrugged. "And... I thought you had enough to deal with at the time." she admitted.

**nothing else seemed to be moving apart from Peeves, though he was bouncing around the trophy room on the floor above... Harry had taken his first step back toward Gryffindor Tower when something else on the map caught his eye... something distinctly odd.**

**Peeves was not the only thing that was moving. A single dot was flitting around a room in the bottom left-hand corner - Snapes office.**

**But the dot wasn't labeled "Severus Snape"... it was Bartemius Crouch.**

"What's he doing there?" James asked.

"No idea." Hermione mused, "Harry's the only one who know's exactly what."

Mentioned man mimed zipping his lips, clearly showing he wasn't telling.

**Harry stared at the dot. Mr. Crouch was supposed to be too ill to go to work or to come to the Yule Ball - so what was he doing, sneaking into Hogwarts at one o'clock in the morning?**

**Harry watched closely as the dot moved around and around the room, pausing here and there...**

**Harry hesitated, thinking... and then his curiosity got the better of him. He turned and set off in the opposite direction toward the nearest staircase. He was going to see what Crouch was up to.**

**Harry walked down the stairs as quietly as possible, though the faces in some of the portraits still turned curiously at the squeak of a floorboard, the rustle of his pajamas. He crept along the corridor below, pushed aside a tapestry about halfway along, and proceeded down a narrower staircase, a shortcut that would take him down two floors. He kept glancing down at the map, wondering... It just didn't seem in character, somehow, for correct, law-abiding Mr. Crouch to be sneaking around somebody else's office this late at night...**

"Could it be someone pretending to be him? By Polyjuice or something?" Alice asked.

Remus shook his head, "No, the map would show the impostor's name."

"Unless it is him but Polyjuiced as someone else." Dora frowned.

"True." Sirius nodded.

**And then, halfway down the staircase, not thinking about what he was doing, not concentrating on anything but the peculiar behavior of Mr. Crouch, Harry's leg suddenly sank right through the trick step Neville always forgot to jump.**

**He gave an ungainly wobble, and the golden egg, still damp from the bath, slipped from under his arm.**

"No!" Sirius hissed.

**He lurched forward to try and catch it, but too late; the egg fell down the long staircase with a bang as loud as a bass drum on every step - the Invisibility Cloak slipped - Harry snatched at it, and the Marauder s Map fluttered out of his hand and slid down six stairs, where, sunk in the step to above his knee, he couldn't reach it.**

"Not good." George winced.

**The golden egg fell through the tapestry at the bottom of the staircase, burst open, and began wailing loudly in the corridor below. Harry pulled out his wand and struggled to touch the Marauders Map, to wipe it blank, but it was too far away to reach -**

"No, no, no." James muttered.

**Pulling the cloak back over himself Harry straightened up, listening hard with his eyes screwed up with fear... and, almost immediately -**

**"PEEVES!"**

"No! It's Filch!" Sirius shouted, "Please tell me you dont get caught?" he demanded.

"I cant lie to you." Harry smirked, "It's not Flich who catches me though."

**It was the unmistakable hunting cry of Filch the caretaker. Harry could hear his rapid, shuffling footsteps coming nearer and nearer, his wheezy voice raised in fury.**

**"What's this racket? Wake up the whole castle, will you? I'll have you, Peeves, I'll have you, you'll... and what is this?"**

**Filch's footsteps halted; there was a clink of metal on metal and the wailing stopped - Filch had picked up the egg and closed it. Harry stood very still, one leg still jammed tightly in the magical step, listening. Any moment now, Filch was going to pull aside the tapestry, expecting to see Peeves... and there would be no Peeves... but if he came up the stairs, he would spot the Marauder's Map... and Invisibility Cloak or not, the map would show "Harry Potter" standing exactly where he was.**

**"Egg?" Filch said quietly at the foot of the stairs. "My sweet!" - Mrs. Norris was obviously with him "This is a Triwizard clue! This belongs to a school champion!"**

"No, really?" Ginny asked sarcastically.

**Harry felt sick; his heart was hammering very fast -**

**"PEEVES!" Filch roared gleefully. "You've been stealing!"**

**He ripped back the tapestry below, and Harry saw his horrible, pouchy face and bulging, pale eyes staring up the dark and (to Filch) deserted staircase.**

**"Hiding, are you?" he said softly. "I'm coming to get you, Peeves... You've gone and stolen a Triwizard clue, Peeves... Dumbledore'll have you out of here for this, you filthy, pilfering poltergeist..."**

**Filch started to climb the stairs, his scrawny, dust-colored cat at his heels. Mrs. Norris's lamp-like eyes, so very like her masters, were fixed directly upon Harry.**

"You don't think she can see you?" Frank asked.

Harry shrugged, "It seems that way."

The Marauders nodded and Remus said, "It's happened to us before."

"But she definatley cant see through the cloak, she can smell or hear if someones there but not see them." James added, "If cats could see through it Minnie would've been able to catch us loads of times."

"True, I do most of my patrols in my form since I can hear better and see a little better in the dark." Minerva nodded, "I didn't even know about it until Harry's 6th year when Albus explained he'd always have it on him, I was worried about you getting trapped by junior Death Eater's." she told Harry, "I know you can take care of yourself but you'd be doomed if you were outnumbered."

Harry nodded at the explanation, "I could handle two, maybe three... More than that and I'd be in trouble, especially if I was caught alone."

**He had, had occasion before now to wonder whether the Invisibility Cloak worked on cats... Sick with apprehension, he watched Filch drawing nearer and nearer in his old flannel dressing gown-he tried desperately to pull his trapped leg free, but it merely sank a few more inches - any second now, Filch was going to spot the map or walk right into him -**

**"Filch? Whats going on?"**

**Filch stopped a few steps below Harry and turned. At the foot of the stairs stood the only person who could make Harry's situation worse: Snape.**

"Of course." Sirius groaned.

"You really do have horrid luck." Lily sighed.

"I'm used to it." he shrugged.

**He was wearing a long gray nightshirt and he looked livid.**

**"It's Peeves, Professor," Filch whispered malevolently. "He threw this egg down the stairs."**

**Snape climbed up the stairs quickly and stopped beside Filch. Harry gritted his teeth, convinced his loudly thumping heart would give him away at any second...**

**"Peeves?" said Snape softly, staring at the egg in Filch's hands. "But Peeves couldn't get into my office..."**

**"This egg was in your office. Professor?"**

**"Of course not," Snape snapped. "I heard banging and wailing -"**

**"Yes, Professor, that was the egg -"**

**"- I was coming to investigate -"**

**"- Peeves threw it. Professor -"**

**"- and when I passed my office, I saw that the torches were lit and a cupboard door was ajar! Somebody has been searching it!"**

**"But Peeves couldn't -"**

**"I know he couldn't, Filch!" Snape snapped again. "I seal my office with a spell none but a wizard could break!" Snape looked up the stairs, straight through Harry, and then down into the corridor below. "I want you to come and help me search for the intruder, Filch."**

"I think he knew who it was who dropped the egg." Draco frowned.

"He did. He was the one who told me the next day." Minerva nodded, "All the staff were asked to lay off Harry because he had enough to deal with. I think Severus was ordered to though." she shrugged.

"We should ask him the next time we're in your office." Harry smirked.

**"I - yes, Professor - but -"**

**Filch looked yearningly up the stairs, right through Harry, who could see that he was very reluctant to forgo the chance of cornering Peeves. Go, Harry pleaded with him silently, go with Snape... go... Mrs. Norris was peering around Filch's legs... Harry had the distinct impression that she could smell him... Why had he filled that bath with so much perfumed foam?**

**"The thing is, Professor," said Filch plaintively, "the headmaster will have to listen to me this time. Peeves has been stealing from a student, it might be my chance to get him thrown out of the castle once and for all -"**

**"Filch, I don't give a damn about that wretched poltergeist; it's my office that's -"**

**Clunk. Clunk. Clunk.**

**Snape stopped talking very abruptly. He and Filch both looked down at the foot of the stairs. Harry saw Mad-Eye Moody limp into sight through the narrow gap between their heads. Moody was wearing his old traveling cloak over his nightshirt and leaning on his staff as usual.**

**"Pajama party, is it?" he growled up the stairs.**

**"Professor Snape and I heard noises, Professor," said Filch at once. "Peeves the Poltergeist, throwing things around as usual - and then Professor Snape discovered that someone had broken into his off -"**

**"Shut up!" Snape hissed to Filch.**

"Snape doesn't trust Mad-Eye?" James guessed.

"He didn't trust many people." Hermione pointed out.

"He was like that when we were younger too." Lily sighed.

**Moody took a step closer to the foot of the stairs. Harry saw Moodys magical eye travel over Snape, and then, unmistakably, onto himself.**

"He wont rat him out." Sirius commented, sounding more hopeful than anything else.

**Harry's heart gave a horrible jolt. Moody could see through Invisibility Cloaks... he alone could see the full strangeness of the scene: Snape in his nightshirt, Filch clutching the egg, and he, Harry, trapped in the stairs behind them. Moody's lopsided gash of a mouth opened in surprise. For a few seconds, he and Harry stared straight into each other's eyes. Then Moody closed his mouth and turned his blue eye upon Snape again.**

**"Did I hear that correctly, Snape?" he asked slowly. "Someone broke into your office?"**

**"It is unimportant," said Snape coldly.**

**"On the contrary," growled Moody, "it is very important. Who'd want to break into your office?"**

**"A student, I daresay," said Snape. Harry could see a vein flickering horribly on Snape's greasy temple. "It has happened before. Potion ingredients have gone missing from my private store cupboard... students attempting illicit mixtures, no doubt..."**

"I guess he noticed in our second year then." Ron chuckled.

"He did, he wasnt very happy but he couldn't prove it was a student." Minerva chuckled.

**"Reckon they were after potion ingredients, eh?" said Moody. "Not hiding anything else in your office, are you?"**

**Harry saw the edge of Snapes sallow face turn a nasty brick color, the vein in his temple pulsing more rapidly.**

**"You know I'm hiding nothing, Moody," he said in a soft and dangerous voice, "as you've searched my office pretty thoroughly yourself."**

**Moodys face twisted into a smile. "Auror's privilege, Snape. Dumbledore told me to keep an eye -"**

**"Dumbledore happens to trust me," said Snape through clenched teeth. "I refuse to believe that he gave you orders to search my office!"**

**"Course Dumbledore trusts you," growled Moody. "He's a trusting man, isn't he? Believes in second chances. But me - I say there are spots that don't come off, Snape. Spots that never come off, d'you know what I mean?"**

"What?" Dora frowned.

"Dark Mark." Draco muttered, "It's proving impossible to remove so people might say it's a spot that doesn't come off."

**Snape suddenly did something very strange. He seized his left forearm convulsively with his right hand,**

"See? Draco's right." Regulus smirked, "He was marked the same day I was and it'll still be there on his arm."

"They faded to a small white scar when Voldemort vanished, it was practically invisible. But at that time the marks were all returning, they started with the scar going to the size of the Dark Mark then started going into the shape before going grey and finally black when Voldemort summoned his inner circle the night he returned." Cissy explained, "Lucius was complaining about his." she shrugged at the curious looks, "Every time something changed with it, he'd tell me." she rolled her eyes, "I swear he could be such an annoying git at times... Mind you, Bella would have been worse."

"Easy to believe." Regulus grimaced, "She was obsessed with him."

"Which is creepy to the extreme, so lets continue watching this and not think about that right now." Andy stated.

**as though something on it had hurt him.**

**Moody laughed. "Get back to bed, Snape."**

**"You don't have the authority to send me anywhere!" Snape hissed, letting go of his arm as though angry with himself. "I have as much right to prowl this school after dark as you do!"**

**"Prowl away," said Moody, but his voice was full of menace. "I look forward to meeting you in a dark corridor some time... You've dropped something, by the way..."**

**With a stab of horror Harry saw Moody point at the Marauders Map, still lying on the staircase six steps below him. As Snape and Filch both turned to look at it, Harry threw caution to the winds; he raised his arms under the cloak and waved furiously at Moody to attract his attention, mouthing "It's mine! Mine!"**

**Snape had reached out for it, a horrible expression of dawning comprehension on his face -**

"That's how he knew it was me." Harry sighed.

"He would have recognised it." Remus nodded.

**"Accio Parchment!"**

**The map flew up into the air, slipped through Snapes outstretched fingers, and soared down the stairs into Moodys hand.**

"Thank Merlin." Sirius breathed.

**"My mistake," Moody said calmly. "It's mine - must've dropped it earlie -"**

**But Snape's black eyes were darting from the egg in Filch's arms to the map in Moodys hand, and Harry could tell he was putting two and two together, as only Snape could...**

**"Potter," he said quietly.**

**"What's that?" said Moody calmly, folding up the map and pocketing it.**

**"Potter!" Snape snarled, and he actually turned his head and stared right at the place where Harry was, as though he could suddenly see him. "That egg is Potters egg. That piece of parchment belongs to Potter. I have seen it before, I recognize it! Potter is here! Potter, in his Invisibility Cloak!"**

**Snape stretched out his hands like a blind man and began to move up the stairs;**

**Harry could have sworn his over-large nostrils were dilating, trying to sniff Harry out-trapped. Harry leaned backward, trying to avoid Snape's fingertips, but any moment now -**

**"There's nothing there, Snape!" barked Moody, "but I'll be happy to tell the headmaster how quickly your mind jumped to Harry Potter!"**

**"Meaning what?" Snape turned again to look at Moody, his hands still outstretched, inches from Harry's chest.**

**"Meaning that Dumbledore's very interested to know who's got it in for that boy!" said Moody, limping nearer still to the foot of the stairs. "And so am I, Snape... very interested..." The torchlight flickered across his mangled face, so that the scars, and the chunk missing from his nose, looked deeper and darker than ever.**

**Snape was looking down at Moody, and Harry couldn't see the expression on his face. For a moment, nobody moved or said anything. Then Snape slowly lowered his hands.**

**"I merely thought," said Snape, in a voice of forced calm, "that if Potter was wandering around after hours again... it's an unfortunate habit of his... he should be stopped. For - for his own safety."**

"Yeah, right." James muttered.

"He's kind of right though Dad. The person who put my name in the Goblet was still at the castle and must have wanted me dead..." Harry trailed off.

**"Ah, I see," said Moody softly. "Got Potter's best interests at heart, have you?"**

**There was a pause. Snape and Moody were still staring at each other, Mrs. Norris gave a loud meow, still peering around Filch's legs, looking for the source of Harry's bubble-bath smell.**

**"I think I will go back to bed," Snape said curtly.**

**"Best idea you've had all night," said Moody.**

They all laughed and cheered for Moody.

**"Now, Filch, if you'll just give me that egg-"**

**"No!" said Filch, clutching the egg as though it were his firstborn son. "Professor Moody, this is evidence of Peeves' treachery!"**

**"It's the property of the champion he stole it from," said Moody. "Hand it over, now."**

**Snape swept downstairs and passed Moody without another word. Filch made a chirruping noise to Mrs. Norris, who stared blankly at Harry for a few more seconds before turning and following her master. Still breathing very fast. Harry heard Snape walking away down the corridor; Filch handed Moody the egg and disappeared from view too, muttering to Mrs. Norris. "Never mind my sweet... we'll see Dumbledore in the morning... tell him what Peeves was up to..."**

**A door slammed. Harry was left staring down at Moody, who placed his staff on the bottom-most stair and started to climb laboriously toward him, a dull clunk on every other step.**

**"Close shave Potter," he muttered.**

**"Yeah... I - er... thanks," said Harry weakly.**

**"What is this thing?" said Moody, drawing the Marauder's Map out of his pocket and unfolding it.**

**"Map of Hogwarts," said Harry, hoping Moody was going to pull him out of the staircase soon; his leg was really hurting him.**

**"Merlins beard," Moody whispered, staring at the map, his magical eye going haywire. "This... this is some map. Potter!"**

The Marauders beamed proudly.

**"Yeah, it's... quite useful," Harry said. His eyes were starting to water from the pain. "Er - Professor Moody, d'you think you could help me -?"**

**"What? Oh! Yes... yes, of course..."**

**Moody took hold of Harry's arms and pulled; Harry's leg came free of the trick step,**

"Why does Hogwarts even have those?" Fred asked.

"It's part of Hogwart's defence system apparently. They were supposedly put there by the founders." Hermione told them.

"It's in Hogwarts: A History." Minerva nodded.

**and he climbed onto the one above it. Moody was still gazing at the map. "Potter..." he said slowly, "you didn't happen, by any chance, to see who broke into Snapes office, did you? On this map, I mean?"**

**"Er... yeah, I did..." Harry admitted. "It was Mr. Crouch."**

**Moodys magical eye whizzed over the entire surface of the map. He looked suddenly alarmed.**

**"Crouch?" he said. "You're - you're sure Potter?"**

**"Positive," said Harry.**

**"Well, he's not here anymore," said Moody, his eye still whizzing over the map. "Crouch... that's very - very interesting..."**

"Is it just me, or is Moody acting nervous?" Remus asked.

Most of them nodded in agreement.

**He said nothing for almost a minute, still staring at the map. Harry could tell that this news meant something to Moody and very much wanted to know what it was. He wondered whether he dared ask. Moody scared him slightly... yet Moody had just helped him avoid an awful lot of trouble...**

**"Er... Professor Moody... why d'you reckon Mr. Crouch wanted to look around Snapes office?"**

**Moodys magical eye left the map and fixed, quivering, upon Harry. It was a penetrating glare, and Harry had the impression that Moody was sizing him up, wondering whether to answer or not, or how much to tell him.**

**"Put it this way Potter," Moody muttered finally, "they say old Mad-Eye's obsessed with catching Dark wizards... but I'm nothing - nothing - compared to Barty Crouch."**

**He continued to stare at the map. Harry was burning to know more.**

**"Professor Moody?" he said again. "D'you think... could this have anything to do with... maybe Mr. Crouch thinks there's something going on..."**

**"Like what?" said Moody sharply.**

**Harry wondered how much he dare say. He didn't want Moody to guess that he had a source of information outside Hogwarts; that might lead to tricky questions about Sirius.**

**"I don't know," Harry muttered, "odd stuffs been happening lately, hasn't it? It's been in the Daily Prophet... the Dark Mark at the World Cup, and the Death Eaters and everything..."**

**Both of Moody's mismatched eyes widened.**

**"You're a sharp boy. Potter," he said. His magical eye roved back to the Marauder's Map. "Crouch could be thinking along those lines," he said slowly. "Very possible... there have been some funny rumors flying around lately - helped along by Rita Skeeter, of course."**

Everyone put on a disgusted face but the Golden Trio smiled discreetly.

**"It's making a lot of people nervous, I reckon." A grim smile twisted his lopsided mouth. "Oh if there's one thing I hate," he muttered, more to himself than to Harry, and his magical eye was fixed on the left-hand corner of the map, "its a Death Eater who walked free..."**

**Harry stared at him. Could Moody possibly mean what Harry thought he meant?**

**"And now I want to ask you a question Potter," said Moody in a more businesslike tone.**

**Harry's heart sank; he had thought this was coming. Moody was going to ask where he had got this map, which was a very dubious magical object - and the story of how it had fallen into his hands incriminated not only him, but his own father, Fred and George Weasley, and Professor Lupin, their last Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. Moody waved the map in front of Harry, who braced himself -**

**"Can I borrow this?"**

**"Oh!" said Harry.**

**He was very fond of his map, but on the other hand, he was extremely relieved that Moody wasn't asking where he'd got it, and there was no doubt that he owed Moody a favor.**

**"Yeah, okay."**

**"Good boy," growled Moody.**

"Wonder what would've happened if Harry had said no..." Ron muttered to Hermione, she shrugged.

**"I can make good use of this... this might be exactly what I've been looking for... Right, bed, Potter, come on, now..."**

**They climbed to the top of the stairs together, Moody still examining the map as though it was a treasure the like of which he had never seen before. They walked in silence to the door of Moody's office, where he stopped and looked up at Harry.**

**"You ever thought of a career as an Auror, Potter?"**

**"No," said Harry, taken aback.**

**"You want to consider it," said Moody, nodding and looking at Harry thoughtfully. "Yes, indeed... and incidentally... I'm guessing you werent just taking that egg for a walk tonight?"**

**"Er - no," said Harry, grinning. "I've been working out the clue."**

**Moody winked at him, his magical eye going haywire again. "Nothing like a nighttime stroll to give you ideas, Potter... See you in the morning..."**

**He went back into his office, staring down at the Marauders Map again, and closed the door behind him.**

**Harry walked slowly back to Gryffindor Tower, lost in thought about Snape, and Crouch, and what it all meant... Why was Crouch pretending to be ill, if he could manage to get to Hogwarts when he wanted to? What did he think Snape was concealing in his office? And Moody thought he, Harry, ought to be an Auror! Interesting idea... but somehow, Harry thought, as he got quietly into his four poster ten minutes later, the egg and the cloak now safely back in his trunk, he thought he'd like to check how scarred the rest of them were before he chose it as a career.**

"Not as much as Mad-Eye." Dora chucked.

"You can hide any you get though. Most Aurors have to live with theirs." Kingsley pointed out.

"Actually any scars I've gotten from Auror work transfer to my natural form, even if I don't use it that much." she shrugged, rolling up her sleeves slightly, "Watch." she screwed up her face in concentration and slowly her skin got a bit lighter - it was almost white - her hair went brown and wavy, her eyes went a liquid silver colour with flecks of blue in them and a few scars appeared on her bare forearms and on on her face, when she had finished she looked around at them all, smirking. "See."

"So that's what your natural form is?" Ginny asked curiously.

"Exactly." she confirmed.

"It's creepy how alike you two look." Sirius said looking between Andy and Dora.

"It's called genetics genius." Dora smirked.

"It's like James and Harry. They could be twins if Harry wasn't as tall and didn't have Lily's eyes." Remus grinned putting his free arm around his wife, the other arm was holding Teddy so he didn't fall.

James and Harry looked at each other.

"It's true. The only real difference is height and eye colour when it comes to looks." James shrugged.

"And that one of us is a Lycan." Harry smirked, "Anyway, how did you get all those scars Dora?"

"Mainly curses. This one," she pointed to the one on her face, it was diagonal and went from under her left ear to halfway down her collarbone in an arc shape, "was from that darling Aunt of mine who is currently rotting in hell."

"Bellatrix?" Andy asked frowning, "Was that -"

"The night Sirius died, yes it was." she nodded. "The curse knocked me out but didn't leave a mark until later, I'm surprised she didn't kill me." she sighed. "The rest of the scars are mainly from official Auror missions but there's a few that were caused naturally, being clumsy tends to do that you know."

"I'd imagine." Andy chuckled, "The amount of times you fell when you were younger was ridiculous."

"She get's it from you Andy. You were worse when we were younger." Sirius smirked. Dora changed back to having slightly darker scarless skin, bright pink hair and violet eyes.

"I wasn't as bad as her." Andy disagreed.

"Yes you were Andy." Regulus chuckled, "You always had to hold onto someone, usually Cissy, whenever you came to Grimmauld." Andy blushed as Cissy nodded in confirmation.

"Oh well, if I wasn't clumsy I would never have met Ted and we might not be having this conversation, I ended up tripping in our first year and he was the one who caught me." she shrugged.

"And if you hadnt met him, Dora wouldnt be here, I wouldn't have fallen for her and married her, and Teddy wouldnt be here or sitting on my knee right now." Remus chuckled, he looked at his son and discovered the boy had fallen asleep. "I wonder what Teddy's natural form is?" he mused.

"We'll find out when he's old enough to control the Metamorphing." Dora shrugged.

"How come you don't know already?" Astoria frowned.

"He kept changing as soon as he was born. I didn't know Dora's until she was about 6 years old." Andy explained.

Dora nodded, "Teddy will have help though so he might have more control over it before then. At the moment we can just use his looks to see what he's feeling or what he's thinking about."

"It's usually a give away." Harry agreed, "And it's normally easy to guess by his hair colour alone."

"Just wait until he's in his terrible two's." Molly advised.

"Yes, kids are very destructive and indecisive at that point." Arthur chuckled, "Trust us we've been through that seven times."

"Who was the worst out of us all Dad?" Bill asked curiously.

"I'd say Fred and George." Arthur admitted.

"I have to agree with you Arthur, two of them at the same time, add to the fact they're pranksters and highly destructive anyway..." Molly trailed off.

Fred and George mock-bowed. "Glad we could annoy you so much Mum." Fred smirked.

"Even if we cant remember it." George chuckled. "Who was least annoying?"

"Bill." Arthur said Molly nodded. "The main reason for that is because Bill was two when we had Charlie." he added.

"And he was so excited about getting a little brother he'd listen to whatever we told him." Molly chuckled as her two oldest son's blushed.

"Why is it I'm suddenly reminded they know more embarrassing stories about us than we do about the rest of them?" Bill whispered to Charlie.

"Because they do and we're going to be nice to our parents in the hopes they wont tell those stories." Charlie whispered back.

"You two look like you've just remembered something." Lily commented looking at Bill.

"Just the fact Mum and Dad know more of their embarrassing stories than anybody else." Ginny said sweetly. Charlie and Bill glared at her, "You two really need to learn to be quieter." she tapped her ear significantly.

"Not all of us have advanced hearing. It's easy to forget." Charlie pouted.

"Like the first time I played seeker against you?" she asked, smirking. The other Weasley's laughed at a very red-faced Charlie.

"That's different."

"It's not Charles. you got out flown by Gin-Gin when she was 8." George chuckled.

"And we know you didnt let her win." Fred added with a smirk. Charlie muttered something uninteligable.

"What was that?" Ron asked.

"I said we should have a re-match."

"When?" Ginny said.

"Tomorrow." Charlie suggested, "Just before lunch."

"Deal. I cant wait to beat you again." she smirked. "What's next with the memories Harry?"

"The second task." he replied, "Do you want to watch it tonight or tomorrow?"

Most said, "Tonight." while others shrugged.

* * *

><p>Review please x<p> 


	36. Chapter 36

Chapter 36 - Fourth Year (Part 12.5)

17, August. 1998. 9.00pm.

"Right, the Second Task. We'll start with a little run-up so it's the event's before it too." Harry smiled.

**Just as it had before he faced the Horntail, time was slipping away as though somebody had bewitched the clocks to go extra-fast. There was a week to go before February the twenty-fourth (there was still time)... there were five days to go (he was bound to find something soon)... three days to go (please let me find something... please)... With two days left. Harry started to go off food again. The only good thing about breakfast on Monday was the return of the brown owl he had sent to Sirius. He pulled off the parchment, unrolled it, and saw the shortest letter Sirius had ever written to him.**

**Send date of next Hogsmeade weekend by return owl.**

"You're going to visit?" Dora asked.

"I was staying in Hogsmeade anyway. In a little cave with Buckbeak." Sirius explained.

**Harry turned the parchment over and looked at the back, hoping to see something else, but it was blank.**

**"Weekend after next," whispered Hermione, who had read the note over Harry's shoulder. "Here - take my quill and send this owl back straight away."**

**Harry scribbled the dates down on the back of Sirius's letter, tied it onto the brown owl's leg, and watched it take flight again. What had he expected? Advice on how to survive underwater? He had been so intent on telling Sirius all about Snape and Moody he had completely forgotten to mention the eggs clue.**

**"What's he want to know about the next Hogsmeade weekend for?" said Ron.**

**"Dunno," said Harry dully. The momentary happiness that had flared inside him at the sight of the owl had died. "Come on... Care of Magical Creatures."**

**Whether Hagrid was trying to make up for the Blast-Ended Skrewts, or because there were now only two skrewts left,**

Everyone (Except Harry and Fleur who knew where one had gone) cheered.

**or because he was trying to prove he could do anything that Professor Grubbly-Plank could, Harry didnt know, but Hagrid had been continuing her lessons on unicorns ever since he'd returned to work. It turned out that Hagrid knew quite as much about unicorns as he did about monsters, though it was clear that he found their lack of poisonous fangs disappointing.**

**Today he had managed to capture two unicorn foals. Unlike full-grown unicorns, they were pure gold. Parvati and Lavender went into transports of delight at the sight of them, and even Pansy Parkinson had to work hard to conceal how much she liked them.**

**"Easier ter spot than the adults," Hagrid told the class. "They turn silver when they're abou' two years old, an' they grow horns at aroun four. Don' go pure white till they're full grown, 'round about seven. They're a bit more trustin when they're babies... don mind boys so much... C'mon, move in a bit, yeh can pat 'em if yeh want... give 'em a few o' these sugar lumps... You okay Harry?"**

**Hagrid muttered, moving aside slightly, while most of the others swarmed around the baby unicorns.**

**"Yeah," said Harry.**

**"Jus' nervous, eh?" said Hagrid.**

**"Bit," said Harry.**

**"Harry," said Hagrid, clapping a massive hand on his shoulder, so that Harry's knees buckled under its weight,**

Everyone shot Harry a sympathetic look.

**"I'd've bin worried before I saw yeh take on tha Horntail, but I know now yeh can do anythin' yeh set yer mind ter. I'm not worried at all. Yeh're goin ter be fine. Got yer clue worked out, haven' yeh?"**

**Harry nodded, but even as he did so, an insane urge to confess that he didn't have any idea how to survive at the bottom of the lake for an hour came over him.**

"Not a bad idea." Sirius said.

"Hagrid may be able to help." Remus agreed.

**He looked up at Hagrid - perhaps he had to go into the lake sometimes, to deal with the creatures in it? He looked after everything else on the grounds, after all -**

**"Yeh're goin' ter win," Hagrid growled, patting Harry's shoulder again, so that Harry actually felt himself sink a couple of inches into the soft ground. "I know it. I can feel it. Yeh're goin' ter win, Harry."**

**Harry just couldn't bring himself to wipe the happy, confident smile off Hagrid's face. Pretending he was interested in the young unicorns, he forced a smile in return, and moved forward to pat them with the others.**

**By the evening before the second task Harry felt as though he were trapped in a nightmare. He was fully aware that even if, by some miracle, he managed to find a suitable spell, he'd have a real job mastering it overnight.**

Everyone exchanged worried looks.

**How could he have let this happen? Why hadn't he got to work on the egg's clue sooner? Why had he ever let his mind wander in class - what if a teacher had once mentioned how to breathe underwater?**

"Can't think of when a teacher ever has." James said.

**He sat with Hermione and Ron in the library as the sun set outside, tearing feverishly through page after page of spells, hidden from one another by the massive piles of books on the desk in front of each of them. Harry s heart gave a huge leap every time he saw the word "water" on a page, but more often than not it was merely "Take two pints of water, half a pound of shredded mandrake leaves, and a newt..."**

**"I don't reckon it can be done," said Rons voice flatly from the other side of the table. "There's nothing. Nothing. Closest was that thing to dry up puddles and ponds, that Drought Charm, but that was nowhere near powerful enough to drain the lake."**

**"There must be something," Hermione muttered, moving a candle closer to her. Her eyes were so tired she was poring over the tiny print of Olde and Forgotten Bewitchments and Charmes with her nose about an inch from the page. "They'd never have set a task that was undoable."**

**"They have," said Ron. "Harry, just go down to the lake tomorrow, right, stick your head in, yell at the merpeople to give back whatever they've nicked, and see if they chuck it out. Best you can do, mate."**

**"There's a way of doing it!" Hermione said crossly. "There just has to be!"**

**She seemed to be taking the library's lack of useful information on the subject as a personal insult; it had never failed her before.**

All the men snickered.

**"I know what I should have done," said Harry, resting, face-down, on Saucy Tricks for Tricky Sorts. "I should've learned to be an Animagus like Sirius."**

"And me!" James added.

**An Animagus was a wizard who could transform into an animal.**

**"Yeah, you could've turned into a goldfish any time you wanted!" said Ron.**

**"Or a frog," yawned Harry. He was exhausted.**

**"It takes years to become an Animagus, and then you have to register yourself and everything,"**

"You don't have to." Sirius said, grinning.

"No, but you two do eventually." Kingsley said looking at James and Sirius. "Not anytime soon but by Christmas at least." he told them, "Just make something up about you had been learning it before your deaths but didn't finish it until then. Or just tell the truth, you won't get in trouble anyway." he shrugged, "I declare myself blind and deaf on the subject for now." the two Marauders nodded.

**said Hermione vaguely, now squinting down the index of Weird Wizarding Dilemmas and Their Solutions. "Professor McGonagall told us, remember... you've got to register yourself with the Improper Use of Magic Office... what animal you become, and your markings, so you can't abuse it..."**

"How would you abuse it anyway?" Petunia asked.

"Like Pettigrew. He framed me using his rat form to escape. Or like me when I used Padfoot to escape Azkaban and fool millions of people." Sirius shrugged.

**"Hermione, I was joking," said Harry wearily. "I know I haven't got a chance of turning into a frog by tomorrow morning..."**

**"Oh this is no use," Hermione said, snapping shut Weird Wizarding Dilemmas. "Who on earth wants to make their nose hair grow into ringlets?"**

Nearly everyone in the room laughed.

**"I wouldn't mind," said Fred Weasleys voice.** **"Be a talking point, wouldn't it?"**

**Harry, Ron, and Hermione looked up. Fred and George had just emerged from behind some bookshelves.**

**"What're you two doing here?" Ron asked.**

**"Looking for you," said George. "McGonagall wants you, Ron. And you, Hermione."**

**"Why?" said Hermione, looking surprised.**

**"Dunno... she was looking a bit grim, though," said Fred.**

**"We're supposed to take you down to her office," said George.**

**Ron and Hermione stared at Harry, who felt his stomach drop. Was Professor McGonagall about to tell Ron and Hermione off? Perhaps she'd noticed how much they were helping him, when he ought to be working out how to do the task alone?**

"Please, like I expected any of the champions to do everything completely alone." Minerva scoffed, "And it wasn't against the rules for friends and class mates to help you, just for staff and ministry officials who were involved with the tournament."

**"We'll meet you back in the common room," Hermione told Harry as she got up to go with Ron - both of them looked very anxious. "Bring as many of these books as you can, okay?"**

**"Right," said Harry uneasily.**

**By eight o'clock Madam Pince had extinguished all the lamps and came to chivvy Harry out of the library. Staggering under the weight of as many books as he could carry, Harry returned to the Gryffindor common room, pulled a table into a corner, and continued to search. There was nothing in Madcap Magic for Wacky Warlocks... nothing in A Guide to Medieval Sorcery... not one mention of underwater exploits in An Anthology of Eighteenth Century Charms, or in Dreadful Denizens of the Deep, or Powers You Never Knew You Had and What to Do with Them Now You've Wised Up.**

**Crookshanks crawled into Harry's lap and curled up, purring deeply.**

**The common room emptied slowly around Harry. People kept wishing him luck for the next morning in cheery, confident voices like Hagrid s, all of them apparently convinced that he was about to pull off another stunning performance like the one he had managed in the first task. Harry couldn't answer them, he just nodded, feeling as though there were a golfball stuck in his throat. By ten to midnight, he was alone in the room with Crookshanks. He had searched all the remaining books, and Ron and Hermione had not come back.**

**It's over, he told himself. You can't do it. You'll just have to go down to the lake in the morning and tell the judges...**

**He imagined himself explaining that he couldn't do the task. He pictured Bagman's look of round-eyed surprise, Karkaroffs satisfied, yellow-toothed smile. He could almost hear Fleur Delacour saying "I knew it... 'e is too young, 'e is only a little boy." He saw Malfoy flashing his POTTER STINKS badge at the front of the crowd, saw Hagrid's crestfallen, disbelieving face...**

"You'll think of something." James encouraged.

**Forgetting that Crookshanks was on his lap, Harry stood up very suddenly; Crookshanks hissed angrily as he landed on the floor, gave Harry a disgusted look, and stalked away with his bottlebrush tail in the air, but Harry was already hurrying up the spiral staircase to his dormitory... He would grab the Invisibility Cloak and go back to the library, he'd stay there all night if he had to...**

**"Lumos," Harry whispered fifteen minutes later as he opened the library door.**

**Wand tip alight, he crept along the bookshelves, pulling down more books - books of hexes and charms, books on merpeople and water monsters, books on famous witches and wizards, on magical inventions, on anything at all that might include one passing reference to underwater survival. He carried them over to a table, then set to work, searching them by the narrow beam of his wand, occasionally checking his watch...**

**One in the morning... two in the morning... the only way he could keep going was to tell himself, over and over again, next book... in the next one... the next one...**

**The mermaid in the painting in the prefects' bathroom was laughing.**

"You fell asleep then?" Ginny asked, "I did wonder how I never saw you in the common room that morning. I knew Hermione wasnt in her dorm so I waited a while until Neville came down and told me you and Ron weren't there."

"We figured the three of you were doing last minute practicing or something so we just went to breakfast." Neville shrugged.

**Harry was bobbing like a cork in bubbly water next to her rock, while she held his Firebolt over his head.**

**"Come and get it!" she giggled maliciously. "Come on, jump!"**

**"I can't," Harry panted, snatching at the Firebolt, and struggling not to sink. "Give it to me!"**

**But she just poked him painfully in the side with the end of the broomstick, laughing at him.**

**"That hurts - get off - ouch -"**

**"Harry Potter must wake up, sir!"**

**"Stop poking me -"**

**"Dobby must poke Harry Potter, sir,"**

"Dobby?" Sirius asked.

**"he must wake up!"**

**Harry opened his eyes. He was still in the library; the Invisibility Cloak had slipped off his head as he'd slept, and the side of his face was stuck to the pages of Where There's a Wand, There's a Way. He sat up, straightening his glasses, blinking in the bright daylight.**

**"Harry Potter needs to hurry!" squeaked Dobby. "The second task starts in ten minutes, and Harry Potter -"**

**"Ten minutes?" Harry croaked. "Ten - ten minutes?"**

**He looked down at his watch. Dobby was right. It was twenty past nine. A large, dead weight seemed to fall through Harry's chest into his stomach.**

**"Hurry, Harry Potter!" squeaked Dobby, plucking at Harry's sleeve. "You is supposed to be down by the lake with the other champions, sir!"**

**"It's too late, Dobby," Harry said hopelessly. "I'm not doing the task, I don't know how -"**

**"Harry Potter will do the task!" squeaked the elf. "Dobby knew Harry had not found the right book, so Dobby did it for him!"**

Lily gave Harry a suspicious look, "This isn't like your second year is it? Where he tried to help and nearly killed you?"

Harry chuckled, "No. Nothing like that at all."

**"What?" said Harry. "But you don't know what the second task is -"**

**"Dobby knows, sir! Harry Potter has to go into the lake and find his Wheezy -"**

**"Find my what?"**

**"- and take his Wheezy back from the merpeople!"**

**"What's a Wheezy?"**

"What, in Merlin's name, is a Wheezy?" James asked.

Ron and Harry exchanged a look and chuckled.

**"Your Wheezy, sir, your Wheezy - Wheezy who is giving Dobby his sweater!"**

"Ron?" Everyone asked at once.

"So, he meant 'Weasley'." Sirius said, realization in his voice.

"Yes, he just couldn't say it right." Harry smiled sadly.

"Kreacher cant either so we told him just to use our first names." Arthur chuckled, "It clears up confusion of who he means as well."

"Neither could Winky." Hermione grinned, "I think it's a House-Elf thing."

**Dobby plucked at the shrunken maroon sweater he was now wearing over his shorts.**

**"What?" Harry gasped. "They've got... they've got Ron?"**

**"The thing Harry Potter will miss most, sir!" squeaked Dobby. "'But past an hour -'"**

**"- 'the prospect's black,'" Harry recited, staring, horror-struck, at the elf. "'Too late, it's gone, it won't come back.' Dobby - what've I got to do?"**

**"You has to eat this, sir!" squeaked the elf, and he put his hand in the pocket of his shorts and drew out a ball of what looked like slimy, grayish-green rat tails.**

"Gillyweed." Neville grinned.

"So that's what you meant by you grew gills?" Lily asked. Harry nodded.

**"Right before you go into the lake, sir - gillyweed!"**

**"What's it do?" said Harry, staring at the gillyweed.**

**"It will make Harry Potter breathe underwater, sir!"**

**"Dobby," said Harry frantically, "listen - are you sure about this?"**

**He couldn't quite forget that the last time Dobby had tried to "help" him, he had ended up with no bones in his right arm.**

**"Dobby is quite sure, sir!" said the elf earnestly. "Dobby hears things, sir, he is a house-elf, he goes all over the castle as he lights the fires and mops the floors. Dobby heard Professor McGonagall and Professor Moody in the staffroom, talking about the next task... Dobby cannot let Harry Potter lose his Wheezy!"**

**Harry's doubts vanished. Jumping to his feet he pulled off the Invisibility Cloak, stuffed it into his bag, grabbed the gillyweed, and put it into his pocket, then tore out of the library with Dobby at his heels.**

**"Dobby is supposed to be in the kitchens, sir!" Dobby squealed as they burst into the corridor. "Dobby will be missed - good luck, Harry Potter, sir, good luck!"**

**"See you later, Dobby!" Harry shouted, and he sprinted along the corridor and down the stairs, three at a time.**

**The entrance hall contained a few last-minute stragglers, all leaving the Great Hall after breakfast and heading through the double oak doors to watch the second task.**

**They stared as Harry flashed past, sending Colin and Dennis Creevey flying as he leapt down the stone steps and out onto the bright, chilly grounds.**

"Oop's." Harry blushed.

"They didn't mind Harry." Ginny told him. "They knew you were late." she shrugged.

**As he pounded down the lawn he saw that the seats that had encircled the dragons' enclosure in November were now ranged along the opposite bank, rising in stands that were packed to the bursting point and reflected in the lake below. The excited babble of the crowd echoed strangely across the water as Harry ran flat-out around the other side of the lake toward the judges, who were sitting at another gold draped table at the water's edge. Cedric, Fleur, and Krum were beside the judges' table, watching Harry sprint toward them.**

**"I'm... here..." Harry panted, skidding to a halt in the mud and accidentally splattering Fleur's robes.**

"Sorry Fleur."

"'Et's fine. I was going into ze lake anyway." she waved off Harry's apology.

**"Where have you been?" said a bossy, disapproving voice. "The task's about to start!"**

**Harry looked around. Percy Weasley was sitting at the judges' table - Mr. Crouch had failed to turn up again.**

**"Now, now, Percy!" said Ludo Bagman, who was looking intensely relieved to see Harry. "Let him catch his breath!"**

**Dumbledore smiled at Harry, but Karkaroff and Madame Maxime didn't look at all pleased to see him... It was obvious from the looks on their faces that they had thought he wasn't going to turn up.**

**Harry bent over, hands on his knees, gasping for breath; he had a stitch in his side that felt as though he had a knife between his ribs, but there was no time to get rid of it; Ludo Bagman was now moving among the champions, spacing them along the bank at intervals of ten feet. Harry was on the very end of the line, next to Krum, who was wearing swimming trunks and was holding his wand ready.**

**"All right Harry?" Bagman whispered as he moved Harry a few feet farther away from Krum. "Know what you're going to do?"**

**"Yeah," Harry panted, massaging his ribs.**

**Bagman gave Harry's shoulder a quick squeeze and returned to the judges' table; he pointed his wand at his throat as he had done at the World Cup, said, "Sonorus!" and his voice boomed out across the dark water toward the stands.**

**"Well, all our champions are ready for the second task, which will start on my whistle. They have precisely an hour to recover what has been taken from them. On the count of three, then. One... two... three!"**

**The whistle echoed shrilly in the cold, still air; the stands erupted with cheers and applause; without looking to see what the other champions were doing, Harry pulled off his shoes and socks, pulled the handful of gillyweed out of his pocket, stuffed it into his mouth, and waded out into the lake.**

**It was so cold he felt the skin on his legs searing as though this were fire, not icy water.**

"You should've used a heating spell." Lily said worriedly.

"It wouldnt 'ave helped." Fleur muttered. "I tried it and it really didnt make a difference." she explained, "It was still freezing."

**His sodden robes weighed him down as he walked in deeper; now the water was over his knees, and his rapidly numbing feet were slipping over silt and flat, slimy stones. He was chewing the gillyweed as hard and fast as he could; it felt unpleasantly slimy and rubbery, like octopus tentacles. Waist-deep in the freezing water he stopped, swallowed, and waited for something to happen.**

**He could hear laughter in the crowd and knew he must look stupid, walking into the lake without showing any sign of magical power. The part of him that was still dry was covered in goose pimples; half immersed in the icy water, a cruel breeze lifting his hair, Harry started to shiver violently. He avoided looking at the stands; the laughter was becoming louder, and there were catcalls and jeering from the Slytherins...**

**Then, quite suddenly, Harry felt as though an invisible pillow had been pressed over his mouth and nose.**

"The gillyweed's working then." Neville said.

**He tried to draw breath, but it made his head spin; his lungs were empty, and he suddenly felt a piercing pain on either side of his neck -**

"You have gills." Sirius said with a grin.

**Harry clapped his hands around his throat and felt two large slits just below his ears, flapping in the cold air... He had gills. Without pausing to think, he did the only thing that made sense - he flung himself forward into the water.**

**The first gulp of icy lake water felt like the breath of life. His head had stopped spinning; he took another great gulp of water and felt it pass smoothly through his gills, sending oxygen back to his brain. He stretched out his hands in front of him and stared at them. They looked green and ghostly under the water, and they had become webbed. He twisted around and looked at his bare feet - they had become elongated and the toes were webbed too:**

**It looked as though he had sprouted flippers.**

**The water didn't feel icy anymore either... on the contrary, he felt pleasantly cool and very light... Harry struck out once more, marveling at how far and fast his flipper-like feet propelled him through the water, and noticing how clearly he could see, and how he no longer seemed to need to blink. He had soon swum so far into the lake that he could no longer see the bottom. He flipped over and dived into its depths.**

**Silence pressed upon his ears as he soared over a strange, dark, foggy landscape. He could only see ten feet around him, so that as he sped through the water new scenes seemed to loom suddenly out of the incoming darkness: forests of rippling, tangled black weed, wide plains of mud littered with dull, glimmering stones. He swam deeper and deeper, out toward the middle of the lake, his eyes wide, staring through the eerily gray-lit water around him to the shadow beyond, where the water became opaque.**

"That has to be the creepiest place ever." Sirius muttered.

"Umm... I've been to creepier places than the bottom of the Black Lake." Harry admitted making them all groan.

**Small fish flickered past him like silver darts. Once or twice he thought he saw something larger moving ahead of him, but when he got nearer, he discovered it to be nothing but a large, blackened log, or a dense clump of weed. There was no sign of any of the other champions, merpeople, Ron - nor, thankfully, the giant squid.**

**Light green weed stretched ahead of him as far as he could see, two feet deep, like a meadow of very overgrown grass. Harry was staring unblinkingly ahead of him, trying to discern shapes through the gloom... and then, without warning, something grabbed hold of his ankle.**

**Harry twisted his body around and saw a grindylow, a small, horned water demon, poking out of the weed, its long fingers clutched tightly around Harry's leg, its pointed fangs bared - Harry stuck his webbed hand quickly inside his robes and fumbled for his wand. By the time he had grasped it, two more grindylows had risen out of the weed, had seized handfuls of Harry's robes, and were attempting to drag him down.**

**"Relashio!" Harry shouted, except that no sound came out... A large bubble issued from his mouth, and his wand, instead of sending sparks at the grindylows, pelted them with what seemed to be a jet of boiling water, for where it struck them, angry red patches appeared on their green skin.**

"Hot water works on them too." Remus nodded. "Did you ever find out what spell it was you used instead of said?"

"Yeah, Rusho. It causes hot water to come from your wand instead of cold like Aguamenti." Harry explained, "If your underwater and using gillyweed then you need to say Relashio for the spell to work since you cant talk properly." he shrugged.

**Harry pulled his ankle out of the grindylows grip and swam, as fast as he could, occasionally sending more jets of hot water over his shoulder at random; every now and then he felt one of the grindylows snatch at his foot again, and he kicked out, hard; finally, he felt his foot connect with a horned skull, and looking back, saw the dazed grindylow floating away, cross-eyed, while its fellows shook their fists at Harry and sank back into the weed.**

**Harry slowed down a little, slipped his wand back inside his robes, and looked around, listening again. He turned full circle in the water, the silence pressing harder than ever against his eardrums. He knew he must be even deeper in the lake now, but nothing was moving but the rippling weed.**

**"How are you getting on?"**

**Harry thought he was having a heart attack. He whipped around and saw Moaning Myrtle floating hazily in front of him, gazing at him through her thick, pearly glasses.**

**"Myrtle!" Harry tried to shout - but once again, nothing came out of his mouth but a very large bubble. Moaning Myrtle actually giggled.**

**"You want to try over there!" she said, pointing.**

"At least she's helpful." Ron pointed out.

**"I won't come with you... I don't like them much, they always chase me when I get too close..."**

"Don't blame them." Harry muttered.

Everyone snickered or smiled.

**Harry gave her the thumbs-up to show his thanks and set off once more, careful to swim a bit higher over the weed to avoid any more grindylows that might be lurking there.**

**He swam on for what felt like at least twenty minutes. He was passing over vast expanses of black mud now, which swirled murkily as he disturbed the water. Then, at long last, he heard a snatch of haunting mersong.**

**"An hour long you'll have to look,**

**And to recover what we took..."**

**Harry swam faster and soon saw a large rock emerge out of the muddy water ahead. It had paintings of merpeople on it; they were carrying spears and chasing what looked like the giant squid. Harry swam on past the rock, following the mersong.**

**"... your time's half gone, so tarry not,**

**Lest what you seek stays here to rot..."**

**A cluster of crude stone dwellings stained with algae loomed suddenly out of the gloom on all sides. Here and there at the dark windows, Harry saw faces... faces that bore no resemblance at all to the painting of the mermaid in the prefects' bathroom...**

**The merpeople had grayish skin and long, wild, dark green hair. Their eyes were yellow, as were their broken teeth, and they wore thick ropes of pebbles around their necks.**

Nearly everyone shuddered at the mental image.

**They leered at Harry as he swam past; one or two of them emerged from their caves to watch him better, their powerful, silver fish tails beating the water, spears clutched in their hands.**

**Harry sped on, staring around, and soon the dwellings became more numerous; there were gardens of weed around some of them, and he even saw a pet grindylow tied to a stake outside one door.**

**Merpeople were emerging on all sides now, watching him eagerly, pointing at his webbed hands and gills, talking behind their hands to one another.**

"Polite, aren't they?" Sirius remarked sarcastically.

**Harry sped around a corner and a very strange sight met his eyes.**

**A whole crowd of merpeople was floating in front of the houses that lined what looked like a mer-version of a village square. A choir of merpeople was singing in the middle, calling the champions toward them, and behind them rose a crude sort of statue; a gigantic merperson hewn from a boulder. Four people were bound tightly to the tail of the stone merperson.**

**Ron was tied between Hermione and Cho Chang. There was also a girl who looked no older than eight, whose clouds of silvery hair made Harry feel sure that she was Fleur Delacour's sister.**

"Oui, it's Gabrielle." Fleur confirmed.

"You all look creepy." Lily shuddered.

"I'll second that. We do look creepy." Hermione nodded, "We knew where we were going but I'm glad we weren't awake for that."

"Same here." Ron muttered.

**All four of them appeared to be in a very deep sleep. Their heads were lolling onto their shoulders, and fine streams of bubbles kept issuing from their mouths.**

**Harry sped toward the hostages, half expecting the merpeople to lower their spears and charge at him, but they did nothing. The ropes of weed tying the hostages to the statue were thick, slimy, and very strong. For a fleeting second he thought of the knife Sirius had bought him for Christmas - locked in his trunk in the castle a quarter of a mile away, no use to him whatsoever.**

"Great." Sirius muttered sarcastically.

**He looked around. Many of the merpeople surrounding them were carrying spears. He swam swiftly toward a seven-foot-tall merman with a long green beard and a choker of shark fangs and tried to mime a request to borrow the spear. The merman laughed and shook his head.**

**"We do not help," he said in a harsh, croaky voice.**

**"Come ON!" Harry said fiercely (but only bubbles issued from his mouth), and he tried to pull the spear away from the merman, but the merman yanked it back, still shaking his head and laughing.**

**Harry swirled around, staring about. Something sharp... anything...**

**There were rocks littering the lake bottom. He dived and snatched up a particularly jagged one and returned to the statue. He began to hack at the ropes binding Ron, and after several minutes' hard work, they broke apart. Ron floated, unconscious, a few inches above the lake bottom, drifting a little in the ebb of the water.**

**Harry looked around. There was no sign of any of the other champions. What were they playing at? Why didn't they hurry up? He turned back to Hermione, raised the jagged rock, and began to hack at her bindings too -**

**At once, several pairs of strong gray hands seized him. Half a dozen mermen were pulling him away from Hermione, shaking their green-haired heads, and laughing.**

**"You take your own hostage," one of them said to him. "Leave the others..."**

**"No way!" said Harry furiously - but only two large bubbles came out.**

**"Your task is to retrieve your own friend... leave the others..."**

**"She's my friend too!" Harry yelled, gesturing toward Hermione, an enormous silver bubble emerging soundlessly from his lips. "And I don't want them to die either!"**

**Cho's head was on Hermiones shoulder; the small silver-haired girl was ghostly green and pale. Harry struggled to fight off the mermen, but they laughed harder than ever, holding him back. Harry looked wildly around. Where were the other champions? Would he have time to take Ron to the surface and come back down for Hermione and the others? Would he be able to find them again? He looked down at his watch to see how much time was left - it had stopped working.**

**But then the merpeople around him pointed excitedly over his head. Harry looked up and saw Cedric swimming toward them. There was an enormous bubble around his head, which made his features look oddly wide and stretched.**

**"Got lost!" he mouthed, looking panic-stricken. "Fleur and Krum're coming now!"**

**Feeling enormously relieved, Harry watched Cedric pull a knife out of his pocket and cut Cho free. He pulled her upward and out of sight.**

**Harry looked around, waiting. Where were Fleur and Krum? Time was getting short, and according to the song, the hostages would be lost after an hour...**

"Dumbledore wouldn't let anything happen to them." Remus reasoned.

"Wouldn't you take the song seriously if you were down there?" Harry demanded.

"'Eet was so creepy it was hard not to beleive zee song." Fleur agreed.

"You have a point." Bill admitted.

**The merpeople started screeching animatedly. Those holding Harry loosened their grip, staring behind them. Harry turned and saw something monstrous cutting through the water toward them: a human body in swimming trunks with the head of a shark... It was Krum. He appeared to have transfigured himself - but badly.**

**The shark-man swam straight to Hermione and began snapping and biting at her ropes; the trouble was that Krum's new teeth were positioned very awkwardly for biting anything smaller than a dolphin, and Harry was quite sure that if Krum wasn't careful, he was going to rip Hermione in half.**

Hermione and Ron both looked appalled, having not seen this, or heard about it.

**Darting forward Harry hit Krum hard on the shoulder and held up the jagged stone. Krum seized it and began to cut Hermione free. Within seconds, he had done it; he grabbed Hermione around the waist, and without a backward glance, began to rise rapidly with her toward the surface.**

**Now what? Harry thought desperately. If he could be sure that Fleur was coming... But still no sign. There was nothing to be done except...**

**He snatched up the stone, which Krum had dropped, but the mermen now closed in around Ron and the little girl, shaking their heads at him. Harry pulled out his wand.**

**"Get out of the way!"**

**Only bubbles flew out of his mouth, but he had the distinct impression that the mermen had understood him, because they suddenly stopped laughing. Their yellowish eyes were fixed upon Harry's wand, and they looked scared. There might be a lot more of them than there were of him, but Harry could tell, by the looks on their faces, that they knew no more magic than the giant squid did.**

**"You've got until three!" Harry shouted; a great stream of bubbles burst from him, but he held up three fingers to make sure they got the message. "One..." (he put down a finger) "two..." (he put down a second one) - They scattered.**

The Marauders all gave Harry an approving look and he smiled.

**Harry darted forward and began to hack at the ropes binding the small girl to the statue, and at last she was free. He seized the little girl around the waist, grabbed the neck of Rons robes, and kicked off from the bottom.**

**It was very slow work. He could no longer use his webbed hands to propel himself forward; he worked his flippers furiously, but Ron and Fleur's sister were like potato-filled sacks dragging him back down...**

Ron muttered something darkly and Harry laughed.

**He fixed his eyes skyward, though he knew he must still be very deep, the water above him was so dark...**

**Merpeople were rising with him. He could see them swirling around him with ease, watching him struggle through the water... Would they pull him back down to the depths when the time was up? Did they perhaps eat humans?**

"What humans go swimming that far into the lake willingly?" James asked.

"Krum did." Remus pointed out.

"Your point?" Ron asked. Hermione rolled her eyes at him.

**Harry's legs were seizing up with the effort to keep swimming; his shoulders were aching horribly with the effort of dragging Ron and the girl...**

**He was drawing breath with extreme difficulty. He could feel pain on the sides of his neck again... he was becoming very aware of how wet the water was in his mouth... yet the darkness was definitely thinning now... he could see daylight above him...**

**He kicked hard with his flippers and discovered that they were nothing more than feet... water was flooding through his mouth into his lungs... he was starting to feel dizzy, but he knew light and air were only ten feet above him... he had to get there... he had to...**

**Harry kicked his legs so hard and fast it felt as though his muscles were screaming in protest; his very brain felt waterlogged, he couldn't breathe, he needed oxygen, he had to keep going, he could not stop -**

**And then he felt his head break the surface of the lake; wonderful, cold, clear air was making his wet face sting; he gulped it down, feeling as though he had never breathed properly before, and panting, pulled Ron and the little girl up with him. All around him, wild, green-haired heads**

"The merpeople? What do they want?" Sirius asked.

**were emerging out of the water with him, but they were smiling at him.**

"That's good... I guess." Astoria muttered.

**The crowd in the stands was making a great deal of noise; shouting and screaming, they all seemed to be on their feet; Harry had the impression they thought that Ron and the little girl might be dead, but they were wrong... both of them had opened their eyes; the girl looked scared and confused, but Ron merely expelled a great spout of water, blinked in the bright light, turned to Harry, and said, "Wet, this, isn't it?"**

"Just a little." Harry grinned.

**Then he spotted Fleur's sister. "What did you bring her for?"**

**"Fleur didn't turn up, I couldn't leave her," Harry panted.**

**"Harry, you prat," said Ron, "you didn't take that song thing seriously, did you? Dumbledore wouldn't have let any of us drown!"**

**"The song said -"**

**"It was only to make sure you got back inside the time limit!" said Ron. "I hope you didn't waste time down there acting the hero!"**

**Harry felt both stupid and annoyed. It was all very well for Ron; he'd been asleep,**

"Well..." Ron said, Harry grinned at him.

**he hadn't felt how eerie it was down in the lake, surrounded by spear-carrying merpeople who'd looked more than capable of murder.**

**"C'mon," Harry said shortly, "help me with her, I don't think she can swim very well."**

"She couldn't." Fleur sighed, "I 'elped her get better when we got back to France before I moved back over 'ere."

**They pulled Fleur's sister through the water, back toward the bank where the judges stood watching, twenty merpeople accompanying them like a guard of honor, singing their horrible screechy songs.**

**Harry could see Madam Pomfrey fussing over Hermione, Krum, Cedric, and Cho, all of whom were wrapped in thick blankets.**

"Well, they need it, don't they? The water must have been freezing." Lily said reasonably.

**Dumbledore and Ludo Bagman stood beaming at Harry and Ron from the bank as they swam nearer, but Percy, who looked very white and somehow much younger than usual, came splashing out to meet them.**

"Er - Okay?" George said.

"I was worried." Percy shrugged, "And dont try and deny that you Fred and Ginny had to be stopped from doing the same, I saw you."

"So? We were all worried, we had no idea Ron had been put at the bottom of the lake." Fred pouted.

"And we saw how tired Harry looked. You looked like you were about to collapse." Ginny informed Harry.

"Really? I thought I just looked soaking wet."

"Oh you looked like that too." Hermione smirked.

**Meanwhile Madame Maxime was trying to restrain Fleur Delacour, who was quite hysterical, fighting tooth and nail to return to the water.**

**"Gabrielle! Gabrielle! Is she alive? Is she 'urt?"**

**"She's fine!" Harry tried to tell her, but he was so exhausted he could hardly talk, let alone shout.**

"I 'eard you anyway." Fleur smiled.

**Percy seized Ron and was dragging him back to the bank ("Gerroff, Percy, I'm all right!"); Dumbledore and Bagman were pulling Harry upright; Fleur had broken free of Madame Maxime and was hugging her sister.**

**"It was ze grindylows... zey attacked me... oh Gabrielle, I thought... I thought..."**

**"Come here, you," said Madam Pomfrey. She seized Harry and pulled him over to Hermione and the others, wrapped him so tightly in a blanket that he felt as though he were in a straitjacket, and forced a measure of very hot potion down his throat.**

**Steam gushed out of his ears.**

"Pepper-Up Potion." Minerva nodded.

**"Harry, well done!" Hermione cried. "You did it, you found out how all by yourself!"**

"Not exactly." Harry smiled, "Dobby helped."

**"Well -" said Harry. He would have told her about Dobby, but he had just noticed Karkaroff watching him. He was the only judge who had not left the table; the only judge not showing signs of pleasure and relief that Harry, Ron, and Fleur's sister had got back safely. "Yeah, that's right," said Harry, raising his voice slightly so that Karkaroff could hear him.**

**"You haff a water beetle in your hair, Herm-own-ninny," said Krum. Harry had the impression that Krum was drawing her attention back onto himself;**

"Git." Ron murmured, making Hermione giggle slightly.

**perhaps to remind her that he had just rescued her from the lake, but Hermione brushed away the beetle impatiently and said, "You're well outside the time limit, though, Harry... Did it take you ages to find us?"**

**"No... I found you okay..."**

"He was first." James remembered, frowning.

**Harry's feeling of stupidity was growing. Now he was out of the water, it seemed perfectly clear that Dumbledores safety precautions wouldn't have permitted the death of a hostage just because their champion hadn't turned up. Why hadn't he just grabbed Ron and gone? He would have been first back... Cedric and Krum hadn't wasted time worrying about anyone else; they hadn't taken the mersong seriously...**

**Dumbledore was crouching at the water's edge, deep in conversation with what seemed to be the chief merperson, a particularly wild and ferocious-looking female. He was making the same sort of screechy noises that the merpeople made when they were above water; clearly, Dumbledore could speak Mermish.**

"Weird." Dudley commented.

"I wonder if we can speak Mermish now?" Harry mused, looking at Ginny.

"Probably. If we can talk to animals like Jinx, Jex and Snow then we're probably able to speak Mermish." she reasoned.

**Finally he straightened up, turned to his fellow judges, and said, "A conference before we give the marks, I think."**

**The judges went into a huddle. Madam Pomfrey had gone to rescue Ron from Percy's clutches; she led him over to Harry and the others, gave him a blanket and some Pepperup Potion, then went to fetch Fleur and her sister. Fleur had many cuts on her face and arms and her robes were torn, but she didn't seem to care, nor would she allow Madam Pomfrey to clean them.**

**"Look after Gabrielle," she told her, and then she turned to Harry. "You saved 'er," she said breathlessly. "Even though she was not your 'ostage."**

**"Yeah," said Harry, who was now heartily wishing he'd left all three girls tied to the statue.**

**Fleur bent down, kissed Harry twice on each cheek (he felt his face burn and wouldn't have been surprised if steam was coming out of his ears again), then said to Ron, "And you too - you 'elped"**

"Not really." Ron muttered.

**"Yeah," said Ron, looking extremely hopeful, "yeah, a bit -"**

**Fleur swooped down on him too and kissed him. Hermione looked simply furious, just then, Ludo Bagman's magically magnified voice boomed out beside them, making them all jump, and causing the crowd in the stands to go very quiet.**

**"Ladies and gentlemen, we have reached our decision. Merchieftainess Murcus has told us exactly what happened at the bottom of the lake, and we have therefore decided to award marks out of fifty for each of the champions, as follows... Fleur Delacour, though she demonstrated excellent use of the Bubble-Head Charm, was attacked by grindylows as she approached her goal, and failed to retrieve her hostage. We award her twenty-five points."**

**Applause from the stands.**

**"I deserved zero," said Fleur throatily, shaking her magnificent head.**

"You still went in the lake." Harry commented, "And the grindylows would have gotten me if it wasn't for Remus being a teacher I actually listened to." he grinned at Remus who grinned back.

"Oui, but I thought I was going to be responsible for letting my little sister drown. Gabrielle only got to come with me because my parents couldn't watch 'er and I promised to look after 'er. Madame Maxime agreed that she could come with us under the circumstances." Fleur explained sadly, "Both my parents were quite ill that year, I don't know what is was but they usually fall ill every 4 or 5 years with it and I end up watching Gabrielle." she added.

"They didn't get it last year, and they're not sick right now." Bill commented.

"True, it might be next year then." she shrugged, "Either way eventually we will end up having 'er over for a few weeks."

"She's more than welcome." he smiled.

**"Cedric Diggory, who also used the Bubble-Head Charm, was first to return with his hostage, though he returned one minute outside the time limit of an hour."**

"Cedric was first wasn't he?" Sirius asked; Remus nodded.

"That means Harry was really late." James said frowning.

**Enormous cheers from the Hufflepuffs in the crowd; Harry saw Cho give Cedric a glowing look.**

**"We therefore award him forty-seven points."**

**Harry's heart sank. If Cedric had been outside the time limit, he most certainly had been.**

**"Viktor Krum used an incomplete form of Transfiguration, which was nevertheless effective, and was second to return with his hostage. We award him forty points."**

**Karkaroff clapped particularly hard, looking very superior.**

**"Harry Potter used gillyweed to great effect," Bagman continued. "He returned last, and well outside the time limit of an hour. However, the Merchieftainess informs us that Mr. Potter was first to reach the hostages, and that the delay in his return was due to his determination to return all hostages to safety, not merely his own."**

**Ron and Hermione both gave Harry half-exasperated, half-commiserating looks.**

**"Most of the judges," and here, Bagman gave Karkaroff a very nasty look,**

Everyone laughed.

**"feel that this shows moral fiber and merits full marks. However... Mr. Potter's score is forty-five points."**

"That puts him in second, doesn't it?" James asked, excited.

"Nope, tied for first." Hermione smiled as they all cheered, even those who had been there.

**Harry's stomach leapt - he was now tied for first place with Cedric. Ron and Hermione, caught by surprise, stared at Harry, then laughed and started applauding hard with the rest of the crowd.**

**"There you go. Harry!" Ron shouted over the noise. "You weren't being thick after all - you were showing moral fiber!"**

**Fleur was clapping very hard too, but Krum didn't look happy at all. He attempted to engage Hermione in conversation again, but she was too busy cheering Harry to listen.**

**"The third and final task will take place at dusk on the twenty-fourth of June," continued Bagman. "The champions will be notified of what is coming precisely one month beforehand. Thank you all for your support of the champions."**

**It was over. Harry thought dazedly, as Madam Pomfrey began herding the champions and hostages back to the castle to get into dry clothes... it was over, he had got through... he didn't have to worry about anything now until June the twenty-fourth...**

"Then you'll have quite a bit to worry about." Hermione said. Harry nodded.

**Next time he was in Hogsmeade, Harry decided as he walked back up the stone steps into the castle, he was going to buy Dobby a pair of socks for every day of the year.**

"And that was the second task. We'll stop there for tonight. We'll continue early-ish tomorrow." Harry smiled, everyone got up and started heading to bed or home for the night.

* * *

><p>Review please x<p> 


	37. Chapter 37

Chapter 37 - Fourth Year (Part 13)

**18, August, Wednesday, 1998. 8.55am.**

The next morning once everyone had eaten breakfast and those who had to had arrived everyone was seated in the living room watching Harry pace in front of the pensive.

Harry stopped and looked at Ron and Hermione, "Should I show potions?"

"Depends really... Is it important?" Ron frowned.

"I think so... There's the article that had us even more annoyed with Skeeter then there's Snape's warning to Harry." Hermione pointed out.

"Shall I just show it from Sirius's letter then? I know that's important." Harry asked, the other two nodded. "Right we're starting with a letter from Sirius." he told the room.

**As they entered March the weather became drier, but cruel winds skinned their hands and faces every time they went out onto the grounds. There were delays in the post because the owls kept being blown off course. The brown owl that Harry had sent to Sirius with the dates of the Hogsmeade weekend turned up at breakfast on Friday morning with half its feathers sticking up the wrong way; Harry had no sooner torn off Sirius's reply than it took flight, clearly afraid it was going to be sent outside again.**

**Sirius's letter was almost as short as the previous one.**

"Really Padfoot? You could have sent a decent sized letter." James frowned, "Moony how come you haven't wrote to Harry or anything?"

"I was at a werewolf camp down south trying to convince them not to give up. I had no idea what was happening this year until I got back during the summer." Remus sighed, "If I did know I would have visited Harry frequently."

"So you actually didn't know about the Tournament?" Harry asked.

"No I didn't. It was Padfoot who told me most of it when we were checking out Grimmauld after he checked it would let him in." he admitted.

Sirius nodded in confirmation.

**Be at stile at end of road out of Hogsmeade (past Dervish and Banges) at two o'clock on Saturday afternoon. Bring as much food as you can.**

"I was starving." Sirius explained at an exasperated look from Lily, "Guess what I was mostly living off of."

"Scraps?" James guessed, "From people who thought you were a stray?"

"Sometimes. Most of the time though I lived on rat's." Sirius made a face.

"Ewww." the women shuddered. The men all grimaced, most of them being very fond of proper food.

**"He hasn't come back to Hogsmeade?" said Ron incredulously.**

**"It looks like it, doesn't it?" said Hermione.**

**"I can't believe him," said Harry tensely, "if he's caught..."**

**"Made it so far, though, hasn't he?" said Ron. "And it's not like the place is swarming with dementors anymore."**

The room shared a collective shudder.

"Thank Merlin for that." Harry smiled, "Didn't fancy having to put up with them for two years."

"And I certainly wouldn't recommend it." Sirius muttered, "I wouldn't recommend more than 10 seconds with them."

**Harry folded up the letter, thinking. If he was honest with himself, he really wanted to see Sirius again.**

"Even if it wasn't very safe." Harry mumbled, Sirius glared at him.

**He therefore approached the final lesson of the afternoon-double Potions - feeling considerably more cheerful than he usually did when descending the steps to the dungeons.**

**Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle were standing in a huddle outside the classroom door with Pansy Parkinson's gang of Slytherin girls. All of them were looking at something Harry couldn't see and sniggering heartily.**

"I don't like the sound of this." Lily said suspiciously.

**Pansy's pug-like face peered excitedly around Goyle's broad back as Harry, Ron, and Hermione approached.**

**"There they are, there they are!" she giggled, and the knot of Slytherins broke apart. Harry saw that Pansy had a magazine in her hands - Witch Weekly. The moving picture on the front showed a curly-haired witch who was smiling toothily and pointing at a large sponge cake with her wand.**

**"You might find something to interest you in there, Granger!" Pansy said loudly, and she threw the magazine at Hermione, who caught it, looking startled. At that moment, the dungeon door opened, and Snape beckoned them all inside.**

**Hermione, Harry, and Ron headed for a table at the back of the dungeon as usual. Once Snape had turned his back on them to write up the ingredients of todays potion on the blackboard, Hermione hastily rifled through the magazine under the desk. At last, in the center pages, Hermione found what they were looking for.**

**Harry and Ron leaned in closer. A color photograph of Harry headed a short piece entitled:**

**Harry Potter's Secret Heartache**

Most people groaned realising it was another article by Rita Skeeter.

**A boy like no other, perhaps - yet a boy suffering all the usual pangs of adolescence, writes Rita Skeeter.**

**Deprived of love since the tragic demise of his parents,**

"'Deprived of love', my arse." James growled.

"I agree with you but you're lucky Teddy's asleep or I'd hex you right now." Dora told him.

Lily whacked the back of his head, "James don't swear." he nodded glumly while rubbing the back of his head, "Problem solved." she smiled at Dora, who snickered.

**fourteen-year-old Harry Potter thought he had found solace in his steady girlfriend at Hogwarts, Muggle-born Hermione Granger.**

"WHAT?" the twins shouted in shock, their shout woke Teddy and Cecelia who both started crying.

"I'll get him." Harry said as Remus started to get up, looking a little lost at how to comfort his son. Remus nodded gratefully. Dudley took Cecelia off Amber and the baby went quiet after a moment.

Harry went over and picked his godson up, quickly soothing the now wide awake child. He glared at Fred and George who looked apologetic.

"Sorry." they mumbled as Harry sat back down with Teddy on his knee.

"You should be." he scowled, his lips twitched showing he didn't really mean it, "He would've woken up in a bit anyway." he told them, making them sigh in relief, "You okay Teddy?" he asked smiling.

Teddy, while rubbing his eyes, simply said, "Unca Har, hungy."

"You're hungry? Right come with me and I'll se what we can find for you." Harry smiled and went through to the kitchen.

"There's a banana on the table for him Harry! Just mash it up and get his milk for him!" Andy shouted after him.

Amber had taken out one of Cecelia's bottles and Dudley was feeding her.

After a minute Harry came back through with Teddy happily munching on mashed banana.

"I think you two need to work on volume control." Cissy told the twins, "There's been lot's of loud bit's and even they didn't wake either child up."

Harry waved his wand in the direction of the cot and frowned, "It wasn't their fault actually. The sound barrier I put up that muffles sound from the outside is weakening." he explained, "It's not supposed to do that."

"It might be because theres been a lot of loud sounds in the past few days. Like when the egg screeched." Bill pointed out, "Some wards do deteriorate or crack if they're used too often."

"We'll figure it out later." Ginny smiled.

**Little did he know that he would shortly be suffering yet another emotional blow in a life already littered with personal loss.**

**Miss Granger, a plain but ambitious girl, seems to have a taste for famous wizards that Harry alone cannot satisfy. Since the arrival at Hogwarts of Viktor Krum, Bulgarian Seeker and hero of the last World Quidditch Cup, Miss Granger has been toying with both boys' affections.**

"Has not." the Golden Trio huffed, Ron putting his arm around Hermione possessively.

**Krum, who is openly smitten with the devious Miss Granger, has already invited her to visit him in Bulgaria over the summer holidays, and insists that he has "never felt this way about any other girl."**

**However, it might not be Miss Granger's doubtful natural charms that have captured these unfortunate boys' interest.**

**"She's really ugly," says Pansy Parkinson, a pretty and vivacious fourth-year student, "but she'd be well up to making a Love Potion, she's quite brainy. I think that's how she's doing it."**

Everyone refrained from saying anything, fuming silently.

**Love Potions are, of course, banned at Hogwarts, and no doubt Albus Dumbledore will want to investigate these claims. In the meantime, Harry Potter's well-wishers must hope that, next time, he bestows his heart on a worthier candidate.**

**"I told you!" Ron hissed at Hermione as she stared down at the article. "I told you not to annoy Rita Skeeter! She's made you out to be some sort of - of scarlet woman!"**

Most of the room burst into laughter, Ron blushed.

**Hermione stopped looking astonished and snorted with laughter. "Scarlet woman?" she repeated, shaking with suppressed giggles as she looked around at Ron.**

**"It's what my mum calls them," Ron muttered, his ears going red.**

Molly chuckled, "It's less rude than the alternative." the others nodded in agreement.

**"If that's the best Rita can do, she's losing her touch," said Hermione, still giggling, as she threw Witch Weekly onto the empty chair beside her. "What a pile of old rubbish."**

Everyone nodded approvingly.

**She looked over at the Slytherins, who were all watching her and Harry closely across the room to see if they had been upset by the article. Hermione gave them a sarcastic smile and a wave, and she, Harry, and Ron started unpacking the ingredients they would need for their Wit-Sharpening Potion.**

**"There's something funny, though," said Hermione ten minutes later, holding her pestle suspended over a bowl of scarab beetles. "How could Rita Skeeter have known...?"**

**"Known what?" said Ron quickly. "You haven't been mixing up Love Potions, have you?"**

Ron raised his hands defensively at the glares he was sent by the women in the room, "I was joking." he said.

"No you werent." Hermione glared at him, "You were worried it was true, weren't you?"

"No, not at all." he admitted honestly, "I don't know why I said it, alright. I think - It may have just been the fact it mentioned about Krum being 'openly smitten' to be honest."

She shook her head, looking amused now, "Flare up of jealousy?" she chuckled when he nodded sheepishly, "And neither of us noticed we liked each other as more than friends." she mumbled, leaning her head on his shoulder.

**"Don't be stupid," Hermione snapped, starting to pound up her beetles again. "No, it's just... how did she know Viktor asked me to visit him over the summer?"**

**Hermione blushed scarlet as she said this and determinedly avoided Ron's eyes.**

**"What?" said Ron, dropping his pestle with a loud clunk.**

**"He asked me right after he'd pulled me out of the lake," Hermione muttered. "After he'd got rid of his shark's head. Madam Pomfrey gave us both blankets and then he sort of pulled me away from the judges so they wouldn't hear, and he said, if I wasn't doing anything over the summer, would I like to -"**

**"And what did you say?" said Ron, who had picked up his pestle and was grinding it on the desk, a good six inches from his bowl, because he was looking at Hermione.**

Everyone burst into laughter.

**"And he did say he'd never felt the same way about anyone else," Hermione went on, going so red now that Harry could almost feel the heat coming from her, "but how could Rita Skeeter have heard him? She wasn't there... or was she? Maybe she has got an Invisibility Cloak;"**

"Doubt it." James said, "The one belonging to the Potter line is at least 1000 years old and others are hard to find or too expensive."

"It's over 1000 years old?" Charlie asked incredulously.

"Sure is." he smirked, "Been around since roughly just after the Founders era according to the family history books." he shrugged.

"I thought it was sooner, since Ignotus Peverell's grave is still in Godric's Hollow and doesn't look as old as that." Harry frowned, "We've seen it." he added.

James chuckled, "Preservation charms on the gravestone, Harry. The only thing that could damage it is removing the spells, even then it would have a good 100 years of survival after it." he shrugged, "It's part of the magic that's placed on witches or wizards graves in Godrics Hollow that allows them to survive for so long. Trust me, the cloak is older than it looks."

"How in Merlin's name is it still working perfectly?" Bill asked in shock, "Usually charms and such wear off or fade in 10 to 15 years."

"It's special. I'll tell you later." Harry chuckled, "It relates to some information we found out whilst on the run." he added, "But I may consider telling you about that part beforehand." he shrugged.

**"maybe she sneaked onto the grounds to watch the second task..."**

"Someone would have seen her." Minerva said reasonably.

**"And what did you say?" Ron repeated, pounding his pestle down so hard that it dented the desk.**

The room was filled once more with the sound of nearly everyone snickering as Ron blushed furiously again.

**"Well, I was too busy seeing whether you and Harry were okay to -"**

**"Fascinating though your social life undoubtedly is Miss Granger," said an icy voice right behind them, and all three of them jumped, "I must ask you not to discuss it in my class. Ten points from Gryffindor."**

**Snape had glided over to their desk while they were talking. The whole class was now looking around at them; Malfoy took the opportunity to flash POTTER STINKS across the dungeon at Harry.**

"You're a prat." Ron told Draco, who shrugged.

"I never denied it."

**"Ah... reading magazines under the table as well?" Snape added, snatching up the copy of Witch Weekly. "A further ten points from Gryffindor... oh but of course..." Snape's black eyes glittered as they fell on Rita Skeeter's article. "Potter has to keep up with his press cuttings..."**

**The dungeon rang with the Slytherins' laughter, and an unpleasant smile curled Snape's thin mouth. To Harry's fury, he began to read the article aloud.**

"That -!" Sirius started to shout but was cut off by Dora's glare and Remus's sharp reprimand before he could continue.

"Language Padfoot!"

**"'Harry Potter's Secret Heartache'... dear, dear. Potter, what's ailing you now? 'A boy like no other, perhaps...'"**

**Harry could feel his face burning. Snape was pausing at the end of every sentence to allow the Slytherins a hearty laugh. The article sounded ten times worse when read by Snape. Even Hermione was blushing scarlet now.**

**"'... Harry Potter's well-wishers must hope that, next time, he bestows his heart upon a worthier candidate.' How very touching," sneered Snape, rolling up the magazine to continued gales of laughter from the Slytherins. "Well, I think I had better separate the three of you, so you can keep your minds on your potions rather than on your tangled love lives."**

"WHAT?" Sirius shouted, causing the Lycan's to cover their ears and glare at him.

**"Weasley, you stay here. Miss Granger, over there, beside Miss Parkinson. Potter - that table in front of my desk. Move. Now."**

Sirius was muttering under his breath as he ignored Dora and Lily's look's.

**Furious, Harry threw his ingredients and his bag into his cauldron and dragged it up to the front of the dungeon to the empty table. Snape followed, sat down at his desk and watched Harry unload his cauldron. Determined not to look at Snape, Harry resumed the mashing of his scarab beetles, imagining each one to have Snape's face.**

Everyone laughed and Ron high-fived Harry.

**"All this press attention seems to have inflated your already over-large head Potter," said Snape quietly,**

"He's not James!" Remus growled, "I spent almost half of the year before telling him that and he still didn't learn!"

**once the rest of the class had settled down again. Harry didn't answer.**

"Clearly his temper isn't as bad as Sirius' or Lily's." James said, "Or mine for that matter."

"No... It's worse." Remus smirked. "It's just more difficult to get Harry really angry."

"Thank Dudley for that one." Harry grinned, "I could never retaliate when he did something to me so I found a way to be calm-ish while dealing with Snape. Though even then I did occasionally lose my temper with Dudley and threatened him or something."

"That was mostly my fault though." Dudley shrugged, "I shouldn't have kept bugging you as much as I did."

**He knew Snape was trying to provoke him; he had done this before. No doubt he was hoping for an excuse to take around fifty points from Gryffindor before the end of the class.**

**"You might be laboring under the delusion that the entire wizarding world is impressed with you," Snape went on, so quietly that no one else could hear him (Harry continued to pound his scarab beetles, even though he had already reduced them to a very fine powder), "but I don't care how many times your picture appears in the papers. To me Potter, you are nothing but a nasty little boy who considers rules to be beneath him."**

**Harry tipped the powdered beetles into his cauldron and started cutting up his ginger roots. His hands were shaking slightly out of anger, but he kept his eyes down, as though he couldn't hear what Snape was saying to him.**

**"So I give you fair warning, Potter," Snape continued in a softer and more dangerous voice, "pint-sized celebrity or not - if I catch you breaking into my office one more time -"**

"He hasn't broken into your office!" Minerva exclaimed.

**"I haven't been anywhere near your office!" said Harry angrily, forgetting his feigned deafness.**

"And that's the thing about Uncle Sev. He know's exactly how to push buttons to annoy and infuriate people the most." Draco sighed.

**"Don't lie to me," Snape hissed, his fathomless black eyes boring into Harry's. "Boomslang skin. Gillyweed. Both come from my private stores, and I know who stole them."**

"Boomslang skin is used in Polyjuice Potion, right?" Amber asked uncertainly, remembering the trio's use of it in their second year.

Hermione nodded, "And that was me who stole that."

"And Dobby stole the Gillyweed, of course." Harry added, "So technically the only time I'd ever been in Professor Snape's office was in second year after Ron and I flew to school in the car and then again in 3rd when I almost got caught sneaking back from Hogsmeade."

**Harry stared back at Snape, determined not to blink or to look guilty.**

James nodded approvingly and received a glare from Lily.

"What? You want him to be caught?"

"He shouldn't be doing things like that anyway," Lily said, sending Harry a disapproving look which made him wince.

"It's better doing that than being killed. Which would have happened both times." Hermione pointed out, sounding slightly irritated, "With the chamber if we hadn't investigated, Ginny would have died and Voldemort would have returned to power and killed Harry before anyone knew he'd returned. And Harry would have drowned if it wasn't for Dobby stealing the Gillyweed. And it wasn't him who stole the Boomslang Skin in our 2nd year, it was me." she said defiantly.

Lily nodded resignedly.

**In truth, he hadn't stolen either of these things from Snape. Hermione had taken the boomslang skin back in their second year - they had needed it for the Polyjuice Potion - and while Snape had suspected Harry at the time, he had never been able to prove it. Dobby, of course, had stolen the gillyweed.**

**"I don't know what you're talking about," Harry lied coldly.**

**"You were out of bed on the night my office was broken into!" Snape hissed. "I know it Potter! Now, Mad-Eye Moody might have joined your fan club,"**

"Well, he certainly wasn't going to join yours." Sirius said coldly.

**"but I will not tolerate your behavior! One more nighttime stroll into my office, Potter, and you will pay!"**

**"Right," said Harry coolly, turning back to his ginger roots. "I'll bear that in mind if I ever get the urge to go in there."**

**Snape's eyes flashed. He plunged a hand into the inside of his black robes. For one wild moment, Harry thought Snape was about to pull out his wand and curse him - then he saw that Snape had drawn out a small crystal bottle of a completely clear potion. Harry stared at it.**

**"Do you know what this is Potter?" Snape said, his eyes glittering dangerously again.**

**"No," said Harry, with complete honesty this time.**

**"It is Veritaserum - a Truth Potion so powerful that three drops would have you spilling your innermost secrets for this entire class to hear," said Snape viciously. "Now, the use of this potion is controlled by very strict Ministry guidelines. But unless you watch your step, you might just find that my hand slips" - he shook the crystal bottle slightly - "right over your evening pumpkin juice. And then Potter... then we'll find out whether you've been in my office or not."**

"He can't threaten students like that!" James protested.

"No he cant." Minerva agreed, "You should have told me about that time Harry."

"I didn't think much about it after that." he shrugged

**Harry said nothing. He turned back to his ginger roots once more, picked up his knife, and started slicing them again. He didn't like the sound of that Truth Potion at all, nor would he put it past Snape to slip him some. He repressed a shudder at the thought of what might come spilling out of his mouth if Snape did it... quite apart from landing a whole lot of people in trouble - Hermione and Dobby for a start - there were all the other things he was concealing... like the fact that he was in contact with Sirius... and - his insides squirmed at the thought - how he felt about Cho... He tipped his ginger roots into the cauldron too, and wondered whether he ought to take a leaf out of Moody's book and start drinking only from a private hip flask.**

**There was a knock on the dungeon door.**

**"Enter," said Snape in his usual voice.**

**The class looked around as the door opened. Professor Karkaroff came in. Everyone watched him as he walked up toward Snape's desk. He was twisting his finger around his goatee and looking agitated.**

**"We need to talk," said Karkaroff abruptly when he had reached Snape. He seemed so determined that nobody should hear what he was saying that he was barely opening his lips; it was as though he were a rather poor ventriloquist. Harry kept his eyes on his ginger roots, listening hard.**

**"I'll talk to you after my lesson, Karkaroff," Snape muttered, but Karkaroff interrupted him.**

**"I want to talk now, while you can't slip off, Severus. You've been avoiding me."**

"Why?" Remus asked, looking thoughtful.

Teddy had finished his mashed banana so Harry cleaned him up with a conjured cloth before vanishing the mess left in the bowl, sending it back to the kitchen to be cleaned properly later, and giving Teddy his chocolate milk.

"Karkaroff was worried about the Mark returning, he put a lot of other Death Eater's and spy's away in Azkaban, that's how he was released." he explained as the boy on his knee started drinking the milk, leaning back against Harry's chest drowsily, he looked like he'd fall asleep again shortly.

**"After the lesson," Snape snapped.**

**Under the pretext of holding up a measuring cup to see if he'd poured out enough armadillo bile, Harry sneaked a sidelong glance at the pair of them. Karkaroff looked extremely worried, and Snape looked angry.**

**Karkaroff hovered behind Snape's desk for the rest of the double period. He seemed intent on preventing Snape from slipping away at the end of class. Keen to hear what Karkaroff wanted to say, Harry deliberately knocked over his bottle of armadillo bile with two minutes to go to the bell, which gave him an excuse to duck down behind his cauldron and mop up while the rest of the class moved noisily toward the door.**

**"What's so urgent?" he heard Snape hiss at Karkaroff.**

**"This," said Karkaroff, and Harry, peering around the edge of his cauldron, saw Karkaroff pull up the left-hand sleeve of his robe and show Snape something on his inner forearm.**

**"Well?" said Karkaroff, still making every effort not to move his lips. "Do you see? It's never been this clear, never since -"**

**"Put it away!" snarled Snape, his black eyes sweeping the classroom.**

**"But you must have noticed -" Karkaroff began in an agitated voice.**

**"We can talk later, Karkaroff!" spat Snape. "Potter! What are you doing?"**

**"Clearing up my armadillo bile, Professor," said Harry innocently, straightening up and showing Snape the sodden rag he was holding.**

**Karkaroff turned on his heel and strode out of the dungeon. He looked both worried and angry. Not wanting to remain alone with an exceptionally angry Snape, Harry threw his books and ingredients back into his bag and left at top speed to tell Ron and Hermione what he had just witnessed.**

**They left the castle at noon the next day to find a weak silver sun shining down upon the grounds. The weather was milder than it had been all year, and by the time they arrived in Hogsmeade, all three of them had taken off their cloaks and thrown them over their shoulders. The food Sirius had told them to bring was in Harry's bag; they had sneaked a dozen chicken legs, a loaf of bread, and a flask of pumpkin juice from the lunch table.**

**They went into Gladrags Wizardwear to buy a present for Dobby, where they had fun selecting the most lurid socks they could find, including a pair patterned with flashing gold and silver stars, and another that screamed loudly when they became too smelly. Then, at half past one, they made their way up the High Street, past Dervish and Banges, and out toward the edge of the village.**

**Harry had never been in this direction before. The winding lane was leading them out into the wild countryside around Hogsmeade. The cottages were fewer here, and their gardens larger; they were walking toward the foot of the mountain in whose shadow Hogsmeade lay. Then they turned a corner and saw a stile at the end of the lane. Waiting for them, its front paws on the topmost bar, was a very large, shaggy black dog, which was carrying some newspapers in its mouth and looking very familiar...**

**"Hello, Sirius," said Harry when they had reached him.**

**The black dog sniffed Harry's bag eagerly, wagged its tail once, then turned and began to trot away from them across the scrubby patch of ground that rose to meet the rocky foot of the mountain. Harry, Ron, and Hermione climbed over the stile and followed.**

**Sirius led them to the very foot of the mountain, where the ground was covered with boulders and rocks. It was easy for him, with his four paws, but Harry, Ron, and Hermione were soon out of breath.**

"Sorry. I didnt think of that." Sirius chuckled.

**They followed Sirius higher, up onto the mountain itself. For nearly half an hour they climbed a steep, winding, and stony path, following Sirius's wagging tail, sweating in the sun, the shoulder straps of Harry's bag cutting into his shoulders.**

**Then, at last, Sirius slipped out of sight, and when they reached the place where he had vanished, they saw a narrow fissure in the rock. They squeezed into it and found themselves in a cool, dimly lit cave. Tethered at the end of it, one end of his rope around a large rock, was Buckbeak the hippogriff. Half gray horse, half giant eagle, Buckbeak's fierce orange eye flashed at the sight of them. All three of them bowed low to him, and after regarding them imperiously for a moment, Buckbeak bent his scaly front knees and allowed Hermione to rush forward and stroke his feathery neck. Harry, however, was looking at the black dog, which had just turned into his godfather.**

**Sirius was wearing ragged gray robes; the same ones he had been wearing when he had left Azkaban. His black hair was longer than it had been when he had appeared in the fire, and it was untidy and matted once more. He looked very thin.**

Everyone beside Harry, Ron and Hermione shot Sirius worried looks.

"I travelled without stopping a lot." Sirius shrugged, "Didnt arrive at that cave until the day before so I wasnt really feeling up to fixing my appearance."

**"Chicken!" he said hoarsely after removing the old Daily Prophets from his mouth and throwing them down onto the cave floor.**

**Harry pulled open his bag and handed over the bundle of chicken legs and bread.**

**"Thanks," said Sirius, opening it, grabbing a drumstick, sitting down on the cave floor, and tearing off a large chunk with his teeth. "I've been living off rats mostly."**

"Gross." James muttered.

**"Can't steal too much food from Hogsmeade; I'd draw attention to myself." He grinned up at Harry, but Harry returned the grin only reluctantly.**

**"What're you doing here, Sirius?" he said.**

**"Fulfilling my duty as godfather," said Sirius, gnawing on the chicken bone in a very doglike way.**

"Big surprise there." Remus said dryly.

**"Don't worry about it, I'm pretending to be a lovable stray." He was still grinning, but seeing the anxiety in Harry's face, said more seriously,**

"Sirius being serious? Impossible!" James exclaimed, making them chuckle a little.

**"I want to be on the spot. Your last letter... well, let's just say things are getting fishier. I've been stealing the paper every time someone throws one out, and by the looks of things, I'm not the only one who's getting worried."**

**He nodded at the yellowing Daily Prophets on the cave floor, and Ron picked them up and unfolded them. Harry, however, continued to stare at Sirius.**

**"What if they catch you? What if you're seen?"**

"It won't matter if I'm seen." Sirius said.

"I don't think people are just going to overlook an escaped convict, Sirius." Lily replied.

"Of course they won't. But if they see a lovable black stray, I doubt they'll even pay it any attention."

**"You three and Dumbledore are the only ones around here who know I'm an Animagus," said Sirius, shrugging, and continuing to devour the chicken leg.**

"Not true. Snape guessed." Harry sighed, "He just didn't know for sure."

"And I knew you were an Animagus, just not what until the next year." Draco supplied.

"How'd you know if I didn't know until the end of that year?" Cissy frowned.

"Lucius." he shrugged, "He knew something about it the whole time."

**Ron nudged Harry and passed him the Daily Prophets. There were two: The first bore the headline Mystery Illness of Bartemius Crouch, the second, Ministry Witch Still Missing - Minister of Magic Now Personally Involved.**

"That's going to be a huge help, I'm sure." Remus said, rolling his eyes.

**Harry scanned the story about Crouch. Phrases jumped out at him: hasn't been seen in public since November... house appears deserted... St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries decline comment... Ministry refuses to confirm rumors of critical illness...**

**"They're making it sound like he's dying," said Harry slowly. "But he can't be that ill if he managed to get up here..."**

Remus and Lily exchanged thoughtful looks, both trying to figure out what Crouch was up to.

**"My brother's Crouch's personal assistant," Ron informed Sirius. "He says Crouch is suffering from overwork."**

**"Mind you, he did look ill, last time I saw him up close," said Harry slowly, still reading the story. "The night my name came out of the goblet..."**

**"Getting his comeuppance for sacking Winky, isn't he?" said Hermione, an edge to her voice.**

**Ron rolled his eyes and Hermione glared at him.**

**She was stroking Buckbeak, who was crunching up Sirius's chicken bones. "I bet he wishes he hadn't done it now - bet he feels the difference now she's not there to look after him."**

**"Hermione's obsessed with house-elfs," Ron muttered to Sirius, casting Hermione a dark look. Sirius, however, looked interested.**

"Really?" Frank said, surprised.

**"Crouch sacked his house-elf?"**

**"Yeah, at the Quidditch World Cup," said Harry, and he launched into the story of the Dark Mark's appearance, and Winky being found with Harry's wand clutched in her hand, and Mr. Crouch's fury. When Harry had finished, Sirius was on his feet again and had started pacing up and down the cave.**

**"Let me get this straight," he said after a while, brandishing a fresh chicken leg. "You first saw the elf in the Top Box. She was saving Crouch a seat, right?"**

**"Right," said Harry, Ron, and Hermione together.**

**"But Crouch didn't turn up for the match?"**

**"No," said Harry. "I think he said he'd been too busy."**

**Sirius paced all around the cave in silence. Then he said, "Harry, did you check your pockets for your wand after you'd left the Top Box?"**

**"Erm..." Harry thought hard. "No," he said finally. "I didn't need to use it before we got in the forest. And then I put my hand in my pocket, and all that was in there were my Omnioculars."**

"Some help those were when the Death Eaters came." Harry muttered.

"At least you'd be able to see them from a distance." Ron snickered making Hermione whack the back of his head.

**He stared at Sirius. "Are you saying whoever conjured the Mark stole my wand in the Top Box?"**

**"It's possible," said Sirius.**

**"Winky didn't steal that wand!" Hermione insisted.**

"I didn't say she did." Sirius said defensively.

**"The elf wasn't the only one in that box," said Sirius, his brow furrowed as he continued to pace. "Who else was sitting behind you?"**

**"Loads of people," said Harry. "Some Bulgarian ministers... Cornelius Fudge... the Malfoys..."**

**"The Malfoys!" said Ron suddenly, so loudly that his voice echoed all around the cave, and Buckbeak tossed his head nervously. "I bet it was Lucius Malfoy!"**

"Lucius can't have taken it because that doesn't explain how it ended up with Winky." Cissy frowned, "And why would he steal Harry's wand anyway?"

"So his own couldn't be used against him and so Harry would be blamed." Draco frowned, "It seems like something he would do." he shrugged upon noticing the odd looks he was sent.

**"Anyone else?" said Sirius.**

**"No one," said Harry.**

**"Yes, there was, there was Ludo Bagman," Hermione reminded him.**

George shook his head, "Bagman has been helping Harry all this time, he wouldn't have taken his wand."

"And he was too busy announcing all the plays in the game." Fred added.

**"Oh yeah..."**

**"I don't know anything about Bagman except that he used to be Beater for the Wimbourne Wasps," said Sirius, still pacing. "What's he like?"**

**"He's okay," said Harry. "He keeps offering to help me with the Triwizard Tournament."**

**"Does he, now?" said Sirius, frowning more deeply. "I wonder why he'd do that?"**

**"Says he's taken a liking to me," said Harry.**

**"Hmm," said Sirius, looking thoughtful.**

**"We saw him in the forest just before the Dark Mark appeared," Hermione told Sirius. "Remember?" she said to Harry and Ron.**

**"Yeah, but he didn't stay in the forest, did he?" said Ron. "The moment we told him about the riot, he went off to the campsite."**

**"How d'you know?" Hermione shot back. "How d'you know where he Disapparated to?"**

**"Come off it," said Ron incredulously. "Are you saying you reckon Ludo Bagman conjured the Dark Mark?"**

**"It's more likely he did it than Winky," said Hermione stubbornly.**

**"Told you," said Ron, looking meaningfully at Sirius, "told you she's obsessed with house -"**

**But Sirius held up a hand to silence Ron.**

**"When the Dark Mark had been conjured, and the elf had been discovered holding Harry's wand, what did Crouch do?"**

**"Went to look in the bushes," said Harry, "but there wasn't anyone else there."**

**"Of course," Sirius muttered, pacing up and down, "of course, he'd want to pin it on anyone but his own elf... and then he sacked her?"**

**"Yes," said Hermione in a heated voice, "he sacked her, just because she hadn't stayed in her tent and let herself get trampled -"**

"The fact that she was the prime suspect of conjuring the Dark Mark had nothing to do with it, I'm sure." Remus said wryly.

**"Hermione, will you give it a rest with the elf!" said Ron.**

**Sirius shook his head and said, "She's got the measure of Crouch better than you have, Ron. If you want to know what a mans like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals."**

"Wow, Sirius." Alice said, "Did you actually say something intelligent?"

"It's been known to happen occasionally." Sirius replied.

"No, it hasn't!" Remus teased, "You just got lucky." Sirius huffed.

"You were told that when you were 7 years old, Sirius." Regulus reminded him.

"By who?"

"By the same person who was trying to get you to be nice to Kreacher and the same person who congratulated you for saying there was nothing wrong with Muggleborns at one of those functions." Andy smirked.

"Oh it was you then." Sirius chuckled, "I wasn't exactly sure but I knew I had been told it once."

Andy nodded, "I was told something similar by Uncle Alphard, I figured it was something you'd think about. Apparently not from what I've been told about how you treated Kreacher." she frowned, he flushed slightly.

**He ran a hand over his unshaven face, evidently thinking hard.**

**"All these absences of Barty Crouch's... he goes to the trouble of making sure his house-elf saves him a seat at the Quidditch World Cup, but doesn't bother to turn up and watch. He works very hard to reinstate the Triwizard Tournament, and then stops coming to that too... It's not like Crouch. If he's ever taken a day off work because of illness before this, I'll eat Buckbeak."**

"No I wouldnt. That'd be bad because Buckbeak would probably kill me before I had the chance and that's just sick... No idea why I said it." Sirius muttered.

**"D'you know Crouch, then?" said Harry.**

**Sirius's face darkened. He suddenly looked as menacing as he had the night when Harry first met him, the night when Harry still believed Sirius to be a murderer.**

**"Oh I know Crouch all right," he said quietly. "He was the one who gave the order for me to be sent to Azkaban - without a trial."**

**"What?" said Ron and Hermione together.**

**"You're kidding!" said Harry.**

**"No, I'm not," said Sirius, taking another great bite of chicken. "Crouch used to be Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, didn't you know?"**

**Harry, Ron, and Hermione shook their heads.**

Harry felt a tugging on his t-shirt and looked down to see Teddy had finished his milk and was looking at the memory curiously.

"'Dat?" he asked pointing at memory Sirius. Harry looked at Remus for help.

"It's your Uncle Padfoot, Teddy." Remus said, "This one." he pointed at Sirius who grinned.

"Unca Pa'foot?" Teddy asked looking confusedly between the older and younger versions of Sirius.

"That's what he used to look like." Dora explained. "He used magic to look different."

Teddy seemed to accept this and he put his head on Harry's shoulder and fell asleep.

"He probably won't remember Sirius looking like that when he's older." Harry smiled, "Good thinking telling him it was magic that changed Sirius's looks, he at least understands that a little."

"Technically it was." Dora shrugged, Sirius nodded in agreement.

**"He was tipped for the next Minister of Magic," said Sirius. "He's a great wizard, Barty Crouch, powerfully magical - and power-hungry. Oh never a Voldemort supporter," he said, reading the look on Harry's face. "No, Barty Crouch was always very outspoken against the Dark Side. But then a lot of people who were against the Dark Side... well, you wouldn't understand... you're too young..."**

**"That's what my dad said at the World Cup," said Ron, with a trace of irritation in his voice. "Try us, why don't you?"**

The Marauders grinned.

**A grin flashed across Sirius's thin face.**

**"All right, I'll try you..." He walked once up the cave, back again, and then said, "Imagine that Voldemort's powerful now. You don't know who his supporters are, you don't know who's working for him and who isn't; you know he can control people so that they do terrible things without being able to stop themselves. You're scared for yourself, and your family, and your friends. Every week, news comes of more deaths, more disappearances, more torturing... the Ministry of Magic's in disarray, they don't know what to do, they're trying to keep everything hidden from the Muggles, but meanwhile, Muggles are dying too. Terror everywhere... panic... confusion... that's how it used to be."**

"And it was worse before May this year." Neville muttered, those who knew this nodded in agreement. Everyone who hadn't known this groaned, looking worried.

**"Well, times like that bring out the best in some people and the worst in others. Crouch's principles might've been good in the beginning - I wouldn't know. He rose quickly through the Ministry, and he started ordering very harsh measures against Voldemort's supporters. The Aurors were given new powers - powers to kill rather than capture, for instance. And I wasn't the only one who was handed straight to the dementors without trial. Crouch fought violence with violence, and authorized the use of the Unforgivable Curses against suspects. I would say he became as ruthless and cruel as many on the Dark Side. He had his supporters, mind you - plenty of people thought he was going about things the right way, and there were a lot of witches and wizards clamoring for him to take over as Minister of Magic. When Voldemort disappeared, it looked like only a matter of time until Crouch got the top job. But then something rather unfortunate happened..." Sirius smiled grimly. "Crouch's own son was caught with a group of Death Eaters who'd managed to talk their way out of Azkaban. Apparently they were trying to find Voldemort and return him to power."**

**"Crouch's son was caught?" gasped Hermione.**

**"Yep," said Sirius, throwing his chicken bone to Buckbeak, flinging himself back down on the ground beside the loaf of bread, and tearing it in half. "Nasty little shock for old Barty, I'd imagine. Should have spent a bit more time at home with his family, shouldn't he? Ought to have left the office early once in a while... gotten to know his own son."**

**He began to wolf down large pieces of bread.**

**"Was his son a Death Eater?" said Harry.**

**"No idea," said Sirius, still stuffing down bread. "I was in Azkaban myself when he was brought in. This is mostly stuff I've found out since I got out. The boy was definitely caught in the company of people I'd bet my life were Death Eaters - but he might have been in the wrong place at the wrong time, just like the house-elf."**

**"Did Crouch try and get his son off?" Hermione whispered.**

**Sirius let out a laugh that was much more like a bark.**

**"Crouch let his son off? I thought you had the measure of him, Hermione! Anything that threatened to tarnish his reputation had to go; he had dedicated his whole life to becoming Minister of Magic. You saw him dismiss a devoted house-elf because she associated him with the Dark Mark again - doesn't that tell you what he's like? Crouch's fatherly affection stretched just far enough to give his son a trial, and by all accounts, it wasn't much more than an excuse for Crouch to show how much he hated the boy... then he sent him straight to Azkaban."**

**"He gave his own son to the dementors?" asked Harry quietly.**

**"That's right," said Sirius, and he didn't look remotely amused now. "I saw the dementors bringing him in, watched them through the bars in my cell door. He can't have been more than nineteen. They took him into a cell near mine. He was screaming for his mother by nightfall. He went quiet after a few days, though... they all went quiet in the end... except when they shrieked in their sleep..."**

Everyone gave Sirius a worried looked.

**For a moment, the deadened look in Sirius's eyes became more pronounced than ever, as though shutters had closed behind them.**

**"So he's still in Azkaban?" Harry said.**

**"No," said Sirius dully. "No, he's not in there anymore. He died about a year after they brought him in."**

**"He died?"**

**"He wasn't the only one," said Sirius bitterly. "Most go mad in there, and plenty stop eating in the end. They lose the will to live. You could always tell when a death was coming, because the dementors could sense it, they got excited. That boy looked pretty sickly when he arrived. Crouch being an important Ministry member, he and his wife were allowed a deathbed visit. That was the last time I saw Barty Crouch, half carrying his wife past my cell. She died herself, apparently, shortly afterward. Grief. Wasted away just like the boy. Crouch never came for his son's body. The dementors buried him outside the fortress; I watched them do it."**

**Sirius threw aside the bread he had just lifted to his mouth and instead picked up the flask of pumpkin juice and drained it.**

**"So old Crouch lost it all, just when he thought he had it made," he continued, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. "One moment, a hero, poised to become Minister of Magic... next, his son dead, his wife dead, the family name dishonored, and, so I've heard since I escaped, a big drop in popularity. Once the boy had died, people started feeling a bit more sympathetic toward the son and started asking how a nice young lad from a good family had gone so badly astray. The conclusion was that his father never cared much for him."**

"And it probably didn't help that Crouch held the trial to 'show his hate' of his son." Charlie frowned, "Still think he's a decent man Perce?"

"No." Percy admitted sulkily.

**"So Cornelius Fudge got the top job, and Crouch was shunned sideways into the Department of International Magical Cooperation."**

**There was a long silence. Harry was thinking of the way Crouch's eyes had bulged as he'd looked down at his disobedient house-elf back in the wood at the Quidditch World Cup. This, then, must have been why Crouch had overreacted to Winky being found beneath the Dark Mark. It had brought back memories of his son, and the old scandal, and his fall from grace at the Ministry.**

**"Moody says Crouch is obsessed with catching Dark wizards," Harry told Sirius.**

**"Yeah, but so is Moody."**

**"Then he would know."**

**"Yeah, I've heard it's become a bit of a mania with him," said Sirius, nodding. "If you ask me, he still thinks he can bring back the old popularity by catching one more Death Eater."**

**"And he sneaked up here to search Snape's office!" said Ron triumphantly, looking at Hermione.**

**"Yes, and that doesn't make sense at all," said Sirius.**

**"Yeah, it does!" said Ron excitedly, but Sirius shook his head.**

**"Listen, if Crouch wants to investigate Snape, why hasn't he been coming to judge the tournament? It would be an ideal excuse to make regular visits to Hogwarts and keep an eye on him."**

**"So you think Snape could be up to something, then?" asked Harry, but Hermione broke in.**

**"Look, I don't care what you say, Dumbledore trusts Snape -"**

**"Oh give it a rest, Hermione," said Ron impatiently. "I know Dumbledores brilliant and everything, but that doesn't mean a really clever Dark wizard couldn't fool him -"**

**"Why did Snape save Harry's life in the first year, then?"**

"Anyone else still think that was weird?" Sirius asked. Everyone who had been there nodded.

**"Why didn't he just let him die?"**

**"I dunno - maybe he thought Dumbledore would kick him out -"**

**"What d'you think, Sirius?" Harry said loudly, and Ron and Hermione stopped bickering to listen.**

**"I think they've both got a point," said Sirius, looking thoughtfully at Ron and Hermione. "Ever since I found out Snape was teaching here, I've wondered why Dumbledore hired him. Snape's always been fascinated by the Dark Arts, he was famous for it at school. Slimy, oily, greasy-haired kid, he was," Sirius added, and Harry and Ron grinned at each other. "Snape knew more curses when he arrived at school than half the kids in seventh year, and he was part of a gang of Slytherins who nearly all turned out to be Death Eaters."**

"Hey!" Regulus protested, "That was mostly your fault! You goaded him so much he called Lily a you-know-what and she didn't forgive him, what else was he supposed to do?!"

"He does have a point." Lily told the Marauders, "But he'd been hanging around the wrong sort of people for months before that incident, I told him I didn't like those people but I wouldn't stop him talking to his own house mates. I was getting sick of him studying Dark Magic's, I told him that too, I thought he'd get the message that if he didn't stop studying the Dark Arts that as soon as he gave me a reason to, I'd stop talking to him."

"Lily's right, she'd told me about that when we were studying one day just before the O.W.L's." Remus nodded, "I'd left those two to their own devices and they managed to get themselves in trouble with a group of Slytherin's a year or two above us and a few in our year, including Severus." he shook his head.

James sighed, "What we did to him was stupid and wrong but half the time he started it."

"We'll discuss this later." Harry cut in as Sirius was about to speak, "Now's not the time."

The Marauders, Lily and Regulus nodded.

**Sirius held up his fingers and began ticking off names.**

**"Rosier and Wilkes - they were both killed by Aurors the year before Voldemort fell. The Lestranges - they're a married couple - they're in Azkaban. Avery – from what I've heard he wormed his way out of trouble by saying he'd been acting under the Imperius Curse - he's still at large. But as far as I know, Snape was never even accused of being a Death Eater - not that that means much. Plenty of them were never caught. And Snape's certainly clever and cunning enough to keep himself out of trouble."**

**"Snape knows Karkaroff pretty well, but he wants to keep that quiet," said Ron.**

**"Yeah, you should've seen Snape's face when Karkaroff turned up in Potions yesterday!" said Harry quickly. "Karkaroff wanted to talk to Snape, he says Snape's been avoiding him. Karkaroff looked really worried. He showed Snape something on his arm, but I couldn't see what it was."**

**"He showed Snape something on his arm?" said Sirius, looking frankly bewildered. He ran his fingers distractedly through his filthy hair, then shrugged again. "Well, I've no idea what that's about..."**

"You don't?" Regulus asked, confused.

"I did. I wasn't exactly going to worry those three and add another thing for them to be scared of." Sirius shrugged.

"We could have handled anything you told us." Harry pouted.

"I had no idea what you had already been through. How was I supposed to know?" Sirius retorted.

**"but if Karkaroff's genuinely worried, and he's going to Snape for answers…"**

**Sirius stared at the cave wall, then made a grimace of frustration.**

**"There's still the fact that Dumbledore trusts Snape, and I know Dumbledore trusts where a lot of other people wouldn't, but I just can't see him letting Snape teach at Hogwarts if he'd ever worked for Voldemort."**

**"Unless he had a really good reason."**

**"Why are Moody and Crouch so keen to get into Snape's office then?" said Ron stubbornly.**

"Mad-Eye is extremely paranoid anyway. He's probably had everyone checked out." Remus said.

"He didnt." Minerva chuckled. "Though not for lack of trying."

**"Well," said Sirius slowly, "I wouldn't put it past Mad-Eye to have searched every single teacher's office when he got to Hogwarts. He takes his Defense Against the Dark Arts seriously, Moody. I'm not sure he trusts anyone at all, and after the things he's seen, it's not surprising. I'll say this for Moody, though, he never killed if he could help it. Always brought people in alive where possible. He was tough, but he never descended to the level of the Death Eaters. Crouch, though... he's a different matter... is he really ill? If he is, why did he make the effort to drag himself up to Snape's office? And if he's not... what's he up to? What was he doing at the World Cup that was so important he didn't turn up in the Top Box? What's he been doing while he should have been judging the tournament?"**

**Sirius lapsed into silence, still staring at the cave wall. Buckbeak was ferreting around on the rocky floor, looking for bones he might have overlooked. Finally, Sirius looked up at Ron.**

**"You say your brother's Crouch's personal assistant? Any chance you could ask him if he's seen Crouch lately?"**

**"I can try," said Ron doubtfully. "Better not make it sound like I reckon Crouch is up to anything dodgy, though. Percy loves Crouch."**

**"And you might try and find out whether they've got any leads on Bertha Jorkins while you're at it," said Sirius, gesturing to the second copy of the Daily Prophet.**

**"Bagman told me they hadn't," said Harry.**

**"Yes, he's quoted in the article in there," said Sirius, nodding at the paper. "Blustering on about how bad Bertha's memory is. Well, maybe she's changed since I knew her, but the Bertha I knew wasn't forgetful at all - quite the reverse. She was a bit dim, but she had an excellent memory for gossip. It used to get her into a lot of trouble; she never knew when to keep her mouth shut. I can see her being a bit of a liability at the Ministry of Magic... maybe that's why Bagman didn't bother to look for her for so long..."**

**Sirius heaved an enormous sigh and rubbed his shadowed eyes.**

**"What's the time?"**

**Harry checked his watch, then remembered it hadn't been working since it had spent over an hour in the lake.**

**"It's half past three," said Hermione.**

**"You'd better get back to school," Sirius said, getting to his feet.**

**"Now listen..." He looked particularly hard at Harry. "I don't want you lot sneaking out of school to see me, all right? Just send notes to me here. I still want to hear about anything odd. But you're not to go leaving Hogwarts without permission; it would be an ideal opportunity for someone to attack you."**

**"No one's tried to attack me so far, except a dragon and a couple of grindylows," Harry said, but Sirius scowled at him.**

**"I don't care... I'll breathe freely again when this tournament's over, and that's not until June. And don't forget, if you're talking about me among yourselves, call me Snuffles, okay?"**

"Okay Snuffles." the Golden Trio grinned. Sirius growled at them.

**He handed Harry the empty napkin and flask and went to pat Buckbeak good-bye.**

**"I'll walk to the edge of the village with you," said Sirius, "see if I can scrounge another paper."**

**He transformed into the great black dog before they left the cave, and they walked back down the mountainside with him, across the boulder-strewn ground, and back to the stile. Here he allowed each of them to pat him on the head, before turning and setting off at a run around the outskirts of the village. Harry, Ron, and Hermione made their way back into Hogsmeade and up toward Hogwarts.**

**"Wonder if Percy knows all that stuff about Crouch?" Ron said as they walked up the drive to the castle. "But maybe he doesn't care... It'd probably just make him admire Crouch even more. Yeah, Percy loves rules. He'd just say Crouch was refusing to break them for his own son."**

**"Percy would never throw any of his family to the dementors," said Hermione severely.**

"Thank you Hermione. I would never do anything like that." Percy smiled.

**"I don't know," said Ron. "If he thought we were standing in the way of his career... Percy's really ambitious, you know..."**

"Not that ambitious." Percy scowled.

**They walked up the stone steps into the entrance hall, where the delicious smells of dinner wafted toward them from the Great Hall.**

**"Poor old Snuffles," said Ron, breathing deeply. "He must really like you. Harry... Imagine having to live off rats."**

"I would do anything to keep Harry safe." Sirius grinned. "And at least a bit happy." Harry grinned at his godfather.

"Thanks Snuffles. That's the end of the memory. Are you two still having that re-match?" he asked Ginny and Charlie.

"Of course." they both said.

"Then we'll leave the memories until after lunch and you can have your re-match now." he decided as Teddy stirred from the half-nap he'd fallen into and looked around as they went outside.

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><p>Review please x<p> 


	38. Chapter 38

Sorry if this chapter seems a bit short - especially the mini-contest between Ginny and Charlie - I'm still working on how to write up things like Quidditch matches, duelling etc since any I've done so far are way too repetitive and tend to be rather rubbish (according to my proof-reader anyway) so its a work in progress, please bear with me. Enjoy! :-)

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><p>Chapter 38 - The Better Seeker.<p>

Once everyone, except the women who had gone to make lunch, was seated on chairs outside, Teddy on his father's knee, Ginny and Charlie went over to the shed at the end of the garden and got their brooms and a Snitch. Ron was going to be their referee so he followed too.

When they came back Charlie and Ginny were looking determined.

"Right you're both getting blindfolded while the snitch is released so neither of you has an advantage. Especially you Ginny, Lycan senses and all that." Ron said taking his wand out, "Obscuro!" a blindfold appeared on Ginny and he repeated the process on Charlie.

Ron released the snitch and it flew straight up until it couldn't be seen. "Right you can take your blindfolds off." they did, "On your marks," they mounted their brooms, "Get set," they prepared to kick off, "Go!" the two immediately kicked off the ground and shot straight up Ginny turned to the left and Charlie to the right.

After a few minutes of the two circling above their audience Ginny shot straight down into a dive, rising with a triumphant yell just a few feet from the ground, Snitch clutched in her hand tightly.

"Ginny win's." Ron grinned, everyone cheered.

Once the two fliers were on the ground Ginny turned to Charlie, "Told you I'd just beat you again."

Charlie huffed, "You probably had Harry helping you."

"Nope. I wasn't helping." Harry smirked.

"He didn't help." Hermione confirmed, "We were talking through the pack bond so I would know if he did."

Charlie still looked sulky so Ginny hugged him, "Come on Charlie, cheer up. There's still plenty you can beat me at... Like with the dragons, you would know how to handle them and I wouldn't if one of us ran into one." she assured her brother.

"It's better being beat by your sister than it is being beat by someone else. That's what me and Daphne go by." Astoria shrugged, "Keeps us both happy."

Charlie reluctantly smiled, "I suppose it's my own fault for teaching little Fireball here how to seek." he looked at Ginny who was just a little taller than him. "Did I say little?" he chuckled, "You're taller than me now Ginny, did you know that?"

"Of course I did. I'm taller than Bill too."

Bill nodded, "We noticed that when I changed back to human for the first time after being made a Lycan. She's still taller despite the bit of height I got when I was changed."

"Doesn't it feel weird for you suddenly getting taller?" James asked, "I mean, you had to have stopped growing years ago, for most of you at least."

"A little." Bill admitted.

"We only felt the difference, but when we were changed by Death we were wolves instantly." Harry shrugged.

Ginny nodded her agreement. "You all had to find your wolves after being changed. So you probably felt it more." she told the other Lycans before changing into Misty, she was still as tall as Charlie even as a wolf.

"The biggest difference has to be Harry's height though." Ron commented smirking. "He used to be smaller than me."

Harry smirked, "And now I'm taller than all of you."

"Weirder for those of us whose last memories were of you as a toddler." James chuckled, "You were tiny then."

"About the height of Padfoot when he was lying down, just a bit taller, maybe shoulder height if he was sitting." Remus nodded. Sirius transformed and sat down to show the rough height of what Harry was at 1 year old.

"Really? I was that small?" Harry asked curiously before changing into Shadow.

"Yes you were. And now, even as a wolf, you're taller and probably stronger than the rest of us." James smiled.

Shadow, Misty and Padfoot all changed back just as Hermione walked out.

"Harry, Ginny, Poppy want's a word with you." she said, "She's on the Floo now."

"Thanks 'Mione." Harry said heading inside with Ginny behind him.

"And Ron?"

"Yes?"

"Your Mum wants to tell you something. I dont know what." she shrugged, Ron nodded and went inside. "So what are you lot up to?"

"Just telling Harry he was about the height of Padfoot siting down the last time I saw him." James shrugged, "It's still weird that one day he was a toddler and the next he's 18, engaged, about to start his own family and he's brought 7 people back from the dead."

"Not to mention all the other stuff he's done." Lily said as she and Alice walked out in time to hear James say this. "Like fighting a troll when he was 11, fighting Voldemort at the end of that year..."

"Fighting a Basilisk and Voldemort the year after that." Remus sighed.

"Putting up with Moony as a teacher for a year while thinking I was out to kill him." Sirius muttered, "And the events at the end of that year..."

"And then what he's put up with so far in his 4th." Hermione nodded, "It's hard to beleive but... When he properly grew up, when it was hard to get him to act his age and mess around that is, he was young, I cant tell you how young just yet but..."

"He was young." Arthur sighed, "Young enough to still be innocent when it comes to war but old enough to understand people die and people get hurt."

"Exactly. Harry grew up in a not so sheltered home. He knew bad things can happen to good people and whenever the three of us ended up in dangerous situations he could always think streight. I've never once seen him panic under any kind of threat."

"I have." Draco supplied, "He and Ron run as fast as they can when confronted with Love Potion."

"There's a reason behind that though." Hermione giggled, "In our 6th year almost every girl in the school were trying to sneak some Love Potion to Harry. That same year a girl who had been trying to get to Harry got Ron instead." she laughed, "Harry was terrified of the effects and power it had over people and Ron was just as bad." she smirked.

Ginny walked out as everyone was laughing.

"Telling them about the love potion?" she guessed, Hermione nodded, "Ah, there's a few fun stories behind that now. You should've heard the rumors."

"Most of them were Fred and I." George admitted, "Not of Harry though, just the rumors about Ron."

"Yeah, we'd never pick on Harry but Ron, being our younger brother, is fair game." Fred smirked.

"You two need to leave Ron alone." Arthur frowned, "As far as I know you've picked on him since he was old enough to understand what you were doing."

"That's true, it was always me who had to stop them." Ginny huffed. The twins looked a little guilty.

"Because everyone know's we'd never get you angry Gin-Gin, and... You could always tell us apart." Fred muttered, sighing.

"It's a good thing I figured it out. If it's the same with Casper and Jasper I'll have no problem telling them apart." she grinned.

"You have a point." George nodded, "So when are you bringing the little tykes home?"

"Um... I think it'll be after the memories are done at any rate, but it might be sooner. Harry and I still need to go get things for them, like furniture and clothes. Baby stuff and the likes."

"I think I know something that can help with that." Arthur commented, "Your Mother and I still have a few boxes of clothes from when Fred, George and Ron were babies, I know Casper and Jasper are smaller than what they were but some of it might help when they grow a little and it's all still in pretty good condition. Most of it's probably been used once and thats it, there's actually a box of unused clothes that were too small for them and never got used, so we kept them aside for future grandchildren." he explained, looking amused.

"That'd be great Dad." Ginny smiled. "I must say I'm surprised you lot aren't making a fuss about it. If I had told you this a year ago you would have protested." she looked at her brothers critically.

Bill shrugged, "You're old enough and smart enough to make your own decisions."

"All we want is our little sister to be safe and happy." Percy put in.

"A year ago we would have said you were too young." Fred admitted.

"Because 16 is a little too young to be engaged and to have children, adopted or not. But you're a legal adult now, we can't really stop you." George added.

"We know you can handle it Ginny." Charlie added, "And if you can't we'll all be here to help you."

Ginny was smiling now and she ran forward and hugged all of her brothers once each before running into the house.

"She'll be away to ask Ron. He always was more protective of her than the rest of us." Bill chuckled, looking amused.

"They were the closest growing up apart from us." George shrugged.

"And they're the closest in age too." Fred nodded, "Excluding the time between George and I, that is, since that's probably only a few minutes."

"5 minutes." Arthur told them, "Don't ask me which one of you was born first, I don't know." he added, "Neither of you had first names until you were at least 2 hours old."

"We didn't?" they inquired.

He shook his head, chuckling slightly, "We'd already agreed on your middle names, after Molly's twin brothers was an obvious choice, but we had no idea on first names." he admitted.

"Dad, what actually happened to Mum's brothers?" Charlie asked, "We know they died during the first war, and because of Death Eaters, but nothing else."

Arthur sighed, "They were on an Order mission and got ambushed. We don't know much more than that, other than they were told to scout an area somewhere in the country for a suspected Death Eater camp, it was rumoured they had a dragon so it had to be checked out. Your Mother and I weren't part of the Order officially then, we knew about it though, and babysitted kids during meetings if we weren't busy. With so many of you so young we didn't want to risk it, but we helped how we could." he smiled sadly, "But there isn't much known about your Uncle's deaths unfortunately..."

James spoke up, hesitating slightly, "Marlene was with them, I think." he glanced at Sirius.

The dog Animagus nodded, "Marlene McKinnon. She was also killed that day." he took a deep breath, "It was the same day her family was wiped out, every last McKinnon, even her brother Archie, he was only a 4-year-old."

"Just a kid." Bill shook his head sadly.

"It's one of the reasons your Mother and I stayed out of the fighting." Arthur stated, "Bill, you were only 11 when the war ended, still in your 1st year of Hogwarts. Molly had just had Ginny that August, it was just too risky for us to fight." he shook his head.

"It's understandable." James told him, smiling understandingly, "Lily and I only fought because Voldemort had a personal vendetta against us. Obviously we didn't fight when Harry arrived unless we had to, even Sirius and Remus stopped fighting as much."

Sirius nodded, "I vowed to myself I'd always be there for Harry. Guess I failed pretty badly at that." he winced.

"You couldn't help it mate." George told him, "It's not your fault you were framed."

"If its anyone's fault its Pettigrew and Crouch's." Fred nodded.

"I suppose." he shrugged slightly, "Not much I can do about it now, except be there for him when I can."

"Cheer up mate, you still know him more than Lily and I do." James pointed out, "Or at least you've known him longer." he smiled sadly.

"If it makes you feel any better, I think we're all just starting to get to know the real him this month." Charlie told them.

Bill nodded, "We thought we knew him, hell Ron's our brother and we've learned more about him so far this month than in all his years before Hogwarts! The same applies for Harry, and Hermione too. We thought we knew them, what they'd done, what they'd been through etc but I'd say we're just starting to learn the extent of that now."

"It's not just you learning things about them." Fred nodded, "It's the rest of us too."

"That's not all that reassuring, funnily enough." James said, raising an eyebrow, "I'd expect at least one adult to know them and all of what they've been through."

Arthur shrugged, "They're rather secretive. The only one I think that knows everything is Albus."

"No he doesn't Dad. That's why we've occasionally gone to Hogwarts so he can watch too." George pointed out, "We wouldn't really have to if he did know everything."

"Again that's not overly reassuring." James said wearily, "I'm dreading the rest of the memories to be honest."

"You're not the only one." Arthur muttered, "I had no idea about any of what my youngest son's been up to, except when he came back with Harry and Ginny after the Chamber incident." he shook his head, "And we were told, briefly, that he'd been involved with some incident and gotten hurt in his 1st year, same again the next time he landed in the hospital wing. We were never given specifics of how the events occurred."

"The only thing I knew about hasn't been covered yet." Sirius shrugged, "And that's only one event like that."

"Tell me one thing - if you know the answer that is - is it bad?" James asked the Weasley's.

They shared a look and it was Fred who spoke, "Define what you mean. Their 4th year or in general?"

"Both." he stated, "Their 4th year especially, since we already know Voldemort returns that year."

They shared a look again, "Well... Their 4th year was probably one of the worst besides last year." George said slowly, "In general..."

"We dont know." Bill told him, "As you know we don't know the full extent, but seeing the amount of scars the three of them have, I'd say it's fairly bad." he sighed, "And we only know about the scars that show up on their fur." he added, "There may be more that don't show up, we'll probably never know where all of them came from." he shrugged just as Molly called saying lunch was ready.

James sighed, "I thought as much." he muttered as they headed inside.

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><p>Review please x<p> 


	39. Chapter 39

Chapter 39 - Fourth Year (Part 13.5)

18, August. 1998. 1.00pm.

Everyone was sitting in the living room after finishing lunch, waiting on Harry changing the memory.

"Right, we got back to the castle after seeing Sirius and sent a letter straight to Percy asking about Crouch, he replied with he hadn't seen Crouch but he should have been trusted enough to know his own superiors writing." Harry looked at Percy who nodded, "Hermione started getting hate mail because of Rita Skeeter's articles. And we'll start with the summer term." he finished.

**The start of the summer term would normally have meant that Harry was training hard for the last Quidditch match of the season. This year, however, it was the third and final task in the Triwizard Tournament for which he needed to prepare, but he still didn't know what he would have to do. Finally, in the last week of May, Professor McGonagall held him back in Transfiguration.**

**"You are to go down to the Quidditch field tonight at nine o'clock. Potter," she told him. "Mr. Bagman will be there to tell the champions about the third task."**

**So at half past eight that night, Harry left Ron and Hermione in Gryffindor Tower and went downstairs. As he crossed the entrance hall, Cedric came up from the Hufflepuff common room.**

**"What d'you reckon it's going to be?" he asked Harry as they went together down the stone steps, out into the cloudy night. "Fleur keeps going on about underground tunnels; she reckons we've got to find treasure."**

"I was only guessing." Fleur shrugged.

"It was close." Harry told her.

**"That wouldn't be too bad," said Harry, thinking that he would simply ask Hagrid for a niffler to do the job for him.**

**They walked down the dark lawn to the Quidditch stadium, turned through a gap in the stands, and walked out onto the field.**

**"What've they done to it?" Cedric said indignantly, stopping dead.**

"What? What did they do?" James said, looking frantic, "They didn't mess it up, did they?"

"Be quiet and you'll see." Hermione suggested.

**The Quidditch field was no longer smooth and flat. It looked as though somebody had been building long, low walls all over it that twisted and crisscrossed in every direction.**

**"They're hedges!" said Harry, bending to examine the nearest one.**

"Is it a maze?" Amber asked.

Harry nodded.

"Its a-maze-ing isn't it?" the twins grinned, they all chuckled at the, albeit bad, pun.

**"Hello there!" called a cheery voice.**

**Ludo Bagman was standing in the middle of the field with Krum and Fleur. Harry and Cedric made their way toward them, climbing over the hedges. Fleur beamed at Harry as he came nearer. Her attitude toward him had changed completely since he had saved her sister from the lake.**

**"Well, what d'you think?" said Bagman happily as Harry and Cedric climbed over the last hedge. "Growing nicely, aren't they? Give them a month and Hagrid'll have them twenty feet high. Don't worry," he added, grinning, spotting the less-than-happy expressions on Harry's and Cedric's faces, "you'll have your Quidditch field back to normal once the task is over! Now, I imagine you can guess what we're making here?"**

**No one spoke for a moment. Then -**

**"Maze," grunted Krum.**

"He always was a man of many words, that Krum." James said.

Sirius grinned, "Almost like a troll."

Ron laughed and Hermione glared at him.

**"That's right!" said Bagman. "A maze. The third task's really very straightforward. The Triwizard Cup will be placed in the center of the maze. The first champion to touch it will receive full marks."**

**"We semply 'ave to get through the maze?" said Fleur.**

"I doubt that 'simply' is a good word to describe any Triwizard task." Remus said.

"Too true." Fleur and Harry both muttered.

**"There will be obstacles," said Bagman happily,**

"'Happily'?" Alice asked, "I think that man is enjoying this thing a little too much." she shook her head exasperatedly.

"You didnt have to deal with him in the flesh. Man practically radiated happiness." Harry rolled his eyes.

"It was like he was more ready to tell us we didn't have to do anything other than sit still for the third task." Fleur muttered, "Or zat the obstacles were ghosts telling boring stories and we only had to get passed them without falling asleep."

Harry chuckled, "Would've been easier, that's for one."

**bouncing on the balls of his feet. "Hagrid is providing a number of creatures... then there will be spells that must be broken... all that sort of thing, you know. Now, the champions who are leading on points will get a head start into the maze." Bagman grinned at Harry and Cedric. "Then Mr. Krum will enter... then Miss Delacour. But you'll all be in with a fighting chance, depending how well you get past the obstacles. Should be fun, eh?"**

"Oh, yes, tremendously so." Harry said sarcastically, rolling his eyes.

"Nothing like a dangerous killer maze to brighten your day after all." Fleur added, also rolling her eyes, "Honestly, couldn't he have at least hid his enthusiasm a little? He's not the one zat had to go in there."

"I agree with you completely." he told her, smiling weakly.

**Harry, who knew only too well the kind of creatures that Hagrid was likely to provide for an event like this, thought it was unlikely to be any fun at all. However, he nodded politely like the other champions.**

**"Very well... if you haven't got any questions, we'll go back up to the castle, shall we, it's a bit chilly..."**

**Bagman hurried alongside Harry as they began to wend their way out of the growing maze. Harry had the feeling that Bagman was going to start offering to help him again, but just then, Krum tapped Harry on the shoulder.**

**"Could I haff a vord?"**

**"Yeah, all right," said Harry, slightly surprised.**

**"Vill you valk vith me?"**

The Marauders all looked a little suspicious.

**"Okay," said Harry curiously.**

**Bagman looked slightly perturbed.**

**"I'll wait for you. Harry, shall I?"**

"No, he's perfectly capable of finding his way back to the castle he's lived in for three years on his own, thanks." James said, rolling his eyes.

Harry snorted and gestured the pensive when he received curious looks.

**"No, it's okay, Mr. Bagman," said Harry, suppressing a smile, "I think I can find the castle on my own, thanks."**

James gave his son an amused look as the others chuckled at the similarity.

**Harry and Krum left the stadium together, but Krum did not set a course for the Durmstrang ship. Instead, he walked toward the forest.**

"That doesn't sound good..." Remus trailed off.

**"What're we going this way for?" said Harry as they passed Hagrid's cabin and the illuminated Beauxbatons carriage.**

**"Don't vont to be overheard," said Krum shortly.**

**When at last they had reached a quiet stretch of ground a short way from the Beauxbatons horses' paddock, Krum stopped in the shade of the trees and turned to face Harry.**

**"I vant to know," he said, glowering,**

"'Glowering'? Is that really necessary?" Draco asked.

**"vot there is between you and Hermy-own-ninny."**

**Harry, who from Krum's secretive manner had expected something much more serious than this, stared up at Krum in amazement.**

**"Nothing," he said. But Krum glowered at him, and Harry, somehow struck anew by how tall Krum was, elaborated. "We're friends. She's not my girlfriend and she never has been. It's just that Skeeter woman making things up."**

**"Hermy-own-ninny talks about you very often," said Krum, looking suspiciously at Harry.**

"Maybe because he's practically my brother?" Hermione grinned at Harry who grinned back.

**"Yeah," said Harry, "because were friends."**

**He couldn't quite believe he was having this conversation with Viktor Krum, the famous International Quidditch player. It was as though the eighteen-year-old Krum thought he Harry, was an equal - a real rival -**

**"You haff never... you haff not..."**

**"No," said Harry very firmly.**

**Krum looked slightly happier. He stared at Harry for a few seconds, then said, "You fly very veil. I vos votching at the first task."**

**"Thanks," said Harry, grinning broadly and suddenly feeling much taller himself. "I saw you at the Quidditch World Cup. The Wronski Feint, you really -"**

**But something moved behind Krum in the trees, and Harry, who had some experience of the sort of thing that lurked in the forest, instinctively grabbed Krum's arm and pulled him around.**

**"Vot is it?"**

**Harry shook his head, staring at the place where he'd seen movement.**

"Don't just stand there." Lily said, shaking her head.

**He slipped his hand inside his robes, reaching for his wand.**

**Suddenly a man staggered out from behind a tall oak. For a moment, Harry didn't recognize him... then he realized it was Mr. Crouch.**

"Crouch?" Remus said. "What's he doing there?"

**He looked as though he had been traveling for days. The knees of his robes were ripped and bloody, his face scratched; he was unshaven and gray with exhaustion. His neat hair and mustache were both in need of a wash and a trim. His strange appearance, however, was nothing to the way he was behaving. Muttering and gesticulating, Mr. Crouch appeared to be talking to someone that he alone could see.**

"Someone's became a bit of a nutter." Fred smirked.

Harry cringed slightly, but it was enough that they all noticed, "Just watch."

**He reminded Harry vividly of an old tramp he had seen once when out shopping with the Dursleys. That man too had been conversing wildly with thin air; Aunt Petunia had seized Dudley's hand and pulled him across the road to avoid him; Uncle Vernon had then treated the family to a long rant about what he would like to do with beggars and vagrants.**

**"Vosn't he a judge?" said Krum, staring at Mr. Crouch. "Isn't he vith your Ministry?"**

**Harry nodded, hesitated for a moment, then walked slowly toward Mr. Crouch, who did not look at him, but continued to talk to a nearby tree.**

"What is wrong with him?" Minerva frowned.

**"... and when you've done that, Weatherby,"**

"Percy?" Sirius said, laughing.

**"send an owl to Dumbledore confirming the number of Durmstrang students who will be attending the tournament, Karkaroff has just sent word there will be twelve..."**

"And now he's having memory issues. That was orders he gave me when I first started working at the Ministry." Percy frowned.

**"Mr. Crouch?" said Harry cautiously.**

**"... and then send another owl to Madame Maxime, because she might want to up the number of students she's bringing, now Karkaroff's made it a round dozen... do that, Weatherby, will you? Will you? Will..."**

**Mr. Crouch's eyes were bulging. He stood staring at the tree, muttering soundlessly at it. Then he staggered sideways and fell to his knees.**

**"Mr. Crouch?" Harry said loudly. "Are you all right?"**

"Clearly not." Ron muttered.

**Crouch's eyes were rolling in his head. Harry looked around at Krum, who had followed him into the trees, and was looking down at Crouch in alarm.**

**"Vot is wrong with him?"**

**"No idea," Harry muttered. "Listen, you'd better go and get someone -"**

**"Dumbledore!" gasped Mr. Crouch. He reached out and seized a handful of Harry's robes, dragging him closer, though his eyes were staring over Harry's head. "I need... see... Dumbledore..."**

**"Okay," said Harry, "if you get up, Mr. Crouch, we can go up to the-"**

**"I've done... stupid... thing..." Mr. Crouch breathed. He looked utterly mad. His eyes were rolling and bulging, and a trickle of spittle was sliding down his chin. Every word he spoke seemed to cost him a terrible effort. "Must... tell... Dumbledore..."**

"It looks like he's fighting something..." James frowned.

"Like he's fighting the Imperious." Frank added, eyes widening. He looked towards Harry, who reluctantly nodded in confirmation.

"He was." he said, "I'm not telling you anything else about it."

**"Get up, Mr. Crouch," said Harry loudly and clearly. "Get up, I'll take you to Dumbledore!"**

**Mr. Crouch's eyes rolled forward onto Harry.**

**"Who... you?" he whispered.**

**"I'm a student at the school," said Harry, looking around at Krum for some help, but Krum was hanging back, looking extremely nervous.**

**"You're not... his?" whispered Crouch, his mouth sagging.**

**"No," said Harry, without the faintest idea what Crouch was talking about.**

**"Dumbledore's?"**

**"That's right," said Harry.**

**Crouch was pulling him closer; Harry tried to loosen Crouch's grip on his robes, but it was too powerful.**

**"Warn... Dumbledore..."**

**"I'll get Dumbledore if you let go of me," said Harry. "Just let go, Mr. Crouch, and I'll get him..."**

**"Thank you, Weatherby, and when you have done that, I would like a cup of tea. My wife and son will be arriving shortly, we are attending a concert tonight with Mr. and Mrs. Fudge."**

"That doesn't even make sense." Arthur commented, "Percy was only 7 when Crouch's wife and son died, 9 when Fudge's wife died."

**Crouch was now talking fluently to a tree again, and seemed completely unaware that Harry was there, which surprised Harry so much he didn't notice that Crouch had released him.**

**"Yes, my son has recently gained twelve O.W.L.S, most satisfactory, yes, thank you, yes, very proud indeed. Now, if you could bring me that memo from the Andorran Minister of Magic, I think I will have time to draft a response..."**

**"You stay here with him!" Harry said to Krum. "I'll get Dumbledore, I'll be quicker, I know where his office is -"**

**"He is mad," said Krum doubtfully, staring down at Crouch, who was still gabbling to the tree, apparently convinced it was Percy.**

**"Just stay with him," said Harry, starting to get up, but his movement seemed to trigger another abrupt change in Mr. Crouch, who seized him hard around the knees and pulled Harry back to the ground.**

**"Don't... leave... me!" he whispered, his eyes bulging again. "I... escaped... must warn... must tell... see Dumbledore... my fault... all my fault... Bertha... dead... all my fault... my son... my fault... tell Dumbledore... Harry Potter... the Dark Lord... stronger… Harry Potter..."**

"So, it's his fault Bertha's dead, something about his son, about Harry and Voldemort is getting stronger? That's lovely." Lily muttered sarcastically.

**"I'll get Dumbledore if you let me go, Mr. Crouch!" said Harry. He looked furiously around at Krum. "Help me, will you?"**

**Looking extremely apprehensive, Krum moved forward and squatted down next to Mr. Crouch.**

**"Just keep him here," said Harry, pulling himself free of Mr. Crouch. "I'll be back with Dumbledore."**

**"Hurry, von't you?" Krum called after him as Harry sprinted away from the forest and up through the dark grounds. They were deserted; Bagman, Cedric, and Fleur had disappeared. Harry tore up the stone steps, through the oak front doors, and off up the marble staircase, toward the second floor.**

**Five minutes later he was hurtling toward a stone gargoyle standing halfway along an empty corridor.**

**"Sher - sherbet lemon!" he panted at it.**

**This was the password to the hidden staircase to Dumbledore's office - or at least, it had been two years ago. The password had evidently changed, however, for the stone gargoyle did not spring to life and jump aside, but stood frozen, glaring at Harry malevolently.**

**"Move!" Harry shouted at it. "C'mon!"**

**But nothing at Hogwarts had ever moved just because he shouted at it; he knew it was no good. He looked up and down the dark corridor. Perhaps Dumbledore was in the staffroom? He started running as fast as he could toward the staircase -**

**"POTTER!"**

**Harry skidded to a halt and looked around. Snape had just emerged from the hidden staircase behind the stone gargoyle.**

"Now is really not the time."

**The wall was sliding shut behind him even as he beckoned Harry back toward him.**

**"What are you doing here, Potter?"**

**"I need to see Professor Dumbledore!" said Harry, running back up the corridor and skidding to a standstill in front of Snape instead. "It's Mr. Crouch... he's just turned up... he's in the forest... he's asking -"**

**"What is this rubbish?" said Snape, his black eyes glittering. "What are you talking about?"**

**"Mr. Crouch!" Harry shouted. "From the Ministry! He's ill or something - he's in the forest, he wants to see Dumbledore! Just give me the password up to -"**

**"The headmaster is busy Potter," said Snape, his thin mouth curling into an unpleasant smile.**

**"I've got to tell Dumbledore!" Harry yelled.**

**"Didn't you hear me, Potter?"**

**Harry could tell Snape was thoroughly enjoying himself, denying Harry the thing he wanted when he was so panicky.**

**"Look," said Harry angrily, "Crouch isn't right - he's - he's out of his mind - he says he wants to warn -"**

**The stone wall behind Snape slid open. Dumbledore was standing there, wearing long green robes and a mildly curious expression. "Is there a problem?" he said, looking between Harry and Snape.**

**"Professor!" Harry said, sidestepping Snape before Snape could speak,**

James nodded in approval.

**"Mr. Crouch is here - he's down in the forest, he wants to speak to you!"**

**Harry expected Dumbledore to ask questions, but to his relief, Dumbledore did nothing of the sort.**

**"Lead the way," he said promptly, and he swept off along the corridor behind Harry, leaving Snape standing next to the gargoyle and looking twice as ugly.**

Sirius and James snickered and leaned towards Harry, giving him a high-five each.

**"What did Mr. Crouch say, Harry?" said Dumbledore as they walked swiftly down the marble staircase.**

**"Said he wants to warn you... said he's done something terrible... he mentioned his son... and Bertha Jorkins... and - and Voldemort… something about Voldemort getting stronger..."**

**"Indeed," said Dumbledore, and he quickened his pace as they hurried out into the pitch-darkness.**

**"He's not acting normally," Harry said, hurrying along beside Dumbledore. "He doesn't seem to know where he is. He keeps talking like he thinks Percy Weasley's"**

"Weatherby, you mean." George smirked.

**"there, and then he changes, and says he needs to see you… I left him with Viktor Krum."**

**"You did?" said Dumbledore sharply, and he began to take longer strides still, so that Harry was running to keep up. "Do you know if anybody else saw Mr. Crouch?"**

**"No," said Harry. "Krum and I were talking, Mr. Bagman had just finished telling us about the third task, we stayed behind, and then we saw Mr. Crouch coming out of the forest -"**

**"Where are they?" said Dumbledore as the Beauxbatons carriage emerged from the darkness.**

**"Over here," said Harry, moving in front of Dumbledore, leading the way through the trees. He couldn't hear Crouch's voice anymore, but he knew where he was going; it hadn't been much past the Beauxbatons carriage... somewhere around here...**

**"Viktor?" Harry shouted.**

**No one answered.**

**"They were here," Harry said to Dumbledore. "They were definitely somewhere around here..."**

**"Lumos," Dumbledore said, lighting his wand and holding it up.**

**Its narrow beam traveled from black trunk to black trunk, illuminating the ground. And then it fell upon a pair of feet.**

**Harry and Dumbledore hurried forward. Krum was sprawled on the forest floor. He seemed to be unconscious.**

"What happened?" Amber asked.

**There was no sign at all of Mr. Crouch. Dumbledore bent over Krum and gently lifted one of his eyelids.**

**"Stunned," he said softly. His half-moon glasses glittered in the wandlight as he peered around at the surrounding trees.**

**"Should I go and get someone?" said Harry. "Madam Pomfrey?"**

**"No," said Dumbledore swiftly. "Stay here."**

**He raised his wand into the air and pointed it in the direction of Hagrid's cabin. Harry saw something silvery dart out of it and streak away through the trees like a ghostly bird. Then Dumbledore bent over Krum again, pointed his wand at him, and muttered, "Rennervate!"**

**Krum opened his eyes. He looked dazed. When he saw Dumbledore, he tried to sit up, but Dumbledore put a hand on his shoulder and made him lie still.**

**"He attacked me!" Krum muttered, putting a hand up to his head. "The old madman attacked me! I vos looking around to see vare Potter had gone and he attacked from behind!"**

"Well... if it was behind, couldn't it have been someone else who attacked Krum and he just assumed it was Crouch?" Neville pointed out.

**"Lie still for a moment," Dumbledore said.**

**The sound of thunderous footfalls reached them, and Hagrid came panting into sight with Fang at his heels. He was carrying his crossbow.**

**"Professor Dumbledore!" he said, his eyes widening. "Harry - what the -?"**

**"Hagrid, I need you to fetch Professor Karkaroff," said Dumbledore. "His student has been attacked. When you've done that, kindly alert Professor Moody -"**

**"No need, Dumbledore," said a wheezy growl. "I'm here."**

**Moody was limping toward them, leaning on his staff, his wand lit.**

**"Damn leg," he said furiously. "Would've been here quicker... what's happened? Snape said something about Crouch -"**

**"Crouch?" said Hagrid blankly.**

"Isn't he supposed to be fetching Karkaroff?" Minerva asked looking amused.

"Yes he is." Harry chuckled.

**"Karkaroff, please, Hagrid!" said Dumbledore sharply.**

**"Oh yeah... right y'are, Professor..." said Hagrid, and he turned and disappeared into the dark trees, Fang trotting after him.**

**"I don't know where Barty Crouch is," Dumbledore told Moody, "but it is essential that we find him."**

**"I'm onto it," growled Moody, and he pulled out his wand and limped off into the forest.**

**Neither Dumbledore nor Harry spoke again until they heard the unmistakable sounds of Hagrid and Fang returning. Karkaroff was hurrying along behind them. He was wearing his sleek silver furs, and he looked pale and agitated.**

**"What is this?" he cried when he saw Krum on the ground and Dumbledore and Harry beside him. "What's going on?"**

**"I vos attacked!" said Krum, sitting up now and rubbing his head. "Mr. Crouch or votever his name -"**

**"Crouch attacked you? Crouch attacked you? The Triwizard judge?"**

"Oh no..."

**"Igor," Dumbledore began, but Karkaroff had drawn himself up, clutching his furs around him, looking livid.**

**"Treachery!" he bellowed, pointing at Dumbledore. "It is a plot! You and your Ministry of Magic have lured me here under false pretenses, Dumbledore! This is not an equal competition! First you sneak Potter into the tournament, though he is underage! Now one of your Ministry friends attempts to put my champion out of action! I smell double-dealing and corruption in this whole affair, and you, Dumbledore, you, with your talk of closer international wizarding links, of rebuilding old ties, of forgetting old differences - here's what I think of you!"**

**Karkaroff spat onto the ground at Dumbledore's feet.**

Furious shouts filled the room and it took a while before the memory was continued.

**In one swift movement, Hagrid seized the front of Karkaroff's furs, lifted him into the air, and slammed him against a nearby tree.**

"Yeah!" the twins cheered.

"Go Hagrid!" the Marauders yelled.

**"Apologize!" Hagrid snarled as Karkaroff gasped for breath, Hagrid's massive fist at his throat, his feet dangling in midair.**

**"Hagrid, no!" Dumbledore shouted, his eyes flashing.**

**Hagrid removed the hand pinning Karkaroff to the tree, and Karkaroff slid all the way down the trunk and slumped in a huddle at its roots; a few twigs and leaves showered down upon his head.**

**"Kindly escort Harry back up to the castle, Hagrid," said Dumbledore sharply.**

**Breathing heavily, Hagrid gave Karkaroff a glowering look.**

**"Maybe I'd better stay here. Headmaster..."**

**"You will take Harry back to school, Hagrid," Dumbledore repeated firmly. "Take him right up to Gryffindor Tower. And Harry - I want you to stay there. Anything you might want to do - any owls you might want to send - they can wait until morning, do you understand me?"**

**"Er - yes," said Harry, staring at him. How had Dumbledore known that, at that very moment, he had been thinking about sending Pigwidgeon straight to Sirius, to tell him what had happened?**

**"I'll leave Fang with yeh Headmaster," Hagrid said, staring menacingly at Karkaroff, who was still sprawled at the foot of the tree, tangled in furs and tree roots. "Stay, Fang. C'mon, Harry."**

**They marched in silence past the Beauxbatons carriage and up toward the castle.**

**"How dare he," Hagrid growled as they strode past the lake. "How dare he accuse Dumbledore. Like Dumbledore'd do anythin' like that. Like Dumbledore wanted you in the tournament in the firs' place. Worried! I dunno when I seen Dumbledore more worried than he's bin lately. An' you!" Hagrid suddenly said angrily to Harry, who looked up at him, taken aback. "What were yeh doin', wanderin' off with ruddy Krum? He's from Durmstrang, Harry! Coulda jinxed yeh right there, couldn he? Hasn' Moody taught yeh nothin'? 'Magine lettin him lure yeh off on yer own -"**

**"Krum's all right!" said Harry as they climbed the steps into the entrance hall. "He wasn't trying to jinx me, he just wanted to talk about Hermione -"**

**"I'll be havin' a few words with her, an' all," said Hagrid grimly, stomping up the stairs. "The less you lot 'ave ter do with these foreigners, the happier yeh'll be. Yeh can trust any of 'em."**

"Wasn't he being awfully friendly to Madame Maxime earlier?" Amber asked.

**"You were getting on all right with Madame Maxime," Harry said, annoyed.**

**"Don' you talk ter me abou' her!" said Hagrid, and he looked quite frightening for a moment. "I've got her number now! Tryin' ter get back in me good books, tryin' ter get me ter tell her what's comin in the third task. Ha! You can' trust any of'em!"**

**Hagrid was in such a bad mood, Harry was quite glad to say good-bye to him in front of the Fat Lady. He clambered through the portrait hole into the common room and hurried straight for the corner where Ron and Hermione were sitting, to tell them what had happened.**

"That's the end of that memory." Harry sighed, "Moving on."

* * *

><p>Review please x<p> 


	40. Chapter 40

Chapter 40 - Fourth Year (Part 14)

18, August. 1998. 1.30pm.

"Starting just after I explained to Ron and Hermione about what happened. This is a long memory so get comfortable." Harry said.

**"It comes down to this," said Hermione, rubbing her forehead. "Either Mr. Crouch attacked Viktor, or somebody else attacked both of them when Viktor wasn't looking."**

**"It must've been Crouch," said Ron at once. "That's why he was gone when Harry and Dumbledore got there. He'd done a runner."**

"But why would he run? He sounded really desperate to talk to Dumbledore." Remus muttered.

**"I don't think so," said Harry, shaking his head. "He seemed really weak - I don't reckon he was up to Disapparating or anything."**

"That too." Sirius added.

"You can't Disapparate on Hogwarts grounds anyway." Lily said.

Remus nodded, "Honestly. It wouldn't kill you to read Hogwarts: A History."

"You don't know that." James pointed out.

"Yeah, Moony. You can never be too careful." Sirius smirked. Lily, Remus, Minerva and Hermione all looked exasperated, all four having read the book before.

**"You can't Disapparate on the Hogwarts grounds, haven't I told you enough times?" said Hermione.**

**"Okay... hows this for a theory," said Ron excitedly. "Krum attacked Crouch - no, wait for it - and then Stunned himself!"**

**"Why exactly would he do that?"**

**"It still wouldn't explain where Crouch went, even if that was the case."**

**"And Mr. Crouch evaporated, did he?" said Hermione coldly.**

**"Oh yeah..."**

**It was daybreak. Harry, Ron, and Hermione had crept out of their dormitories very early and hurried up to the Owlery together to send a note to Sirius.**

**Now they were standing looking out at the misty grounds. All three of them were puffy-eyed and pale because they had been talking late into the night about Mr. Crouch.**

**"Just go through it again, Harry," said Hermione. "What did Mr. Crouch actually say?"**

**"I've told you, he wasn't making much sense," said Harry. "He said he wanted to warn Dumbledore about something. He definitely mentioned Bertha Jorkins, and he seemed to think she was dead. He kept saying stuff was his fault... He mentioned his son."**

"Well, that was his fault." said Hermione testily.

"And pretty much the only part you could understand." Ron chuckled.

**"He was out of his mind," said Harry. "Half the time he seemed to think his wife and son were still alive, and he kept talking to Percy about work and giving him instructions."**

**"And... remind me what he said about You-Know-Who?" said Ron tentatively.**

**"I've told you," Harry repeated dully. "He said he's getting stronger."**

"Which is great news, of course." Sirius said dryly.

**There was a pause. Then Ron said in a falsely confident voice, "But he was out of his mind, like you said, so half of it was probably just raving..."**

**"He was sanest when he was trying to talk about Voldemort," said Harry, and Ron winced at the sound of the name. "He was having real trouble stringing two words together, but that was when he seemed to know where he was, and know what he wanted to do. He just kept saying he had to see Dumbledore."**

**Harry turned away from the window and stared up into the rafters. The many perches were half-empty; every now and then, another owl would swoop in through one of the windows, returning from its night's hunting with a mouse in its beak.**

**"If Snape hadn't held me up," Harry said bitterly, "we might've got there in time. 'The headmaster is busy. Potter... what's this rubbish, Potter?' Why couldn't he have just got out of the way?"**

**"Maybe he didn't want you to get there!" said Ron quickly. "Maybe - hang on - how fast d'you reckon he could've gotten down to the forest? D'you reckon he could've beaten you and Dumbledore there?"**

"Severus can't be the cause of every single bad thing that happens." Lily said, slightly irritated.

**"Not unless he can turn himself into a bat or something," said Harry.**

**"Wouldn't put it past him," Ron muttered.**

**"We need to see Professor Moody," said Hermione. "We need to find out whether he found Mr. Crouch."**

**"If he had the Marauder's Map on him, it would've been easy," said Harry.**

**"Unless Crouch was already outside the grounds," said Ron, "because it only shows up to the boundaries, doesn't -"**

**"Shh!" said Hermione suddenly.**

**Somebody was climbing the steps up to the Owlery. Harry could hear two voices arguing, coming closer and closer.**

**"- that's blackmail, that is, we could get into a lot of trouble for that-"**

**"- we've tried being polite; it's time to play dirty, like him. He wouldn't like the Ministry of Magic knowing what he did -"**

**"I'm telling you, if you put that in writing, it's blackmail!"**

"Who cares? Blackmail is effective." Sirius said, grinning.

James rolled his eyes, "The better question, Padfoot, is who are these people and who are they blackmailing?"

**"Yeah, and you won't be complaining if we get a nice fat payoff, will you?"**

**The Owlery door banged open. Fred and George came over the threshold, then froze at the sight of Harry, Ron, and Hermione.**

**"What're you doing here?" Ron and Fred said at the same time.**

**"Sending a letter," said Harry and George in unison.**

**"What, at this time?" said Hermione and Fred.**

**Fred grinned.**

**"Fine - we won't ask you what you're doing, if you don't ask us," he said. He was holding a sealed envelope in his hands. Harry glanced at it, but Fred, whether accidentally or on purpose, shifted his hand so that the name on it was covered.**

"It was on purpose." Fred grinned.

"We, unlike other people, know how nosy you three can be." George smirked.

The Golden Trio, in a act of immaturity, stuck their tongues out at the twins, who repeated this back at them.

**"Well, don't let us hold you up," Fred said, making a mock bow and pointing at the door.**

**Ron didn't move. "Who're you blackmailing?" he said.**

**The grin vanished from Fred's face. Harry saw George half glance at Fred, before smiling at Ron.**

"Who were you blackmailing?" Molly asked sharply.

"Dont worry Mum." Fred started.

"The person deserved it." George finished.

"Who?" Arthur asked sternly.

"We find out later." Harry sighed, "They're not going to tell you."

**"Don't be stupid, I was only joking," he said easily.**

**"Didn't sound like that," said Ron.**

**Fred and George looked at each other. Then Fred said abruptly, "I've told you before, Ron, keep your nose out if you like it the shape it is. Can't see why you would, but -"**

**"It's my business if you're blackmailing someone," said Ron. "George's right, you could end up in serious trouble for that."**

**"Told you, I was joking," said George. He walked over to Fred, pulled the letter out of his hands, and began attaching it to the leg of the nearest barn owl. "You're starting to sound a bit like our dear older brother, you are, Ron. Carry on like this and you'll be made a prefect."**

**"No, I won't!" said Ron hotly.**

Harry and Hermione both exchanged smirks and Ron rolled his eyes.

"Wait - does Ron become prefect?" Lily asked noticing their exchange.

"Yes." Ginny grinned. "He did."

**George carried the barn owl over to the window and it took off. George turned around and grinned at Ron.**

**"Well, stop telling people what to do then. See you later."**

**He and Fred left the Owlery. Harry, Ron, and Hermione stared at one another.**

**"You don't think they know something about all this, do you?" Hermione whispered. "About Crouch and everything?"**

**"No," said Harry. "If it was something that serious, they'd tell someone. They'd tell Dumbledore."**

**Ron, however, was looking uncomfortable.**

**"What's the matter?" Hermione asked him.**

**"Well..." said Ron slowly, "I dunno if they would. They're... they're obsessed with making money lately, I noticed it when I was hanging around with them - when - you know -"**

**"We weren't talking." Harry finished the sentence for him. "Yeah, but blackmail..."**

**"It's this joke shop idea they've got," said Ron. "I thought they were only saying it to annoy Mum, but they really mean it, they want to start one. They've only got a year left at Hogwarts, they keep going on about how it's time to think about their future, and Dad can't help them, and they need gold to get started."**

**Hermione was looking uncomfortable now.**

**"Yes, but... they wouldn't do anything against the law to get gold."**

**"Wouldn't they?" said Ron, looking skeptical. "I dunno... they don't exactly mind breaking rules, do they?"**

"Breaking the rules is completely different than breaking the law." Fred said.

George nodded, "Yeah, we do have some boundaries. That letter wasnt blackmail, but Fred suggested we tried making a blackmail letter if that one didn't work."

**"Yes, but this is the law" said Hermione, looking scared. "This isn't some silly school rule... They'll get a lot more than detention for blackmail! Ron... maybe you'd better tell Percy..."**

"That's probably the worst thing to do." Percy frowned. "I wouldn't turn them in but... I'd probably tell Mum." he smirked.

"And that is bad." the twins shuddered. Molly glared at her son's, who tried to look innocent, and failed miserably.

**"Are you mad?" said Ron. "Tell Percy? He'd probably do a Crouch and turn them in."**

**He stared at the window through which Fred and George's owl had departed, then said, "Come on, let's get some breakfast."**

**"D'you think it's too early to go and see Professor Moody?" Hermione said as they went down the spiral staircase.**

**"Yes," said Harry. "He'd probably blast us through the door if we wake him at the crack of dawn; he'll think we're trying to attack him while he's asleep. Let's give it till break."**

**History of Magic had rarely gone so slowly. Harry kept checking Ron's watch, having finally discarded his own, but Ron's was moving so slowly he could have sworn it had stopped working too. All three of them were so tired they could happily have put their heads down on the desks and slept; even Hermione wasn't taking her usual notes, but was sitting with her head on her hand, gazing at Professor Binns with her eyes out of focus.**

**When the bell finally rang, they hurried out into the corridors toward the Dark Arts classroom and found Professor Moody leaving it. He looked as tired as they felt. The eyelid of his normal eye was drooping, giving his face an even more lopsided appearance than usual.**

**"Professor Moody?" Harry called as they made their way toward him through the crowd.**

**"Hello, Potter," growled Moody. His magical eye followed a couple of passing first years, who sped up, looking nervous; it rolled into the back of Moody's head and watched them around the corner before he spoke again.**

**"Come in here."**

**He stood back to let them into his empty classroom, limped in after them, and closed the door.**

**"Did you find him?" Harry asked without preamble. "Mr. Crouch?"**

**"No," said Moody. He moved over to his desk, sat down, stretched out his wooden leg with a slight groan, and pulled out his hip flask.**

**"Did you use the map?" Harry said.**

**"Of course," said Moody, taking a swig from his flask. "Took a leaf out of your book, Potter. Summoned it from my office into the forest. He wasn't anywhere on there."**

**"So he did Disapparate?" said Ron.**

**"You can't Disapparate on the grounds, Ron!" said Hermione. "There are other ways he could have disappeared, aren't there, Professor?"**

**Moody's magical eye quivered as it rested on Hermione. "You're another one who might think about a career as an Auror," he told her. "Mind works the right way Granger."**

**Hermione flushed pink with pleasure.**

**"Well, he wasn't invisible," said Harry. "The map shows invisible people. He must've left the grounds, then."**

"What if there was a secret passage or something not on the map?" Remus asked.

James shook his head, "At the entrance to the Forbidden Forest? We spent an entire night a month running around there; we would have seen it."

"Not all of it. We never went out of the boundaries." Sirius said reasonably, "There's probably a few well hidden ones and it was only really you who'd be able to look for them Prongs. I had to distract Moony and Wormtail used to just sit on your head." he frowned.

"You have a point." James admitted.

"You know that sounds really weird right?" Regulus asked them.

"What does?"

"Wormtail sitting on your head."

James laughed, "Yeah, because Moony kept trying to eat him. He couldn't reach my head unless I lowered my antlers to him, so he used to sit beside the antlers." he shrugged, "If I went to lower my head, he'd shift to my shoulders instead. Occasionally he'd get on the ground, but not too often lest he became Werewolf food."

Remus chuckled, "I doubt I'd have eaten him."

"Yes you would." Sirius rolled his eyes, "It was a common occurrence for you to try and get him whilst he was on Prongs' head. It took a lot to distract you." he shrugged, "So yes, you would have eaten him."

He shook his head, "Werewolves tend to avoid eating magical animals I would've sensed the magic on him from the Animagus transformation, I was probably just trying to play with him but didn't understand it could kill him. Added to that, Moony saw him as Pack and wouldn't purposefully kill his own pack member, that's like a law to wolves. Killing a pack member accidentally or on purpose is an unforgivable thing to do - except in certain circumstances like being attacked first, so it's classed as self-defence - commonly resulting in banishment, killing a cub is punishable by death." he explained.

"How'd you know that?" Ron inquired.

"Moony used to yell it at me." he shrugged, "It was after..." he trailed off looking at Sirius, James and Lily, "He thought, as I did, that Sirius had done it. That Padfoot had killed his pack. Moony didn't like that, it was actually quite amusing hearing him constantly rant about it in the back of my head once he figured out it wasn't Padfoot, but Wormtail, once I knew the truth of what happened and he saw Padfoot again." he admitted.

"He's not the only one." Sirius mused, "Padfoot went on about it a bit too, something along the lines of 'traitor kill pack, traitor die'. It's the canine language, it's simplified." he shrugged, "We can explain about that later though. Long story short, Moony's right, its like a law for wolves to never kill pack - especially cubs - no matter what."

"Meaning I wouldn't have eaten Wormtail in his rat form." Remus said, smiling smugly at Sirius, who rolled his eyes.

**"But under his own steam?" said Hermione eagerly, "or because someone made him?"**

**"Yeah, someone could've - could've pulled him onto a broom and flown off with him, couldn't they?" said Ron quickly, looking hopefully at Moody as if he too wanted to be told he had the makings of an Auror.**

**"We can't rule out kidnap," growled Moody.**

**"So," said Ron, "d'you reckon he's somewhere in Hogsmeade?"**

**"Could be anywhere," said Moody, shaking his head. "Only thing we know for sure is that he's not here."**

**He yawned widely, so that his scars stretched, and his lopsided mouth revealed a number of missing teeth. Then he said, "Now, Dumbledore's told me you three fancy yourselves as investigators, but there's nothing you can do for Crouch. The Ministry'll be looking for him now, Dumbledore's notified them. Potter, you just keep your mind on the third task."**

**"What?" said Harry. "Oh yeah..."**

**He hadn't given the maze a single thought since he'd left it with Krum the previous night.**

"Well, it'd probably be a good idea to think about that." James said, rolling his eyes.

"He really doesn't need to wait until last minute like last time." Hermione agreed. Harry huffed.

**"Should be right up your street, this one," said Moody, looking up at Harry and scratching his scarred and stubbly chin. "From what Dumbledore's said, you've managed to get through stuff like this plenty of times. Broke your way through a series of obstacles guarding the Sorcerer's Stone in your first year, didn't you?"**

**"We helped," Ron said quickly. "Me and Hermione helped."**

**Moody grinned.**

**"Well, help him practice for this one, and I'll be very surprised if he doesn't win," said Moody. "In the meantime... constant vigilance, Potter. Constant vigilance."**

**He took another long draw from his hip flask, and his magical eye swiveled onto the window. The topmost sail of the Durmstrang ship was visible through it.**

**"You two," counseled Moody, his normal eye on Ron and Hermione, "you stick close to Potter, all right? I'm keeping an eye on things, but all the same... you can never have too many eyes out."**

**Sirius sent their owl back the very next morning. It fluttered down beside Harry at the same moment that a tawny owl landed in front of Hermione, clutching a copy of the Daily Prophet in its beak. She took the newspaper, scanned the first few pages, said, "Ha! She hasn't got wind of Crouch!" then joined Ron and Harry in reading what Sirius had to say on the mysterious events of the night before last.**

**Harry -**

**What do you think you are playing at, walking off into the forest with Viktor Krum?**

"You're scolding him?" James said incredulously.

Sirius shrugged, "I can be a responsible Godfather sometimes."

**I want you to swear, by return owl, that you are not going to go walking with anyone else at night. There is somebody highly dangerous at Hogwarts. It is clear to me that they wanted to stop Crouch from seeing Dumbledore and you were probably feet away from them in the dark. You could have been killed.**

**Your name didn't get into the Goblet of Fire by accident. If someone's trying to attack you, they're on their last chance. Stay close to Ron and Hermione, do not leave Gryffindor Tower after hours, and arm yourself for the third task. Practice Stunning and Disarming. A few hexes wouldn't go amiss either. There's nothing you can do about Crouch. Keep your head down and look after yourself. I'm waiting for your letter giving me your word you won't stray out-of-bounds again.**

**Sirius**

**"Who's he, to lecture me about being out-of-bounds?" said Harry in mild indignation as he folded up Sirius's letter and put it inside his robes. "After all the stuff he did at school!"**

**"He's worried about you!" said Hermione sharply. "Just like Moody and Hagrid! So listen to them!"**

**"No one's tried to attack me all year," said Harry. "No one's done anything to me at all -"**

**"Except put your name in the Goblet of Fire," said Hermione. "And they must've done that for a reason Harry. Snuffles is right. Maybe they've been biding their time. Maybe this is the task they're going to get you."**

**"Look," said Harry impatiently, "let's say Sirius is right, and someone Stunned Krum to kidnap Crouch. Well, they would've been in the trees near us, wouldn't they? But they waited till I was out of the way until they acted, didn't they? So it doesn't look like I'm their target, does it?"**

"Thats true." James said.

"But it still doesn't mean you can be careless." Lily added.

**"They couldn't have made it look like an accident if they'd murdered you in the forest!" said Hermione. "But if you die during a task-"**

**"They didn't care about attacking Krum, did they?" said Harry. "Why didn't they just polish me off at the same time? They could've made it look like Krum and I had a duel or something."**

**"Harry, I don't understand it either," said Hermione desperately. "I just know there are a lot of odd things going on, and I don't like it... Moody's right - Sirius is right - you've got to get in training for the third task, straight away. And you make sure you write back to Sirius and promise him you're not going to go sneaking off alone again."**

**The Hogwarts grounds never looked more inviting than when Harry had to stay indoors. For the next few days he spent all of his free time either in the library with Hermione and Ron, looking up hexes, or else in empty classrooms, which they sneaked into to practice. Harry was concentrating on the Stunning Spell, which he had never used before. The trouble was that practicing it involved certain sacrifices on Ron's and Hermione's part.**

**"Can't we kidnap Mrs. Norris?" Ron suggested on Monday lunchtime as he lay flat on his back in the middle of their Charms classroom, having just been Stunned and reawoken by Harry for the fifth time in a row. "Let's Stun her for a bit. Or you could use Dobby, Harry, I bet he'd do anything to help you."**

Hermione and Lily both glared at Ron and he gave them a nervous look.

**"I'm not complaining or anything" - he got gingerly to his feet, rubbing his backside - "but I'm aching all over..."**

**"Well, you keep missing the cushions, don't you!" said Hermione impatiently, rearranging the pile of cushions they had used for the Banishing Spell, which Flitwick had left in a cabinet. "Just try and fall backward!"**

**"Once you're Stunned, you can't aim too well, Hermione!" said Ron angrily. "Why don't you take a turn?"**

**"Well, I think Harry's got it now, anyway," said Hermione hastily. "And we don't have to worry about Disarming, because he's been able to do that for ages... I think we ought to start on some of these hexes this evening."**

**She looked down the list they had made in the library.**

**"I like the look of this one," she said, "this Impediment Curse. Should slow down anything that's trying to attack you Harry. We'll start with that one."**

**The bell rang. They hastily shoved the cushions back into Flitwicks cupboard and slipped out of the classroom.**

"You know, if you'd just ask you could find at least one teacher that would let you use their classroom." Minerva sighed, "I would have let you use mine."

"I thought helping was against the rules?" Lily asked.

"From teacher's it is. From your friends however, there's a loophole, if a champion and their friends claim they wanted to learn more spell's for academic reasons then no one can really prove it's for the tournament." Minerva smirked.

"Same goes for if your friend's say they're not helping you but they want to know how to do something." Kingsley nodded, "We live in a world of loopholes." he grinned. "Like the loophole I found about having Ministerial guards with me at all times. The condition only says in public, like when I'm here it's not public so they don't have to follow me. It's annoying having them there all the time anyway."

"You haven't had to put up with having guards for years like I have." Harry smirked. "It's irritating when you're trying to escape them."

"Because your not meant to escape." Dora huffed. "And yet you still managed a few times."

"Did you honestly expect him to not be able to sneak away? He escaped Voldemort for Merlin's sake!" Ron chuckled.

"Not to mention we all fooled the whole Auror office just after the war." Hermione smirked. "Auror Robards asked us to test their defences, so we snuck into the Ministry and did just that."

Harry nodded, "I'll show that memory too. It's quite amusing managing to trick 15 fully trained Aurors, 5 of whom were extremely paranoid."

"That was just embarrassing." Kingsley muttered. "Not even one of them spotted you three until they were tied to chairs in the holding cell's."

"Now that sounds interesting." Dora grinned.

**"See you at dinner!" said Hermione, and she set off for Arithmancy, while Harry and Ron headed toward North Tower, and Divination. Broad strips of dazzling gold sunlight tell across the corridor from the high windows. The sky outside was so brightly blue it looked as though it had been enameled.**

**"It's going to be boiling in Trelawney's room, she never puts out that fire," said Ron as they started up the staircase toward the silver ladder and the trapdoor.**

**He was quite right. The dimly lit room was swelteringly hot. The fumes from the perfumed fire were heavier than ever. Harry's head swam as he made his way over to one of the curtained windows. While Professor Trelawney was looking the other way, disentangling her shawl from a lamp, he opened it an inch or so and settled back in his chintz armchair, so that a soft breeze played across his face. It was extremely comfortable.**

"Just take a nap. Trelawney never notices." Sirius said.

**"My dears," said Professor Trelawney, sitting down in her winged armchair in front of the class and peering around at them all with her strangely enlarged eyes, "we have almost finished our work on planetary divination. Today, however, will be an excellent opportunity to examine the effects of Mars, for he is placed most interestingly at the present time. If you will all look this way, I will dim the lights..."**

"And she's going to dim the lights? Perfect napping conditions." James grinned.

**She waved her wand and the lamps went out. The fire was the only source of light now. Professor Trelawney bent down and lifted, from under her chair, a miniature model of the solar system, contained within a glass dome. It was a beautiful thing; each of the moons glimmered in place around the nine planets and the fiery sun, all of them hanging in thin air beneath the glass. Harry watched lazily as Professor Trelawney began to point out the fascinating angle Mars was making to Neptune.**

**The heavily perfumed fumes washed over him, and the breeze from the window played across his face. He could hear an insect humming gently somewhere behind the curtain. His eyelids began to droop...**

**He was riding on the back of an eagle owl,**

"You fell asleep and found yourself riding the back of an owl?" Ginny laughed as Harry blushed.

**soaring through the clear blue sky toward an old, ivy-covered house set high on a hillside. Lower and lower they flew, the wind blowing pleasantly in Harry's face, until they reached a dark and broken window in the upper story of the house and entered. Now they were flying along a gloomy passageway, to a room at the very end... through the door they went, into a dark room whose windows were boarded up... Harry had left the owl's back... he was watching, now, as it fluttered across the room, into a chair with its back to him... There were two dark shapes on the floor beside the chair... both of them were stirring...**

**One was a huge snake... the other was a man... a short, balding man, a man with watery eyes and a pointed nose... he was wheezing and sobbing on the hearth rug...**

**"You are in luck, Wormtail,"**

Everyone growled but James just looked impassive. Harry noticed this but didn't comment.

**said a cold, high-pitched voice from the depths of the chair in which the owl had landed. "You are very fortunate indeed. Your blunder has not ruined everything. He is dead."**

"Crouch?" Dora asked. The Golden Trio shared looks then nodded in confirmation.

**"My Lord!" gasped the man on the floor. "My Lord, I am... I am so pleased... and so sorry..."**

**"Nagini," said the cold voice, "you are out of luck. I will not be feeding Wormtail to you, after all... but never mind, never mind... there is still Harry Potter..."**

Everyone growled again, James joining in this time.

**The snake hissed. Harry could see its tongue fluttering.**

**"Now, Wormtail," said the cold voice, "perhaps one more little reminder why I will not tolerate another blunder from you..."**

**"My Lord... no... I beg you..."**

**The tip of a wand emerged from around the back of the chair. It was pointing at Wormtail.**

"Warning for the Cruciatus." Harry said in a dead voice.

**"Crucio!" said the cold voice.**

**Wormtail screamed, screamed as though every nerve in his body were on fire, the screaming filled Harry's ears as the scar on his forehead seared with pain; he was yelling too... Voldemort would hear him, would know he was there...**

**"Harry! Harry!"**

**Harry opened his eyes. He was lying on the floor of Professor Trelawney's room with his hands over his face. His scar was still burning so badly that his eyes were watering.**

"Well," Sirius said dryly, "I guess she knows you were napping now."

Harry glared at him.

**The pain had been real. The whole class was standing around him, and Ron was kneeling next to him, looking terrified.**

**"You all right?" he said.**

**"Of course he isn't!" said Professor Trelawney, looking thoroughly excited.**

"What is wrong with her?" Lily scowled.

**Her great eyes loomed over Harry, gazing at him. "What was it Potter? A premonition? An apparition? What did you see?"**

**"Nothing," Harry lied. He sat up. He could feel himself shaking. He couldn't stop himself from looking around, into the shadows behind him; Voldemorts voice had sounded so close...**

**"You were clutching your scar!" said Professor Trelawney. "You were rolling on the floor, clutching your scar! Come now Potter, I have experience in these matters!"**

**Harry looked up at her.**

**"I need to go to the hospital wing, I think," he said. "Bad headache."**

**"My dear, you were undoubtedly stimulated by the extraordinary clairvoyant vibrations of my room!" said Professor Trelawney. "If you leave now, you may lose the opportunity to see further than you have ever -"**

**"I don't want to see anything except a headache cure," said Harry.**

Everyone smiled amusedly at this.

**He stood up. The class backed away. They all looked unnerved.**

"It was creepy." Ron shuddered, "It was always creepy but that was the first time I'd seen one of your visions happen." he added so only Harry could hear him.

**"See you later," Harry muttered to Ron, and he picked up his bag and headed for the trapdoor, ignoring Professor Trelawney, who was wearing an expression of great frustration, as though she had just been denied a real treat.**

**When Harry reached the bottom of her stepladder, however, he did not set off for the hospital wing. He had no intention whatsoever of going there. Sirius had told him what to do if his scar hurt him again, and Harry was going to follow his advice: He was going straight to Dumbledore's office.**

"Good." Sirius said in approval, "And then you write to me about it, of course."

**He marched down the corridors, thinking about what he had seen in the dream... it had been as vivid as the one that had awoken him on Privet Drive... He ran over the details in his mind, trying to make sure he could remember them... He had heard Voldemort accusing Wormtail of making a blunder... but the owl had brought good news, the blunder had been repaired, somebody was dead... so Wormtail was not going to be fed to the snake... he, Harry, was going to be fed to it instead...**

**Harry had walked right past the stone gargoyle guarding the entrance to Dumbledore's office without noticing. He blinked, looked around, realized what he had done, and retraced his steps, stopping in front of it. Then he remembered that he didn't know the password.**

"Just start rattling off the names of sweets." Sirius said.

**"Sherbet lemon?" he tried tentatively.**

**The gargoyle did not move.**

**"Okay," said Harry, staring at it, "Pear Drop. Er - Licorice Wand. Fizzing Whizbee. Drooble's Best Blowing Gum. Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans... oh no, he doesn't like them, does he?... oh just open, can't you?" he said angrily. "I really need to see him, its urgent!"**

**The gargoyle remained immovable.**

**Harry kicked it, achieving nothing but an excruciating pain in his big toe.**

**"Chocolate Frog!" he yelled angrily, standing on one leg. "Sugar Quill! Cockroach Cluster!"**

**The gargoyle sprang to life and jumped aside. Harry blinked.**

**"Cockroach Cluster?" he said, amazed. "I was only joking..."**

**He hurried through the gap in the walls and stepped onto the foot of a spiral stone staircase, which moved slowly upward as the doors closed behind him, taking him up to a polished oak door with a brass door knocker.**

**He could hear voices from inside the office. He stepped off the moving staircase and hesitated, listening.**

**"Dumbledore, I'm afraid I don't see the connection, don't see it at all!" It was the voice of the Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge.**

**"Ludo says Berthas perfectly capable of getting herself lost. I agree we would have expected to have found her by now, but all the same, we've no evidence of foul play, Dumbledore, none at all. As for her disappearance being linked with Barty Crouch's!"**

**"And what do you thinks happened to Barty Crouch, Minister?" said Moody's growling voice.**

**"I see two possibilities, Alastor," said Fudge. "Either Crouch has finally cracked - more than likely, I'm sure you'll agree, given his personal history - lost his mind, and gone wandering off somewhere -"**

**"He wandered extremely quickly, if that is the case, Cornelius," said Dumbledore calmly.**

**"Or else - well…" Fudge sounded embarrassed. "Well, I'll reserve judgment until after I've seen the place where he was found, but you say it was just past the Beauxbatons carriage? Dumbledore, you know what that woman is?"**

**"I consider her to be a very able headmistress - and an excellent dancer,"**

They all laughed and Sirius said, "What would she want with Crouch anyway?"

**said Dumbledore quietly.**

**"Dumbledore, come!" said Fudge angrily. "Don't you think you might be prejudiced in her favor because of Hagrid? They don't all turn out harmless - if, indeed, you can call Hagrid harmless, with that monster fixation he's got -"**

"Well, Moony's got a bit of a monster fixation too and he's harmless." Sirius pointed out.

"I do not!" Remus protested.

"Yes you do. Unlike Hagrid you just don't go as close to them." James smirked, "You know more about magical monsters and creatures than anyone else I know except Hagrid."

"As long as you don't do anything illegal I'm fine with it." Dora chuckled. Remus smiled.

**"I no more suspect Madame Maxime than Hagrid," said Dumbledore, just as calmly. "I think it possible that it is you who are prejudiced, Cornelius."**

**"Can we wrap up this discussion?" growled Moody.**

**"Yes, yes, let's go down to the grounds, then," said Fudge impatiently.**

**"No, it's not that," said Moody, "it's just that Potter wants a word with you, Dumbledore. He's just outside the door."**

"Trust him to notice." Fleur smiled.

"He always did." Dora grinned.

"Next memory then." Harry announced.

* * *

><p>Review please x<p> 


	41. Chapter 41

Chapter 41 - Fourth Year (Part 14.5)

18, August. 1998. 3.00pm.

"Right this is my conversation with Albus." Harry smiled.

**The door of the office opened.**

**"Hello, Potter," said Moody. "Come in, then."**

**Harry walked inside. He had been inside Dumbledore's office once before; it was a very beautiful, circular room, lined with pictures of previous headmasters and headmistresses of Hogwarts, all of whom were fast asleep, their chests rising and falling gently.**

"They're probably pretending." Minerva chuckled.

**Cornelius Fudge was standing beside Dumbledore's desk, wearing his usual pinstriped cloak and holding his lime-green bowler hat.**

**"Harry!" said Fudge jovially, moving forward. "How are you?"**

**"Fine," Harry lied.**

**"We were just talking about the night when Mr. Crouch turned up on the grounds," said Fudge. "It was you who found him, was it not?"**

**"Yes," said Harry. Then, feeling it was pointless to pretend that he hadn't overheard what they had been saying, he added, "I didn't see Madame Maxime anywhere, though, and she'd have a job hiding, wouldn't she?"**

**Dumbledore smiled at Harry behind Fudge's back, his eyes twinkling.**

**"Yes, well," said Fudge, looking embarrassed, "we're about to go for a short walk on the grounds, Harry, if you'll excuse us... perhaps if you just go back to your class -"**

**"I wanted to talk to you. Professor," Harry said quickly, looking at Dumbledore, who gave him a swift, searching look.**

**"Wait here for me, Harry," he said. "Our examination of the grounds will not take long."**

**They trooped out in silence past him and closed the door. After a minute or so, Harry heard the clunks of Moody's wooden leg growing fainter in the corridor below. He looked around.**

**"Hello, Fawkes," he said.**

**Fawkes, Professor Dumbledore's phoenix, was standing on his golden perch beside the door.**

**The size of a swan, with magnificent scarlet-and-gold plumage, he swished his long tail and blinked benignly at Harry.**

"I wonder what happened to Fawkes." Ginny mused, "He flew away when Albus died and no-one's seen him since." she explained to the returnee's, Frank and Alice, who had looked confused.

**Harry sat down in a chair in front of Dumbledore's desk. For several minutes, he sat and watched the old headmasters and headmistresses snoozing in their frames, thinking about what he had just heard, and running his fingers over his scar. It had stopped hurting now.**

**He felt much calmer, somehow, now that he was in Dumbledore's office, knowing he would shortly be telling him about the dream. Harry looked up at the walls behind the desk.**

**The patched and ragged Sorting Hat was standing on a shelf. A glass case next to it held a magnificent silver sword with large rubies set into the hilt, which Harry recognized as the one he himself had pulled out of the Sorting Hat in his second year. The sword had once belonged to Godric Gryffindor, founder of Harry's House. He was gazing at it, remembering how it had come to his aid when he had thought all hope was lost, when he noticed a patch of silvery light, dancing and shimmering on the glass case. He looked around for the source of the light and saw a sliver of silver-white shining brightly from within a black cabinet behind him, whose door had not been closed properly. Harry hesitated, glanced at Fawkes, then got up, walked across the office, and pulled open the cabinet door.**

"Harry!" Hermione scolded, "You're not supposed to go rummaging in people's office's, especially Albus's office."

Lily gave her son a disapproving look making Harry blush.

**A shallow stone basin lay there, with odd carvings around the edge: runes and symbols that Harry did not recognize. The silvery light was coming from the basin's contents, which were like nothing Harry had ever seen before. He could not tell whether the substance was liquid or gas. It was a bright, whitish silver, and it was moving ceaselessly; the surface of it became ruffled like water beneath wind, and then, like clouds, separated and swirled smoothly. It looked like light made liquid - or like wind made solid - Harry couldn't make up his mind.**

**He wanted to touch it, to find out what it felt like, but nearly four years' experience of the magical world told him that sticking his hand into a bowl full of some unknown substance was a very stupid thing to do.**

"At least you learned that much." Lily grumbled.

**He therefore pulled his wand out of the inside of his robes, cast a nervous look around the office, looked back at the contents of the basin, and prodded them.**

**The surface of the silvery stuff inside the basin began to swirl very fast.**

**Harry bent closer, his head right inside the cabinet. The silvery substance had become transparent; it looked like glass. He looked down into it expecting to see the stone bottom of the basin - and saw instead an enormous room below the surface of the mysterious substance, a room into which he seemed to be looking through a circular window in the ceiling.**

**The room was dimly lit; he thought it might even be underground, for there were no windows, merely torches in brackets such as the ones that illuminated the walls of Hogwarts. Lowering his face so that his nose was a mere inch away from the glassy substance, Harry saw that rows and rows of witches and wizards were seated around every wall on what seemed to be benches rising in levels. An empty chair stood in the very center of the room. There was something about the chair that gave Harry an ominous feeling. Chains encircled the arms of it, as though its occupants were usually tied to it.**

**Where was this place? It surely wasn't Hogwarts; he had never seen a room like that here in the castle. Moreover, the crowd in the mysterious room at the bottom of the basin was comprised of adults, and Harry knew there were not nearly that many teachers at Hogwarts.**

**They seemed, he thought, to be waiting for something; even though he could only see the tops of their hats, all of their faces seemed to be pointing in one direction, and none of them were talking to one another.**

**The basin being circular, and the room he was observing square, Harry could not make out what was going on in the corners of it. He leaned even closer, tilting his head, trying to see...**

**The tip of his nose touched the strange substance into which he was staring.**

**Dumbledore's office gave an almighty lurch - Harry was thrown forward and pitched headfirst into the substance inside the basin -But his head did not hit the stone bottom. He was falling through something icy-cold and black; it was like being sucked into a dark whirlpool - And suddenly, Harry found himself sitting on a bench at the end of the room inside the basin, a bench raised high above the others. He looked up at the high stone ceiling, expecting to see the circular window through which he had just been staring, but there was nothing there but dark, solid stone.**

**Breathing hard and fast. Harry looked around him. Not one of the witches and wizards in the room (and there were at least two hundred of them) was looking at him. Not one of them seemed to have noticed that a fourteen-year-old boy had just dropped from the ceiling into their midst. Harry turned to the wizard next to him on the bench and uttered a loud cry of surprise that reverberated around the silent room.**

"You've been in a memory before." Ginny pointed out.

"I didnt realise it was a memory. I didn't even know what a pensive was!" Harry admitted.

**He was sitting right next to Albus Dumbledore.**

**"Professor!" Harry said in a kind of strangled whisper. "I'm sorry - I didn't mean to - I was just looking at that basin in your cabinet - I - where are we?"**

**But Dumbledore didn't move or speak. He ignored Harry completely. Like every other wizard on the benches, he was staring into the far corner of the room, where there was a door.**

**Harry gazed, nonplussed, at Dumbledore, then around at the silently watchful crowd, then back at Dumbledore. And then it dawned on him...**

**Once before. Harry had found himself somewhere that nobody could see or hear him. That time, he had fallen through a page in an enchanted diary, right into somebody else's memory... and unless he was very much mistaken, something of the sort had happened again...**

"You figured it out eventually." Ron snickered.

**Harry raised his right hand, hesitated, and then waved it energetically in from of Dumbledore's face. Dumbledore did not blink, look around at Harry, or indeed move at all. And that, in Harry's opinion, settled the matter. Dumbledore wouldn't ignore him like that. He was inside a memory, and this was not the present-day Dumbledore. Yet it couldn't be that long ago... the Dumbledore sitting next to him now was silver-haired, just like the present-day Dumbledore. But what was this place? What were all these wizards waiting for?**

**Harry looked around more carefully. The room, as he had suspected when observing it from above, was almost certainly underground - more of a dungeon than a room, he thought.**

**There was a bleak and forbidding air about the place; there were no pictures on the walls, no decorations at all; just these serried rows of benches, rising in levels all around the room, all positioned so that they had a clear view of that chair with the chains on its arms.**

**Before Harry could reach any conclusions about the place in which they were, he heard footsteps. The door in the corner of the dungeon opened and three people entered - or at least one man, flanked by two dementors.**

**Harry's insides went cold. The dementors - tall, hooded creatures whose faces were concealed - were gliding slowly toward the chair in the center of the room, each grasping one of the man's arms with their dead and rotten-looking hands. The man between them looked as though he was about to faint, and Harry couldn't blame him... he knew the dementors could not touch him inside a memory, but he remembered their power only too well. The watching crowd recoiled slightly as the dementors placed the man in the chained chair and glided back out of the room. The door swung shut behind them.**

**Harry looked down at the man now sitting in the chair and saw that it was Karkaroff.**

"Karkaroff's trial?" James guessed.

Harry nodded.

**Unlike Dumbledore, Karkaroff looked much younger; his hair and goatee were black. He was not dressed in sleek furs, but in thin and ragged robes. He was shaking. Even as Harry watched, the chains on the arms of the chair glowed suddenly gold and snaked their way up Karkaroff's arms, binding him there.**

**"Igor Karkaroff," said a curt voice to Harry's left. Harry looked around and saw Mr.**

**Crouch standing up in the middle of the bench beside him. Crouch's hair was dark, his face was much less lined, he looked fit and alert. "You have been brought from Azkaban to present evidence to the Ministry of Magic. You have given us to understand that you have important information for us."**

**Karkaroff straightened himself as best he could, tightly bound to the chair.**

**"I have, sir," he said, and although his voice was very scared, Harry could still hear the familiar unctuous note in it. "I wish to be of use to the Ministry. I wish to help. I - I know that the Ministry is trying to - to round up the last of the Dark Lords supporters. I am eager to assist in any way I can..."**

**There was a murmur around the benches. Some of the wizards and witches were surveying Karkaroff with interest, others with pronounced mistrust. Then Harry heard, quite distinctly, from Dumbledores other side, a familiar, growling voice saying, "Filth."**

**Harry leaned forward so that he could see past Dumbledore. Mad-Eye Moody was sitting there - except that there was a very noticeable difference in his appearance. He did not have his magical eye, but two normal ones.**

"He looks odd without the magical eye." Dora laughed. The others nodded in agreement.

**Both were looking down upon Karkaroff, and both were narrowed in intense dislike.**

**"Crouch is going to let him out," Moody breathed quietly to Dumbledore. "He's done a deal with him. Took me six months to track him down, and Crouch is going to let him go if he's got enough new names. Let's hear his information, I say, and throw him straight back to the dementors."**

**Dumbledore made a small noise of dissent through his long, crooked nose.**

**"Ah, I was forgetting... you don't like the dementors, do you, Albus?" said Moody with a sardonic smile.**

**"No," said Dumbledore calmly, "I'm afraid I don't. I have long felt the Ministry is wrong to ally itself with such creatures."**

"I can understand why he didn't like them." Harry shuddered.

**"But for filth like this..." Moody said softly.**

**"You say you have names for us, Karkaroff," said Mr. Crouch. "Let us hear them, please."**

**"You must understand," said Karkaroff hurriedly, "that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named operated always in the greatest secrecy... He preferred that we - I mean to say, his supporters - and I regret now, very deeply, that I ever counted myself among them -"**

**"Get on with it," sneered Moody.**

**"- we never knew the names of every one of our fellows - He alone knew exactly who we all were -"**

**"Which was a wise move, wasn't it, as it prevented someone like you, Karkaroff, from turning all of them in," muttered Moody.**

"He dropped that this time around." Cissy smirked, "Thanks to that Draco and I could give their names."

Draco nodded, "The base was at the Manor so it was very easy to find out who'd done what and who they were."

**"Yet you say you have some names for us?" said Mr. Crouch.**

**"I - I do," said Karkaroff breathlessly. "And these were important supporters, mark you.**

**People I saw with my own eyes doing his bidding. I give this information as a sign that I fully and totally renounce him, and am filled with a remorse so deep I can barely -"**

**"These names are?" said Mr. Crouch sharply.**

**Karkaroff drew a deep breath.**

**"There was Antonin Dolohov," he said. "I - I saw him torture countless Muggles and - and non-supporters of the Dark Lord."**

**"And helped him do it," murmured Moody.**

**"We have already apprehended Dolohov," said Crouch. "He was caught shortly after yourself."**

**"Indeed?" said Karkaroff, his eyes widening. "I - I am delighted to hear it!"**

**But he didn't look it. Harry could tell that this news had come as a real blow to him. One of his names was worthless.**

**"Any others?" said Crouch coldly.**

**"Why, yes... there was Rosier," said Karkaroff hurriedly. "Evan Rosier."**

"Idiot man." Cissy shook her head in disgust.

Andy chuckled, "I told you that for years. He's a first cousin on our Mother's side." she told the others.

"And took great delight in boasting about his abilities." Cissy rolled her eyes, "Which were practically non-existent. He was few years older than Andy and always seemed to forget I beat him in a duel when I was 11." she smirked, "He was at least 27 at that time."

"He was an idiot." Sirius shrugged.

"Bet your glad we didn't have to put up with him overly often." Regulus mused.

"Very. Though I can't say I like the fact we're related to an idiot like that either... Or were at least, he was killed I think."

"He was." Arthur nodded.

**"Rosier is dead," said Crouch. "He was caught shortly after you were too. He preferred to fight rather than come quietly and was killed in the struggle."**

**"Took a bit of me with him, though," whispered Moody to Harry's right. Harry looked around at him once more, and saw him indicating the large chunk out of his nose to Dumbledore.**

"So that's how that happened." Alice smiled, "He'd never answer if you asked him that."

"He prefered to ignore the Rosier line." Andy chuckled, "Too many of them tried to kill him, I believe."

"Something along those lines." Cissy agreed, "Come to think of it... I think it's only you and I who didn't try harm him in anyway at all Andy, that have Rosier blood anyway."

"Nah, there's Mathew." Sirius pointed out, "He was fairly alright... Before he got himself disowned." he shrugged.

"Do you know what happened to him?" Andy frowned.

"He's not dead. That's about it." he shrugged again.

"He disappeared without a trace." Cissy told her sister.

"Sorry, but who is he?"

"He's Evan's older brother." Regulus told them, "He was fairly alright. He was disowned after Andy left, about 10 years after, I think."

"It was around that time." Sirius nodded, "Can we revisit Matthew's story later? I'm rather curious as to what happened to him now."

"Sure." the others agreed.

**"No - no more than Rosier deserved!" said Karkaroff, a real note of panic in his voice now. Harry could see that he was starting to worry that none of his information would be of any use to the Ministry. Karkaroff's eyes darted toward the door in the corner, behind which the dementors undoubtedly still stood, waiting.**

**"Any more?" said Crouch.**

**"Yes!" said Karkaroff. "There was Travers - he helped murder the McKinnons! Mulciber -he specialized in the Imperius Curse, forced countless people to do horrific things! Rookwood, who was a spy, and passed He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named useful information from inside the Ministry itself!"**

"Rookwood deserves to rot." George growled.

"He will as soon as we catch him again." Kingsley said grimly. "I was thinking treble enforced bars only I have the knowledge to open..." he trailed off.

**Harry could tell that, this time, Karkaroff had struck gold. The watching crowd was all murmuring together.**

**"Rookwood?" said Mr. Crouch, nodding to a witch sitting in front of him, who began scribbling upon her piece of parchment. "Augustus Rookwood of the Department of Mysteries?"**

**"The very same," said Karkaroff eagerly. "I believe he used a network of well-placed wizards, both inside the Ministry and out, to collect information -"**

**"But Travers and Mulciber we have," said Mr. Crouch. "Very well, Karkaroff, if that is all, you will be returned to Azkaban while we decide -"**

**"Not yet!" cried Karkaroff, looking quite desperate. "Wait, I have more!"**

**Harry could see him sweating in the torchlight, his white skin contrasting strongly with the black of his hair and beard.**

**"Snape!" he shouted. "Severus Snape!"**

**"Snape has been cleared by this council," said Crouch disdainfully. "He has been vouched for by Albus Dumbledore."**

**"No!" shouted Karkaroff, straining at the chains that bound him to the chair. "I assure you! Severus Snape is a Death Eater!"**

**Dumbledore had gotten to his feet.**

**"I have given evidence already on this matter," he said calmly. "Severus Snape was indeed a Death Eater. However, he rejoined our side before Lord Voldemort's downfall and turned spy for us, at great personal risk. He is now no more a Death Eater than I am."**

"Completely true." Harry nodded.

"Wait - before Voldemort's downfall? I though he'd only turned spy after it?" Minerva frowned.

"No. I'll need to ask his portrait if he doesn't mind me sharing the information I have." Harry mused. "If he doesn't mind then I'll tell you."

**Harry turned to look at Mad-Eye Moody. He was wearing a look of deep skepticism behind Dumbledore's back.**

**"Very well, Karkaroff," Crouch said coldly, "you have been of assistance. I shall review your case. You will return to Azkaban in the meantime..."**

**Mr. Crouch's voice faded. Harry looked around; the dungeon was dissolving as though it were made of smoke; everything was fading; he could see only his own body - all else was swirling darkness...**

**And then, the dungeon returned. Harry was sitting in a different seat, still on the highest bench, but now to the left side of Mr. Crouch. The atmosphere seemed quite different: relaxed, even cheerful. The witches and wizards all around the walls were talking to one another, almost as though they were at some sort of sporting event. Harry noticed a witch halfway up the rows of benches opposite. She had short blonde hair, was wearing magenta robes, and was sucking the end of an acid-green quill. It was, unmistakably, a younger Rita Skeeter. Harry looked around; Dumbledore was sitting beside him again, wearing different robes. Mr. Crouch looked more tired and somehow fiercer, gaunter... Harry understood. It was a different memory, a different day... a different trial.**

**The door in the corner opened, and Ludo Bagman walked into the room.**

**This was not, however, a Ludo Bagman gone to seed, but a Ludo Bagman who was clearly at the height of his Quidditch-playing fitness. His nose wasn't broken now; he was tall and lean and muscular. Bagman looked nervous as he sat down in the chained chair, but it did not bind him there as it had bound Karkaroff, and Bagman, perhaps taking heart from this, glanced around at the watching crowd, waved at a couple of them, and managed a small smile.**

**"Ludo Bagman, you have been brought here in front of the Council of Magical Law to answer charges relating to the activities of the Death Eaters," said Mr. Crouch. "We have heard the evidence against you, and are about to reach our verdict. Do you have anything to add to your testimony before we pronounce judgment?"**

**Harry couldn't believe his ears. Ludo Bagman, a Death Eater?**

"It does sound unbelievable but he was put on trial." Arthur nodded.

**"Only," said Bagman, smiling awkwardly, "well - I know I've been a bit of an idiot -"**

**One or two wizards and witches in the surrounding seats smiled indulgently. Mr. Crouch did not appear to share their feelings. He was staring down at Ludo Bagman with an expression of the utmost severity and dislike.**

**"You never spoke a truer word, boy," someone muttered dryly to Dumbledore behind Harry.**

**He looked around and saw Moody sitting there again. "If I didn't know he'd always been dim, I'd have said some of those Bludgers had permanently affected his brain..."**

**"Ludovic Bagman, you were caught passing information to Lord Voldemort's supporters," said Mr. Crouch. "For this, I suggest a term of imprisonment in Azkaban lasting no less than -"**

**But there was an angry outcry from the surrounding benches. Several of the witches and wizards around the walls stood up, shaking their heads, and even their fists, at Mr. Crouch.**

**"But I've told you, I had no idea!" Bagman called earnestly over the crowd's babble, his round blue eyes widening. "None at all! Old Rookwood was a friend of my dad's... never crossed my mind he was in with You-Know-Who! I thought I was collecting information for our side! And Rookwood kept talking about getting me a job in the Ministry later on... once my Quidditch days are over, you know... I mean, I can't keep getting hit by Bludgers for the rest of my life, can I?"**

**There were titters from the crowd.**

**"It will be put to the vote," said Mr. Crouch coldly. He turned to the right-hand side of the dungeon. "The jury will please raise their hands... those in favor of imprisonment..."**

**Harry looked toward the right-hand side of the dungeon. Not one person raised their hand. Many of the witches and wizards around the walls began to clap. One of the witches on the jury stood up.**

**"Yes?" barked Crouch.**

**"We'd just like to congratulate Mr. Bagman on his splendid performance for England in the Quidditch match against Turkey last Saturday," the witch said breathlessly.**

**Mr. Crouch looked furious. The dungeon was ringing with applause now. Bagman got to his feet and bowed, beaming.**

**"Despicable," Mr. Crouch spat at Dumbledore, sitting down as Bagman walked out of the dungeon. "Rookwood get him a job indeed... The day Ludo Bagman joins us will be a sad day indeed for the Ministry..."**

Everyone snickered a little at that.

**And the dungeon dissolved again. When it had returned, Harry looked around. He and Dumbledore were still sitting beside Mr. Crouch, but the atmosphere could not have been more different. There was total silence, broken only by the dry sobs of a frail, wispy-looking witch in the seat next to Mr. Crouch. She was clutching a handkerchief to her mouth with trembling hands.**

**Harry looked up at Crouch and saw that he looked gaunter and grayer than ever before. A nerve was twitching in his temple.**

**"Bring them in," he said, and his voice echoed through the silent dungeon.**

**The door in the corner opened yet again. Six dementors entered this time, flanking a group of four people. Harry saw the people in the crowd turn to look up at Mr. Crouch.**

**A few of them whispered to one another.**

**The dementors placed each of the four people in the four chairs with chained arms that now stood on the dungeon floor. There was a thickset man who stared blankly up at Crouch; a thinner and more nervous-looking man, whose eyes were darting around the crowd; a woman with thick, shining dark hair and heavily hooded eyes, who was sitting in the chained chair as though it were a throne; and a boy in his late teens, who looked nothing short of petrified. He was shivering, his straw-colored hair all over his face, his freckled skin milk-white. The wispy little witch beside Crouch began to rock backward and forward in her seat, whimpering into her handkerchief.**

"Fair warning, you might not like this very much. Especially Neville, Frank and Alice." Harry sighed. Everyone exchanged worried and nervous looks.

**Crouch stood up. He looked down upon the four in front of him, and there was pure hatred in his face.**

**"You have been brought here before the Council of Magical Law," he said clearly, "so that we may pass judgment on you, for a crime so heinous -"**

**"Father," said the boy with the straw-colored hair. "Father... please..."**

**"- that we have rarely heard the like of it within this court," said Crouch, speaking more loudly, drowning out his son's voice.**

**"We have heard the evidence against you. The four of you stand accused of capturing an Auror - Frank Longbottom - and subjecting him to the Cruciatus Curse, believing him to have knowledge of the present whereabouts of your exiled master, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named -"**

Frank shuddered.

**"Father, I didn't!" shrieked the boy in chains below. "I didn't, I swear it. Father, don't send me back to the dementors -"**

**"You are further accused," bellowed Mr. Crouch, "of using the Cruciatus Curse on Frank Longbottom's wife, when he would not give you information."**

Alice was the one who shuddered this time. She frowned after a minute, "Crouch is a sexist git." she announced.

"You just noticed?" Frank snorted.

Noticing the confused looks Alice elaborated, "He just plain refused to acknowledge I was an Auror too, right up until I fell pregnant."

"He did that with Proudfoot when she was on maternity leave too." Kingsley told her, "She'd managed to catch one of Greyback's lakeys and he didn't acknowledge that fact."

"He also ignored any and all female Aurors." Dora put in, "I seem to recall hearing him say we were too 'fragile' to be proper Aurors and we should be given desk jobs." she huffed.

"He almost got hexed with that comment." Kingsley chuckled, "Gawain, Howard, Williams, Bracken, Derfort and myself literally had to stop the women hexing him on the spot and get them away from Crouch."

"I still say you should've let us hex him." Dora pouted.

"No way. You would've got put on probation." he disagreed.

"It would've been worth it, Letica and Gina agreed with me." she huffed.

"Fine, if you ever rejoin the Aurors and if there's a next time you can deal with the consequences yourselves, I'll tell Gawain to leave you. Just know that I was put on probation once and it's not all that pleasant." he sighed.

"Oh? What did you do?" she asked eagerly.

He mumbled something incoherent.

"A little louder please Kingsley?" Fred smirked.

He sighed heavily and looked up at the ceiling, "I may have hexed Scrimgeour." he said, he paused slightly, seeming to argue with himself before adding, "Ten times in a row."

"What'd he do?" Dora grinned.

"Royally annoyed me." he answered, "I'm not saying what he did, just know I hexed him, I had qualified as an Auror five years previously, and he deserved it for pushing buttons." he stated. Noticing the still curious looks he sighed, "I'm not telling anyone, ever if I can help it. It's a long depressing story I don't like sharing." they all nodded, accepting this reason.

**"You planned to restore He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named to power, and to resume the lives of violence you presumably led while he was strong. I now ask the jury -"**

**"Mother!" screamed the boy below, and the wispy little witch beside Crouch began to sob, rocking backward and forward. "Mother, stop him. Mother, I didn't do it, it wasn't me!"**

**"I now ask the jury," shouted Mr. Crouch, "to raise their hands if they believe, as I do, that these crimes deserve a life sentence in Azkaban!"**

**In unison, the witches and wizards along the right-hand side of the dungeon raised their hands. The crowd around the walls began to clap as it had for Bagman, their faces full of savage triumph. The boy began to scream.**

**"No! Mother, no! I didn't do it, I didn't do it, I didn't know! Don't send me there, don't let him!"**

**The dementors were gliding back into the room. The boys' three companions rose quietly from their seats; the woman with the heavy-lidded eyes looked up at Crouch and called, "The Dark Lord will rise again, Crouch! Throw us into Azkaban; we will wait! He will rise again and will come for us, he will reward us beyond any of his other supporters! We alone were faithful! We alone tried to find him!"**

"Bellatrix." Sirius spat.

Andy closed her eyes, Cissy and Regulus sighed and Draco winced slightly.

Astoria leaned her head on his shoulder to comfort him slightly, grabbing his hand and squeezing it reassuringly.

**But the boy was trying to fight off the dementors, even though Harry could see their cold, draining power starting to affect him. The crowd was jeering, some of them on their feet, as the woman swept out of the dungeon, and the boy continued to struggle.**

**"I'm your son!" he screamed up at Crouch. "I'm your son!"**

**"You are no son of mine!" bellowed Mr. Crouch, his eyes bulging suddenly. "I have no son!"**

"He actually said that?" Minerva said shocked, "What human could say that to their own flesh and blood?"

"One who cared about their reputation more than their family." Petunia sighed. "And it seems Crouch cared more about his reputation."

**The wispy witch beside him gave a great gasp and slumped in her seat. She had fainted.**

**Crouch appeared not to have noticed.**

**"Take them away!" Crouch roared at the dementors, spit flying from his mouth. "Take them away, and may they rot there!"**

**"Father! Father, I wasn't involved! No! No! Father, please!"**

**"I think. Harry, it is time to return to my office," said a quiet voice in Harrys ear.**

"Ooooh! Busted!" the twins groaned.

**Harry started. He looked around. Then he looked on his other side.**

**There was an Albus Dumbledore sitting on his right, watching Crouch's son being dragged away by the dementors - and there was an Albus Dumbledore on his left, looking right at him.**

**"Come," said the Dumbledore on his left, and he put his hand under Harrys elbow. Harry felt himself rising into the air; the dungeon dissolved around him; for a moment, all was blackness, and then he felt as though he had done a slow-motion somersault, suddenly landing flat on his feet, in what seemed like the dazzling light of Dumbledore's sunlit office. The stone basin was shimmering in the cabinet in front of him, and Albus Dumbledore was standing beside him.**

**"Professor," Harry gasped, "I know I shouldn't've - I didn't mean - the cabinet door was sort of open and -"**

**"I quite understand," said Dumbledore. He lifted the basin, carried it over to his desk, placed it upon the polished top, and sat down in the chair behind it. He motioned for Harry to sit down opposite him.**

**Harry did so, staring at the stone basin. The contents had returned to their original, silvery-white state, swirling and rippling beneath his gaze.**

**"What is it?" Harry asked shakily.**

**"This? It is called a Pensieve," said Dumbledore. "I sometimes find, and I am sure you know the feeling, that I simply have too many thoughts and memories crammed into my mind."**

**"Er," said Harry, who couldn't truthfully say that he had ever felt anything of the sort.**

**"At these times," said Dumbledore, indicating the stone basin, "I use the Pensieve. One simply siphons the excess thoughts from one's mind, pours them into the basin, and examines them at one's leisure. It becomes easier to spot patterns and links, you understand, when they are in this form."**

**"You mean... that stuff's your thoughts?" Harry said, staring at the swirling white substance in the basin.**

**"Certainly," said Dumbledore. "Let me show you."**

**Dumbledore drew his wand out of the inside of his robes and placed the tip into his own silvery hair, near his temple. When he took the wand away, hair seemed to be clinging to it - but then Harry saw that it was in fact a glistening strand of the same strange silvery-white substance that filled the Pensieve. Dumbledore added this fresh thought to the basin, and Harry, astonished, saw his own face swimming around the surface of the bowl. Dumbledore placed his long hands on either side of the Pensieve and swirled it, rather as a gold prospector would pan for fragments of gold... and Harry saw his own face change smoothly into Snape's, who opened his mouth and spoke to the ceiling, his voice echoing slightly.**

**"It's coming back... Karkaroff's too... stronger and clearer than ever..."**

**"A connection I could have made without assistance," Dumbledore sighed, "but never mind."**

**He peered over the top of his half-moon spectacles at Harry, who was gaping at Snape's face, which was continuing to swirl around the bowl. "I was using the Pensieve when Mr. Fudge arrived for our meeting and put it away rather hastily. Undoubtedly I did not fasten the cabinet door properly. Naturally, it would have attracted your attention."**

**"I'm sorry," Harry mumbled.**

**Dumbledore shook his head. "Curiosity is not a sin," he said. "But we should exercise caution with our curiosity... yes, indeed..."**

"You didnt even get in trouble." James said shocked.

"I know." he chuckled, "I know I shouldn't have done it." he added to his Mother, "But I honestly didn't know I'd get sucked in if I touched it at all, I didn't particularly want to get in trouble for something like that. Consider that a version of my, admittedly rare, good luck coming into play." he stated.

**Frowning slightly, he prodded the thoughts within the basin with the tip of his wand.**

**Instantly, a figure rose out of it, a plump, scowling girl of about sixteen, who began to revolve slowly, with her feet still in the basin. She took no notice whatsoever of Harry or Professor Dumbledore. When she spoke, her voice echoed as Snape's had done, as though it were coming from the depths of the stone basin. "He put a hex on me, Professor Dumbledore, and I was only teasing him, sir, I only said I'd seen him kissing Florence behind the greenhouses last Thursday..."**

"Sorry, but why does that story sound familiar?" Alice asked, sounding amused.

"I'm sure that was one of the stories spread about Sirius." James grinned, "One of the rumors that got out of hand and led to a minor duel between us and Florence Davies, the mentioned girl. Sirius didn't actually do anything, it was a misunderstanding, taken and spread around the school by Bertha who saw them walking away from behind the greenhouses."

Sirius rolled his eyes, "You make that sound suspicious. She was a year above us, in her 7th year, we were in our 6th, Regulus his 4th. She was delivering a message to me from Regulus, one that apparently wasn't to be overheard." he explained.

"Oops." Regulus chuckled, "What?" he asked when Sirius glared at him, "It's not like you were talking to me at the time, I had to get a message to you somehow and the nice helpful Hufflepuff girl I'd seen hanging around you often seemed like a good plan." he shrugged, "She was happy enough to get the message to you anyway."

Sirius scowled, "Of course she was. Bertha was a gossiper and Florence was her best friend, Reg, that really didn't help. She started claiming we were a couple and caused a lot of trouble for me, despite me having told her multiple times, in public places and quite loudly, that no, we were not a couple and I wasn't interested in her. She kept trying to seduce me, I just wasn't interested. Then teachers got involved and I landed with 3 weeks worths of detentions because she apparently told her friend a lot of details of things we'd done together that we actually hadn't and they'd gone to a teacher to report my 'inappropriate activities'." he huffed, "I didn't do a single thing!"

"My bad." Regulus smirked, "Perhaps I should've asked Marlene to pass it on, that would've worked really well I'm sure. Or even better, I could've got Artemius to deliver it after the morning mail rush. You remember how much he loved attacking you when he saw you, don't you?" he asked sweetly, putting on an air of innocence.

Sirius muttered about annoying evil little brothers with their equally annoying evil owls while the others chuckled.

"It's your own fault Sirius." Cissy chuckled, "You shouldn't have been ignoring him like you were." she patted Regulus on the shoulder fondly, she turned to glare at him, "Who knows, if he'd had his big brother around, he might never have become a Death Eater. You could have found a way to get him out of it. Instead you ignored him."

Sirius clenched his jaw briefly as he glared back, "I did not ignore him, Narcissa. Not until I'd left school, it was late November I received a letter from him, telling me exactly what happened. That he was Marked even though he didn't want it. And that he didn't want me to contact him at all. I tried several times, all my letters came back unopened so I gave up. I didn't ignore him, he ignored me."

Regulus cleared his throat, frowning at Sirius, "_He_ did no such thing." he drawled, putting emphasis on the 'he', "I didn't write you a letter. I certainly didn't receive any from you."

"Then -" he stopped.

"Bella." Andy stated, "She's the only one who could copy his handwriting. She did the same to me with Cissy after I owled her - trying to stay in contact with her, you know? - it wasn't until I saw Cissy in May I knew the truth."

"Gives me another reason to hate her." he growled, "We'll discuss this later, once this memory is finished." he told Regulus, who nodded mutely.

**"But why. Bertha," said Dumbledore sadly, looking up at the now silently revolving girl, "why did you have to follow him in the first place?"**

**"Bertha?" Harry whispered, looking up at her. "Is that - was that Bertha Jorkins?"**

**"Yes," said Dumbledore, prodding the thoughts in the basin again; Bertha sank back into them, and they became silvery and opaque once more. "That was Bertha as I remember her at school."**

**The silvery light from the Pensieve illuminated Dumbledore's face, and it struck Harry suddenly how very old he was looking. He knew, of course, that Dumbledore was getting on in years, but somehow he never really thought of Dumbledore as an old man.**

"No one ever did." Minerva chuckled, "Never mind the 100+ years."

"How old was he anyway?" Harry asked frowning.

"He was 115 when he died." Minerva shrugged.

"Blimey, that's old." Dudley commented.

"It's common for witches and wizards to live past 100." Neville shrugged, "My Gran will be... Um... Dad how old will Gran be this year?"

"Um..." Frank frowned, "95 I think, I can't remember..."

"She'll be 99." Alice told them, "I swear Frank, you need to remember that."

"Hey it's been a while since I had to worry about it. How'd you remember anyway?"

"I asked her." she smirked.

"And she didn't yell? Amazing." Neville muttered, "I got told not to be cheeky then sent to my room if I asked her, so I just stopped asking."

"She knows we're still trying to get our bearings." Frank reminded his son, "Sometimes we'll forget things and have to ask questions, you know what the healer said. The last time we were sane enough to remember the date was early 1982, April I think." he shrugged.

"It's to be expected we'll 'get caught unaware sometimes'." Alice quoted their healer, "And we've 'not to worry about it because it'll fix itself'."

"Yes and that was said after they found out what I'd done." Neville smirked, "I wasn't going to tell them what I planned to try, even if I did get overall say over what happened. All that I told them was I wanted them in a separate room." he shrugged.

Luna nodded, "The healers weren't very happy with us."

"Most of the ones at Mungo's aren't happy when a patient's family does something, even if it cures the person." Andy mused.

"Despite being sane again, not everythings perfect up here." Alice shrugged, tapping her temple, "Occasionally we will forget things or take a while to remember them. It'll fix itself eventually." she shrugged again.

They all turned back to the memory.

**"So, Harry," said Dumbledore quietly. "Before you got lost in my thoughts, you wanted to tell me something."**

**"Yes," said Harry. "Professor - I was in Divination just now, and - er - I fell asleep."**

**He hesitated here, wondering if a reprimand was coming, but Dumbledore merely said, "Quite understandable. Continue."**

**"Well, I had a dream," said Harry. "A dream about Lord Voldemort. He was torturing Wormtail... you know who Wormtail -"**

**"I do know," said Dumbledore promptly. "Please continue."**

**"Voldemort got a letter from an owl. He said something like, Wormtail's blunder had been repaired. He said someone was dead. Then he said, Wormtail wouldn't be fed to the snake - there was a snake beside his chair. He said - he said he'd be feeding me to it, instead. Then he did the Cruciatus Curse on Wormtail - and my scar hurt," Harry said. "It woke me up, it hurt so badly."**

**Dumbledore merely looked at him.**

**"Er - that's all," said Harry.**

**"I see," said Dumbledore quietly. "I see. Now, has your scar hurt at any other time this year, excepting the time it woke you up over the summer?"**

**"No, I - how did you know it woke me up over the summer?" said Harry, astonished.**

**"You are not Sirius's only correspondent," said Dumbledore. "I have also been in contact with him ever since he left Hogwarts last year. It was I who suggested the mountainside cave as the safest place for him to stay."**

**Dumbledore got up and began walking up and down behind his desk. Every now and then, he placed his wand tip to his temple, removed another shining silver thought, and added it to the Pensieve. The thoughts inside began to swirl so fast that Harry couldn't make out anything clearly: It was merely a blur of color.**

**"Professor?" he said quietly, after a couple of minutes.**

**Dumbledore stopped pacing and looked at Harry.**

**"My apologies," he said quietly. He sat back down at his desk.**

**"D'you - d'you know why my scar's hurting me?"**

**Dumbledore looked very intently at Harry for a moment, and then said, "I have a theory, no more than that... It is my belief that your scar hurts both when Lord Voldemort is near you, and when he is feeling a particularly strong surge of hatred."**

**"But... why?"**

**"Because you and he are connected by the curse that failed," said Dumbledore. "That is no ordinary scar."**

**"So you think... that dream... did it really happen?"**

**"It is possible," said Dumbledore. "I would say - probable. Harry - did you see Voldemort?"**

**"No," said Harry. "Just the back of his chair. But - there wouldn't have been anything to see, would there? I mean, he hasn't got a body, has he? But... but then how could he have held the wand?" Harry said slowly.**

**"How indeed?" muttered Dumbledore. "How indeed..."**

**Neither Dumbledore nor Harry spoke for a while. Dumbledore was gazing across the room, and, every now and then, placing his wand tip to his temple and adding another shining silver thought to the seething mass within the Pensieve.**

**"Professor," Harry said at last, "do you think he's getting stronger?"**

**"Voldemort?" said Dumbledore, looking at Harry over the Pensieve. It was the characteristic, piercing look Dumbledore had given him on other occasions, and always made Harry feel as though Dumbledore were seeing right through him in a way that even Moody's magical eye could not. "Once again. Harry, I can only give you my suspicions."**

**Dumbledore sighed again, and he looked older, and wearier, than ever.**

**"The years of Voldemort's ascent to power," he said, "were marked with disappearances. Bertha Jorkins has vanished without a trace in the place where Voldemort was certainly known to be last. Mr. Crouch too has disappeared... within these very grounds. And there was a third disappearance, one which the Ministry, I regret to say, do not consider of any importance, for it concerns a Muggle. His name was Frank Bryce, he lived in the village where Voldemort's father grew up, and he has not been seen since last August. You see, I read the Muggle newspapers, unlike most of my Ministry friends."**

**Dumbledore looked very seriously at Harry.**

**"These disappearances seem to me to be linked. The Ministry disagrees - as you may have heard, while waiting outside my office."**

**Harry nodded. Silence fell between them again, Dumbledore extracting thoughts every now and then. Harry felt as though he ought to go, but his curiosity held him in his chair.**

**"Professor?" he said again.**

**"Yes, Harry?" said Dumbledore.**

**"Er... could I ask you about... that court thing I was in... in the Pensieve?"**

**"You could," said Dumbledore heavily. "I attended it many times, but some trials come back to me more clearly than others... particularly now..."**

**"You know - you know the trial you found me in? The one with Crouch's son? Well... were they talking about Neville's parents?"**

**Dumbledore gave Harry a very sharp look. "Has Neville never told you why he has been brought up by his grandmother?" he said.**

"I never told anyone." Neville muttered.

**Harry shook his head, wondering, as he did so, how he could have failed to ask Neville this, in almost four years of knowing him.**

"I wouldn't have answered even if you asked." Neville admitted.

**"Yes, they were talking about Neville's parents," said Dumbledore. "His father, Frank, was an Auror just like Professor Moody. He and his wife were tortured for information about Voldemort's whereabouts after he lost his powers, as you heard."**

"Albus seems to have forgotten too." Alice groaned.

"Ask him why he didn't mention it next time you're in my office." Minerva suggested.

"Will do." she nodded.

**"So they're dead?" said Harry quietly.**

**"No," said Dumbledore, his voice full of a bitterness Harry had never heard there before.**

**"They are insane. They are both in St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries. I believe Neville visits them, with his grandmother, during the holidays. They do not recognize him."**

"So you knew before it was made public?" Neville asked sadly.

Harry nodded, "It was one of the things I didn't tell these two." he gestured to Ron and Hermione, "I figured you had a reason you wanted it kept quiet."

Neville nodded.

**Harry sat there, horror-struck. He had never known... never, in four years, bothered to find out...**

**"The Longbottoms were very popular," said Dumbledore. "The attacks on them came after Voldemort's fall from power, just when everyone thought they were safe. Those attacks caused a wave of fury such as I have never known. The Ministry was under great pressure to catch those who had done it. Unfortunately, the Longbottoms' evidence was - given their condition - none too reliable."**

**"Then Mr. Crouch's son might not have been involved?" said Harry slowly.**

**Dumbledore shook his head.**

**"As to that, I have no idea."**

"He wasn't." Frank said.

"He wasnt even there." Alice confirmed.

**Harry sat in silence once more, watching the contents of the Pensieve swirl. There were two more questions he was burning to ask... but they concerned the guilt of living people...**

**"Er," he said, "Mr. Bagman..."**

**"... has never been accused of any Dark activity since," said Dumbledore calmly.**

**"Right," said Harry hastily, staring at the contents of the Pensieve again, which were swirling more slowly now that Dumbledore had stopped adding thoughts. "And... er..."**

**But the Pensieve seemed to be asking his question for him.**

**Snape's face was swimming on the surface again. Dumbledore glanced down into it, and then up at Harry.**

**"No more has Professor Snape," he said.**

**Harry looked into Dumbledore's light blue eyes, and the thing he really wanted to know spilled out of his mouth before he could stop it.**

**"What made you think he'd really stopped supporting Voldemort, Professor?"**

**Dumbledore held Harry's gaze for a few seconds, and then said, "That, Harry, is a matter between Professor Snape and myself."**

**Harry knew that the interview was over; Dumbledore did not look angry, yet there was a finality in his tone that told Harry it was time to go. He stood up, and so did Dumbledore.**

**"Harry," he said as Harry reached the door. "Please do not speak about Neville's parents to anybody else. He has the right to let people know, when he is ready."**

**"Yes, Professor," said Harry, turning to go.**

**"And -"**

**Harry looked back. Dumbledore was standing over the Pensieve, his face lit from beneath by its silvery spots of light, looking older than ever. He stared at Harry for a moment, and then said, "Good luck with the third task."**

"That was nice of him." Lily smiled.

"I'll let you lot decide whether we continue today or not." Harry said, "I'll warn you it get's really dark and a little dangerous, there's no happy memories left of this year that I can think of."

"And he's not kidding." Hermione muttered with Ron nodding beside her.

"It's the kind of stuff nightmares are made of." Harry added.

"I think we should wait until morning." Sirius said, "I know what happens, or at least part of it, and I can tell you, you wont like it at all." he explained to the ones who didn't know what happened already.

"Do you want me to tell you exactly how bad it is?" Harry asked, a few people nodded hesitantly, "It was bad enough it still haunts me in my dreams sometimes, bad enough that it gave me nightmares for about 2 months solid, bad enough it worried Albus Dumbledore." he finished grimly.

"If it's bad enough to worry Albus then I think we should wait until tomorrow." James said after a moment.

"Harry? I'm guessing you know how I died?" Regulus asked.

"I do and these two know bit's of it." Harry nodded at Ron and Hermione.

"Is it something to do with that?" he asked hesitantly.

Harry frowned, "You could say that."

"Then I agree with James. We should wait." Regulus decided, the others who hadn't known also nodded in agreement even though they all looked curious.

"It's one of those things where you want to know what it is but once you know you don't want to know it, isn't it?" Remus sighed.

The Golden Trio nodded.

"There's a lot of bit's like that in our past." Ron admitted, "We'll warn you as much as we can but..."

"We can't explain everything." Hermione finished for him.

"And I know a lot of the things you three have done sound unbelievable. But they're true." Ginny added.

"Mostly true." Harry corrected her, "Some of the things even we wouldn't admit to."

"Like what?" Lily asked.

"Like... In our 1st year, people wouldn't beleive Ron and I fought a Troll and that's how we became friends with Hermione or that the three of us saved the Philosopher's Stone at the end of the year." Harry smirked. "Or in our 2nd that we brewed Polyjuice Potion, disguised ourselves as Crabbe and Goyle, snuck into the Slytherin common room and questioned Draco about him being the heir of Slytherin all without getting caught once."

"And who would beleive them if they said they'd hung around with an escaped convict, a werewolf, Severus Snape and around 100 dementors and lived to tell the tale." Remus chuckled.

"That does sound far-fetched." Frank nodded.

"All of it." Alice agreed.

"It's only 3.30." Harry mused, "Anyone up for a trip to Diagon Alley?"

The Longbottom's, Luna, Lily, James, Ginny, Hermione and Ron nodded while everyone else declined.

"Dinner will be at 6." Molly told them as they prepared to leave, "Be sure to be back, or are you eating out?"

"We'll be back Mum." Ginny assured her as everyone else nodded.

The small group then left to head to Diagon Alley.

* * *

><p>Well, here's a few new chapters for you all. I'm looking for idea's about Matthew Rosier's fate - what would you say had happened to him? I was considering saying something along the lines of he's a Werewolf but I'm not entirely certain about that idea so let me know what you think and I'll write about whichever idea I think sounds the best. As soon as I have the idea and have written it out, it will go up - quite possibly in the next chapter if I get the idea soon enough.<p>

Thank you all for the reviews I've had so far, it really encourages me to update faster.

Review please x


	42. Chapter 42

Chapter 42 - Shopping.

18, August. 1998. 4.00pm.

Upon arriving at Diagon Alley through the Leaky Cauldron, they were all headed towards Gringotts when Harry was approached by a man in a suit that looked like it was made of dark blue Dragon skin.

"Hello. Are you Harry Potter?" the man asked hesitantly.

"I am but... Who are you?" Harry asked suspiciously.

"I'm Adrian Flier, owner of the Firebolt company. I have been trying to contact you for week's."

"My mail is screened through the Ministry, precautions you understand." Harry said, "As well as all mail that comes to where I'm staying."

"Yes of course. Well as I said I've been trying to contact you, I have an offer for you and your friends." Adrian smiled at Ron, Hermione and Ginny.

"Let's hear it then." Ginny smiled back politely.

"Of course. At Firebolt Industries we have just finished a brand new model: The Stormcloud." he explained, "I've been trying to contact you to see if the four of you would be interested in modeling them for the release posters, you would get a free Stormcloud for each member of your family who wants one as well as 500 Galleons from the company to do what you want with." he finished.

Harry looked at the others, "We'll need to think about it." he said finally, "Is there a set date for this?"

"We're hoping to have The Stormcloud on shelves by Christmas, so take all the time you need to think on it." Adrian admitted. "When you decide, positive or negative, just send a letter or Floo me at this address." he handed Harry a little card, "I'll be awaiting your decision." he said before promptly disappearing.

"That was... Odd." Lily commented.

"That's normal for us. Well... Not so much the offer, but getting stopped by people." Hermione amended.

"Must get annoying." Frank chuckled.

"It does. You get used to it after a while but just be glad we're not getting mobbed." Neville shrugged, "To be honest I'm surprised he didnt mention us."

"We get stopped but not as often as those three." Luna added with a smile.

The group wasn't stopped again on their way to Gringotts.

When they got to the bank Harry and Ginny went to a tiller while the other's went to other tiller's.

"Hello." Ginny said.

The Goblin looked up and looked straight at Harry, "Well, well... If it isnt Mr I-Can-Break-Into-Gringotts-And-Get-Away-With-It." the Goblin grinned when Harry looked nervous. "Dont worry Lord Potter, every Goblin in Britain know's what happened and what was done about it. Some aren't happy but..." he shrugged, "I'm fine with it. Now what can I do for you today?"

"We need to go down to the Potter Family Vault." Harry smiled, relaxing a little.

The Goblin looked shocked, "I thought Clanut was joking when he said you could speak Gobbledegook."

Ginny and Harry exchanged looks then Ginny turned to the Goblin, "Sometimes we can't tell, it all sounds like English to us." she explained, "It's happened with other languages before, we can speak them fluently and not realise we're doing it."

The Goblin nodded, "That sounds like what Clanut said. I'll take you to the Potter Vault personally, I beleive that's where your parents are going?" he asked Harry who nodded, the Goblin pushed a button and a smaller Goblin appeared, "Tell Ginout that I'm going down to the Potter Vault and that those two he's talking to can come down with us." the young Goblin nodded and left.

"Sorry if I'm being rude but... What's your name?" Ginny asked the Goblin curiously.

"It is Thinup, I am Clanut's son." Thinup smiled.

"Thinup? That's a nice name." Harry grinned as James and Lily joined them.

"I'm sure it sounds odd to you." Thinup smiled, "Let us head down to the vault then."

Thinup led them through a door that led to the cart's.

_Is it just me or does this go further down than my other vault?_ Harry asked Ginny.

_It does. Your family vault will be further down near the Black's, _Ginny explained,_ Haven't you been there before?_

_No, the last time I needed money Dad got it for me, remember? The Goblins were still annoyed with me?_

_Oh yeah..._

"Here we are the Potter Vault." Thinup smiled as they stopped outside a massive metal vault door with the Potter crest on it.

"Harry you just have to put your hand on the vault door and that'll open it for the rest of us." James explained, "Only the Lord of the family can do that once Lordships been changed, then all it takes is someone with the family name to open it. I know it's joint Lordship but you can do it this time, I've already done it before and it's been changed to the joint Lordship so it already knows my magical signature."

Harry nodded and put his hand palm down on the cool metal door, a faint red light surrounded his hand and the door disappeared revealing large piles of Galleons, Sickles and Knuts. It looked like the piles never ended.

"Wow." Ginny and Harry breathed.

"Quite a lot isn't it? That was my reaction to it the first time I was here." Lily giggled.

James picked up a money sack that was lying atop a pile of them beside the door and threw one to Lily who caught it, he then threw two to Harry and he handed one to Ginny, who looked shocked.

"You'll be family soon enough." Harry grinned, "What's mine is yours." he smirked. Ginny smiled at him and nodded hesitantly.

"The sacks look small but they carry around 2000 Galleons each." James grinned, "Just fill them up to the top, it'll do for future shopping trips."

"Undetectable Extension Charms?" Harry guessed, "Hermione has a bag with some on it so she can carry more." he explained.

"Well there's that but they have lightening charms on them too, so the sacks aren't too heavy when full."

"Clever." Ginny smirked.

"Hey Dad? What's that door?" Harry was looking at a wooden door on the left hand side of the vault.

"It leads to the family treasury." he explained, "Basically it's old relics and thing's that have been handed down from ages ago."

"Can we have a look?"

"Sure."

Harry led the way over to the door, opened it, and gasped.

The room was full of old books, full sets of armor, cabinets/wardrobes, weapons like daggers and swords, big trunks, a family tree was on a canvas propped up against a wardrobe, there was also a few painting's - whose occupants were sound asleep.

"There's more further round. Most of this stuff was at Potter Manor before I moved out through the first war. I'm sure the Manor's still standing otherwise our House-Elves, well what's left of them, would have went to Hogwarts until they found you." James said sadly.

"Why did you move out?" Harry asked curiously.

"Well... When my parent's were killed by Voldemort himself it would only have been Sirius, Remus and I living there, Lily would have when we got married then you when you came along but... The Manor's big, and I mean big, the wards surrounding it failed once and we didn't want to risk it... Voldemort had a personal problem with the Potter family you see, it just wasn't safe." James finished.

"So we moved to a smaller house. Sirius and Remus shared a flat in London while we were staying at Hogwarts for a week or two. Then when the wards had been set up at the cottage in Godrics Hollow we moved there." Lily smiled sadly. "We thought we were safe with the Fidelius on the house."

"We lived there for about a year before we found it necessary to put the Fidelius on, requiring us to leave for it to be set up... And barely a week after we went back to Godric's Hollow, Wormtail betrayed us." James sighed.

"I noticed you didn't react all that much when he was mentioned in the memories." Ginny commented.

"I dont hate him for getting me killed." James shrugged, "I hate him for going to the Dark side and getting Lily killed and Harry almost killed but... I want to remember the boy and man who I considered a brother. To remember him the way he was and not who he became... Sure he betrayed us but at the same time he was trying to do what the rest of us were, stay alive." he sighed.

"Have you told Sirius and Remus that?" Harry asked.

"Sirius will always hate him, he pretends to go deaf when I try to tell him what I think... Remus listened to me and he partly agrees but... Wormtail ruined both their lives, getting me and Lily killed, Sirius arrested and sent to Azkaban for 12 years, Remus living rough with no one there to help him, you having to go live with the Dursley's and not being in contact with anyone magical in 10 years... The list of what Wormtail's actions caused goes on and on. I'd like to think Moony is on my side but there's no convincing Padfoot."

"That's not true James, you know Sirius may hate Wormtail but you know deep, deep down he misses the fourth man in your group." Lily sighed, "He just won't admit it."

"Maybe your right Lily but I don't know what to think. Sirius isn't the same as he was when we were 21, Azkaban changed him. Remus is different too but they're still like brothers to me." James grinned, "Right enough with the depressing thing's, let's fill these sacks."

The four went back through to the room filled with money and started filling the sacks until they were full to the top. Once they had enough they left the vault and Thinup took them back to the foyer of the bank, via cart, and they met Hermione and Ron.

"Where's the other's?" Lily asked.

"Neville and Luna wanted to spend sometime with Frank and Alice, so they can get to know each other better." Hermione smiled, "So where are we going?" she asked as they left the bank.

"Well I need to go to Madame Malkins for robes and everyday wear." Harry said, "My other clothes are getting tight, even with engorgement charms." he chuckled.

"I need some too." Ron admitted.

"Why don't we head there first then?" Lily suggested, "James we need new robes anyway." she added as James was about to complain.

Twenty minutes later the group emerged with a bag or two each.

"Where now?"

"I was thinking we should go see about furniture for Casper and Jasper." Harry mused, "See if we can get a catalog or owl order."

"Jinx and Jex need new bed's too. They've almost outgrown the temporary one's Dad fixed for them and it's only been about a week." Ginny chuckled.

"Oi, Potter!" someone shouted.

Harry turned and saw Blaise Zabini and a tired looking Daphne Greengrass walking over to them hand in hand.

"Hello Blaise, Daphne. How are you today?" Harry asked.

"I'm good." Blaise said in his deep voice.

"I'm exhausted." Daphne admitted, "Have any of you seen Astoria? Or Draco?"

"They've been at the Burrow everyday this week. Why?" Ron asked.

"I owe them both an apology. When Astoria told me she was pregnant and not even three days later that she was engaged to Draco, I guess I over-reacted." Daphne said miserably. "I've thought about it a bit and I was horrid to Draco. I really don't mind him that much you know, even if he is a git. I guess you could call it an older sister being too protective."

"I get that all the time with my brothers, all six of them are way too protective for their own good." Ginny smiled sympathetically.

"Hey!" Ron protested.

"Dont deny it Ron. You're the worst." Ginny grinned.

"Do you want us to tell Draco and Astoria to come see you?" Hermione asked.

"It would be good if you would." Blaise said, "Tell Draco I need to talk to him if he's being stubborn. He'll listen to that. I only got back in the country a few days ago. I've been staying at Greengrass Manner since I returned, so he'll have to go there to see me." he smirked.

"And that means he'll have to bring Astoria to see me." Daphne added.

"We'll pass the message along." Harry smiled, "Oh yeah, these are my parent's James and Lily Potter. Mum, Dad this is Blaise Zabini and Astoria's older sister Daphne."

"Hello." Daphne smiled

"Nice to meet you." Blaise added.

"Nice to meet you too." James said shaking their hand's. Lily did the same while smiling at them.

"Even if we are big bad Slytherins?" Daphne teased.

"Even then." James nodded, "We know quite a few Slytherin's that are okay. Like your sister, she's friendly enough."

"Just don't annoy her." Blaise winced, "Draco did that once when we were 12 and he was bed-ridden for a week." he chuckled.

"She can be worse than me." Daphne agreed, "I blame the healer training our mother gave her, she knows exactly where it hurts the most."

They all laughed a little at that.

"So what are you two doing here?" Ron asked finally.

"Just browsing, I've been catching Blaise up on what's been going on here. How about you lot?" Daphne asked.

"Shopping for clothes and baby stuff." Harry grinned, "We're adopting twins that were orphaned during the war." he said holding up Ginny's hand, "That's not the full story but if you want we can explain that later, it's not something to be said in public, or ask Astoria and Draco when they go to see you, they know the full story." he explained.

"Congrats." Blaise said. "And congrats on your engagement." he added nodding towards the engagement ring on Ginny's finger.

"Thank you." she smiled.

"We'll let you get on with that then. I think Mum said it was 5 we were to be back at so we have half an hour." Daphne said to Blaise who nodded.

The two said their farewells and departed.

"So that was Astoria's sister?" Lily asked.

"Yeah, Daphne was a great help to the DA last year." Ginny nodded as they headed towards Furniture for All Occasions.

"She seems nice." James smiled.

"She is but it's hard to get her to drop her barriers and let people in." Hermione supplied, "She'll be alright with people we trust because she trusts us not to judge her." she explained.

The small group entered the furniture store and split up to look around.

"I like this." Ginny said to Harry while looking at a baby blue cot complete with a mobile that had stars, moons and planets that spun around slowly.

"It's nice." he agreed, "Do you want to get it for the twins?" he asked, he looked at the tag, "It says it can be expanded for twins that dont want to be seperated, it can be delivered by Owl-Order and it's hard wearing. Not too expensive either, only 50 Galleons. Ah! It's on sale."

"It sound's perfect." Ginny nodded, "The twins won't want to be separated."

Harry nodded and told the woman at the till that they'd like the crib via Owl-Order.

The woman nodded with a smile, "That should be fine dear. Is it for one baby or two?"

"Two. We're adopting twins and we haven't got any furniture for them yet." Harry explained.

"Here." the woman handed him a piece of parchment and a quill, "All the furniture for a baby is available on Owl-Order, if you see anything else you'd like just write it down. It's also all on sale until the end of the summer." she explained.

"Thank you." Ginny smiled, she and Harry walked around the store occasionally writing something down that they needed for the twins.

"How is this going to work Gin? We're still living with your parent's, how're we going to handle this?" Harry asked suddenly.

Ginny frowned, "We'll work something out." she shrugged. "Take it in turns at night, like one night in beside me and the other girls and the next in with you and the boy's. We'll talk to our parent's about it." she decided.

After 15 minutes they had everything they needed pre-ordered written down, a cot, a moses basket for when they were downstairs and two bouncy chairs.

The other four joined them at the counter.

"That's a small list." Lily commented

"I know it's only four items for now but most of the furniture is already at the Burrow because of Teddy." Harry shrugged, "Like the changing table in the bathroom. We can always come back if we've forgotten something we need." he added.

"At least we don't have to get too much today. Even though we'll need to go get bottles and such for them, and a large supply of nappies, things they can't share." Ginny laughed, "But by Merlin having your Godson around frequently helps a lot."

"It does." he agreed handing the list to the woman behind the counter.

She quickly counted the price up, "That's 150 Galleons for everything and 5 Galleons for delivery."

Harry counted out the money from his sack and handed it over.

"Any preference on the date dears?"

"Not really. As long as it's before the end of the month." Ginny smiled.

"Then how does Monday around 2pm sound?"

"That'd be perfect." Harry grinned, he gave her the adress of the Burrow and the group left the shop.

"What time is it?" Ron asked.

"Umm... It's 5.30." James said checking his watch.

"Let's find the others and head home then." Hermione suggested.

Within 10 minutes they located the Longbottom's and Luna, they were sitting outside the entrance to the Leaky Cauldron. Shorly after they all apparated back to the Burrow for dinner.

* * *

><p>Just before dinner was served Sirius decided to bring up something that he'd said he would earlier that day.<p>

"So, Matthew Rosier. Any ideas what happened to him?"

"No clue, as I said earlier he disappeared without a trace after being disowned when he was 17." Cissy told him.

"I know he was at least 5 years younger than Cissy, but not much else about him. We didn't really talk to our Mother's side of the family often." Andy added thoughtfully.

"He wasn't younger than me." Cissy frowned, "He was Bella's year, wasn't he?"

"No, you're thinking of Evan." Regulus told her, "Evan was Bella's age, I think Matthew was about 2 years older... Wasn't he in your year Andy?"

"You're forgetting there's more than 2 years between Bella and I if you think he was in my year." she rolled her eyes, "There's a 4 year age difference between Bella and myself, 8 between Cissy and I. Matthew was somewhere in the middle I believe."

"You wouldn't think there was that much of an age difference." Bill mused, looking between the sisters.

They both chuckled in amusement, "And why wouldn't you think that?" Cissy smirked.

"You don't act like there's 8 years between you. Its just an assumption you're ages were closer." he shrugged.

"Oh? Well if that's what you assume, guess how many years there is between Regulus and I." Andy challenged, "Don't you two say anything." she warned Sirius and Cissy, who'd smirked when she challenged Bill.

"Not going to. I'd warn him though." Sirius nodded at Regulus.

"Hey, I have no clue what age she was when I was born." he shrugged, "Can't say anything if I dont know." he smirked, "So Bill, what would you guess at?"

"Um... No idea... Don't be offended, but I'm going to say 10." he said hesitantly.

Andy laughed, "Flatterer. Add 7 onto that."

"17?" he asked, looking surprised.

"Yes, I was 17 when he was born." she confirmed, "15 when Sirius was born, 8 with Cissy and 4 with Bella. I remember the latter three as babies better than I do Bella." she shrugged, "And yet I still can't remember what age Matthew was." she frowned.

Cissy looked thoughtful for a moment, "Wasn't he named after Great-Uncle Matthias when he died?"

"I think so." she nodded slowly.

"He was two years older than Sirius then." she stated, "And yes I can remember when you were born, Sirius." she added, looking amused at the suspicious look on his face.

"She was 7 at the time, of course she'd remember it." Andy nodded, "Anyway, you were saying about Great-Uncle Matthias, Cissy?"

"Oh yeah, I was 5 when that happened so Matthew would have been 2 years older than Sirius." she said. "He was at least... 17 when he was disowned, I believe... Come to think of it, I think that was before you left actually." she looked at Sirius, head tilted to the side a little.

Sirius frowned, "No idea, I didn't get told anything to do with any of the relatives. I got kept in my room most of the time and I had no reason to ask about them since they all, apparently, hated me." he shrugged.

Regulus made a noise of realisation, "No, it was just after Sirius left. Literally the day after my 14th birthday. I remember my Mother ranting about it to Aunt Druella, something about 'Both of our noble family lines will die out if there's anymore Blood Traitors'." he said slowly, "I'm not 100% sure, she sent me to my room after that." he shrugged, "But it was just after I turned 14 he was disowned, so he would've been 18."

"And no one's heard from him since?" Molly inquired.

"Not that we know of." Cissy sighed, "We'll need to see if we can track him down at one point, if he's still alive that is."

"Way to be optimistic." James muttered.

"It's possible he was killed." Sirius shrugged, "That was the usual for Blood Traitors in the Rosier line."

Andy made a noise of agreement, "They probably would've tried to kill me if it wasn't for me having the Black name instead of Rosier." she shrugged, not seeming phased by this information, "I daresay it was probably my Father who put his foot down on the 'don't kill the wayward daughter no matter what she's done' thing."

"You'd be right with that one." Cissy confirmed, "Though I don't think Mother would've killed you."

"No, she'd get someone else to do it." she snorted, "And I'd bet there'd be a lot of 'relatives' who would without question. Or she'd hire an assassin who'd make it look like an accident. That's what they done to Great-Great-Aunt Lyra when she married a Muggle, they hired an assassin who killed them both and made it look like they'd been in a car accident." she mused.

"This is making me rather glad I never knew them." Dora informed her, looking very disturbed.

"I'll second that statement." Draco added, also looking highly disturbed.

"That's what Ted said when I told him that too." she chuckled, "I dealt with it for years, the thought doesn't bother me like I can see it bothers all of you."

Indeed the whole room, except those who'd grown up as Black's, was looking rather bothered and disturbed at the calm manner in which she talked about her own family killing her.

"Alright, I'll be the one to ask it. How in Merlin's name can you be so calm when talking about something like that?" Charlie inquired hesitantly.

She shrugged, "No idea." she stated, frowning slightly, "I'd say it was the healer training and having had to deal with cases like that before, but even when I was a teenager I could talk about such things calmly."

Sirius smirked, "Looks like you didn't quite escape the family madness like you thought you did. I'd bet it just... Let's say 'developed' for lack of a better word... Differently."

"It's possible." she agreed, "Either that or I just got too used to hearing things like that when I was younger."

"Probably a mix of both." Cissy pointed out, "It doesn't bother me as much either." she shrugged, "Then again, I did spend most of my time with Bella, I doubt things like that could ever shock me again with all that she did." she winced.

Alice bit her lip, "You don't have to answer this if you dont want to but... What was it like for you growing up with her?"

Cissy frowned, "She wasn't that bad until she was 14, when Voldemort's first few noticeable attacks happened... After that... It's difficult to describe..." she trailed off, she looked at Andy.

"Imagine you had a younger sibling you loved to the point you'd die for them." the older sister said, "Now imagine watching as that sibling got infatuated with all things dark and cruel and watching them literally drive themselves to the point where they actually enjoyed those dark and cruel things and wouldn't come away from them for anything or anyone at all." she sighed, eyes closing briefly, "Growing up with Bella was like that. Knowing there was no way to help her was what hurt the most. Her telling us to back off. Threatening to Crucio us when she was in a bad mood. And knowing there was absolutely no way to pull her away from the Dark Arts because she _enjoyed_ causing pain to others too much and was encouraged to do so by our parents..." she shook her head.

"Bellatrix wasn't always like that though." Cissy pointed out quietly, "Not when she was younger."

"No, she wasn't. But she always had the cruel streak." she sighed, "No matter what I said to her, she wouldn't listen to me. She wouldn't listen to Uncle Alphard either. By the time I'd beaten my own prejudiced views and formed my own opinions on things, she was already starting to get into the Dark Arts and nothing I said could convince her to leave them alone. All I could do - until I was disowned that is - was watch her plan out her own destruction." she muttered, "In short, it was maddening growing up with her. She definitely fitted the stereotypical 'overly annoying younger sister' role anyway."

They were quiet as they digested this information.

"Must have been hard for you." Bill said finally, "I couldn't imagine one of this lot going Dark like that." he gestured his siblings, "But if they did, I'm not saying any of you are going to, but _if_ that happened I think it would be like hell on earth emotion wise."

Andy nodded, "It was difficult knowing I couldn't do anything." she sighed, "I'm just grateful that at least these three listened. Well, Cissy and Sirius did, Regulus was too young to remember any of it when I left. Tell me something Regulus, do you have any clear memories of me at all?"

Regulus shifted in his seat uncomfortably as everyone looked at him, "Uh, no. Not clear anyway. There's a few fuzzy one's, but ultimately no." he admitted awkwardly, flushing slightly as if embarrassed by the admission.

"I thought that." she nodded, smiling slightly, "You were only 5 the last time you saw me before your return. Sirius was 7 and even he admitted his memory was a little fuzzy when he first got back in contact with me and he was 16, just under 9 years after I left."

The dog animagus nodded in confirmation, "I knew who she was, but I'd forgotten a few things." he shrugged, "Hardly surprising since we usually got in trouble for even mentioning the name Andromeda, when not doing homework that is." he shrugged again, smirking slightly.

"That's what they get for naming us all after stars." Andy smirked, "Even if we're disowned our names had to be used occasionally."

"What's with that anyway?" Charlie asked, "Naming you all after stars?"

"It's a Black tradition, though it doesn't always stick and names can be abbreviated." Cissy shrugged, "Usually they have a meaning behind them but otherwise it's because they sound nice."

"Like mine. It means 'Dog Star', bit ironic considering my Animagus." Sirius smirked, "The origin is Greek and it's also the brightest star, known as alpha Canis Majoris and is named after the Egyptian God Osiris.

"Draco's means Dragon and it's Latin in origin." Cissy smiled at her son, who flushed slightly, "But it's also a star and in the Arabic meaning is 'the great serpent'. Just be glad I named you Draco, Lucius wanted to call you something else."

"I'm going to regret asking, I just know I am, but what did he want to call me?"

"Perseus." she told him, face straight.

"You're joking, right?" he asked warily as the other's chuckled or snickered.

"Not at all." she smirked, "He honestly wanted to call you that. Well that or Corvus."

"Urgh." he shook his head in disgust, "In that case, yes I am glad you named me, Mother. Besides the meaning behind my name isnt that bad." he shrugged.

"Better than the meaning of Narcissa anyway." Sirius smirked, "Her's means 'numbness' or 'sleep'."

"It's also the only name that isn't a star." Andy mused, "But that's because they went fully with the Rosier tradition of naming daughters after flowers, so whilst Sirius was right, they actually picked a name that could be derived from the flower of the same name, also known as 'daffodil'."

Cissy shrugged, "I can live with that. "What was it yours was again?"

"Its a northern constellation that contains the Andromeda Galaxy and was named after a character from Greek mythology: a princess who was chained to a rock to be sacrificed to a sea monster, as divine punishment for her mother's boasting, but was saved by the hero Perseus, whom she then married." she recited, raising an eyebrow at her sister, "It would have been highly ironic if you'd allowed Lucius to call Draco Perseus, wouldn't you agree?"

"Just a little, if he hadn't been thinking of a different Perseus. He was thinking of the one that's known as the 'Demon Star' and is the eye of Medusa's head in the constellation of Perseus." she replied, "Also meaning 'head of the ogre' in the Arabic meaning and Tseih She or 'piled up corpses' in Chinese." she added, shaking her head, "Honestly, he got an EE in his Astrology NEWT and yet he still couldnt remember that. As soon as I told him the meanings he literally just said 'you name him' and walked out of the room." she chuckled, "I was worried I might've had to set Bella on him if he kept arguing with me, she would've been glad to help out with winning that argument."

"You'd be mean enough to set Bella on him?" Sirius inquired, mock-shocked.

"Possibly." she shrugged, "He'd deserve it at anyrate. I mean, he'd been arguing with me about it for a month and I was already 8 months pregnant when it started. At the time I was more than willing to let Bella do the arguing for me." she admitted, "She did so gladly mind you, she hated Lucius."

"In-laws didn't get on then?" Fred smirked.

"Not at all." she confirmed with a chuckle, "Rather amusing at times, really."

"How come you know so much about Astrology?" George inquired curiously, "All of you." he added.

"We all took the class to NEWT level." Regulus shrugged, "Though I didn't get around to doing my NEWT's I did get an O on my OWL."

"I got an O in my NEWT." Andy added.

"So did I." Cissy nodded, "Sirius?"

"I got an O as well. One of my highest scoring classes that one." he grinned before shrugging, "We started getting taught about the stars when we were little, 6 or 7 years old. As soon as we were old enough to concentrate on things like that really." he explained, "It was classed as a traditional thing to take Astronomy classes, one of the few I actually followed since I rather liked the subject." he admitted.

"That's why I did it too." Andy nodded, "Because I enjoyed it, not because of tradition."

"I was made to do it." Cissy shrugged, "My parents said if I didn't I'd be grounded until I got married. Very effective threat that one was. I didn't overly mind the subject though."

"I was in a similar situation only told I'd be grounded until I was of age." Regulus added, "Either way the subject was easy-ish for me."

They sat and chatted more about the different stars and constellations, or something else for those not all that interested in that subject, until dinner was ready.

* * *

><p>This will be the last time Matthew Rosier is mentioned for a while, at least until Part 4 after all the memories are done. Thanks for all the great ideas, the most common seems to be make him a Werewolf like Remus or have him be a Muggle loving Pureblood or both and I've got a really good idea about what to do with him now.<p>

What do you think of the little info on the Black's then? As far as I've looked I've not really found much information on their early years/childhood (Even on official websites or Wikipedia - which is hardly right most of the time anyway) so I'm kind of making it up as I go along as long as it seems like it could be possible for the supposedly evil family called the Black's (For all we know they could just be seriously misunderstood people!). You should know I found the meanings of the names on multiple websites, the most common being .com or .com, and picked the ones that seemed most interesting to me since I found quite a few different meanings for each of them.

Review please x


	43. Chapter 43

Chapter 43 - The Duel's.

18, August. 1998. 7.00pm.

After dinner everyone was just sitting talking.

"Harry? You haven't tried dueling with your new power level have you?" Ron asked quietly from beside him. "Wouldn't you be better trying it so you don't overpower your spell's?"

"Are you offering to help?" Harry asked, Ron nodded, "Why not." he shrugged, "A friendly duel never hurt anyone and we're both out of practice."

"That's what I was thinking." Ron admitted, "It'll do us some good to practice in case we need to duel someone. Let's go into the garden, it's still light out."

Both of them got up and went outside and stood back to back in the middle of the garden.

"Wand ready. Ten step's." Harry said, they both walked ten steps forward and turned to face each other, "Ready?" Ron nodded, "Go! Expelliarmus!"

"Protego! Densaugeo!"

Harry dodged the teeth growing spell, "Petrificus Totalus!"

Ron had to dodge that one, "Furnunculus!"

"Protego! Immobulus!"

"Protego! Incarcerous!"

Harry tried to dodge the ropes but it caught his ankle as he dove, "Protego! Diffindo!" he got rid of the ropes behind his shield, "Expelliarmus!"

After a few more minutes of spellcasting Ron dodged a tripping jinx and sent back, "Stupefy!"

Harry dodged the spell, it missed him by an inch, then he had an idea, "Serpensortia!" a snake burst from the end of his wand, "Distract him don't attack." he hissed. The snake slithered towards Ron who looked panicked.

"Diffindo!" the spell hit Harry's cheek and a gash appeared and started to bleed.

"Stupefy!"

Harry's spell hit Ron in the middle of his chest and he fell to the ground unconscious.

"Vipera Evanesca." Harry vanished the snake and suddenly heard cheering, he spun around to find that everyone had come out of the house and had watched their duel, "Rennervate." he cast with a flick of his wand in Ron's direction.

Ron stirred and sit up, "Your bloody hard to beat." was the first thing he said. "That wasn't fair using the snake to scare me."

Harry smirked, "First rule of dueling: Use everything you can to your advantage. I recall saying that twice when teaching the DA." he said as he helped Ron stand up again.

"That was a fast duel." Sirius chuckled as Ron and Harry joined them.

"He's impossible to beat!" Ron moaned. "Never once in 7, almost 8, years have I seen Harry lose a duel friendly or not."

"Really?" Remus asked surprised, "I didn't know that."

"Hmm... Come on Harry, let's see if I can beat you." Hermione smirked.

Harry nodded and they both went into the middle of the garden.

"10 steps." Ginny said deciding to referee, they both took 10 steps, "Turn." they turned to face each other in dueling stances, "Go!"

"Rictusempra!" Harry yelled.

"Protego! Obscuro!"

Harry dodged, "Tarantallegra!"

Hermione dove out of the way, "Stupefy! Stupefy!"

"Protego!" both stunning spells hit Harry's shield and bounced off harmlessly, "Anteocultia!"

Hermione failed to dodge this one and grew antler's out of the top of her head, "Cantis!"

Harry dodged the spell, "Colloshoo!"

"Protego! Ducklifors!"

Harry looked confused but shouted "Protego!" deflecting the spell anyway. "Everte Statum!" Hermione was thrown backwards and landed on her back. "Expelliarmus!" her wand flew out of her hand and into Harry's.

"Harry wins!" Ginny announced as soon as he caught the wand, making everyone cheer again.

Harry went over to Hermione and offered her a hand up, she took it gratefully so he pulled her to her feet, she winced, "Ow, that hurt."

"Sorry, are you okay?" he asked handing her wand back to her.

"I'll be fine. It was just a bump." she smiled, "You really are hard to beat."

"So are you." he smirked as they joined the other's, "What was that spell you used? Ducklifors?"

"It turns your victim into a duck." she explained, smirking.

"Clever. Hermione you still have antlers." Remus chuckled.

"Oops, Finite." she waved her wand at her head removing the antlers.

"That was a very wide combination of spells. I don't think I've heard of a few of them." Draco mused. "Anteocultia for one."

"As you saw it makes antlers grow out of the top of someones head." Harry grinned. "Cantis causes the victim to burst into song uncontrollably."

"Where did you find those kind of spells?" Minerva asked, "I know they weren't part of school curriculum."

"Books and accidental finds mostly." Hermione shrugged.

"A few we were taught though." Ron added, "'Mione where did you learn that Ducklifors?"

"I found it in a book." she smirked. "It was called How To Render The Person Your Duelling Absolutely Useless."

"Nice title." Ginny chuckled, "You'll need to let me read it sometime."

"Depends, can you read Runes? Because it's all written in Runes." she explained.

"You can read it to me if I can't. Or just teach me some of the spells." she shrugged.

"Fair enough." she admitted.

"I reckon we need to be careful mate." Ron muttered to Harry, "Or one of them will turn us into ducks." he chuckled.

"Reckon you're right." Harry agreed, watching the two witches warily, "But what could being a duck do to you? Except embarrass you."

"It's supposed to stop spell fire from your opponent." Hermione sighed, "Disarming or making it so your opponent can't use their wands is a sure win. That's what I was trying to do, Harry you're almost impossible to beat when you have your wand."

"He was better than us when he was 15." Fred pointed out.

"Yeah, a lot of the techniques we have we learned when he taught the DA." George agreed.

"Considering the past defence teachers we had though... We only ever had two decent teachers that were official, three decent teachers if you count Harry." Hermione shrugged.

"And I didn't learn how to officially duel, just how to use the spell's I know to my advantage. After all, with Voldemort and his followers after me... I had to do that pretty quickly." Harry shrugged.

"I thought you did learn to duel?" Ron frowned.

"Nope, mostly I just guessed and went on instinct." he smirked. "The only time I dueled formally before I was 14 was with Draco in second year."

"Well I feel honoured." Draco chuckled, "The first person in the world to duel with Harry Potter."

"Neither of us won that though." Harry grinned, "You set a snake on me, I spoke to it, then Ron and Hermione dragged me out of the Great Hall before we could finish the duel."

"Fancy a re-match then?" Draco suggested. Harry shrugged and they both went into the middle of the garden.

"Ten steps." Ginny said, they did as they were told, "Turn! Go!"

"Rictusempra! Stupefy!" Harry yelled forcing Draco to dodge the first spell and deflect the other with a shield.

"Petrificus Totalus! Stupefy!"

"Protego!" Harry's hastily erected shield blocked both spells, "Colloshoo!"

"Protego!" but the spell shattered Draco's shield and his shoes were stuck to the ground.

"Expelliarmus!" Draco's wand flew out of his hand and into Harry's, but Draco, thinking fast changed into Snowstorm, his feet unstuck from the ground.

Harry changed into Shadow as Snowstorm charged and Shadow pounced on the slightly smaller wolf knocking Snowstorm off balance.

Snowstorm spun and growled before running head first into Shadow's side knocking him to the ground attempting to pin him but Shadow stood up and pounced Snowstorm before he was pinned down, this time pinning the smaller wolf to the ground where he whined in submission.

Shadow nodded and got up before changing back to Harry who grinned triumphantly, Snowstorm also changed back.

"Harry wins!" Ginny smirked making everyone cheer.

"Nice try Draco, Shadow's bigger than you are, you never had a chance." Ron grinned as the two joined them again.

"I wasn't just going to give up and I remembered what you found out about hexes and the like disappearing when you change." Draco shrugged.

"You need to work on your shield." Harry told him, "That spell was just over half powered and it shattered your shield without hesitation."

Draco frowned, "It felt stronger than just over half."

"It was, Harry remember your spell's will be stronger without you noticing it." James smiled, "It may feel like half strength but you're not used to dueling with your new power level yet." he explained, "It took me a week to figure it out."

Sirius nodded, "I used to help him when Moony wasn't there or when we were bored."

"Sometimes I would help if they needed it." Remus added as they all headed inside, "Mainly to stop James's parents from shouting at them."

"Yep, my Mum especially, Dad didn't mind as long as we cleaned up anything we broke." James shrugged.

After a hour or two people started going home and a few people up to bed so it was only Harry, Ginny, Molly, Arthur, Lily and James left in the living room.

"So how was Diagon Alley?" Molly asked.

"Quite good." Ginny smiled, "We got a few thing's for Casper and Jasper." she explained as Jinx and Jex wandered in from outside, "Where have you two been?"

"It was too crowded so we went exploring." Jinx explained.

"Alright but do you mind telling us when your going to do that? Just so we know where you are." Harry added, both cubs nodded and lay down in front of the fire.

"What kind of thing's did you get for the twin's?" Arthur asked.

"Mainly a cot, a moses basket for when they're downstairs with us and two bouncy chairs, blankets and the like's too, we'll go get clothes another day." Ginny smiled. "There was something I thought of earlier though." she admitted.

"What?" Lily asked.

"She was thinking about how we're going to work this out. Especially for night's." Harry admitted.

The Weasley and Potter parent's exchanged looks.

"We thought about that too." James admitted.

"We weren't going to tell you until they were coming home but..." Arthur looked at his wife.

"We've decided that we're going to trust you to share a room with them." Molly smiled.

"Your old enough to be trusted with something like this." Lily said noticing the teens shocked expressions.

"Your also bonded with the Soul Bond and engaged so you would have eventually been sharing a room anyway." James grinned.

"Wait... What about the boy's? Surely they would never agree to this?" Ginny asked her parent's, obviously meaning her brothers.

"A few of them were hesitant but it was actually Bill who talked them around." Arthur chuckled, "They don't mind due to 'Special Circumstances' as Bill put it."

"You have to have some faith in your brother's Ginny, they can back off when they know what's good for them." Molly added, "And Harry, they won't be threatening you anytime soon." she smiled.

"Of course, there are some boundaries but we'll get into that later. You won't move into the room until the night before they come home." James smiled.

"And now I think it's time for bed, we'll talk about it more another night." Molly told them.

Harry and Ginny exchanged a look before hugging all four of the parents separately and going up to their separate bed's for the night.

"Do you think they beleive us?" Lily asked.

"Probably not." Arthur admitted, "Especially Ginny with her brothers."

"They just need time to let it sink in I think. They'll soon have hundred's of questions I'm sure." Molly chuckled as the four headed to bed.

"We'll see you in the morning. Try not to worry too much about the memories." Arthur advised as he and Molly entered their bedroom.

"We'll try. Goodnight." Lily smiled, she and James were soon at their own room and the house was soon filed with the sound of snoring and sleeping people...

All except two people, that is.

Regulus and Sirius sat in their shared room, sitting on their beds and looking at each other.

"So..." Regulus started.

"So." Sirius repeated, he took a deep breath, "About earlier. You honestly never sent me a letter?"

"No, I never got the chance. I was watched too closely to risk it. Either by Mother or Bella. Mother put a ward on the house that made sure she'd know about any letters I sent to anyone." he sighed, "She also made the wards repel any owls with letters that had your trace on them."

Sirius closed his eyes tightly, "I thought..." he shook his head, swallowing thickly.

"Thought what?" he asked gently, not very comfortable with emotional chats he squirmed a little in unease.

"I thought you hated me... Because I left..."

"No Sirius, I could never hate you. Sure at the time I was angry and hurt and I felt so betrayed because - in my eyes - you picked you're friends over family, over me." he admitted uncomfortably, studying the ceiling to avoid looking at his brother, "I know you hated our parents and I couldn't help but think... Did you hate me to? Was that why you left?... I didn't understand exactly why you left..." he stopped, still looking up at the ceiling.

"I thought I explained it to you." he sighed, "It told you Reg, I couldn't stay in that house any longer or they'd kill me. Don't try and say they wouldn't, because they would. Or if not kill me physically, they'd find a way to break my spirit." he sighed again, "I couldn't stay there Reg, I - I couldn't be like them, like they wanted me to be. It just wouldn't be... me."

"I know that Siri, I figured that out on my 15th birthday." he admitted, "It took me two years to figure everything out. Two years. We still talked when we could, pretending to have our fights just so we could speak to each other." they both chuckled at the reminder of a few of the 'arguments' they had to make people think they hated each other when really it was just an excuse to talk when there was people around.

They used to shove each other in the hallways, making it look violent but discreetly dropping notes in the others pockets so they could arrange times to meet up to catch up, or just to communicate in general without attracting too much unwanted attention.

"You know it was too risky to contact each other often, it would be noticed." Sirius said quietly, "The other Marauders would understand, but your house wouldnt. In their eyes I was scum... It hurt you know." he muttered after a moments pause.

"What did?" he asked, looking at his older brother despite himself.

"Not being able to make sure my little brother was okay... Then finding out about your death... It hurt more than words can describe. I was supposed to protect you Reg. Supposed to make sure you were okay. That you were happy, if that was possible back then." he was staring at the floor now, "I'm your big brother, I'm supposed to protect you." he sniffled a little, sounding close to tears.

"Siri, don't. Please, look at me, I'm fine." he said awkwardly.

He shook his head without looking up, bringing his hands up to his face and wiping at his eyes, his shoulder length hair hiding his face from view.

Slowly the younger Black stood up and crossed the few steps to his brothers bed, sitting down beside him.

"I failed to protect you. I failed to protect Harry. I failed to keep James and Lily safe by suggesting they swap secret keepers. I'm just a failure." he sniffled, definitely crying now.

"No. No Siri, you're not. It was my choice to do what I did when I died, I'm not telling you what yet, but you'll find out soon enough. It wasn't your fault Peter was the spy and betrayed Lily and James then framed you. It wasnt your fault you couldn't be there for Harry because you were in Azkaban, that was Peter's fault." he whispered gently, not overly comfortable but feeling he had to try and comfort his brother, "Listen Siri, really listen. None of what happened was your fault. None. Of. It." he said firmly.

"But -"

"No buts, it wasn't your fault."

"If -"

"No ifs either. You need to calm down and think Sirius." he sighed softly, "Think about it. I chose my own path... I knew I was going to die, that what I did would kill me, and I was happy with that... Well, I accepted it at anyrate. The way I see it is, I died on the Light side, doing the right thing. Something you'd want me to do, even though you wouldn't want me dying. Am I right?"

Sirius nodded ever so slightly, not looking up from his knees.

"As for the Potter's, you couldn't know about Peter. You couldnt control the fact that, yes, Voldemort would continue to try and kill Harry and would only be stopped if he was killed. That almost all of Voldemorts efforts would be focused on killing one child/teenager who refused to go down without a fight and evidently won against him. You couldn't know he'd attack that Halloween, or that Peter would frame you for murdering 13 people as well as James and Lily and attempted murder of Harry." he took a deep breath and let it out slowly, "You couldnt control what happened Sirius. You couldn't have known you'd only know Harry if you spent years on the run, that you'd only see him a handful of times because of that fact. You didn't know Bella would kill you that night, sure you weren't supposed to go to the Ministry, but you thought you'd live and you were protecting Harry then."

"But I didn't protect him like I should have." he mumbled unhappily.

Regulus sighed and put a hand on Sirius's shoulder, making him jump as he hadn't expected the contact, "Someone once told me there's not a right way to care for someone. That everyone can care for different people in many different ways. There's not a 'proper' way to care for a person, because treating everyone exactly the same way would be an insult because everyone is unique."

"How bold of you to quote back what I said to you all those years ago." he gave a weak watery chuckle.

Regulus smiled, "If you ask me, Siri, I'd say you did what you thought was best for your family and friends. Uh uh, no you don't." he held up a hand to stop the oncoming protests, "You did what you thought was right, and I remember what Albus used to say. 'We must choose between what is right and what is easy'." he quoted, "That leads me to think that the right thing is hardly ever easy, you did your best and tried your hardest. That's all anyone can ask of a person. Understand?"

"Isn't this chat supposed to be reversed? Me - being the older brother - giving you - the younger and therefore less experienced brother - the advice and support?"

He chuckled, "I suppose. But do you know what I mean?"

"It wasn't my fault?" he asked, looking up with red rimmed eyes and tear streaked cheeks.

"Exactly." he smiled, he'd relaxed a bit but was still uncomfortable talking about feelings or having to comfort someone who was upset... Even if it was his own brother.

Sirius smiled weakly and wiped his face on his robe sleeve, "When did you grow up?"

Regulus chuckled again, "Whilst I was dead. Just because I didnt age, doesnt mean I didn't learn a thing or two before you and the others I was with arrived." he sighed, "I grew up a lot since the last time I saw you, didnt I?"

"Sure did." he nodded, "Can...? Would you...? Never mind."

"What?"

"Its nothing."

"Its something. Just ask me."

Sirius blushed slightly, "It's nothing, really."

Regulus raised an eyebrow and watched as his brother crumbled.

"Fine. I was going to ask if you'd be offended if I hugged you." he admitted, turning bright red, "Its just 'cause I know you're not used to physical contact, even in the afterlife you kind of avoided it but it wasn't as obvious, and the night we returned emotions were running high and you only really let Andy and Cissy hug you and I don't know if -" he cut off abruptly as Regulus chucked his arms around his older brother and held him tightly in a bone breaking hug.

"Your rambling you big buffoon." he laughed, "You're my brother Sirius, you can hug me whenever you want. It's just other people I'm wary about." he admitted, head pressed into the slightly larger man's shoulder.

After getting over his shock Sirius wrapped his arms around his brother and chuckled lightly, "You're sure?"

"Positive." he nodded, releasing his hold slightly and looking up, "You know, the last time I hugged you I was 14, right?"

"Really? Its been that long?"

"Really." he nodded again, "There wasn't a chance when I was 15, I was too busy with OWL's and you with NEWT's, we only had a few times of meeting with each other and those times we didn't touch each other at all, usually we sat or stood across from each other." he pointed out.

"Oh yeah... Well I'm sorry about that Reg."

"Dont worry about it." he smiled, releasing his hold and sitting straight again, "I probably wouldn't have taken kindly to it before we returned to be honest. Having Cissy here helps, she was the one who first got me used to hugs and such when others weren't around." he explained, "It helped her too, she decided we both needed to get over the aversion to physical contact and what better to help us both than the occasional friendly hug between cousins?"

Sirius chuckled, "You make hugs sound magical."

"I believe they are. We both found out they make you feel better. Like Andy's hugs did if we hurt ourselves when we were little before she left, I can remember them vaguely. Or when I used to sneak into your room and cuddle into you when I had a nightmare or couldn't sleep." he flushed slightly, smiling a little sheepishly, "I know I'm a bit old for them now but -"

"Now who's rambling?" Sirius grinned, no trace of his previous breakdown except the slight redness to his eyes and dried tear tracks on his cheeks visible now, "You're never to old for hugs." he stated.

Regulus rolled his eyes and checked his watch, "It's late, we should go to bed."

"Yes we should. I'm just going to go wash my face a bit, be right back." he stated, getting up and leaving to go to the bathroom across the hall from them.

He returned a few minutes later to find his brother had fallen asleep on his bed. _Oh well we'll just swap beds for the night,_ he thought in amusement, he pushed his brother away from the edge of his bed so he wouldn't fall off. He went to back away but found Regulus's hand had grabbed his nightshirt.

Shaking his head and resisting the urge to laugh, he simply shifted his sleeping brother over some more and climbed in beside him like they used to do as kids when one of them couldn't sleep or had a nightmare. He chuckled softly when Regulus cuddled into him more and flicked his wand to turn the light off, drifting off into a comfortable sleep with his brothers warm presence beside him.

* * *

><p>Aww, cozy little moment with the brothers that seemed so distant with each other and not knowing how to get close again after everything they'd been thorough. Let's hope they can mend their cracked brotherly bond so it's back to full strength, maybe even stronger than it has been in the past with their parents and the war interfering.<p>

So what do you think? Too sappy? Not sappy enough? Just right? Let me know what you think!

Review please x


	44. Chapter 44

Chapter 44 - Fourth Year (Part 15)

19, August, Thursday, 1998. 7.00am.

The next morning at breakfast only two people were missing, Ron and Harry.

"Wonder where those boy's are." Molly frowned.

"Harry took Dreamless Sleep apparently and Ron's trying to wake him." Hermione explained, frowning slightly, "He told me just now through the pack bond."

There was a tortured scream followed by a loud bang upstairs, a few moment's silence then, "Harry! Wake up!" another scream following it.

Ginny and Hermione looked at each other then they both stood up and ran as fast as they could up the stairs.

"What's going on!" Hermione demanded throwing the door wide open, Ron was pinned against the wall held up by an overturned camping bed.

"He won't wake up." Ron panted, "Fit of accidental magic and everything."

Ginny immediately went to Harry's side, he was thrashing around in the bed occasionally letting out low moans and was murmuring, "No, Cedric, don't kill Cedric... I'll kill you Riddle... Cedric! Cedric! Don't touch him, dont touch him!" followed by heart wrenching screams.

Ginny caught his fist in her hand and he relaxed almost immediately into a restless sleep, thankfully no longer thrashing but the occasional whimper still slipped out, Hermione let Ron free and he fell to the floor holding his ribcage.

"He freaked out when I touched his elbow to wake him." Ron panted as Harry cuddled into Ginny's hand, still muttering 'don't kill Cedric' over and over again. "Blimey, I think one of my ribs is broken." he gasped.

"C'mon, we'll go see if your Mum has something to help you." Hermione said helping Ron stand, "You going to be okay dealing with him Ginny?"

"Yeah, I wont tell him about Ron's rib though. He'll just feel guilty and it's not like it was on purpose." she replied. The two nodded and Hermione supported Ron through the door.

"Harry? Harry it's time to get up." Ginny said softly shaking his shoulder.

Harry stirred slightly and opened his eyes a fraction, "Mornin' Beautiful." he smiled, only to yawn moments later, "Wha' time's it?" he mumbled.

"It's 7.20 and it's time for breakfast." she smiled. "Harry... I know you might not want to talk about it but... Did you have a bad dream again?" she asked seriously.

He tensed, "I screamed out again didnt I?" she nodded sadly, he yawned again and sat up, stretching a bit whilst adjusting his fingers to keep Ginny's hand in his, "How much did you hear?"

"Enough to know it was about the third task. And enough to know it broke through the Dreamless Sleep, again." she sighed.

Harry winced, "I know, it rarely works if I'm dreading something. Has everyone arrived yet?"

"We're still waiting on the Longbottom's, Luna, Minerva and Kingsley."

"Minerva's allowing us to use her office." he reminded her, "So Albus and maybe Professor Snape can watch too. Kingsley's going straight there at 9. Let me get changed and I'll be right down." he smiled.

"Are you going to be okay on your own?"

"I'll be fine."

"Okay." she smiled.

* * *

><p>By 9.30am everyone had arrived at Hogwart's, having Floo'd there from the Burrow. Harry and Ginny holding Jinx and Jex, Dora with Teddy and Molly with Cecelia. James, Lily and Remus had escorted Petunia, Dudley and Amber - who weren't used to Flooing yet.<p>

"Good morning." Minerva greeted the large group.

"Good morning's." were mumbled back.

"Before we start the memories I need a word with Albus." Harry smiled tiredly.

"Go ahead." Minerva said, "Albus! Harry need's to talk to you!" she called to the empty frame where he usually was.

Almost as soon as she spoke, however, Albus Dumbledore sidled into his frame and smiled at them all, "Hello. What can I help you with Harry?"

"Just thought you'd like to know it happened again with the Dreamless Sleep." he shrugged, "And also there's a few thing's I may have left out when I was 14."

Albus frowned, "Again? Has this particular one happened before?" Harry nodded, "Hmm... I would suggest asking Poppy about it - or maybe Horace, he is rather gifted with potions to help these kind of things."

Many people looked confused but Harry shook his head, silently saying he might tell them later.

"I'll do that." he nodded at Albus, "I just thought you should know about it. Now..." he quickly explained everything that had happened within the memories to Albus and Snape, who arrived in his portrait in time for the explanation to start.

"Really Potter? Back to suspecting me?" Snape smirked when Harry finished.

"Not really but it was a possibility." Harry shrugged.

"And even I thought you were acting suspicious." Draco mused. "I suppose you wouldn't have if Karkaroff had enough brains to leave you alone." he shrugged. Snape rolled his eye's.

"Right now everyone knows where we are and is all caught up, let's start. We're starting where we left off, with the information I had, most of it that is, being shared with these two." Harry nodded at Ron and Hermione. "And what we said about it."

**"Dumbledore reckons You-Know-Who's getting stronger again as well?" Ron whispered.**

**Everything Harry had seen in the Pensieve, nearly everything Dumbledore had told and shown him afterward, he had now shared with Ron and Hermione - and, of course, with Sirius, to whom Harry had sent an owl the moment he had left Dumbledore's office. Harry, Ron, and Hermione sat up late in the common room once again that night, talking it all over until Harry's mind was reeling, until he understood what Dumbledore had meant about a head becoming so full of thoughts that it would have been a relief to siphon them off.**

"It can be distracting." Albus chuckled.

**Ron stared into the common room fire. Harry thought he saw Ron shiver slightly, even though the evening was warm.**

"You did." Ron admitted.

**"And he trusts Snape?" Ron said. "He really trusts Snape, even though he knows he was a Death Eater?"**

**"Yes," said Harry.**

**Hermione had not spoken for ten minutes. She was sitting with her forehead in her hands, staring at her knees. Harry thought she too looked as though she could have done with a Pensieve.**

**"Rita Skeeter," she muttered finally.**

**"How can you be worrying about her now?" said Ron, in utter disbelief.**

**"I'm not worrying about her," Hermione said to her knees. "I'm just thinking... remember what she said to me in the Three Broomsticks? 'I know things about Ludo Bagman that would make your hair curl.' This is what she meant, isn't it? She reported his trial, she knew he'd passed information to the Death Eaters. And Winky too, remember... 'Ludo Bagman's a bad wizard.' Mr. Crouch would have been furious he got off, he would have talked about it at home."**

**"Yeah, but Bagman didn't pass information on purpose, did he?"**

**Hermione shrugged.**

**"And Fudge reckons Madame Maxime attacked Crouch?" Ron said, turning back to Harry.**

**"Yeah," said Harry, "but he's only saying that because Crouch disappeared near the Beauxbatons carriage."**

**"We never thought of her, did we?" said Ron slowly. "Mind you, she's definitely got giant blood, and she doesn't want to admit it-"**

**"Of course she doesn't," said Hermione sharply, looking up. "Look what happened to Hagrid when Rita found out about his mother. Look at Fudge, jumping to conclusions about her, just because she's part giant. Who needs that sort of prejudice? I'd probably say I had big bones if I knew that's what I'd get for telling the truth." Hermione looked at her watch. "We haven't done any practicing!" she said, looking shocked. "We were going to do the Impediment Curse! We'll have to really get down to it tomorrow! Come on. Harry, you need to get some sleep."**

**Harry and Ron went slowly upstairs to their dormitory. As Harry pulled on his pajamas, he looked over at Nevilles bed. True to his word to Dumbledore, he had not told Ron and Hermione about Neville s parents. As Harry took off his glasses and climbed into his four-poster, he imagined how it must feel to have parents still living but unable to recognize you. He often got sympathy from strangers for being an orphan, but as he listened to Nevilles snores, he thought that Neville deserved it more than he did. Lying in the darkness, Harry felt a rush of anger and hate toward the people who had tortured Mr. and Mrs. Longbottom... He remembered the jeers of the crowd as Crouch's son and his companions had been dragged from the court by the dementors... He understood how they had felt... Then he remembered the milk-white face of the screaming boy and realized with a jolt that he had died a year later...**

"He didnt even do anything to us." Frank sighed, "Even if he was a Death Eater I don't think he deserved to die in Azkaban."

"He wouldn't have felt it." Sirius muttered with a wince, "You can't feel pain or anything else except fear most of the time in that place, courtesy of the Dementors. I was one of the only prisoners that was quiet half the time and word spreads quickly from cell to cell." he sighed, "I know he wasn't in pain because of Bellatrix actually, she used to taunt him for crying - in between screaming for her 'master' to save her - about being weak and he'd never once reply to her except to tell her 'At least I can't feel it'. He used to just scream like the rest of them if someone spoke directly to him. That must've been near the end." he explained shaking his head sadly, "A month maybe?" he guessed.

"You didnt know?" James inquired.

"I never had a good sense of time as Padfoot and it was harder when I kept passing out or slept, the only way I could tell the time was at meal times." he muttered, "Those were infrequent too. I didn't even know what year it was or my own age when I got out! I forgot my own name half the time for Merlin's sake!" he laughed bitterly.

"Similar things were reported by people on the Light who were imprisoned on false charges." Kingsley sighed, "I'm trying to sort that out without weakening the security. To be honest I might just completely re-build it. The buildings getting too old and everything about it defies every human right there is." he grumbled.

"If you need help with that, just ask." Sirius told him, "I certainly wouldn't want people to go through what I did in there. No matter what they'd done."

**It was Voldemort, Harry thought, staring up at the canopy of his bed in the darkness, it all came back to Voldemort... He was the one who had torn these families apart, who had ruined all these lives...**

**Ron and Hermione were supposed to be studying for their exams, which would finish on the day of the third task, but they were putting most of their efforts into helping Harry prepare.**

**"Don't worry about it," Hermione said shortly when Harry pointed this out to them and said he didn't mind practicing on his own for a while, "at least we'll get top marks in Defense Against the Dark Arts. We'd never have found out about all these hexes in class."**

**"Good training for when we're all Aurors," said Ron excitedly, attempting the Impediment Curse on a wasp that had buzzed into the room and making it stop dead in midair.**

**The mood in the castle as they entered June became excited and tense again. Everyone was looking forward to the third task, which would take place a week before the end of term.**

**Harry was practicing hexes at every available moment. He felt more confident about this task than either of the others. Difficult and dangerous though it would undoubtedly be, Moody was right: Harry had managed to find his way past monstrous creatures and enchanted barriers before now, and this time he had some notice, some chance to prepare himself for what lay ahead.**

"In some twisted kind of way it was easier than saving the Philosophers Stone." Harry mused.

**Tired of walking in on Harry, Hermione, and Ron all over the school. Professor McGonagall had given them permission to use the empty Transfiguration classroom at lunchtimes. Harry had soon mastered the Impediment Curse, a spell to slow down and obstruct attackers; the Reductor Curse, which would enable him to blast solid objects out of his way; and the Four-Point Spell, a useful discovery of Hermiones that would make his wand point due north, therefore enabling him to check whether he was going in the right direction within the maze. He was still having trouble with the Shield Charm, though.**

"I'd forgotten you had trouble with that one." Ron chuckled.

"At least I got it before the task." Harry said reasonably, "Took you three weeks." he couldn't resist teasing the older teen, smirking.

"And Hermione got it within an hour." he replied.

"Don't drag me into this." she rolled her eyes, "I may have gotten it first, but Harry's shield was stronger faster than either of ours." she shrugged.

**This was supposed to cast a temporary, invisible wall around himself that deflected minor curses; Hermione managed to shatter it with a well-placed Jelly-Legs Jinx, and Harry wobbled around the room for ten minutes afterward before she had looked up the counter-jinx.**

**"You're still doing really well, though," Hermione said encouragingly, looking down her list and crossing off those spells they had already learned. "Some of these are bound to come in handy."**

**"Come and look at this," said Ron, who was standing by the window. He was staring down onto the grounds. "What's Malfoy doing?"**

**Harry and Hermione went to see. Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle were standing in the shadow of a tree below. Crabbe and Goyle seemed to be keeping a lookout; both were smirking.**

**Malfoy was holding his hand up to his mouth and speaking into it.**

**"He looks like he's using a walkie-talkie," said Harry curiously.**

"What's that?" Draco frowned.

"It's these thing's Muggles use to talk to someone who's somewhere else but it only works with the two of them..." Lily trailed off, looking lost at how to explain it to someone who's never seen them before.

"Like the two-way mirrors James and I had?" Sirius suggested.

"Exactly." Lily nodded, "Only you can't see the other person, it's just a speaker."

"Oh right, now those I've heard of." Draco smiled.

"What were you doing?" Cissy asked suspiciously.

He raised an eyebrow, "Wouldn't you like to know?" he gulped when she glared frostily at him, "I'm not saying. Chances are those three know what I was doing and it becomes clear soon enough anyway." he gestured the Golden Trio, trying not to cringe when her eyes narrowed dangerously.

"Cissy, you'll find out soon enough. It's not dangerous if that's what you're worried about." Harry told her, just smiling as she turned to look at him. She seemed to think for a moment and nodded in a resigned sort of way.

**"He can't be," said Hermione, "I've told you, those sorts of things don't work around Hogwarts. Come on, Harry," she added briskly, turning away from the window and moving back into the middle of the room, "let's try that Shield Charm again."**

**Sirius was sending daily owls now. Like Hermione, he seemed to want to concentrate on getting Harry through the last task before they concerned themselves with anything else.**

**He reminded Harry in every letter that whatever might be going on outside the walls of Hogwarts was not Harry's responsibility, nor was it within his power to influence it.**

**If Voldemort is really getting stronger again, he wrote, my priority is to ensure your safety. He cannot hope to lay hands on you while you are under Dumbledore's protection, but all the same, take no risks: Concentrate on getting through that maze safely, and then we can turn our attention to other matters.**

**Harry's nerves mounted as June the twenty-fourth drew closer, but they were not as bad as those he had felt before the first and second tasks. For one thing, he was confident that, this time, he had done everything in his power to prepare for the task. For another, this was the final hurdle, and however well or badly he did, the tournament would at last be over, which would be an enormous relief.**

"Zat's exactly how I felt at zat point." Fleur chuckled, "I just wanted it over and done with."

"You entered willingly." he reminded her, "I was forced into it."

"I know zat. I still wanted it over." she shrugged, "I don't think I actually thought about what I was doing when I put my name in zat Goblet. I did not think it through enough." she admitted, shaking her head.

**Breakfast was a very noisy affair at the Gryffindor table on the morning of the third task. The post owls appeared, bringing Harry a good-luck card from Sirius. It was only a piece of parchment, folded over and bearing a muddy paw print on its front, but Harry appreciated it all the same.**

"Sorry about that Harry, I ran out of ink." Sirius chuckled, "But I figured you'd appreciate something rather than nothing."

"You were right." he grinned.

**A screech owl arrived for Hermione, carrying her morning copy of the Daily Prophet as usual. She unfolded the paper, glanced at the front page, and spat out a mouthful of pumpkin juice all over it.**

**"What?" said Harry and Ron together, staring at her. "Nothing," said Hermione quickly, trying to shove the paper out of sight, but Ron grabbed it. He stared at the headline and said, "No way. Not today. That old cow."**

**"What?" said Harry. "Rita Skeeter again?"**

**"No," said Ron, and just like Hermione, he attempted to push the paper out of sight.**

**"It's about me, isn't it?" said Harry.**

**"No," said Ron, in an entirely unconvincing tone. But before Harry could demand to see the paper. Draco Malfoy shouted across the Great Hall from the Slytherin table.**

**"Hey, Potter! Potter! How's your head? You feeling all right? Sure you're not going to go berserk on us?"**

**Malfoy was holding a copy of the Daily Prophet too. Slytherins up and down the table were sniggering, twisting in their seats to see Harry's reaction.**

**"Let me see it," Harry said to Ron. "Give it here."**

**Very reluctantly, Ron handed over the newspaper. Harry turned it over and found himself staring at his own picture, beneath the banner headline:**

**HARRY POTTER DISTURBED AND DANGEROUS**

**The boy who defeated He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is unstable and possibly dangerous, writes Rita Skeeter, Special Correspondent. Alarming evidence has recently come to light about Harry Potter's strange behavior, which casts doubts upon his suitability to compete in a demanding competition like the Triwizard Tournament, or even to attend Hogwarts School.**

**Potter, the Daily Prophet can exclusively reveal, regularly collapses at school, and is often heard to complain of pain in the scar on his forehead (relic of the curse with which You-Know-Who attempted to kill him). On Monday last, midway through a Divination lesson, your Daily Prophet reporter witnessed Potter storming from the class, claiming that his scar was hurting too badly to continue studying.**

**It is possible, say top experts at St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries, that Potters brain was affected by the attack inflicted upon him by You-Know-Who, and that his insistence that the scar is still hurting is an expression of his deep-seated confusion.**

**"He might even be pretending," said one specialist. "This could be a plea for attention."**

"Umm... No." Harry huffed.

"There's no way you could fake it anyway." Hermione smiled sadly, "It was always noticeable when it burned because you wouldnt leave the scar alone."

Harry made a face at her.

"It's true mate, we could always tell." Ron shook his head, "No matter how much you tried to hide it."

**The Daily Prophet, however, has unearthed worrying facts about Harry Potter that Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts, has carefully concealed from the wizarding public.**

**"Potter can speak Parseltongue," reveals Draco Malfoy, a Hogwarts fourth year. "There were a lot of attacks on students a couple of years ago, and most people thought Potter was behind them after they saw him lose his temper at a dueling club and set a snake on another boy. It was all hushed up, though. But he's made friends with werewolves and giants too. We think he'd do anything for a bit of power."**

"That wasn't true and you know it." Ron scowled at Draco.

"I just told Skeeter about the Parseltongue thing, nothing else." Draco protested.

**Parseltongue, the ability to converse with snakes, has long been considered a Dark Art.**

"Until I ended up with it." Harry mused.

"How did you end up a Parseltongue anyway?" Alice asked.

"It's because of this." Harry indicated his scar, "On the night Voldemort disappeared some of his powers transferred to me."

"Almost word-for-word of what I told you when you were 12." Albus smiled. "Of course it is true, though." he added.

**Indeed, the most famous Parselmouth of our times is none other than You-Know-Who himself.**

**A member of the Dark Force Defense League, who wished to remain unnamed, stated that he would regard any wizard who could speak Parseltongue "as worthy of investigation. Personally, I would be highly suspicious of anybody who could converse with snakes, as serpents are often used in the worst kinds of Dark Magic, and are historically associated with evildoers." Similarly, "anyone who seeks out the company of such vicious creatures as werewolves and giants would appear to have a fondness for violence."**

"Dora, is that why you hexed Hemsley?" Kingsley asked, "Because of that comment?"

Dora blushed, "Partly, mainly he was annoying me. And Scrimounger said I couldnt."

"So naturally, you did." Frank chuckled.

"Of course. Scrimounger never knew it was me though." she admitted, "I was disguised when I did it."

"Good plan." Remus nodded, "If you're going to break the rules or do something you're not supposed to do then make sure they can't trace it back to you."

**Albus Dumbledore should surely consider whether a boy such as this should be allowed to compete in the Triwizard Tournament. Some fear that Potter might resort to the Dark Arts in his desperation to win the tournament, the third task of which takes place this evening.**

**"Gone off me a bit, hasn't she?" said Harry lightly, folding up the paper.**

**Over at the Slytherin table, Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle were laughing at him, tapping their heads with their fingers, pulling grotesquely mad faces, and waggling their tongues like snakes.**

**"How did she know your scar hurt in Divination?" Ron said. "There's no way she was there, there's no way she could've heard -"**

**"The window was open," said Harry. "I opened it to breathe."**

**"You were at the top of North Tower!" Hermione said. "Your voice couldn't have carried all the way down to the grounds!"**

**"Well, you're the one who's supposed to be researching magical methods of bugging!" said Harry. "You tell me how she did it!"**

**"I've been trying!" said Hermione. "But I... but..."**

**An odd, dreamy expression suddenly came over Hermione's face. She slowly raised a hand and ran her fingers through her hair.**

**"Are you all right?" said Ron, frowning at her.**

**"Yes," said Hermione breathlessly. She ran her fingers through her hair again, and then held her hand up to her mouth, as though speaking into an invisible walkie-talkie. Harry and Ron stared at each other.**

**"I've had an idea," Hermione said, gazing into space. "I think I know... because then no one would be able to see... even Moody... and she'd have been able to get onto the window ledge... but she's not allowed... she's definitely not allowed... I think we've got her! Just give me two seconds in the library - just to make sure!"**

**With that, Hermione seized her school bag and dashed out of the Great Hall.**

**"Oi!" Ron called after her. "We've got our History of Magic exam in ten minutes! Blimey," he said, turning back to Harry, "she must really hate that Skeeter woman to risk missing the start of an exam. What're you going to do in Binns's class - read again?"**

**Exempt from the end-of-term tests as a Triwizard champion, Harry had been sitting in the back of every exam class so far, looking up fresh hexes for the third task.**

**"S'pose so," Harry said to Ron; but just then. Professor McGonagall came walking alongside the Gryffindor table toward him.**

**"Potter, the champions are congregating in the chamber off the Hall after breakfast," she said.**

**"But the task's not till tonight!" said Harry, accidentally spilling scrambled eggs down his front, afraid he had mistaken the time.**

"Could've gave me a warning about that Minerva." the young man huffed.

She chuckled, "Sorry Harry, it was supposed to be a surprise for you."

**"I'm aware of that, Potter," she said. "The champions' families are invited to watch the final task, you know. This is simply a chance for you to greet them."**

**She moved away. Harry gaped after her.**

**"She doesn't expect the Dursleys to turn up, does she?" he asked Ron blankly.**

**"Dunno," said Ron. "Harry, I'd better hurry, I'm going to be late for Binns. See you later."**

**Harry finished his breakfast in the emptying Great Hall. He saw Fleur Delacour get up from the Ravenclaw table and join Cedric as he crossed to the side chamber and entered.**

**Krum slouched off to join them shortly afterward. Harry stayed where he was. He really didn't want to go into the chamber. He had no family - no family who would turn up to see him risk his life, anyway. But just as he was getting up, thinking that he might as well go up to the library and do a spot more hex research, the door of the side chamber opened, and Cedric stuck his head out.**

**"Harry, come on, they're waiting for you!"**

**Utterly perplexed. Harry got up. The Dursleys couldn't possibly be here, could they? He walked across the Hall and opened the door into the chamber.**

**Cedric and his parents were just inside the door. Viktor Krum was over in a corner, conversing with his dark-haired mother and father in rapid Bulgarian. He had inherited his fathers hooked nose. On the other side of the room, Fleur was jabbering away in French to her mother. Fleur's little sister, Gabrielle, was holding her mother's hand.**

**She waved at Harry, who waved back, grinning. Then he saw Mrs. Weasley and Bill standing in front of the fireplace, beaming at him.**

**"Surprise!" Mrs. Weasley said excitedly as he smiled broadly and walked over to them.**

**"Thought we'd come and watch you. Harry!" She bent down and kissed him on the cheek.**

**"You all right?" said Bill, grinning at Harry and shaking his hand. "Charlie wanted to come, but he couldn't get time off. He said you were incredible against the Horntail."**

**Fleur Delacour, Harry noticed, was eyeing Bill with great interest over her mother's shoulder. Harry could tell she had no objection whatsoever to long hair or earrings with fangs on them.**

Bill gave Fleur an amused look and she blushed slightly.

**"This is really nice of you," Harry muttered to Mrs. Weasley. "I thought for a moment - the Dursleys -"**

**"Hmm," said Mrs. Weasley, pursing her lips. She had always refrained from criticizing the Dursleys in front of Harry, but her eyes flashed every time they were mentioned.**

**"It's great being back here," said Bill, looking around the chamber (Violet, the Fat Lady's friend, winked at him from her frame). "Haven't seen this place for five years. Is that picture of the mad knight still around? Sir Cadogan?"**

**"Oh yeah," said Harry, who had met Sir Cadogan the previous year.**

**"And the Fat Lady?" said Bill.**

**"She was here in my time," said Mrs. Weasley. "She gave me such a telling off one night when I got back to the dormitory at four in the morning -"**

**"What were you doing out of your dormitory at four in the morning?" said Bill, surveying his mother with amazement.**

**Mrs. Weasley grinned, her eyes twinkling.**

**"Your father and I had been for a nighttime stroll," she said. "He got caught by Apollyon Pringle - he was the caretaker in those days - your father's still got the marks."**

"Very bad to get caught around that time." Arthur muttered, "See?" he pulled his sleeves up a little to show a white scar going across the back of his hand, "Thankfully most are on my back. Pringle was worse than Filch at times."

"I'll agree with you there." Minerva nodded, "He was there when I was too."

**"Fancy giving us a tour, Harry?" said Bill.**

"You knew your way around." Charlie chuckled.

"Yes but some of the bit's had changed, like hidden door's, they change every year and I didn't fancy walking into one." Bill smirked.

"True, we did that a few time's until we figured out which one's change and which one's don't." Remus admitted, "It was usually these two who walked into them, though." he chuckled as the other two Marauders glared at him, "Rather amusing to watch."

"Shut it Moony." they said together.

"I think the best one was when we were all sprinting down the hall away from Filch on our way back up from the kitchens and they both turned to go into a passage on the 5th floor, an invisible entrance in the wall, and both of them hit the wall at full speed - at the same time." he smirked, the other two continued glaring at him, "Finding out rather quickly it had moved. We got caught that time, but it was still funny." they all laughed at the story, the two dark-haired Marauders were now pouting.

"You're a git Moony." Sirius told him.

"I did try to warn you both it had probably moved." he shrugged, "You didnt listen."

James rolled his eyes and neither commented further.

**"Yeah, okay," said Harry, and they made their way back toward the door into the Great Hall. As they passed Amos Diggory, he looked around.**

**"There you are, are you?" he said, looking Harry up and down.**

**"Bet you're not feeling quite as full of yourself now Cedrics caught you up on points, are you?"**

**"What?" said Harry.**

**"Ignore him," said Cedric in a low voice to Harry, frowning after his father. "He's been angry ever since Rita Skeeters article about the Triwizard Tournament - you know, when she made out you were the only Hogwarts champion."**

**"Didn't bother to correct her, though, did he?" said Amos Diggory, loudly enough for Harry to hear as he started to walk out of the door with Mrs. Weasley and Bill. "Still... you'll show him, Ced. Beaten him once before, haven't you?"**

**"Rita Skeeter goes out of her way to cause trouble, Amos!" Mrs. Weasley said angrily. "I would have thought you'd know that, working at the Ministry!"**

**Mr. Diggory looked as though he was going to say something angry, but his wife laid a hand on his arm, and he merely shrugged and turned away.**

**Harry had a very enjoyable morning walking over the sunny grounds with Bill and Mrs. Weasley, showing them the Beauxbatons carriage and the Durmstrang ship. Mrs. Weasley was intrigued by the Whomping Willow, which had been planted after she had left school, and reminisced at length about the gamekeeper before Hagrid, a man called Ogg.**

"I thought Hagrid had been gamekeeper since he was 17?" Snape frowned.

"Not exactly. He was apprenticing under Gryfford Ogg until Ogg retired." Albus shrugged, "He'd been an apprentice since he was 14 so I knew he could handle it, Hagrid was about 35 when he took over the job."

**"How's Percy?" Harry asked as they walked around the greenhouses.**

**"Not good," said Bill.**

**"He's very upset," said Mrs. Weasley, lowering her voice and glancing around. "The Ministry wants to keep Mr. Crouch's disappearance quiet, but Percy's been hauled in for questioning about the instructions Mr. Crouch has been sending in. They seem to think there's a chance they weren't genuinely written by him. Percy's been under a lot of strain. They're not letting him fill in for Mr. Crouch as the fifth judge tonight. Cornelius Fudge is going to be doing it."**

**They returned to the castle for lunch.**

**"Mum - Bill!" said Ron, looking stunned, as he joined the Gryffindor table. "What're you doing here?"**

**"Come to watch Harry in the last task!" said Mrs. Weasley brightly. "I must say, it makes a lovely change, not having to cook. How was your exam?"**

**"Oh... okay," said Ron. "Couldn't remember all the goblin rebels' names, so I invented a few. It's all right," he said, helping himself to a Cornish pasty, while Mrs. Weasley looked stern, "they're all called stuff like Bodrod the Bearded and Urg the Unclean; it wasn't hard."**

**Fred, George, and Ginny came to sit next to them too, and Harry was having such a good time he felt almost as though he were back at the Burrow; he had forgotten to worry about that evening's task, and not until Hermione turned up, halfway through lunch, did he remember that she had had a brainwave about Rita Skeeter.**

**"Are you going to tell us -?"**

**Hermione shook her head warningly and glanced at Mrs. Weasley.**

**"Hello, Hermione," said Mrs. Weasley, much more stiffly than usual.**

**"Hello," said Hermione, her smile faltering at the cold expression on Mrs. Weasley's face.**

**Harry looked between them, then said, "Mrs. Weasley, you didn't believe that rubbish Rita Skeeter wrote in Witch Weekly, did you? Because Hermione's not my girlfriend."**

**"Oh!" said Mrs. Weasley "No - of course I didn't!"**

**But she became considerably warmer toward Hermione after that.**

"Sorry Hermione." Molly blushed, "It was the rumors I'd heard, not actually Skeeter." she explained.

"It's fine Mrs Weasley." Hermione smiled.

**Harry, Bill, and Mrs. Weasley whiled away the afternoon with a long walk around the castle, and then returned to the Great Hall for the evening feast. Ludo Bagman and Cornelius Fudge had joined the staff table now. Bagman looked quite cheerful, but Cornelius Fudge, who was sitting next to Madame Maxime, looked stern and was not talking.**

**Madame Maxime was concentrating on her plate, and Harry thought her eyes looked red.**

**Hagrid kept glancing along the table at her, There were more courses than usual, but Harry, who was starting to feel really nervous now, didn't eat much.**

"I don't think any of us ate much." Fleur told Harry, "We were all nervous for zat task, even Victor looked nervous but he tried to 'ide it."

"Probably because of his fans." Harry said dryly.

**As the enchanted ceiling overhead began to fade from blue to a dusky purple, Dumbledore rose to his feet at the staff table, and silence fell.**

**"Ladies and gentlemen, in five minutes' time, I will be asking you to make your way down to the Quidditch field for the third and final task of the Triwizard Tournament. Will the champions please follow Mr. Bagman down to the stadium now."**

**Harry got up. The Gryffindors all along the table were applauding him; the Weasleys and Hermione all wished him good luck, and he headed off out of the Great Hall with Cedric, Fleur, and Viktor.**

**"Feeling all right. Harry?" Bagman asked as they went down the stone steps onto the grounds. "Confident?"**

**"I'm okay," said Harry. It was sort of true; he was nervous, but he kept running over all the hexes and spells he had been practicing in his mind as they walked, and the knowledge that he could remember them all made him feel better.**

**They walked onto the Quidditch field, which was now completely unrecognizable. A twenty-foot-high hedge ran all the way around the edge of it. There was a gap right in front of them: the entrance to the vast maze. The passage beyond it looked dark and creepy.**

"It was dark and creepy." Harry muttered, "Overly dark and creepy."

"I'll agree with you on zat one." Fleur nodded, shuddering slightly.

**Five minutes later, the stands had begun to fill; the air was full of excited voices and the rumbling of feet as the hundreds of students filed into their seats. The sky was a deep, clear blue now, and the first stars were starting to appear. Hagrid, Professor Moody, Professor McGonagall, and Professor Flitwick came walking into the stadium and approached Bagman and the champions. They were wearing large, red, luminous stars on their hats, all except Hagrid, who had his on the back of his moleskin vest.**

**"We are going to be patrolling the outside of the maze," said Professor McGonagall to the champions. "If you get into difficulty, and wish to be rescued, send red sparks into the air, and one of us will come and get you, do you understand?"**

**The champions nodded.**

**"Off you go, then!" said Bagman brightly to the four patrollers.**

**"Good luck. Harry," Hagrid whispered, and the four of them walked away in different directions, to station themselves around the maze. Bagman now pointed his wand at his throat, muttered, "Sonorus," and his magically magnified voice echoed into the stands.**

**"Ladies and gentlemen, the third and final task of the Triwizard Tournament is about to begin! Let me remind you how the points currently stand! Tied in first place, with eighty-five points each - Mr. Cedric Diggory and Mr. Harry Potter, both of Hogwarts School!" The cheers and applause sent birds from the Forbidden Forest fluttering into the darkening sky. "In second place, with eighty points - Mr. Viktor Krum, of Durmstrang Institute!" More applause. "And in third place - Miss Fleur Delacour, of Beauxbatons Academy!"**

**Harry could just make out Mrs. Weasley, Bill, Ron, and Hermione applauding Fleur politely, halfway up the stands. He waved up at them, and they waved back, beaming at him.**

**"So... on my whistle, Harry and Cedric!" said Bagman. "Three - two - one -"**

**He gave a short blast on his whistle, and Harry and Cedric hurried forward into the maze.**

**The towering hedges cast black shadows across the path, and, whether because they were so tall and thick or because they had been enchanted, the sound of the surrounding crowd was silenced the moment they entered the maze. Harry felt almost as though he were underwater again. He pulled out his wand, muttered, "Lumos," and heard Cedric do the same just behind him.**

**After about fifty yards, they reached a fork. They looked at each other.**

**"See you," Harry said, and he took the left one, while Cedric took the right.**

**Harry heard Bagman's whistle for the second time. Krum had entered the maze. Harry sped up. His chosen path seemed completely deserted. He turned right, and hurried on, holding his wand high over his head, trying to see as far ahead as possible. Still, there was nothing in sight.**

**Bagman's whistle blew in the distance for the third time. All of the champions were now inside.**

**Harry kept looking behind him. The old feeling that he was being watched was upon him.**

**The maze was growing darker with every passing minute as the sky overhead deepened to navy. He reached a second fork.**

**"Point Me," he whispered to his wand, holding it flat in his palm.**

**The wand spun around once and pointed toward his right, into solid hedge. That way was north, and he knew that he needed to go northwest for the center of the maze. The best he could do was to take the left fork and go right again as soon as possible.**

**The path ahead was empty too, and when Harry reached a right turn and took it, he again found his way unblocked. Harry didn't know why, but the lack of obstacles was unnerving him. Surely he should have met something by now? It felt as though the maze were luring him into a false sense of security. Then he heard movement right behind him. He held out his wand, ready to attack, but its beam fell only upon Cedric, who had just hurried out of a path on the right-hand side. Cedric looked severely shaken. The sleeve of his robe was smoking.**

**"Hagrid's Blast-Ended Skrewts!" he hissed. "They're enormous - I only just got away!"**

"They had to put them in there." Fleur muttered, "I ran into one too."

"So did I." Harry winced, "Not very friendly."

**He shook his head and dived out of sight, along another path. Keen to put plenty of distance between himself and the skrewts, Harry hurried off again. Then, as he turned a corner, he saw... a dementor gliding toward him. Twelve feet tall, its face hidden by its hood, its rotting, scabbed hands outstretched, it advanced, sensing its way blindly toward him. Harry could hear its rattling breath; he felt clammy coldness stealing over him, but knew what he had to do... He summoned the happiest thought he could, concentrated with all his might on the thought of getting out of the maze and celebrating with Ron and Hermione, raised his wand, and cried, "Expecto Patronum!"**

**A silver stag erupted from the end of Harry's wand and galloped toward the dementor, which fell back and tripped over the hem of its robes... Harry had never seen a dementor stumble.**

"Ah, a boggart." Remus grinned.

**"Hang on!" he shouted, advancing in the wake of his silver Patronus, "You're a boggart! Riddikulus!"**

**There was a loud crack, and the shape-shifter exploded in a wisp of smoke. The silver stag faded from sight. Harry wished it could have stayed, he could have used some company... but he moved on, quickly and quietly as possible, listening hard, his wand held high once more.**

**Left... right... left again... Twice he found himself facing dead ends. He did the Four-Point Spell again and found that he was going too far east. He turned back, took a right turn, and saw an odd golden mist floating ahead of him.**

"What is that?" James asked curiously.

"Gravity Reverse mist." Snape, surprisingly, told him.

"I thought that was green not gold?" Regulus frowned.

"We changed the colour to throw off the champions in case they figured out what it was." Albus explained, "It was Madame Maxime's idea."

**Harry approached it cautiously, pointing the wand's beam at it. This looked like some kind of enchantment. He wondered whether he might be able to blast it out of the way.**

**"Reducio!" he said.**

**The spell shot straight through the mist, leaving it intact. He supposed he should have known better; the Reductor Curse was for solid objects. What would happen if he walked through the mist? Was it worth chancing it, or should he double back?**

**He was still hesitating when a scream shattered the silence.**

**"Fleur?" Harry yelled.**

"What happened?" Bill asked his wife.

"Zat would be the Skrewt. It attacked me and I hadn't 'eard it coming." Fleur muttered. "I got away okay but I was knocked out by something else about five minutes after zat."

**There was silence. He stared all around him. What had happened to her? Her scream seemed to have come from somewhere ahead. He took a deep breath and ran through the enchanted mist.**

**The world turned upside down. Harry was hanging from the ground, with his hair on end, his glasses dangling off his nose, threatening to fall into the bottomless sky. He clutched them to the end of his nose and hung there, terrified. It felt as though his feet were glued to the grass, which had now become the ceiling. Below him the dark, star-spangled heavens stretched endlessly. He felt as though if he tried to move one of his feet, he would fall away from the earth completely.**

**Think, he told himself, as all the blood rushed to his head, think...**

**But not one of the spells he had practiced had been designed to combat a sudden reversal of ground and sky. Did he dare move his foot? He could hear the blood pounding in his ears. He had two choices - try and move, or send up red sparks, and get rescued and disqualified from the task.**

**He shut his eyes, so he wouldn't be able to see the view of endless space below him, and pulled his right foot as hard as he could away from the grassy ceiling.**

**Immediately, the world righted itself. Harry fell forward onto his knees onto the wonderfully solid ground. He felt temporarily limp with shock. He took a deep, steadying breath, then got up again and hurried forward, looking back over his shoulder as he ran away from the golden mist, which twinkled innocently at him in the moonlight.**

**He paused at a junction of two paths and looked around for some sign of Fleur. He was sure it had been she who had screamed. What had she met? Was she all right? There was no sign of red sparks - did that mean she had got herself out of trouble, or was she in such trouble that she couldn't reach her wand? Harry took the right fork with a feeling of increasing unease... but at the same time, he couldn't help thinking. One champion down...**

"Thank you for worrying Harry, but I was fine." Fleur smiled, Harry grinned at her.

**The cup was somewhere close by, and it sounded as though Fleur was no longer in the running. He'd got this far, hadn't he? What if he actually managed to win? Fleetingly, and for the first time since he'd found himself champion, he saw again that image of himself, raising the Triwizard Cup in front of the rest of the school...**

**He met nothing for ten minutes, but kept running into dead ends. Twice he took the same wrong turning. Finally, he found a new route and started to jog along it, his wandlight waving, making his shadow flicker and distort on the hedge walls. Then he rounded another corner and found himself facing a Blast-Ended Skrewt.**

**Cedric was right - it was enormous. Ten feet long, it looked more like a giant scorpion than anything. Its long sting was curled over its back. Its thick armor glinted in the light from Harry's wand, which he pointed at it.**

Many in the room gasped.

**"Stupefy!"**

**The spell hit the skrewt's armor and rebounded; Harry ducked just in time, but could smell burning hair; it had singed the top of his head. The skrewt issued a blast of fire from its end and flew forward toward him.**

**"Impedimenta!" Harry yelled. The spell hit the skrewt's armor again and ricocheted off; Harry staggered back a few paces and fell over. "IMPEDIMENTA!"**

**The skrewt was inches from him when it froze - he had managed to hit it on its fleshy, shell-less underside. Panting, Harry pushed himself away from it and ran, hard, in the opposite direction - the Impediment Curse was not permanent; the skrewt would be regaining the use of its legs at any moment.**

**He took a left path and hit a dead end, a right, and hit another; forcing himself to stop, heart hammering, he performed the Four-Point Spell again, backtracked, and chose a path that would take him northwest.**

**He had been hurrying along the new path for a few minutes, when he heard something in the path running parallel to his own that made him stop dead.**

**"What are you doing?" yelled Cedric's voice. "What the hell d'you think you're doing?"**

**And then Harry heard Krum's voice.**

"Warning for an Unforgivable." Harry sighed.

**"Crucio!"**

**The air was suddenly full of Cedric's yells. Horrified, Harry began sprinting up his path, trying to find a way into Cedric's. When none appeared, he tried the Reductor Curse again. It wasn't very effective, but it burned a small hole in the hedge through which Harry forced his leg, kicking at the thick brambles and branches until they broke and made an opening; he struggled through it, tearing his robes, and looking to his right, saw Cedric jerking and twitching on the ground, Krum standing over him.**

"What!" they all yelled.

"He was enchanted. Imperious." Harry explained.

Albus nodded gravely, "He was indeed, and no one noticed."

**Harry pulled himself up and pointed his wand at Krum just as Krum looked up. Krum turned and began to run.**

**"Stupefy!" Harry yelled.**

**The spell hit Krum in the back; he stopped dead in his tracks, fell forward, and lay motionless, facedown in the grass. Harry-dashed over to Cedric, who had stopped twitching and was lying there panting, his hands over his face.**

**"Are you all right?" Harry said roughly, grabbing Cedric's arm.**

**"Yeah," panted Cedric. "Yeah... I don't believe it... he crept up behind me... I heard him, I turned around, and he had his wand on me..."**

**Cedric got up. He was still shaking. He and Harry looked down at Krum.**

**"I can't believe this... I thought he was all right," Harry said, staring at Krum.**

**"So did I," said Cedric.**

"He was under the Imperios." Albus sighed, "When he was revived he asked where all the snow was and where he was, he had no memory of coming to Hogwarts except a few flashes of the Yule Ball."

**"Did you hear Fleur scream earlier?" said Harry.**

**"Yeah," said Cedric. "You don't think Krum got her too?"**

"I'd guess zat's what happened. He must have stunned me." Fleur shrugged, "I didn't know anything until Madam Pomfrey revived me back at the start of the maze."

"Which was a good 5 minutes after you were levitated out on a stretcher." Molly told her, frowning.

She chuckled, "I think she would 'ave healed me first before waking me, I had a few scratches and burns. After the Lake task when I refused to let her heal me, I think she'd rather make sure I wouldn't do that again."

"She's done that with us before." Harry nodded, "Keeping us knocked out whilst treating us, like in our 3rd year."

"We'd gotten scratches from the Willow and they were practically gone when we woke up." Hermione mused, "Something neither of us noticed until the next day."

**"I don't know," said Harry slowly.**

**"Should we leave him here?" Cedric muttered.**

**"No," said Harry. "I reckon we should send up red sparks. Someone'll come and collect him... otherwise he'll probably be eaten by a skrewt."**

**"He'd deserve it," Cedric muttered, but all the same, he raised his wand and shot a shower of red sparks into the air, which hovered high above Krum, marking the spot where he lay.**

**Harry and Cedric stood there in the darkness for a moment, looking around them. Then Cedric said, "Well... I s'pose we'd better go on..."**

**"What?" said Harry. "Oh... yeah... right..."**

**It was an odd moment. He and Cedric had been briefly united against Krum - now the fact that they were opponents came back to Harry. The two of them proceeded up the dark path without speaking, then Harry turned left, and Cedric right. Cedric's footsteps soon died away.**

**Harry moved on, continuing to use the Four-Point Spell, making sure he was moving in the right direction. It was between him and Cedric now. His desire to reach the cup first was now burning stronger than ever, but he could hardly believe what he'd just seen Krum do. The use of an Unforgivable Curse on a fellow human being meant a life term in Azkaban, that was what Moody had told them. Krum surely couldn't have wanted the Triwizard Cup that badly... Harry sped up.**

**Every so often he hit more dead ends, but the increasing darkness made him feel sure he was getting near the heart of the maze. Then, as he strode down a long, straight path, he saw movement once again, and his beam of wandlight hit an extraordinary creature, one which he had only seen in picture form, in his Monster Book of Monsters.**

**It was a sphinx. It had the body of an over-large lion: great clawed paws and a long yellowish tail ending in a brown tuft. Its head, however, was that of a woman. She turned her long, almond-shaped eyes upon Harry as he approached. He raised his wand, hesitating. She was not crouching as if to spring, but pacing from side to side of the path, blocking his progress. Then she spoke, in a deep, hoarse voice.**

**"You are very near your goal. The quickest way is past me."**

**"So... so will you move, please?" said Harry, knowing what the answer was going to be.**

**"No," she said, continuing to pace. "Not unless you can answer my riddle. Answer on your first guess - I let you pass. Answer wrongly - I attack. Remain silent - I will let you walk away from me unscathed."**

**Harry's stomach slipped several notches. It was Hermione who was good at this sort of thing, not him. He weighed his chances. If the riddle was too hard, he could keep silent, get away from the sphinx unharmed, and try and find an alternative route to the center.**

**"Okay," he said. "Can I hear the riddle?"**

**The sphinx sat down upon her hind legs, in the very middle of the path, and recited:**

**"First think of the person who lives in disguise, Who deals in secrets and tells naught but lies.**

**Next, tell me what's always the last thing to mend, The middle of middle and end of the end?**

**And finally give me the sound often heard During the search for a hard-to-find word.**

**Now string them together, and answer me this, Which creature would you be unwilling to kiss?"**

**Harry gaped at her.**

**"Could I have it again... more slowly?" he asked tentatively. She blinked at him, smiled, and repeated the poem. "All the clues add up to a creature I wouldn't want to kiss?" Harry asked.**

**She merely smiled her mysterious smile. Harry took that for a "yes." Harry cast his mind around. There were plenty of animals he wouldn't want to kiss; his immediate thought was a Blast-Ended Skrewt, but something told him that wasn't the answer. He'd have to try and work out the clues...**

**"A person in disguise," Harry muttered, staring at her, "who lies... er... that'd be a - an impostor. No, that's not my guess! A - a spy? I'll come back to that... could you give me the next clue again, please?"**

**She repeated the next lines of the poem.**

**"'The last thing to mend,'" Harry repeated. "Er... no idea... 'middle of middle'... could I have the last bit again?"**

**She gave him the last four lines.**

**"'The sound often heard during the search for a hard-to-find word,'" said Harry. "Er... that'd be... er... hang on - 'er'! Er's a sound!"**

**The sphinx smiled at him.**

**"Spy... er... spy... er..." said Harry, pacing up and down. "A creature I wouldn't want to kiss... a spider!"**

"Very good Harry." Luna smiled, he grinned at her.

**The sphinx smiled more broadly. She got up, stretched her front legs, and then moved aside for him to pass.**

**"Thanks!" said Harry, and, amazed at his own brilliance, he dashed forward.**

**He had to be close now, he had to be... His wand was telling him he was bang on course; as long as he didn't meet anything too horrible, he might have a chance...**

**Harry broke into a run. He had a choice of paths up ahead. "Point Me!" he whispered again to his wand, and it spun around and pointed him to the right-hand one. He dashed up this one and saw light ahead.**

**The Triwizard Cup was gleaming on a plinth a hundred yards away. Suddenly a dark figure hurtled out onto the path in front of him.**

**Cedric was going to get there first. Cedric was sprinting as fast as he could toward the cup, and Harry knew he would never catch up, Cedric was much taller, had much longer legs - Then Harry saw something immense over a hedge to his left, moving quickly along a path that intersected with his own; it was moving so fast Cedric was about to run into it, and Cedric, his eyes on the cup, had not seen it -**

**"Cedric!" Harry bellowed. "On your left!"**

**Cedric looked around just in time to hurl himself past the thing and avoid colliding with it, but in his haste, he tripped. Harry saw Cedric's wand fly out of his hand as a gigantic spider stepped into the path and began to bear down upon Cedric.**

"It would have to be an Acromantula." Ron shuddered.

**"Stupefy!" Harry yelled; the spell hit the spider's gigantic, hairy black body, but for all the good it did, he might as well have thrown a stone at it; the spider jerked, scuttled around, and ran at Harry instead.**

**"Stupefy! Impedimenta! Stupefy!"**

**But it was no use - the spider was either so large, or so magical, that the spells were doing no more than aggravating it. Harry had one horrifying glimpse of eight shining black eyes and razor-sharp pincers before it was upon him.**

**He was lifted into the air in its front legs; struggling madly, he tried to kick it; his leg connected with the pincers and next moment he was in excruciating pain. He could hear Cedric yelling "Stupefy!" too, but his spell had no more effect than Harry's - Harry raised his wand as the spider opened its pincers once more and shouted "Expelliarmus!"**

**It worked - the Disarming Spell made the spider drop him, but that meant that Harry fell twelve feet onto his already injured leg, which crumpled beneath him. Without pausing to think, he aimed high at the spider's underbelly, as he had done with the skrewt, and shouted "Stupefy!" just as Cedric yelled the same thing.**

**The two spells combined did what one alone had not: The spider keeled over sideways, flattening a nearby hedge, and strewing the path with a tangle of hairy legs.**

"Thank god we didn't have to deal with one of those alone in second year." Ron shuddered, "Glad we had the car."

"I'll agree with you on that one." Harry nodded.

"Why are you so tense?" Jex asked from his knee.

"Bad thing's are going to happen soon." Ginny murmured to the cubs, "Really bad." both nodded and turned back to the memory.

**"Harry!" he heard Cedric shouting. "You all right? Did it fall on you?"**

**"No," Harry called back, panting. He looked down at his leg. It was bleeding freely. He could see some sort of thick, gluey secretion from the spider's pincers on his torn robes. He tried to get up, but his leg was shaking badly and did not want to support his weight. He leaned against the hedge, gasping for breath, and looked around.**

**Cedric was standing feet from the Triwizard Cup, which was gleaming behind him.**

**"Take it, then," Harry panted to Cedric. "Go on, take it. You're there."**

**But Cedric didn't move. He merely stood there, looking at Harry. Then he turned to stare at the cup. Harry saw the longing expression on his face in its golden light.**

**Cedric looked around at Harry again, who was now holding onto the hedge to support himself. Cedric took a deep breath.**

**"You take it. You should win. That's twice you've saved my neck in here."**

**"That's not how it's supposed to work," Harry said. He felt angry; his leg was very painful, he was aching all over from trying to throw off the spider, and after all his efforts, Cedric had beaten him to it, just as he'd beaten Harry to ask Cho to the ball.**

**"The one who reaches the cup first gets the points. That's you. I'm telling you, I'm not going to win any races on this leg."**

**Cedric took a few paces nearer to the Stunned spider, away from the cup, shaking his head.**

**"No," he said.**

**"Stop being noble," said Harry irritably. "Just take it, then we can get out of here."**

**Cedric watched Harry steadying himself, holding tight to the hedge.**

**"You told me about the dragons," Cedric said. "I would've gone down in the first task if you hadn't told me what was coming."**

**"I had help on that too," Harry snapped, trying to mop up his bloody leg with his robes. "You helped me with the egg - we're square."**

**"I had help on the egg in the first place," said Cedric.**

**"We're still square," said Harry, testing his leg gingerly; it shook violently as he put weight on it; he had sprained his ankle when the spider had dropped him.**

**"You should've got more points on the second task," said Cedric mulishly. "You stayed behind to get all the hostages. I should've done that."**

**"I was the only one who was thick enough to take that song seriously!" said Harry bitterly. "Just take the cup!"**

**"No," said Cedric.**

**He stepped over the spider's tangled legs to join Harry, who stared at him. Cedric was serious. He was walking away from the sort of glory Hufflepuff House hadn't had in centuries.**

**"Go on," Cedric said. He looked as though this was costing him every ounce of resolution he had, but his face was set, his arms were folded, he seemed decided.**

**Harry looked from Cedric to the cup. For one shining moment, he saw himself emerging from the maze, holding it. He saw himself holding the Triwizard Cup aloft, heard the roar of the crowd, saw Cho's face shining with admiration, more clearly than he had ever seen it before... and then the picture faded, and he found himself staring at Cedric's shadowy, stubborn face.**

**"Both of us," Harry said.**

**"What?"**

**"We'll take it at the same time. It's still a Hogwarts victory. We'll tie for it."**

**Cedric stared at Harry. He unfolded his arms.**

**"You - you sure?"**

**"Yeah," said Harry. "Yeah... we've helped each other out, haven't we? We both got here. Let's just take it together."**

**For a moment, Cedric looked as though he couldn't believe his ears; then his face split in a grin.**

**"You're on," he said. "Come here."**

**He grabbed Harry's arm below the shoulder and helped Harry limp toward the plinth where the cup stood. When they had reached it, they both held a hand out over one of the cup's gleaming handles.**

**"On three, right?" said Harry. "One - two - three -"**

**He and Cedric both grasped a handle.**

**Instantly, Harry felt a jerk somewhere behind his navel. His feet had left the ground.**

**He could not unclench the hand holding the Triwizard Cup; it was pulling him onward in a howl of wind and swirling color, Cedric at his side.**

"That sounds bad." James muttered worriedly.

"It is." Harry winced, "Remus, Dora this will be too scary for Teddy, do you want me to get Kreacher to watch him until we're done?"

Remus and Dora both looked wary.

"I'll order him not to say anything offensive in front of him, not that he would."

"Kreacher's fine with Teddy if that's what your worried about." Andy added, Sirius looked like he was about to say something so she cut him off, "Remember he's changed a lot. He knows I was disowned and he listens to me willingly despite that."

"Winky could help." Minerva offered, "She's good with kids and she and Kreacher get along quite well."

"I'm finding that hard to beleive." Remus muttered.

"Hmm... Do either of you have objections to Teddy being under a mild timed sleeping potion?" Harry asked, "We usually use it on full moon's."

"I suppose not but wont he wake up if someone shouts?" Dora asked.

"No the timed one will keep him asleep for about two hours and he won't wake up at all." Andy smiled, "Comes in handy at times. Especially because he really doesn't like healers."

"If it's safe, I don't see a problem." Remus shrugged.

"Me neither." Dora agreed.

"Right, I'll nip down and get a little from Poppy." Harry smiled before leaving the office.


	45. Chapter 45

Chapter 45 - Fourth Year (Part 15.5)

19, August, 1998. 10.00am.

Fifteen minutes after Harry had left he walked back in empty handed.

"Poppy's not got any at the moment. I've decided you're on your own for this one, here I'll take him with me." he held out his arms and Remus handed his son over, "Sorry, I just can't re-live this particular part of that night." he muttered, gesturing the pensieve, "I was considering trying to on the way back up, but I decided I can't."

"Want me to call you when it's done?" Ginny offered.

He nodded at her before looking at Dudley and Amber, "I could take Cecelia too if you'd like?" he offered, "There's quite a bit of noise and she might wake up. I'll only be in the room just down the hall."

The two shared a look before Dudley shook his head, "She can sleep through anything. If we need to we can always bring her along." he stated, smiling slightly.

Harry nodded again, "Follow my scent and you'll find me." he said, "Come on Teddy, let's go explore the nice big classroom." the boy looked up at him blankly, "Call me when it's done." he walked out the room, Teddy giggling as his ribs were tickled by his Godfather.

"This is going to be bad, isn't it?" James muttered.

"You remember him saying it still haunted him sometimes." Ginny reminded them, "Let's just start." she flicked her wand, starting off the memory.

**Harry felt his feet slam into the ground; his injured leg gave way, and he fell forward; his hand let go of the Triwizard Cup at last. He raised his head.**

**"Where are we?" he said.**

**Cedric shook his head. He got up, pulled Harry to his feet, and they looked around.**

**They had left the Hogwarts grounds completely; they had obviously traveled miles -perhaps hundreds of miles - for even the mountains surrounding the castle were gone.**

**They were standing instead in a dark and overgrown graveyard; the black outline of a small church was visible beyond a large yew tree to their right. A hill rose above them to their left. Harry could just make out the outline of a fine old house on the hillside.**

**Cedric looked down at the Triwizard Cup and then up at Harry.**

**"Did anyone tell you the cup was a Portkey?" he asked.**

"It was supposed to transport them to where they started, not like a portkey though." Albus sighed, shaking his head sadly.

**"Nope," said Harry. He was looking around the graveyard. It was completely silent and slightly eerie. "Is this supposed to be part of the task?"**

**"I dunno," said Cedric. He sounded slightly nervous. "Wands out, d'you reckon?"**

**"Yeah," said Harry, glad that Cedric had made the suggestion rather than him.**

**They pulled out their wands. Harry kept looking around him. He had, yet again, the strange feeling that they were being watched.**

**"Someone's coming," he said suddenly.**

**Squinting tensely through the darkness, they watched the figure drawing nearer, walking steadily toward them between the graves. Harry couldn't make out a face, but from the way it was walking and holding its arms, he could tell that it was carrying something.**

**Whoever it was, he was short, and wearing a hooded cloak pulled up over his head to obscure his face. And - several paces nearer, the gap between them closing all the time - Harry saw that the thing in the person's arms looked like a baby... or was it merely a bundle of robes?**

**Harry lowered his wand slightly and glanced sideways at Cedric. Cedric shot him a quizzical look. They both turned back to watch the approaching figure.**

**It stopped beside a towering marble headstone, only six feet from them. For a second.**

**Harry and Cedric and the short figure simply looked at one another.**

**And then, without warning, Harry's scar exploded with pain. It was agony such as he had never felt in all his life; his wand slipped from his fingers as he put his hands over his face; his knees buckled; he was on the ground and he could see nothing at all; his head was about to split open.**

"Voldemort?" James asked.

"Must be." Hermione closed her eyes tightly.

**From far away, above his head, he heard a high, cold voice say, "Kill the spare."**

**A swishing noise and a second voice, which screeched the words to the night: "Avada Kedavra!"**

**A blast of green light blazed through Harry's eyelids, and he heard something heavy fall to the ground beside him; the pain in his scar reached such a pitch that he retched, and then it diminished; terrified of what he was about to see, he opened his stinging eyes.**

**Cedric was lying spread-eagled on the ground beside him. He was dead.**

"No!" Lily cried, "How could somebody kill him!? He was barely even an adult."

"Voldemort didn't care." James spat, "He'd kill everyone who wasn't important or useful to him."

**For a second that contained an eternity, Harry stared into Cedric's face, at his open gray eyes, blank and expressionless as the windows of a deserted house, at his half-open mouth, which looked slightly surprised. And then, before Harry's mind had accepted what he was seeing, before he could feel anything but numb disbelief, he felt himself being pulled to his feet.**

**The short man in the cloak had put down his bundle, lit his wand, and was dragging Harry toward the marble headstone. Harry saw the name upon it flickering in the wandlight before he was forced around and slammed against it.**

**TOM RIDDLE.**

**The cloaked man was now conjuring tight cords around Harry, tying him from neck to ankles to the headstone. Harry could hear shallow, fast breathing from the depths of the hood; he struggled, and the man hit him - hit him with a hand that had a finger missing. And Harry realized who was under the hood. It was Wormtail.**

Everyone growled or glared at the memory.

**"You!" he gasped.**

**But Wormtail, who had finished conjuring the ropes, did not reply; he was busy checking the tightness of the cords, his fingers trembling uncontrollably, rumbling over the knots. Once sure that Harry was bound so tightly to the headstone that he couldn't move an inch, Wormtail drew a length of some black material from the inside of his cloak and stuffed it roughly into Harry's mouth; then, without a word, he turned from Harry and hurried away. Harry couldn't make a sound, nor could he see where Wormtail had gone; he couldn't turn his head to see beyond the headstone; he could see only what was right in front of him.**

**Cedric's body was lying some twenty feet away. Some way beyond him, glinting in the starlight, lay the Triwizard Cup. Harry's wand was on the ground at Cedric's feet. The bundle of robes that Harry had thought was a baby was close by, at the foot of the grave.**

**It seemed to be stirring fretfully. Harry watched it, and his scar seared with pain again... and he suddenly knew that he didn't want to see what was in those robes... he didn't want that bundle opened...**

**He could hear noises at his feet. He looked down and saw a gigantic snake slithering through the grass, circling the headstone where he was tied. Wormtail's fast, wheezy breathing was growing louder again. It sounded as though he was forcing something heavy across the ground. Then he came back within Harry's range of vision, and Harry saw him pushing a stone cauldron to the foot of the grave. It was full of what seemed to be water - Harry could hear it slopping around - and it was larger than any cauldron Harry had ever used; a great stone belly large enough for a full-grown man to sit in.**

**The thing inside the bundle of robes on the ground was stirring more persistently, as though it was trying to free itself. Now Wormtail was busying himself at the bottom of the cauldron with a wand. Suddenly there were crackling names beneath it. The large snake slithered away into the darkness.**

**The liquid in the cauldron seemed to heat very fast. The surface began not only to bubble, but to send out fiery sparks, as though it were on fire. Steam was thickening, blurring the outline of Wormtail tending the fire. The movements beneath the robes became more agitated. And Harry heard the high, cold voice again.**

**"Hurry!"**

"No dont." Regulus growled.

**The whole surface of the water was alight with sparks now. It might have been encrusted with diamonds.**

**"It is ready. Master."**

**"Now..." said the cold voice.**

**Wormtail pulled open the robes on the ground, revealing what was inside them, and Harry let out a yell that was strangled in the wad of material blocking his mouth.**

**It was as though Wormtail had flipped over a stone and revealed something ugly, slimy, and blind - but worse, a hundred times worse. The thing Wormtail had been carrying had the shape of a crouched human child, except that Harry had never seen anything less like a child. It was hairless and scaly-looking, a dark, raw, reddish black. Its arms and legs were thin and feeble, and its face - no child alive ever had a face like that - flat and snakelike, with gleaming red eyes.**

Everyone made noises of disgust at the sight of what was clearly what remained of Voldemort at that time.

**The thing seemed almost helpless; it raised its thin arms, put them around Wormtail's neck, and Wormtail lifted it. As he did so, his hood fell back, and Harry saw the look of revulsion on Wormtail's weak, pale face in the firelight as he carried the creature to the rim of the cauldron. For one moment, Harry saw the evil, flat face illuminated in the sparks dancing on the surface of the potion. And then Wormtail lowered the creature into the cauldron; there was a hiss, and it vanished below the surface; Harry heard its frail body hit the bottom with a soft thud.**

**Let it drown, Harry thought, his scar burning almost past endurance, please... let it drown...**

Everyone winced at Harry's desperate pleas for the thing that was Voldemort to drown.

**Wormtail was speaking. His voice shook; he seemed frightened beyond his wits. He raised his wand, closed his eyes, and spoke to the night.**

**"Bone of the father, unknowingly given, you will renew your son!"**

**The surface of the grave at Harry's feet cracked. Horrified, Harry watched as a fine trickle of dust rose into the air at Wormtail's command and fell softly into the cauldron. The diamond surface of the water broke and hissed; it sent sparks in all directions and turned a vivid, poisonous-looking blue.**

**And now Wormtail was whimpering. He pulled a long, thin, shining silver dagger from inside his cloak. His voice broke into petrified sobs.**

**"Flesh - of the servant - w-willingly given - you will - revive - your master. "**

**He stretched his right hand out in front of him - the hand with the missing finger. He gripped the dagger very tightly in his left hand and swung it upward.**

**Harry realized what Wormtail was about to do a second before it happened - he closed his eyes as tightly as he could, but he could not block the scream that pierced the night, that went through Harry as though he had been stabbed with the dagger too. He heard something fall to the ground, heard Wormtail's anguished panting, then a sickening splash, as something was dropped into the cauldron.**

"That's sick." James muttered looking revolted.

Everyone else looked revolted and disgusted, a few of the women looked like they were going to be sick. Ginny was resolutely staring at the cubs fur, both of them having claimed half of her knee each when Harry left, she clearly didn't want to look up.

**Harry couldn't stand to look... but the potion had turned a burning red; the light of it shone through Harry's closed eyelids...**

**Wormtail was gasping and moaning with agony. Not until Harry felt Wormtail's anguished breath on his face did he realize that Wormtail was right in front of him.**

**"B-blood of the enemy... forcibly taken... you will... resurrect your foe."**

"Dont touch him!" James and Lily snarled viciously.

**Harry could do nothing to prevent it, he was tied too tightly... Squinting down, struggling hopelessly at the ropes binding him, he saw the shining silver dagger shaking in Wormtails remaining hand. He felt its point penetrate the crook of his right arm and blood seeping down the sleeve of his torn robes.**

Ginny winced as she felt a flare of pain that wasn't her own, _Was that you?_ she asked Harry.

_Yes, sorry. Just remembering the pain._

_You know, you're not really avoiding re-living this if you're listening to my thoughts._

_I know, but I'm better off here with Teddy, that way he wont get scared and I'm partly distracted... I'll be alright._

_Well if you're sure,_ she told him, focusing on sending the feeling of comfort and love to him and feeling his return of love and gratefulness a second later.

**Wormtail, still panting with pain, rumbled in his pocket for a glass vial and held it to Harry's cut, so that a dribble of blood fell into it.**

**He staggered back to the cauldron with Harrys blood. He poured it inside. The liquid within turned, instantly, a blinding white. Wormtail, his job done, dropped to his knees beside the cauldron, then slumped sideways and lay on the ground, cradling the bleeding stump of his arm, gasping and sobbing.**

**The cauldron was simmering, sending its diamond sparks in all directions, so blindingly bright that it turned all else to velvety blackness. Nothing happened...**

**Let it have drowned. Harry thought, let it have gone wrong...**

**And then, suddenly, the sparks emanating from the cauldron were extinguished. A surge of white steam billowed thickly from the cauldron instead, obliterating everything in front of Harry, so that he couldn't see Wormtail or Cedric or anything but vapor hanging in the air... It's gone wrong, he thought... it's drowned... please... please let it be dead...**

**But then, through the mist in front of him, he saw, with an icy surge of terror, the dark outline of a man, tall and skeletally thin, rising slowly from inside the cauldron.**

**"Robe me," said the high, cold voice from behind the steam, and Wormtail, sobbing and moaning, still cradling his mutilated arm, scrambled to pick up the black robes from the ground, got to his feet, reached up, and pulled them one-handed over his master's head.**

**The thin man stepped out of the cauldron, staring at Harry... and Harry stared back into the face that had haunted his nightmares for three years. Whiter than a skull, with wide, livid scarlet eyes and a nose that was flat as a snakes with slits for nostrils...**

**Lord Voldemort had risen again.**

"NO!" the people who hadn't known the details of his return, and even some who had, shouted.

_That's it done,_ Ginny sent to Harry.

_On my way,_ he replied.

She repeated this to the others, they nodded, not looking all that happy.

Harry entered the room a few minutes later, Teddy playing with his wolf, "I'm fine." he said before they could ask, having seen a few of them about to do just that. He looked down at Teddy, "It's still going to be a bit scary for him..."

"Wait." Andy instructed him, she pulled his baby bag onto her knee and rifled through it, smirking a moment later, "I thought so." she held up the vial of potion, "I forgot that was in there. Teddy, look a yummy potion for you. This one is..." she checked the label on it, "Blueberry." she smiled, "You like blueberry, don't you?" the boy looked at the vial and shook his head.

Harry held his hand out and she gave it to him, he held it up to Teddy, "Just half should do, shouldnt it?" he asked uncorking it, she nodded, "You going to drink this for me buddy? It tastes nice." he coaxed, grinning when the boy grabbed his wrist to bring the vail to his mouth and drank half of it without hesitation.

"Let it be known he only does that for you when he's not wanting to take it from me." Andy shook her head in wonder as her Grandson fell asleep on his shoulder after draining half the vial, "He'll be out of it for a bit." she added, taking the half empty vial back and corking it again, placing it back in the bag.

Harry gently moved the boy so he could get his wand from his pocket, he added the next memory to the pensieve, "Let's continue then." he said calmly, sitting down again.

* * *

><p>Review please x<p> 


	46. Chapter 46

Chapter 46 - Fourth Year (Part 16)

19, August, 1998. 10.30am.

"Where you left off." Harry sighed, "I'll be fine now it's just... You know... Cedric..."

"Harry you dont have to explain." Sirius smiled weakly, he was very pale, "That would terrify anyone."

Harry smiled weakly back.

**Voldemort looked away from Harry and began examining his own body. His hands were like large, pale spiders; his long white fingers caressed his own chest, his arms, his face; the red eyes, whose pupils were slits, like a cats, gleamed still more brightly through the darkness. He held up his hands and flexed the fingers, his expression rapt and exultant. He took not the slightest notice of Wormtail, who lay twitching and bleeding on the ground, nor of the great snake, which had slithered back into sight and was circling Harry again, hissing. Voldemort slipped one of those unnaturally long-fingered hands into a deep pocket and drew out a wand. He caressed it gently too; and then he raised it, and pointed it at Wormtail, who was lifted off the ground and thrown against the headstone where Harry was tied; he fell to the foot of it and lay there, crumpled up and crying. Voldemort turned his scarlet eyes upon Harry, laughing a high, cold, mirthless laugh.**

**Wormtail's robes were shining with blood now; he had wrapped the stump of his arm in them.**

**"My Lord..." he choked, "my Lord... you promised... you did promise..."**

**"Hold out your arm," said Voldemort lazily.**

**"Oh Master... thank you, Master..."**

**He extended the bleeding stump, but Voldemort laughed again.**

**"The other arm, Wormtail."**

**"Master, please... please..."**

**Voldemort bent down and pulled out Wormtail's left arm; he forced the sleeve of Wormtail's robes up past his elbow, and Harry saw something upon the skin there, something like a vivid red tattoo - a skull with a snake protruding from its mouth - the image that had appeared in the sky at the Quidditch World Cup: the Dark Mark. Voldemort examined it carefully, ignoring Wormtail's uncontrollable weeping.**

**"It is back," he said softly, "they will all have noticed it... and now, we shall see... now we shall know..."**

**He pressed his long white forefinger to the brand on Wormtail's arm.**

"And now Death Eater's are going to come." Regulus groaned, he was rubbing his left arm where his own Mark was, "That's how he summoned his followers."

"By a very painful burning." Snape scowled from his portrait. "That was one of the worst ones." he winced.

"Or it seemed worse because you hadn't felt it for a while." Draco pointed out, "I got that last year, he didn't bother trying to summon me through the school year but at the Final Battle he summoned everyone of his Marked followers."

"It was worse that time because I ignored it." Snape told him, "The longer it was ignored the hotter it would burn."

**The scar on Harry's forehead seared with a sharp pain again, and Wormtail let out a fresh howl; Voldemort removed his fingers from Wormtail's mark, and Harry saw that it had turned jet black.**

**A look of cruel satisfaction on his face, Voldemort straightened up, threw back his head, and stared around at the dark graveyard.**

**"How many will be brave enough to return when they feel it?" he whispered, his gleaming red eyes fixed upon the stars. "And how many will be foolish enough to stay away?"**

**He began to pace up and down before Harry and Wormtail, eyes sweeping the graveyard all the while. After a minute or so, he looked down at Harry again, a cruel smile twisting his snakelike face.**

**"You stand, Harry Potter, upon the remains of my late father," he hissed softly. "A Muggle and a fool... very like your dear mother. But they both had their uses, did they not? Your mother died to defend you as a child... and I killed my father, and see how useful he has proved himself, in death..."**

**Voldemort laughed again. Up and down he paced, looking all around him as he walked, and the snake continued to circle in the grass.**

**"You see that house upon the hillside, Potter? My father lived there. My mother, a witch who lived here in this village, fell in love with him. But he abandoned her when she told him what she was... He didn't like magic, my father... He left her and returned to his Muggle parents before I was even born. Potter, and she died giving birth to me, leaving me to be raised in a Muggle orphanage... but I vowed to find him... I revenged myself upon him, that fool who gave me his name... Tom Riddle..."**

"He just told you?" Draco asked incredulously.

"I wasnt supposed to live." Harry shrugged, seemingly not bothered by this fact, "He didnt expect me to be able to tell anyone, and he didnt expect me to tell Albus because I was supposed to be dead." he smirked.

"I beleive he thought he'd be able to kill a 14 year old." Albus smiled, "He didn't think Harry was strong enough to fight him."

"Got it wrong then didn't he?" Ginny stated.

"He always underestimated everyone, except Albus." Snape shrugged.

"And now he's dead." Harry smiled.

**Still he paced, his red eyes darting from grave to grave.**

**"Listen to me, reliving family history..." he said quietly, "why, I am growing quite sentimental... But look, Harry! My true family returns..."**

**The air was suddenly full of the swishing of cloaks. Between graves, behind the yew tree, in every shadowy space, wizards were Apparating. All of them were hooded and masked. And one by one they moved forward... slowly, cautiously, as though they could hardly believe their eyes Voldemort stood in silence, waiting for them. Then one of the Death Eaters fell to his knees, crawled toward Voldemort and kissed the hem of his black robes.**

**"Master... Master " he murmured.**

**The Death Eaters behind him did the same; each of them approaching Voldemort on his knees and kissing his robes, before backing away and standing up, forming a silent circle, which enclosed Tom Riddle s grave, Harry, Voldemort, and the sobbing and twitching heap that was Wormtail. Yet they left gaps in the circle, as though waiting for more people.**

**Voldemort, however, did not seem to expect more. He looked around at the hooded faces, and though there was no wind rustling seemed to run around the circle, as though it had shivered.**

**"Welcome, Death Eaters," said Voldemort quietly. "Thirteen years... thirteen years since last we met. Yet you answer my call as though it were yesterday, we are still united under the Dark Mark, then! Or are we?"**

**He put back his terrible face and sniffed, his slit-like nostrils widening.**

**"I smell guilt," he said. "There is a stench or guilt upon the air.**

**A second shiver ran around the circle, as though each member of it longed, but did not dare to step back from him.**

**"I see you all, whole and healthy, with your powers intact - such prompt appearances! and I ask myself... why did this band of wizards never come to the aid of their master, to whom they swore eternal loyalty?"**

**No one spoke. No one moved except Wormtail, who was upon the ground, still sobbing over his bleeding arm.**

**"And I answer myself," whispered Voldemort, "they must have believed me broken, they thought I was gone. They slipped back among my enemies, and they pleaded innocence, and ignorance, and bewitchment... And then I ask myself, but how could they have believed I would not rise again? They, who knew the steps I took, long ago, to guard myself against mortal death? They, who had seen proofs of the immensity of my power in the times when I was mightier than any wizard living? And I answer myself, perhaps they believed a still greater power could exist, one that could vanquish even Lord Voldemort... perhaps they now pay allegiance to another... perhaps that champion of commoners, of Mudbloods and Muggles, Albus Dumbledore?"**

**At the mention of Dumbledore's name, the members of the circle stirred, and some muttered and shook their heads. Voldemort ignored them.**

**"It is a disappointment to me... I confess myself disappointed..."**

**One of the men suddenly flung himself forward, breaking the circle. Trembling from head to foot, he collapsed at Voldemort's feet.**

**"Master!" he shrieked, "Master, forgive me! Forgive us all!"**

**Voldemort began to laugh. He raised his wand.**

"Oh yeah, there's quite a few Unforgivables in this one." Harry sighed. "All three." he added.

"What!" Sirius growled, "You didn't say that back then."

"As I told Albus, I left a few things out."

"Obviously."

**"Crucio!"**

**The Death Eater on the ground writhed and shrieked; Harry was sure the sound must carry to the houses around... Let the police come, he thought desperately... anyone... anything...**

The Longbottom's cringed at the curse and looked away from the screen.

**Voldemort raised his wand. The tortured Death Eater lay flat upon the ground, gasping.**

**"Get up, Avery," said Voldemort softly. "Stand up. You ask for forgiveness? I do not forgive. I do not forget. Thirteen long years... I want thirteen years' repayment before I forgive you. Wormtail here has paid some of his debt already, have you not, Wormtail?"**

**He looked down at Wormtail, who continued to sob.**

**"You returned to me, not out of loyalty, but out of fear of your old friends. You deserve this pain, Wormtail. You know that, don't you?"**

**"Yes, Master," moaned Wormtail, "please. Master... please..."**

**"Yet you helped return me to my body," said Voldemort coolly, watching Wormtail sob on the ground. "Worthless and traitorous as you are, you helped me... and Lord Voldemort rewards his helpers..."**

**Voldemort raised his wand again and whirled it through the air. A streak of what looked like molten silver hung shining in the wand's wake. Momentarily shapeless, it writhed and then formed itself into a gleaming replica of a human hand, bright as moonlight, which soared downward and fixed itself upon Wormtails bleeding wrist.**

**Wormtail's sobbing stopped abruptly. His breathing harsh and ragged, he raised his head and stared in disbelief at the silver hand, now attached seamlessly to his arm, as though he were wearing a dazzling glove. He flexed the shining fingers, then, trembling, picked up a small twig on the ground and crushed it into powder.**

"He made it silver because of me didn't he?" Remus asked with a sigh.

"Must have." Harry nodded. Dudley and Petunia looked confused, "Werewolves can't touch silver."

"It burns." Remus nodded. "Well... Real silver burns, fake or cheap silver doesn't do anything."

"I've seen you hold silver before. Sickles are silver." Molly frowned.

"Sickles have enchantment's on them that make them safe for werewolves to touch." Remus explained, "It's part of the Werewolf Protection Act that was made in 1957." he shrugged, "One of the only useful things they actually did."

"Occasionally an old Sickle circles again." Kingsley added, "But they were mostly all charmed, one or two were missed accidentally."

**"My Lord," he whispered. "Master... it is beautiful... thank you... thank you..."**

**He scrambled forward on his knees and kissed the hem of Voldemort's robes.**

**"May your loyalty never waver again, Wormtail," said Voldemort.**

**"No, my Lord... never, my Lord..."**

**Wormtail stood up and took his place in the circle, staring at his powerful new hand, his face still shining with tears. Voldemort now approached the man on Wormtail's right.**

**"Lucius, my slippery friend," he whispered, halting before him. "I am told that you have not renounced the old ways, though to the world you present a respectable face. You are still ready to take the lead in a spot of Muggle-torture, I believe? Yet you never tried to find me, Lucius... Your exploits at the Quidditch World Cup were fun, I daresay... but might not your energies have been better directed toward finding and aiding your master?"**

**"My Lord, I was constantly on the alert," came Lucius Malfoy's voice swiftly from beneath the hood. "Had there been any sign from you, any whisper of your whereabouts, I would have been at your side immediately, nothing could have prevented me -"**

"He would have too." Cissy made a face.

**"And yet you ran from my Mark, when a faithful Death Eater sent it into the sky last summer?" said Voldemort lazily, and Mr. Malfoy stopped talking abruptly. "Yes, I know all about that, Lucius... You have disappointed me... I expect more faithful service in the future."**

**"Of course, my Lord, of course... You are merciful, thank you..."**

**Voldemort moved on, and stopped, staring at the space - large enough for two people - that separated Malfoy and the next man.**

**"The Lestranges should stand here," said Voldemort quietly. "But they are entombed in Azkaban. They were faithful. They went to Azkaban rather than renounce me... When Azkaban is broken open, the Lestranges will be honored beyond their dreams. The dementors will join us... they are our natural allies... we will recall the banished giants... I shall have all my devoted servants returned to me, and an army of creatures whom all fear..."**

**He walked on. Some of the Death Eaters he passed in silence, but he paused before others and spoke to them.**

**"Macnair... destroying dangerous beasts for the Ministry of Magic now, Wormtail tells me? You shall have better victims than that soon, Macnair. Lord Voldemort will provide..."**

**"Thank you, Master... thank you," murmured Macnair.**

**"And here" - Voldemort moved on to the two largest hooded figures - "we have Crabbe... you will do better this time, will you not, Crabbe? And you, Goyle?"**

**They bowed clumsily, muttering dully.**

**"Yes, Master..."**

**"We will, Master..."**

**"The same goes for you, Nott," said Voldemort quietly as he walked past a stooped figure in Mr. Goyle's shadow.**

**"My Lord, I prostrate myself before you, I am your most faithful -"**

**"That will do," said Voldemort.**

**He had reached the largest gap of all, and he stood surveying it with his blank, red eyes, as though he could see people standing there.**

**"And here we have six missing Death Eaters... three dead in my service. One, too cowardly to return... he will pay. One, who I believe has left me forever... he will be killed, of course... and one, who remains my most faithful servant, and who has already reentered my service."**

"Right so Karkaroff is the one who was too cowardly." James said.

"Who's the one he believed had left him forever?" Lily asked.

"That would be me." Snape muttered, "I never responded to the call so he thought I wasn't going to respond at all. I wish I hadn't someday's."

"You would have been killed if you hadn't. I think it's a good thing Tom bought your story." Harry smirked, "Probably a good thing you were late to that meeting actually." he mused.

"Why?"

"Do you really think I'd make it easy for you if I saw you there? Or these two?" Harry gestured Ron and Hermione who were smirking. "We would have made even more trouble for you. We already didn't trust you at that point."

"Never thought of that." he admitted.

"Alright... Who's the one who had already re-entered his service?" Regulus asked.

"Wait and see." Hermione said.

**The Death Eaters stirred, and Harry saw their eyes dart sideways at one another through their masks.**

**"He is at Hogwarts, that faithful servant, and it was through his efforts that our young friend arrived here tonight... Yes," said Voldemort, a grin curling his lipless mouth as the eyes of the circle flashed in Harry's direction. "Harry Potter has kindly joined us for my rebirthing party. One might go so far as to call him my guest of honor."**

**There was a silence. Then the Death Eater to the right of Wormtail stepped forward, and Lucius Malfoy's voice spoke from under the mask.**

**"Master, we crave to know... we beg you to tell us... how you have achieved this... this miracle... how you managed to return to us..."**

**"Ah, what a story it is, Lucius," said Voldemort. "And it begins - and ends - with my young friend here."**

**He walked lazily over to stand next to Harry, so that the eyes of the whole circle were upon the two of them. The snake continued to circle.**

**"You know, of course, that they have called this boy my downfall?" Voldemort said softly, his red eyes upon Harry, whose scar began to burn so fiercely that he almost screamed in agony. "You all know that on the night I lost my powers and my body, I tried to kill him. His mother died in the attempt to save him - and unwittingly provided him with a protection I admit I had not foreseen... I could not touch the boy."**

**Voldemort raised one of his long white fingers and put it very close to Harry's cheek.**

**"His mother left upon him the traces other sacrifice... This is old magic, I should have remembered it, I was foolish to overlook it... but no matter. I can touch him now."**

**Harry felt the cold tip of the long white finger touch him, and thought his head would burst with the pain. Voldemort laughed softly in his ear, then took the finger away and continued addressing the Death Eaters.**

"One protection down." Fred groaned.

"Not quite. Him using my blood to be re-born helped me a little in May." Harry smirked, "I wont tell you how yet but it helped."

**"I miscalculated, my friends, I admit it. My curse was deflected by the woman's foolish sacrifice, and it rebounded upon myself. Aaah... pain beyond pain, my friends; nothing could have prepared me for it. I was ripped from my body, I was less than spirit, less than the meanest ghost... but still, I was alive. What I was, even I do not know... I, who have gone further than anybody along the path that leads to immortality. You know my goal - to conquer death. And now, I was tested, and it appeared that one or more of my experiments had worked... for I had not been killed, though the curse should have done it. Nevertheless, I was as powerless as the weakest creature alive, and without the means to help myself... for I had no body, and every spell that might have helped me required the use of a wand... I remember only forcing myself, sleeplessly, endlessly, second by second, to exist... I settled in a faraway place, in a forest, and I waited... Surely, one of my faithful Death Eaters would try and find me... one of them would come and perform the magic I could not, to restore me to a body... but I waited in vain..."**

**The shiver ran once more around the circle of listening Death Eaters. Voldemort let the silence spiral horribly before continuing.**

**"Only one power remained to me. I could possess the bodies of others. But I dared not go where other humans were plentiful, for I knew that the Aurors were still abroad and searching for me. I sometimes inhabited animals - snakes, of course, being my preference - but I was little better off inside them than as pure spirit, for their bodies were ill adapted to perform magic... and my possession of them shortened their lives; none of them lasted long... Then... four years ago... the means for my return seemed assured. A wizard -young, foolish, and gullible - wandered across my path in the forest I had made my home. Oh, he seemed the very chance I had been dreaming of... for he was a teacher at Dumbledore's school... he was easy to bend to my will... he brought me back to this country, and after a while, I took possession of his body, to supervise him closely as he carried out my orders. But my plan failed. I did not manage to steal the Sorcerer's Stone. I was not to be assured immortal life. I was thwarted... thwarted, once again, by Harry Potter..."**

"Go Harry!" the twins and Marauders cheered.

The dark-haired teen chuckled, "Serves him right. He shouldn't have messed with me, I wouldn't have had to crush and shatter that incredibly large ego of his so often if he'd just leave everyone the hell alone and stopped trying to kill me."

James snorted, "That's alarmingly similar to what I told him once."

Lily nodded, "The third time we escaped him."

Harry smirked, "Well it's true."

**Silence once more; nothing was stirring, not even the leaves on the yew tree. The Death Eaters were quite motionless, the glittering eyes in their masks fixed upon Voldemort, and upon Harry.**

**"The servant died when I left his body, and I was left as weak as ever I had been," Voldemort continued. "I returned to my hiding place far away, and I will not pretend to you that I didn't then fear that I might never regain my powers... Yes, that was perhaps my darkest hour... I could not hope that I would be sent another wizard to possess... and I had given up hope, now, that any of my Death Eaters cared what had become of me..."**

**One or two of the masked wizards in the circle moved uncomfortably, but Voldemort took no notice.**

**"And then, not even a year ago, when I had almost abandoned hope, it happened at last... a servant returned to me. Wormtail here, who had faked his own death to escape justice, was driven out of hiding by those he had once counted friends, and decided to return to his master. He sought me in the country where it had long been rumored I was hiding... helped, of course, by the rats he met along the way. Wormtail has a curious affinity with rats, do you not, Wormtail? His filthy little friends told him there was a place, deep in an Albanian forest, that they avoided, where small animals like themselves had met their deaths by a dark shadow that possessed them... But his journey back to me was not smooth, was it, Wormtail? For, hungry one night, on the edge of the very forest where he had hoped to find me, he foolishly stopped at an inn for some food... and who should he meet there, but one Bertha Jorkins, a witch from the Ministry of Magic. Now see the way that fate favors Lord Voldemort. This might have been the end of Wormtail, and of my last hope for regeneration. But Wormtail - displaying a presence of mind I would never have expected from him - convinced Bertha Jorkins to accompany him on a nighttime stroll. He overpowered her... he brought her to me. And Bertha Jorkins, who might have ruined all, proved instead to be a gift beyond my wildest dreams... for -with a little persuasion - she became a veritable mine of information. She told me that the Triwizard Tournament would be played at Hogwarts this year. She told me that she knew of a faithful Death Eater who would be only too willing to help me, if I could only contact him. She told me many things... but the means I used to break the Memory Charm upon her were powerful, and when I had extracted all useful information from her, her mind and body were both damaged beyond repair. She had now served her purpose. I could not possess her. I disposed of her."**

"Poor Bertha." Albus sighed.

**Voldemort smiled his terrible smile, his red eyes blank and pitiless.**

**"Wormtail's body, of course, was ill adapted for possession, as all assumed him dead, and would attract far too much attention if noticed. However, he was the able-bodied servant I needed, and, poor wizard though he is, Wormtail was able to follow the instructions I gave him, which would return me to a rudimentary, weak body of my own, a body I would be able to inhabit while awaiting the essential ingredients for true rebirth... a spell or two of my own invention... a little help from my dear Nagini," Voldemorts red eyes fell upon the continually circling snake, "a potion concocted from unicorn blood, and the snake venom Nagini provided... I was soon returned to an almost human form, and strong enough to travel. There was no hope of stealing the Sorcerer's Stone anymore, for I knew that Dumbledore would have seen to it that it was destroyed. But I was willing to embrace mortal life again, before chasing immortality. I set my sights lower... I would settle for my old body back again, and my old strength. I knew that to achieve this - it is an old piece of Dark Magic, the potion that revived me tonight - I would need three powerful ingredients. Well, one of them was already at hand, was it not, Wormtail? Flesh given by a servant... My father's bone, naturally, meant that we would have to come here, where he was buried. But the blood of a foe... Wormtail would have had me use any wizard, would you not, Wormtail? Any wizard who had hated me... as so many of them still do. But I knew the one I must use, if I was to rise again, more powerful than I had been when I had fallen. I wanted Harry Potter's blood. I wanted the blood of the one who had stripped me of power thirteen years ago... for the lingering protection his mother once gave him would then reside in my veins too..."**

"Wouldn't that mean he could get through the wards at Privet Drive?" Petunia frowned.

"No, the blood was taken by force and it caused harm to Harry when it was done so that actually strengthened the wards a little." Albus smiled, "Any time Voldemort harmed Harry outside the wards from that moment the wards got stronger."

**"But how to get at Harry Potter? For he has been better protected than I think even he knows, protected in ways devised by Dumbledore long ago, when it fell to him to arrange the boy's future. Dumbledore invoked an ancient magic, to ensure the boy's protection as long as he is in his relations' care. Not even I can touch him there... Then, of course, there was the Quidditch World Cup... I thought his protection might be weaker there, away from his relations and Dumbledore, but I was not yet strong enough to attempt kidnap in the midst of a horde of Ministry wizards. And then, the boy would return to Hogwarts, where he is under the crooked nose of that Muggle-loving fool from morning until night. So how could I take him? Why... by using Bertha Jorkins's information, of course. Use my one faithful Death Eater, stationed at Hogwarts, to ensure that the boy's name was entered into the Goblet of Fire. Use my Death Eater to ensure that the boy won the tournament - that he touched the Triwizard Cup first - the cup which my Death Eater had turned into a Portkey, which would bring him here, beyond the reach of Dumbledore's help and protection, and into my waiting arms. And here he is... the boy you all believed had been my downfall..."**

**Voldemort moved slowly forward and turned to face Harry. He raised his wand.**

**"Crucio!"**

**It was pain beyond anything Harry had ever experienced; his very bones were on fire; his head was surely splitting along his scar; his eyes were rolling madly in his head; he wanted it to end... to black out... to die...**

Ginny slapped Harry on the back of his head, "Don't think like that!"

"Sorry Gin." he sighed.

Sirius frowned, "You never said anything about being tortured." he accused.

"I didnt want to worry you." Harry shrugged.

"Sirius, it was fairly obvious from the after effects he was displaying." Albus sighed, "I thought you had guessed."

"Oh I guessed alright, I know the after effects quite well. I was just saying he never mentioned it and he should have." he stated with a raised eyebrow, looking at his Godson.

"Terribly sorry for not telling you something that happened 4 years ago." he rolled his eyes.

**And then it was gone. He was hanging limply in the ropes binding him to the headstone of Voldemort's father, looking up into those bright red eyes through a kind of mist. The night was ringing with the sound of the Death Eaters' laughter.**

**"You see, I think, how foolish it was to suppose that this boy could ever have been stronger than me," said Voldemort. "But I want there to be no mistake in anybody's mind. Harry Potter escaped me by a lucky chance. And I am now going to prove my power by killing him, here and now, in front of you all, when there is no Dumbledore to help him, and no mother to die for him. I will give him his chance. He will be allowed to fight, and you will be left in no doubt which of us is the stronger. Just a little longer, Nagini," he whispered, and the snake glided away through the grass to where the Death Eaters stood watching.**

**"Now untie him, Wormtail, and give him back his wand."**

"He voluntarily handed you a weapon?" Draco asked shocked.

"Yes and because of that I'm still alive. Though he prefered having me wandless after that point." Harry chuckled, "Or at least unable to fight. That was the end of that one." he added.

* * *

><p>Review please x<p> 


	47. Chapter 47

Chapter 47 - Fourth Year (Part 16.5)

19, August, 1998.

"Time for a duel." Harry told them.

**Wormtail approached Harry, who scrambled to find his feet, to support his own weight before the ropes were untied. Wormtail raised his new silver hand, pulled out the wad of material gagging Harry, and then, with one swipe, cut through the bonds tying Harry to the gravestone.**

**There was a split second, perhaps, when Harry might have considered running for it, but his injured leg shook under him as he stood on the overgrown grave, as the Death Eaters closed ranks, forming a tighter circle around him and Voldemort, so that the gaps where the missing Death Eaters should have stood were filled. Wormtail walked out of the circle to the place where Cedric's body lay and returned with Harry's wand, which he thrust roughly into Harry's hand without looking at him. Then Wormtail resumed his place in the circle of watching Death Eaters.**

**"You have been taught how to duel. Harry Potter?" said Voldemort softly, his red eyes glinting through the darkness.**

**At these words Harry remembered, as though from a former life, the dueling club at Hogwarts he had attended briefly two years ago... All he had learned there was the Disarming Spell, "Expelliarmus"... and what use would it be to deprive Voldemort of his wand, even if he could, when he was surrounded by Death Eaters, outnumbered by at least thirty to one?**

"Oh, he prefered it if I was out numbered too." Harry said amusedly. "It still didnt help him much."

**He had never learned anything that could possibly fit him for this. He knew he was facing the thing against which Moody had always warned... the unblockable Avada Kedavra curse - and Voldemort was right - his mother was not here to die for him this time... He was quite unprotected...**

**"We bow to each other. Harry," said Voldemort, bending a little, but keeping his snakelike face upturned to Harry. "Come, the niceties must be observed... Dumbledore would like you to show manners... Bow to death, Harry..."**

"I'd bow to the real Death but not him." Harry mused. "So his answer is no." he smirked.

"Good choice." Ginny told him, "But somehow, I doubt he's going to like that."

"You'd be entirely correct." he muttered.

**The Death Eaters were laughing again. Voldemorts lipless mouth was smiling. Harry did not bow. He was not going to let Voldemort play with him before killing him... he was not going to give him that satisfaction...**

**"I said, bow," Voldemort said, raising his wand - and Harry felt his spine curve as though a huge, invisible hand were bending him ruthlessly forward, and the Death Eaters laughed harder than ever.**

**"Very good," said Voldemort softly, and as he raised his wand the pressure bearing down upon Harry lifted too. "And now you face me, like a man... straight-backed and proud, the way your father died..."**

"He had to say that." James winced.

**"And now - we duel."**

**Voldemort raised his wand, and before Harry could do anything to defend himself, before he could even move, he had been hit again by the Cruciatus Curse. The pain was so intense, so all-consuming, that he no longer knew where he was... White-hot knives were piercing every inch of his skin, his head was surely going to burst with pain, he was screaming more loudly than he'd ever screamed in his life - And then it stopped. Harry rolled over and scrambled to his feet; he was shaking as uncontrollably as Wormtail had done when his hand had been cut off; he staggered sideways into the wall of watching Death Eaters, and they pushed him away, back toward Voldemort.**

**"A little break," said Voldemort, the slit-like nostrils dilating with excitement, "a little pause... That hurt, didn't it. Harry? You don't want me to do that again, do you?"**

**Harry didn't answer. He was going to die like Cedric, those pitiless red eyes were telling him so... he was going to die, and there was nothing he could do about it... but he wasn't going to play along. He wasn't going to obey Voldemort... he wasn't going to beg...**

**"I asked you whether you want me to do that again," said Voldemort softly. "Answer me! Imperio!"**

**And Harry felt, for the third time in his life, the sensation that his mind had been wiped of all thought... Ah, it was bliss, not to think, it was as though he were floating, dreaming... just answer no... say no... just answer no...**

**I will not, said a stronger voice, in the back of his head, I won't answer...**

**Just answer no...**

**I won't do it, I won't say it...**

**Just answer no...**

**"I WON'T!"**

"You broke Voldemort's Imperius in under a minute?" George asked shocked.

"Cool!" Fred grinned.

Harry shrugged, "The Imperius doesn't work on me at all anymore, I noticed it when we were attacked by Death Eater's when we helped Draco move some Dark stuff from their Manner and Cissy was out."

"We'd been caught and restrained, they decided to put the Imperious on Harry. He didn't have to fight it at all but he played along when they were trying to get him to act stupid and ended up knocking some of them out instead of harming us." Ron chuckled.

"The one who had it on me told me to kill Hermione, so I managed to knock him out, free Hermione and between us freed Ron, Ginny and Draco too." Harry said smugly, "They should learn not to try that with me. It tends to end badly for them."

"Who was it?" Dora asked.

"I dont know who they were, those ones escaped. There were at least 20 of them, we caught 13 but 3 died before getting to the Ministry." he shrugged.

"They managed all that with hardly any injuries." Kingsley added.

"I had a broken wrist and we all had some scratches, except Harry, he never had a single mark on him." Ginny pouted.

"Call me lucky." he grinned, "For once anyway." he shrugged.

**And these words burst from Harry's mouth; they echoed through the graveyard, and the dream state was lifted as suddenly as though cold water had been thrown over him - back rushed the aches that the Cruciatus Curse had left all over his body - back rushed the realization of where he was, and what he was facing...**

**"You won't?" said Voldemort quietly, and the Death Eaters were not laughing now. "You won't say no? Harry, obedience is a virtue I need to teach you before you die... Perhaps another little dose of pain?"**

**Voldemort raised his wand, but this time Harry was ready; with the reflexes born of his Quidditch training, he flung himself sideways onto the ground; he rolled behind the marble headstone of Voldemort s father, and he heard it crack as the curse missed him.**

**"We are not playing hide-and-seek, Harry," said Voldemort's soft, cold voice, drawing nearer, as the Death Eaters laughed. "You cannot hide from me. Does this mean you are tired of our duel? Does this mean that you would prefer me to finish it now, Harry? Come out, Harry... come out and play, then... it will be quick... it might even be painless... I would not know... I have never died..."**

**Harry crouched behind the headstone and knew the end had come. There was no hope... no help to be had. And as he heard Voldemort draw nearer still, he knew one thing only, and it was beyond fear or reason: He was not going to die crouching here like a child playing hide-and-seek; he was not going to die kneeling at Voldemort s feet... he was going to die upright like his father, and he was going to die trying to defend himself, even if no defense was possible...**

**Before Voldemort could stick his snakelike face around the headstone. Harry stood up... he gripped his wand tightly in his hand, thrust it out in front of him, and threw himself around the headstone, facing Voldemort.**

**Voldemort was ready. As Harry shouted, "Expelliarmus!" Voldemort cried, "Avada Kedavra!"**

**A jet of green light issued from Voldemorts wand just as a jet of red light blasted from Harry's - they met in midair - and suddenly Harry's wand was vibrating as though an electric charge were surging through it; his hand seized up around it; he couldn't have released it if he'd wanted to - and a narrow beam of light connected the two wands, neither red nor green, but bright, deep gold. Harry, following the beam with his astonished gaze, saw that Voldemort's long white fingers too were gripping a wand that was shaking and vibrating.**

**And then - nothing could have prepared Harry for this - he felt his feet lift from the ground. He and Voldemort were both being raised into the air, their wands still connected by that thread of shimmering golden light. They glided away from the tombstone of Voldemort's father and then came to rest on a patch of ground that was clear and free of graves... The Death Eaters were shouting; they were asking Voldemort for instructions; they were closing in, reforming the circle around Harry and Voldemort, the snake slithering at their heels, some of them drawing their wands -The golden thread connecting Harry and Voldemort splintered; though the wands remained connected, a thousand more beams arced high over Harry and Voldemort, crisscrossing all around them, until they were enclosed in a golden, dome-shaped web, a cage of light, beyond which the Death Eaters circled like jackals, their cries strangely muffled now...**

"What's happening!?" most of the room demanded.

"Priori Incantatem." Albus sighed in wonder, having not seen it work like that before, "Remember the wands were brothers of sorts. Neither Harry nor Voldemort could cause each other fatal harm with their own wands. So when Voldemort aimed to kill Harry but Harry cast Expelliarmus at the same time it would start Priori Incantatem since Voldemort intended fatal harm, even if Harry didn't at the time."

**"Do nothing!" Voldemort shrieked to the Death Eaters, and Harry saw his red eyes wide with astonishment at what was happening, saw him fighting to break the thread of light still connecting his wand with Harry's; Harry held onto his wand more tightly, with both hands, and the golden thread remained unbroken. "Do nothing unless I command you!" Voldemort shouted to the Death Eaters.**

**And then an unearthly and beautiful sound filled the air... It was coming from every thread of the light-spun web vibrating around Harry and Voldemort. It was a sound Harry recognized, though he had heard it only once before in his life: phoenix song.**

**It was the sound of hope to Harry... the most beautiful and welcome thing he had ever heard in his life... He felt as though the song were inside him instead of just around him... It was the sound he connected with Dumbledore, and it was almost as though a friend were speaking in his ear...**

**Don't break the connection.**

**I know. Harry told the music, I know I mustn't... but no sooner had he thought it, than the thing became much harder to do. His wand began to vibrate more powerfully than ever... and now the beam between him and Voldemort changed too... it was as though large beads of light were sliding up and down the thread connecting the wands - Harry felt his wand give a shudder under his hand as the light beads began to slide slowly and steadily his way... The direction of the beams movement was now toward him, from Voldemort, and he felt his wand shudder angrily...**

**As the closest bead of light moved nearer to Harry's wand tip, the wood beneath his fingers grew so hot he feared it would burst into flame. The closer that bead moved, the harder Harry's wand vibrated; he was sure his wand would not survive contact with it; it felt as though it was about to shatter under his fingers -He concentrated every last particle of his mind upon forcing the bead back toward Voldemort, his ears full of phoenix song, his eyes furious, fixed... and slowly, very slowly, the beads quivered to a halt, and then, just as slowly, they began to move the other way... and it was Voldemort's wand that was vibrating extra-hard now...**

"Your fighting back." James said wide-eyed, "You're only 14 and your managing to fight back against one of the most powerful Dark Wizards in the world!"

Harry smirked and shifted Teddy's weight as the boy moved in his sleep, "I killed him too. And, though I obviously didn't know it at the time, I did it with a block on my magic." he mused.

"Which is unbelievable." Lily muttered, looking a mixture of shocked, surprised, proud and worried.

**Voldemort who looked astonished, and almost fearful...**

**One of the beads of light was quivering, inches from the tip of Voldemorts wand. Harry didn't understand why he was doing it, didn't know what it might achieve... but he now concentrated as he had never done in his life on forcing that bead of light right back into Voldemort s wand... and slowly... very slowly... it moved along the golden thread... it trembled for a moment... and then it connected...**

**At once, Voldemorts wand began to emit echoing screams of pain... then - Voldemort's red eyes widened with shock - a dense, smoky hand flew out of the tip of it and vanished... the ghost of the hand he had made Wormtail... more shouts of pain... and then something much larger began to blossom from Voldemorts wand tip, a great, grayish something, that looked as though it were made of the solidest, densest smoke... It was a head... now a chest and arms... the torso of Cedric Diggory.**

Everyone was silent and watching the memory in shock.

**If ever Harry might have released his wand from shock, it would have been then, but instinct kept him clutching his wand tightly, so that the thread of golden light remained unbroken, even though the thick gray ghost of Cedric Diggory (was it a ghost? it looked so solid) emerged in its entirety from the end of Voldemort s wand, as though it were squeezing itself out of a very narrow tunnel... and this shade of Cedric stood up, and looked up and down the golden thread of light, and spoke.**

**"Hold on. Harry," it said.**

**Its voice was distant and echoing. Harry looked at Voldemort... his wide red eyes were still shocked... he had no more expected this than Harry had... and, very dimly.**

**Harry heard the frightened yells of the Death Eaters, prowling around the edges of the golden dome...**

**More screams of pain from the wand... and then something else emerged from its tip... the dense shadow of a second head, quickly followed by arms and torso... an old man Harry had seen only in a dream was now pushing himself out of the end of the wand just as Cedric had done... and his ghost, or his shadow, or whatever it was, fell next to Cedric's, and surveyed Harry and Voldemort, and the golden web, and the connected wands, with mild surprise, leaning on his walking stick...**

**"He was a real wizard, then?" the old man said, his eyes on Voldemort. "Killed me, that one did... You fight him, boy..."**

"Frank Bryce." Albus muttered, "He was the Riddle's groundskeeper, he disappeared before the world cup."

"I dreamt about it." Harry reminded them, "He was the Muggle in the dream I had during the summer."

**But already, yet another head was emerging... and this head, gray as a smoky statue, was a woman's... Harry, both arms shaking now as he fought to keep his wand still, saw her drop to the ground and straighten up like the others, staring...**

**The shadow of Bertha Jorkins surveyed the battle before her with wide eyes.**

**"Don't let go, now!" she cried, and her voice echoed like Cedrics as though from very far away. "Don't let him get you, Harry - don't let go!"**

**She and the other two shadowy figures began to pace around the inner walls of the golden web, while the Death Eaters flitted around the outside of it... and Voldemort's dead victims whispered as they circled the duelers, whispered words of encouragement to Harry, and hissed words Harry couldn't hear to Voldemort.**

**And now another head was emerging from the tip of Voldemorts wand... and Harry knew when he saw it who it would be... he knew, as though he had expected it from the moment when Cedric had appeared from the wand... knew, because the man appearing was the one he'd thought of more than any other tonight...**

**The smoky shadow of a tall man with untidy hair fell to the ground as Bertha had done, straightened up, and looked at him... and Harry, his arms shaking madly now, looked back into the ghostly face of his father.**

James looked shocked as Harry smiled slightly, "Surprised you made an appearance Dad?"

"Just a little." he admitted.

**"Your mother's coming..." he said quietly. "She wants to see you... it will be all right... hold on..."**

**And she came... first her head, then her body... a young woman with long hair, the smoky, shadowy form of Lily Potter blossomed from the end of Voldemort's wand, fell to the ground, and straightened like her husband. She walked close to Harry, looking down at him, and she spoke in the same distant, echoing voice as the others, but quietly, so that Voldemort, his face now livid with fear as his victims prowled around him, could not hear...**

**"When the connection is broken, we will linger for only moments... but we will give you time... you must get to the Portkey, it will return you to Hogwarts... do you understand, Harry?"**

**"Yes," Harry gasped, fighting now to keep a hold on his wand, which was slipping and sliding beneath his fingers.**

**"Harry..." whispered the figure of Cedric, "take my body back, will you? Take my body back to my parents..."**

**"I will," said Harry, his face screwed up with the effort of holding the wand.**

**"Do it now," whispered his father's voice, "be ready to run... do it now..."**

**"NOW!" Harry yelled; he didn't think he could have held on for another moment anyway - he pulled his wand upward with an almighty wrench, and the golden thread broke; the cage of light vanished, the phoenix song died - but the shadowy figures of Voldemort's victims did not disappear - they were closing in upon Voldemort, shielding Harry from his gaze -And Harry ran as he had never run in his life, knocking two stunned Death Eaters aside as he passed; he zigzagged behind headstones, feeling their curses following him, hearing them hit the headstones - he was dodging curses and graves, pelting toward Cedric's body, no longer aware of the pain in his leg, his whole being concentrated on what he had to do -**

**"Stun him!" he heard Voldemort scream.**

**Ten feet from Cedric, Harry dived behind a marble angel to avoid the jets of red light and saw the tip of its wing shatter as the spells hit it. Gripping his wand more tightly, he dashed out from behind the angel -**

**"Impedimenta!" he bellowed, pointing his wand wildly over his shoulder at the Death Eaters running at him.**

**From a muffled yell, he thought he had stopped at least one of them, but there was no time to stop and look; he jumped over the cup and dived as he heard more wand blasts behind him; more jets of light flew over his head as he fell, stretching out his hand to grab Cedric's arm...**

"You got Mulciber." Cissy told him, "He fell onto a gravestone and shattered his shin bone once he un-froze."

"Good." Harry stated, "No one tries to kill me like that and gets away without injury... Well most of the time they don't."

**"Stand aside! I will kill him! He is mine!" shrieked Voldemort. Harry's hand had closed on Cedric's wrist; one tombstone stood between him and Voldemort, but Cedric was too heavy to carry, and the cup was out of reach -Voldemort's red eyes flamed in the darkness. Harry saw his mouth curl into a smile, saw him raise his wand.**

**"Accio!" Harry yelled, pointing his wand at the Triwizard Cup. It flew into the air and soared toward him. Harry caught it by the handle -He heard Voldemort s scream of fury at the same moment that he felt the jerk behind his navel that meant the Portkey had worked - it was speeding him away in a whirl of wind and color, and Cedric along with him... They were going back.**

"Wow." the twins breathed.

"You saved me again." Harry smiled at his parents.

"Not even death can stop us protecting you Harry." Lily smiled back, "Well apparently it can't. Or rather he can't." she mused.

"And now you're safe again aren't you?" James asked, slightly wary, looking at the pensieve.

"Pretty much yes... Still need to get rid of the Death Eater at Hogwarts but I'm safe enough for you not to worry anymore." Harry grinned. "Shall we move on?"

* * *

><p>Review please x<p> 


	48. Chapter 48

Chapter 48 - Fourth Year (Part 17)

19, August, 1998. 12.30pm.

"Right, this is my arrival at Hogwarts."

**Harry felt himself slam flat into the ground; his face was pressed into grass; the smell of it filled his nostrils. He had closed his eyes while the Portkey transported him, and he kept them closed now. He did not move. All the breath seemed to have been knocked out of him; his head was swimming so badly he felt as though the ground beneath him were swaying like the deck of a ship. To hold himself steady, he tightened his hold on the two things he was still clutching: the smooth, cold handle of the Triwizard Cup and Cedric's body. He felt as though he would slide away into the blackness gathering at the edges of his brain if he let go of either of them. Shock and exhaustion kept him on the ground, breathing in the smell of the grass, waiting... waiting for someone to do something... something to happen... and all the while, his scar burned dully on his forehead...**

**A torrent of sound deafened and confused him; there were voices everywhere, footsteps, screams... He remained where he was, his face screwed up against the noise, as though it were a nightmare that would pass...**

"You terrified everyone, you do know that?" Ginny asked Harry.

"Oops." he chuckled.

"It's not funny. We thought you were dead." Ron scowled.

"We had to be held back." Hermione added.

"Sorry." he sighed, "Just couldnt get my body to respond after hitting the ground."

"You were in shock." Albus sighed. "Even I thought you had been killed until I saw you breathing." he admitted.

**Then a pair of hands seized him roughly and turned him over.**

**"Harry! Harry!"**

**He opened his eyes.**

**He was looking up at the starry sky, and Albus Dumbledore was crouched over him. The dark shadows of a crowd of people pressed in around them, pushing nearer; Harry felt the ground beneath his head reverberating with their footsteps.**

**He had come back to the edge of the maze. He could see the stands rising above him, the shapes of people moving in them, the stars above.**

**Harry let go of the cup, but he clutched Cedric to him even more tightly. He raised his free hand and seized Dumbledore's wrist, while Dumbledore's face swam in and out of focus.**

**"He's back," Harry whispered. "He's back. Voldemort."**

**"What's going on? What's happened?"**

**The face of Cornelius Fudge appeared upside down over Harry; it looked white, appalled.**

**"My God - Diggory!" it whispered. "Dumbledore - he's dead!"**

**The words were repeated, the shadowy figures pressing in on them gasped it to those around them... and then others shouted it - screeched it - into the night - "He's dead!" "He's dead!" "Cedric Diggory! Dead!"**

"That didnt help." Fleur muttered, "The first thing we all heard was 'He's dead'." she shivered.

"It really didnt help." Molly agreed.

**"Harry, let go of him," he heard Fudge's voice say, and he felt fingers trying to pry him from Cedric's limp body, but Harry wouldn't let him go. Then Dumbledore's face, which was still blurred and misted, came closer.**

**"Harry, you can't help him now. It's over. Let go."**

**"He wanted me to bring him back," Harry muttered - it seemed important to explain this. "He wanted me to bring him back to his parents..."**

**"That's right. Harry... just let go now..."**

**Dumbledore bent down, and with extraordinary strength for a man so old and thin, raised Harry from the ground and set - him on his feet. Harry swayed. His head was pounding.**

**His injured leg would no longer support his weight. The crowd around them jostled, fighting to get closer, pressing darkly in on him - "What's happened?" "What's wrong with him?" "Diggorys dead!"**

**"He'll need to go to the hospital wing!" Fudge was saying loudly. "He's ill, he's injured - Dumbledore, Diggory's parents, they're here, they're in the stands..."**

**"I'll take Harry, Dumbledore, I'll take him -"**

**"No, I would prefer -"**

**"Dumbledore, Amos Diggorys running... he's coming over... Don't you think you should tell him - before he sees - ?"**

**"Harry, stay here -"**

"Did you really think I could have gone anywhere on my own?" Harry asked.

"Not really, I just thought I'd tell you to stay there." Albus smiled.

"And usually when people didnt tell you to stay where you were, you moved." Minerva added amusedly, "Then again, sometimes you were told to stay and you moved anyway."

"They have a point." Ginny grinned as Harry pouted.

"I didnt always do it on purpose!" he protested.

"I knew that but I figured it would be better telling you to stay. I didnt want you out of my sight right then." Albus smiled sadly.

**Girls were screaming, sobbing hysterically... The scene flickered oddly before Harry's eyes...**

**"Its all right, son, I've got you... come on... hospital wing..."**

**"Dumbledore said stay," said Harry thickly, the pounding in his scar making him feel as though he was about to throw up; his vision was blurring worse than ever.**

"So you did try and fight him." Hermione commented, "I told you he was fighting Ron."

"I didn't say he wasn't." Ron huffed, "We were trying to get over to you Harry, but someone held us back."

"Who?" Harry asked.

"It was Aurors." Dora sighed, "I was in the mix but near the edge of the stands opposite them."

"So was I." Kingsley nodded, "We were questioning people on what they knew."

"I don't remember seeing you." Percy frowned.

"You wouldn't, I was disguised and Kingsley was Polyjuiced as an observer from the ministry." Dora explained.

"It wasn't common knowledge there were Aurors stationed around Hogwart's for the Tournament and the Polyjuice was a high dose so it stayed until I left for reinforcements." Kingsley smiled.

"The reason it was kept hushed up was so people didn't panic, if they'd seen us there they'd think something had happened to cause us to be there." Dora added, "Usually the Aurors are only called in when somethings happened or if someone's suspected of something."

"So we kept it quiet." Minerva nodded.

**"You need to lie down... Come on now..."**

**Someone larger and stronger than he was was half pulling, half carrying him through the frightened crowd. Harry heard people gasping, screaming, and shouting as the man supporting him pushed a path through them, taking him back to the castle. Across the lawn, past the lake and the Durmstrang ship, Harry heard nothing but the heavy breathing of the man helping him walk.**

**"What happened Harry?" the man asked at last as he lifted Harry up the stone steps.**

**Clunk. Clunk. Clunk. It was Mad-Eye Moody.**

**"Cup was a Portkey," said Harry as they crossed the entrance hall. "Took me and Cedric to a graveyard... and Voldemort was there... Lord Voldemort..."**

**Clunk. Clunk. Clunk. Up the marble stairs...**

**"The Dark Lord was there? What happened then?"**

"That's not Mad-Eye Moody!" Alice exclaimed, "He'd never call Voldemort the 'Dark Lord'!"

"He's the spy, isn't he?" Regulus asked Harry, who didn't answer. Everyone groaned - taking the silence as confirmation.

**"Killed Cedric... they killed Cedric..."**

**"And then?"**

**Clunk. Clunk. Clunk. Along the corridor...**

**"Made a potion... got his body back..."**

**"The Dark Lord got his body back? He's returned?"**

**"And the Death Eaters came... and then we dueled..."**

**"You dueled with the Dark Lord?"**

**"Got away... my wand... did something funny... I saw my mum and dad... they came out of his wand..."**

**"In here. Harry... in here, and sit down... You'll be all right now... drink this..."**

**Harry heard a key scrape in a lock and felt a cup being pushed into his hands.**

"Dont drink it!" Sirius growled.

Harry just looked amused, "That was fine actually, it cleared my head a little. I think it was Pepper-Up but I'm not 100% sure, it tasted peppery." he shrugged.

"If he was a Death Eater, why did he help you?" Draco frowned.

"'Cause I couldn't follow the conversation and he wanted to do the traditional 'bad guy tells me what he's done before getting his butt kicked' bit?" he guessed, "I don't know... Though that seemed to be a common thing for people trying to kill me. We fight, they corner me, they talk, I - or someone who's helping me - comes up with a plan whilst the bad guy chats away to deaf ears, I or we then apply said plan and the bad guy gets his butt kicked and ego shattered by someone who's not even out of his teens yet, or three people who aren't out of their teens."

"Occasionally others as well." Hermione added in amusement, he nodded in acknowledgement.

"It's all in the 'How To Be A Dark Idiot That Gets Beaten By A Teenager Instruction Book' and 'Dark Lord? All you need to know about Cliché moments that let the good guys win'." he smirked.

They all chuckled slightly, still looking a little worried about memory-Harry being alone with this yet unknown to them Death Eater. Only Minerva, Snape and Albus seemed relaxed.

**"Drink it... you'll feel better... come on, now. Harry, I need to know exactly what happened..."**

**Moody helped tip the stuff down Harry's throat; he coughed, a peppery taste burning his throat. Moody's office came into sharper focus, and so did Moody himself... He looked as white as Fudge had looked, and both eyes were fixed unblinkingly upon Harry's face.**

**"Voldemort's back, Harry? You're sure he's back? How did he do it?"**

**"He took stuff from his father's grave, and from Wormtail, and me," said Harry. His head felt clearer; his scar wasn't hurting so badly; he could now see Moodys face distinctly, even though the office was dark. He could still hear screaming and shouting from the distant Quidditch field.**

**"What did the Dark Lord take from you?" said Moody.**

**"Blood," said Harry, raising his arm. His sleeve was ripped where Wormtail's dagger had torn it.**

**Moody let out his breath in a long, low hiss.**

**"And the Death Eaters? They returned?"**

**"Yes," said Harry. "Loads of them..."**

**"How did he treat them?" Moody asked quietly. "Did he forgive them?"**

**But Harry had suddenly remembered. He should have told Dumbledore, he should have said it straightaway -**

**"There's a Death Eater at Hogwarts! There's a Death Eater here - they put my name in the Goblet of Fire, they made sure I got through to the end -"**

**Harry tried to get up, but Moody pushed him back down.**

**"I know who the Death Eater is," he said quietly.**

**"Karkaroff?" said Harry wildly. "Where is he? Have you got him? Is he locked up?"**

**"Karkaroff?" said Moody with an odd laugh. "Karkaroff fled tonight, when he felt the Dark Mark burn upon his arm. He betrayed too many faithful supporters of the Dark Lord to wish to meet them... but I doubt he will get far. The Dark Lord has ways of tracking his enemies."**

"As in the Dark Mark. No one with it could hide because they could be used as locators." Draco sighed.

"I told you not to take it." Snape told him.

"I wasn't really going to listen to you was I? Not with everything going on."

"Draco I told you not to as well so dont try that excuse." Cissy frowned.

"I didn't have a choice." he scowled, "He would've killed both of you as well as me... And Lucius, not that I care about him now." he stated.

**"Karkaroff's gone? He ran away? But then - he didn't put my name in the goblet?"**

**"No," said Moody slowly. "No, he didn't. It was I who did that."**

"It was him?" Astoria asked. Harry nodded.

**Harry heard, but didn't believe.**

**"No, you didn't," he said. "You didn't do that... you can't have done..."**

**"I assure you I did," said Moody, and his magical eye swung around and fixed upon the door, and Harry knew he was making sure that there was no one outside it. At the same time, Moody drew out his wand and pointed it at Harry.**

**"He forgave them, then?" he said. "The Death Eaters who went free? The ones who escaped Azkaban?"**

**"What?" said Harry.**

**He was looking at the wand Moody was pointing at him. This was a bad joke, it had to be.**

**"I asked you," said Moody quietly, "whether he forgave the scum who never even went to look for him. Those treacherous cowards who wouldn't even brave Azkaban for him. The faithless, worthless bits of filth who were brave enough to cavort in masks at the Quidditch World Cup, but fled at the sight of the Dark Mark when I fired it into the sky."**

**"You fired... What are you talking about...?"**

**"I told you. Harry... I told you. If there's one thing I hate more than any other, it's a Death Eater who walked free. They turned their backs on my master when he needed them most. I expected him to punish them. I expected him to torture them. Tell me he hurt them, Harry..." Moody's face was suddenly lit with an insane smile. "Tell me he told them that I, I alone remained faithful... prepared to risk everything to deliver to him the one thing he wanted above all... you"**

**"You didn't... it - it can't be you..."**

**"Who put your name in the Goblet of Fire, under the name of a different school? I did. Who frightened off every person I thought might try to hurt you or prevent you from winning the tournament? I did. Who nudged Hagrid into showing you the dragons? I did. Who helped you see the only way you could beat the dragon? I did." Moody's magical eye had now left the door. It was fixed upon Harry. His lopsided mouth leered more widely than ever.**

**"It hasn't been easy, Harry, guiding you through these tasks without arousing suspicion. I have had to use every ounce of cunning I possess, so that my hand would not be detectable in your success. Dumbledore would have been very suspicious if you had managed everything too easily. As long as you got into that maze, preferably with a decent head start - then, I knew, I would have a chance of getting rid of the other champions and leaving your way clear. But I also had to contend with your stupidity. The second task... that was when I was most afraid we would fail. I was keeping watch on you, Potter. I knew you hadn't worked out the egg's clue, so I had to give you another hint -"**

**"You didn't," Harry said hoarsely. "Cedric gave me the clue -"**

**"Who told Cedric to open it underwater? I did. I trusted that he would pass the information on to you. Decent people are so easy to manipulate, Potter. I was sure Cedric would want to repay you for telling him about the dragons, and so he did. But even then, Potter, even then you seemed likely to fail. I was watching all the time... all those hours in the library. Didn't you realize that the book you needed was in your dormitory all along? I planted it there early on, I gave it to the Longbottom boy, don't you remember? Magical Water Plants of the Mediterranean. It would have told you all you needed to know about gillyweed. I expected you to ask everyone and anyone you could for help. Longbottom would have told you in an instant."**

"He got that right." Neville sighed, "I would have told you." Harry smiled at him.

**"But you did not... you did not... You have a streak of pride and independence that might have ruined all. So what could I do? Feed you information from another innocent source. You told me at the Yule Ball a house-elf called Dobby had given you a Christmas present. I called the elf to the staffroom to collect some robes for cleaning. I staged a loud conversation with Professor McGonagall about the hostages who had been taken, and whether Potter would think to use gillyweed. And your little elf friend ran straight to Snape's office and then hurried to find you..." Moodys wand was still pointing directly at Harry's heart. Over his shoulder, foggy shapes were moving in the Foe-Glass on the wall. "You were so long in that lake, Potter, I thought you had drowned. But luckily, Dumbledore took your idiocy for nobility, and marked you high for it. I breathed again. You had an easier time of it than you should have in that maze tonight, of course," said Moody. "I was patrolling around it, able to see through the outer hedges, able to curse many obstacles out of your way. I Stunned Fleur Delacour as she passed. I put the Imperius Curse on Krum, so that he would finish Diggory and leave your path to the cup clear."**

"So it was him who attacked me." Fleur huffed.

"And him who cursed Krum." Harry nodded.

**Harry stared at Moody. He just didn't see how this could be... Dumbledore's friend, the famous Auror... the one who had caught so many Death Eaters... It made no sense... no sense at all...**

**The foggy shapes in the Foe-Glass were sharpening, had become more distinct. Harry could see the outlines of three people over Moody's shoulder, moving closer and closer. But Moody wasn't watching them. His magical eye was upon Harry.**

**"The Dark Lord didn't manage to kill you. Potter, and he so wanted to," whispered Moody.**

**"Imagine how he will reward me when he finds I have done it for him. I gave you to him -the thing he needed above all to regenerate - and then I killed you for him. I will be honored beyond all other Death Eaters. I will be his dearest, his closest supporter... closer than a son..."**

**Moody's normal eye was bulging, the magical eye fixed upon Harry. The door was barred, and Harry knew he would never reach his own wand in time...**

**"The Dark Lord and I," said Moody, and he looked completely insane now, towering over Harry, leering down at him, "have much in common. Both of us, for instance, had very disappointing fathers... very disappointing indeed. Both of us suffered the indignity, Harry, of being named after those fathers. And both of us had the pleasure... the very great pleasure... of killing our fathers to ensure the continued rise of the Dark Order!"**

"So he killed his father?" Charlie asked.

"Yes he did. You'll find out who he was in a minute." Harry nodded.

**"You're mad," Harry said - he couldn't stop himself - "you're mad!"**

**"Mad, am I?" said Moody, his voice rising uncontrollably. "We'll see! We'll see who's mad, now that the Dark Lord has returned, with me at his side! He is back, Harry Potter, you did not conquer him - and now - I conquer you!"**

**Moody raised his wand, he opened his mouth; Harry plunged his own hand into his robes -**

**"Stupefy!" There was a blinding flash of red light, and with a great splintering and crashing, the door of Moody's office was blasted apart - Moody was thrown backward onto the office floor. Harry, still staring at the place where Moody's face had been, saw Albus Dumbledore, Professor Snape, and Professor McGonagall looking back at him out of the Foe-Glass. He looked around and saw the three of them standing in the doorway, Dumbledore in front, his wand outstretched.**

**At that moment, Harry fully understood for the first time why people said Dumbledore was the only wizard Voldemort had ever feared. The look upon Dumbledore's face as he stared down at the unconscious form of Mad-Eye Moody was more terrible than Harry could have ever imagined. There was no benign smile upon Dumbledore's face, no twinkle in the eyes behind the spectacles. There was cold fury in every line of the ancient face; a sense of power radiated from Dumbledore as though he were giving off burning heat.**

**He stepped into the office, placed a foot underneath Moodys unconscious body, and kicked him over onto his back, so that his face was visible. Snape followed him, looking into the Foe-Glass, where his own face was still visible, glaring into the room. Professor McGonagall went straight to Harry.**

"Of course I did. I was worried." Minerva admitted, "I may be strict but I do care about my students." she smiled.

**"Come along, Potter," she whispered. The thin line of her mouth was twitching as though she was about to cry. "Come along... hospital wing..."**

**"No," said Dumbledore sharply.**

**"Dumbledore, he ought to - look at him - he's been through enough tonight -"**

**"He will stay, Minerva, because he needs to understand," said Dumbledore curtly. "Understanding is the first step to acceptance, and only with acceptance can there be recovery. He needs to know who has put him through the ordeal he has suffered tonight, and why,"**

**"Moody," Harry said. He was still in a state of complete disbelief. "How can it have been Moody?"**

**"This is not Alastor Moody," said Dumbledore quietly. "You have never known Alastor Moody. The real Moody would not have removed you from my sight after what happened tonight. The moment he took you, I knew - and I followed."**

"Well that and your friends shouting after you." Albus smiled at Ginny, Ron and Hermione, they all grinned. "If they hadn't shouted I wouldn't have noticed in time." he winced at the thought.

**Dumbledore bent down over Moody's limp form and put a hand inside his robes. He pulled out Moody's hip flask and a set of keys on a ring. Then he turned to Professors McGonagall and Snape.**

**"Severus, please fetch me the strongest Truth Potion you possess, and then go down to the kitchens and bring up the house-elf called Winky. Minerva, kindly go down to Hagrid's house, where you will find a large black dog sitting in the pumpkin patch. Take the dog up to my office, tell him I will be with him shortly, then come back here."**

**If either Snape or McGonagall found these instructions peculiar, they hid their confusion.**

"It was rather odd." Minerva chuckled.

"I didn't even think about it until the mutt turned into Black." Snape shrugged.

"Good." Sirius smirked. "No one suspect's a big black dog."

Snape rolled his eyes.

**Both turned at once and left the office. Dumbledore walked over to the trunk with seven locks, fitted the first key in the lock, and opened it. It contained a mass of spell-books. Dumbledore closed the trunk, placed a second key in the second lock, and opened the trunk again. The spellbooks had vanished; this time it contained an assortment of broken Sneako-scopes, some parchment and quills, and what looked like a silvery Invisibility Cloak. Harry watched, astounded, as Dumbledore placed the third, fourth, fifth, and sixth keys in their respective locks, reopening the trunk each time, and revealing different contents each time. Then he placed the seventh key in the lock, threw open the lid, and Harry let out a cry of amazement.**

**He was looking down into a kind of pit, an underground room, and lying on the floor some ten feet below, apparently fast asleep, thin and starved in appearance, was the real Mad-Eye Moody. His wooden leg was gone, the socket that should have held the magical eye looked empty beneath its lid, and chunks of his grizzled hair were missing. Harry stared, thunderstruck, between the sleeping Moody in the trunk and the unconscious Moody lying on the floor of the office.**

**Dumbledore climbed into the trunk, lowered himself, and fell lightly onto the floor beside the sleeping Moody. He bent over him.**

**"Stunned - controlled by the Imperius Curse - very weak," he said. "Of course, they would have needed to keep him alive. Harry, throw down the imposter's cloak - he's freezing. Madam Pomfrey will need to see him, but he seems in no immediate danger."**

"Poor Mad-Eye." Dora sighed. "The real one anyway."

**Harry did as he was told; Dumbledore covered Moody in the cloak, tucked it around him, and clambered out of the trunk again. Then he picked up the hip flask that stood upon the desk, unscrewed it, and turned it over. A thick glutinous liquid splattered onto the office floor.**

**"Polyjuice Potion, Harry," said Dumbledore. "You see the simplicity of it, and the brilliance. For Moody never does drink except from his hip flask, he's well known for it. The imposter needed, of course, to keep the real Moody close by, so that he could continue making the potion. You see his hair..." Dumbledore looked down on the Moody in the trunk. "The imposter has been cutting it off all year, see where it is uneven? But I think, in the excitement of tonight, our fake Moody might have forgotten to take it as frequendy as he should have done... on the hour... every hour... We shall see."**

**Dumbledore pulled out the chair at the desk and sat down upon it, his eyes fixed upon the unconscious Moody on the floor. Harry stared at him too. Minutes passed in silence...**

**Then, before Harry's very eyes, the face of the man on the floor began to change. The scars were disappearing, the skin was becoming smooth; the mangled nose became whole and started to shrink. The long mane of grizzled gray hair was withdrawing into the scalp and turning the color of straw. Suddenly, with a loud clunk, the wooden leg fell away as a normal leg regrew in its place; next moment, the magical eyeball had popped out of the man's face as a real eye replaced it; it rolled away across the floor and continued to swivel in every direction.**

**Harry saw a man lying before him, pale-skinned, slightly freckled, with a mop of fair hair. He knew who he was. He had seen him in Dumbledore's Pensieve, had watched him being led away from court by the dementors, trying to convince Mr. Crouch that he was innocent... but he was lined around the eyes now and looked much older...**

"Crouch Jr." Sirius growled.

**There were hurried footsteps outside in the corridor. Snape had returned with Winky at his heels. Professor McGonagall was right behind them.**

**"Crouch!" Snape said, stopping dead in the doorway. "Barty Crouch!"**

**"Good heavens," said Professor McGonagall, stopping dead and staring down at the man on the floor.**

**Filthy, disheveled, Winky peered around Snape's legs. Her mouth opened wide and she let out a piercing shriek.**

**"Master Barty, Master Barty, what is you doing here?"**

**She flung herself forward onto the young man's chest.**

**"You is killed him! You is killed him! You is killed Master's son!"**

**"He is simply Stunned, Winky," said Dumbledore. "Step aside, please. Severus, you have the potion?"**

**Snape handed Dumbledore a small glass bottle of completely clear liquid: the Veritaserum with which he had threatened Harry in class. Dumbledore got up, bent over the man on the floor, and pulled him into a sitting position against the wall beneath the Foe-Glass, in which the reflections of Dumbledore, Snape, and McGonagall were still glaring down upon them all. Winky remained on her knees, trembling, her hands over her face. Dumbledore forced the mans mouth open and poured three drops inside it. Then he pointed his wand at the mans chest and said, "Ennervate."**

**Crouch's son opened his eyes. His face was slack, his gaze unfocused. Dumbledore knelt before him, so that their faces were level.**

**"Can you hear me?" Dumbledore asked quietly.**

**The man's eyelids flickered.**

**"Yes," he muttered.**

**"I would like you to tell us," said Dumbledore softly, "how you came to be here. How did you escape from Azkaban?"**

**Crouch took a deep, shuddering breath, then began to speak in a flat, expressionless voice.**

**"My mother saved me. She knew she was dying. She persuaded my father to rescue me as a last favor to her. He loved her as he had never loved me. He agreed. They came to visit me. They gave me a draft of Polyjuice Potion containing one of my mother's hairs. She took a draft of Polyjuice Potion containing one of my hairs. We took on each other's appearance."**

**Winky was shaking her head, trembling. "Say no more. Master Barty, say no more, you is getting your father into trouble!"**

**But Crouch took another deep breath and continued in the same flat voice.**

**"The dementors are blind. They sensed one healthy, one dying person entering Azkaban. They sensed one healthy, one dying person leaving it. My father smuggled me out, disguised as my mother, in case any prisoners were watching through their doors. My mother died a short while afterward in Azkaban. She was careful to drink Polyjuice Potion until the end. She was buried under my name and bearing my appearance. Everyone believed her to be me."**

**The man's eyelids flickered.**

**"And what did your father do with you, when he had got you home?" said Dumbledore quietly.**

**"Staged my mother's death. A quiet, private funeral. That grave is empty. The house-elf nursed me back to health. Then I had to be concealed. I had to be controlled. My father had to use a number of spells to subdue me. When I had recovered my strength, I thought only of finding my master... of returning to his service."**

**"How did your father subdue you?" said Dumbledore.**

**"The Imperius Curse," Moody said. "I was under my fathers control. I was forced to wear an Invisibility Cloak day and night. I was always with the house-elf. She was my keeper and caretaker. She pitied me. She persuaded my father to give me occasional treats. Rewards for my good behavior."**

**"Master Barty, Master Barty," sobbed Winky through her hands. "You isn't ought to tell them, we is getting in trouble..."**

**"Did anybody ever discover that you were still alive?" said Dumbledore softly. "Did anyone know except your father and the house-elf?"**

**"Yes," said Crouch, his eyelids flickering again. "A witch in my father's office. Bertha Jorkins. She came to the house with papers for my fathers signature. He was not at home. Winky showed her inside and returned to the kitchen, to me. But Bertha Jorkins heard Winky talking to me. She came to investigate. She heard enough to guess who was hiding under the Invisibility Cloak. My father arrived home. She confronted him. He put a very powerful Memory Charm on her to make her forget what she'd found out. Too powerful. He said it damaged her memory permanently."**

"That's horrible!" Percy gasped.

"Glad you agree." Ron nodded.

**"Why is she coming to nose into my masters private business?" sobbed Winky. "Why isn't she leaving us be?"**

**"Tell me about the Quidditch World Cup," said Dumbledore.**

**"Winky talked my father into it," said Crouch, still in the same monotonous voice. "She spent months persuading him. I had not left the house for years. I had loved Quidditch. Let him go, she said. He will be in his Invisibility Cloak. He can watch. Let him smell fresh air for once. She said my mother would have wanted it. She told my father that my mother had died to give me freedom. She had not saved me for a life of imprisonment. He agreed in the end. It was carefully planned. My father led me and Winky up to the Top Box early in the day. Winky was to say that she was saving a seat for my father. I was to sit there, invisible. When everyone had left the box, we would emerge. Winky would appear to be alone. Nobody would ever know. But Winky didn't know that I was growing stronger. I was starting to fight my father's Imperius Curse. There were times when I was almost myself again. There were brief periods when I seemed outside his control. It happened, there, in the Top Box. It was like waking from a deep sleep. I found myself out in public, in the middle of the match, and I saw, in front of me, a wand sticking out of a boys pocket. I had not been allowed a wand since before Azkaban. I stole it. Winky didn't know. Winky is frightened of heights. She had her face hidden."**

"So he's the one who took your wand?" Fred asked Harry.

"It was him." he confirmed, "Not Winky at all."

**"Master Barty, you bad boy!" whispered Winky, tears trickling between her fingers.**

**"So you took the wand," said Dumbledore, "and what did you do with it?"**

**"We went back to the tent," said Crouch. "Then we heard them. We heard the Death Eaters. The ones who had never been to Azkaban. The ones who had never suffered for my master. They had turned their backs on him. They were not enslaved, as I was. They were free to seek him, but they did not. They were merely making sport of Muggles. The sound of their voices awoke me. My mind was clearer than it had been in years. I was angry. I had the wand. I wanted to attack them for their disloyalty to my master. My father had left the tent; he had gone to free the Muggles. Winky was afraid to see me so angry. She used her own brand of magic to bind me to her. She pulled me from the tent, pulled me into the forest, away from the Death Eaters. I tried to hold her back. I wanted to return to the campsite. I wanted to show those Death Eaters what loyalty to the Dark Lord meant, and to punish them for their lack of it. I used the stolen wand to cast the Dark Mark into the sky. Ministry wizards arrived. They shot Stunning Spells everywhere. One of the spells came through the trees where Winky and I stood. The bond connecting us was broken. We were both Stunned. When Winky was discovered, my father knew I must be nearby. He searched the bushes where she had been found and felt me lying there. He waited until the other Ministry members had left the forest. He put me back under the Imperius Curse and took me home. He dismissed Winky. She had failed him. She had let me acquire a wand. She had almost let me escape."**

**Winky let out a wail of despair.**

**"Now it was just Father and I, alone in the house. And then... and then..."**

**Crouch's head rolled on his neck, and an insane grin spread across his face. "My master came for me. He arrived at our house late one night in the arms of his servant Wormtail. My master had found out that I was still alive. He had captured Bertha Jorkins in Albania. He had tortured her. She told him a great deal. She told him about the Triwizard Tournament. She told him the old Auror, Moody, was going to teach at Hogwarts. He tortured her until he broke through the Memory Charm my father had placed upon her. She told him I had escaped from Azkaban. She told him my father kept me imprisoned to prevent me from seeking my master. And so my master knew that I was still his faithful servant - perhaps the most faithful of all. My master conceived a plan, based upon the information Bertha had given him. He needed me. He arrived at our house near midnight. My father answered the door."**

**The smile spread wider over Crouch's face, as though recalling the sweetest memory of his life. Winky's petrified brown eyes were visible through her fingers. She seemed too appalled to speak.**

**"It was very quick. My father was placed under the Imperius Curse by my master. Now my father was the one imprisoned, controlled. My master forced him to go about his business as usual, to act as though nothing was wrong. And I was released. I awoke. I was myself again, alive as I hadn't been in years.**

**"And what did Lord Voldemort ask you to do?" said Dumbledore.**

**"He asked me whether I was ready to risk everything for him. I was ready. It was my dream, my greatest ambition, to serve him, to prove myself to him. He told me he needed to place a faithful servant at Hogwarts. A servant who would guide Harry Potter through the Triwizard Tournament without appearing to do so. A servant who would watch over Harry Potter. Ensure he reached the Triwizard Cup. Turn the cup into a Portkey, which would take the first person to touch it to my master. But first -"**

**"You needed Alastor Moody," said Dumbledore. His blue eyes were blazing, though his voice remained calm.**

**"Wormtail and I did it. We had prepared the Polyjuice Potion beforehand. We journeyed to his house. Moody put up a struggle. There was a commotion. We managed to subdue him just in time. Forced him into a compartment of his own magical trunk. Took some of his hair and added it to the potion. I drank it; I became Moody's double. I took his leg and his eye. I was ready to face Arthur Weasley when he arrived to sort out the Muggles who had heard a disturbance."**

"It wasn't a false alarm." Arthur sighed.

"That was the problem though, with Mad-Eye you could never tell." Kingsley chuckled, "I think his record was 37 false alarms in a year."

"50." Dora told him, "It was the last year of my training, his garden kept attacking me." she mused, "He called up 50 false alarms for his own trainee showing up for said training. I got more exercise before starting the actual training sessions than I did during them." she shook her head, looking amused.

"Sounds like something he'd do." Alice muttered in slight amusement.

**"I made the dustbins move around the yard. I told Arthur Weasley I had heard intruders in my yard, who had set off the dustbins. Then I packed up Moody's clothes and Dark detectors, put them in the trunk with Moody, and set off for Hogwarts. I kept him alive, under the Imperius Curse. I wanted to be able to question him. To find out about his past, learn his habits, so that I could fool even Dumbledore. I also needed his hair to make the Polyjuice Potion. The other ingredients were easy. I stole boom-slang skin from the dungeons. When the Potions master found me in his office, I said I was under orders to search it."**

**"And what became of Wormtail after you attacked Moody?" said Dumbledore.**

**"Wormtail returned to care for my master, in my father's house, and to keep watch over my father."**

**"But your father escaped," said Dumbledore.**

**"Yes. After a while he began to fight the Imperius Curse just as I had done. There were periods when he knew what was happening. My master decided it was no longer safe for my father to leave the house. He forced him to send letters to the Ministry instead. He made him write and say he was ill. But Wormtail neglected his duty. He was not watchful enough. My father escaped. My master guessed that he was heading for Hogwarts. My father was going to tell Dumbledore everything, to confess. He was going to admit that he had smuggled me from Azkaban. My master sent me word of my father's escape. He told me to stop him at all costs. So I waited and watched. I used the map I had taken from Harry Potter. The map that had almost ruined everything."**

**"Map?" said Dumbledore quickly. "What map is this?"**

**"Potter's map of Hogwarts. Potter saw me on it. Potter saw me stealing more ingredients for the Polyjuice Potion from Snape's office one night. He thought I was my father. We have the same first name. I took the map from Potter that night. I told him my father hated Dark wizards. Potter believed my father was after Snape. For a week I waited for my father to arrive at Hogwarts. At last, one evening, the map showed my father entering the grounds. I pulled on my Invisibility Cloak and went down to meet him. He was walking around the edge of the forest. Then Potter came, and Krum. I waited. I could not hurt Potter; my master needed him. Potter ran to get Dumbledore. I Stunned Krum. I killed my father."**

**"Noooo!" wailed Winky. "Master Barty, Master Barty, what is you saying?"**

**"You killed your father," Dumbledore said, in the same soft voice. "What did you do with the body?"**

**"Carried it into the forest. Covered it with the Invisibility Cloak. I had the map with me. I watched Potter run into the castle. He met Snape. Dumbledore joined them. I watched Potter bringing Dumbledore out of the castle. I walked back out of the forest, doubled around behind them, went to meet them. I told Dumbledore Snape had told me where to come. Dumbledore told me to go and look for my father. I went back to my father's body. Watched the map. When everyone was gone, I Transfigured my father's body. He became a bone... I buried it, while wearing the Invisibility Cloak, in the freshly dug earth in front of Hagrid's cabin."**

"I know Crouch Sr was a git but no one deserves that." Bill sighed.

"He did." Sirius growled, "In my opinion anyway, he got what he deserved. Then again the git chucked me in Azkaban without a trial, so I may be biased."

"Just slightly." Regulus muttered, looking at his brother warily. Neither of them hadn't mentioned Regulus's cuddling into him the night before, it had been silently agreed they never would.

**There was complete silence now, except for Winky's continued sobs. Then Dumbledore said, "And tonight..."**

**"I offered to carry the Triwizard Cup into the maze before dinner," whispered Barty Crouch. "Turned it into a Portkey. My master's plan worked. He is returned to power and I will be honored by him beyond the dreams of wizards."**

**The insane smile lit his features once more, and his head drooped onto his shoulder as Winky wailed and sobbed at his side.**

"That's it for this one." Harry said.

* * *

><p>Review please x<p> 


	49. Chapter 49

Chapter 49 - Fourth Year (Part 17.5)

19, August, 1998. 1.30pm.

"We're almost finished with this year's memories, there's one more after this one." Harry explained, "This is from the end of the last one." he added after changing the memory.

**Dumbledore stood up. He stared down at Barty Crouch for a moment with disgust on his face. Then he raised his wand once more and ropes flew out of it, ropes that twisted themselves around Barty Crouch, binding him tightly. He turned to Professor McGonagall.**

**"Minerva, could I ask you to stand guard here while I take Harry upstairs?"**

**"Of course," said Professor McGonagall. She looked slightly nauseous, as though she had just watched someone being sick. However, when she drew out her wand and pointed it at Barty Crouch, her hand was quite steady.**

**"Severus" - Dumbledore turned to Snape - "please tell Madam Pomfrey to come down here; we need to get Alastor Moody into the hospital wing. Then go down into the grounds, find Cornelius Fudge, and bring him up to this office. He will undoubtedly want to question Crouch himself. Tell him I will be in the hospital wing in half an hour's time if he needs me."**

**Snape nodded silently and swept out of the room.**

**"Harry?" Dumbledore said gently.**

**Harry got up and swayed again; the pain in his leg, which he had not noticed all the time he had been listening to Crouch, now returned in full measure. He also realized that he was shaking. Dumbledore gripped his arm and helped him out into the dark corridor.**

**"I want you to come up to my office first. Harry," he said quiedy as they headed up the passageway. "Sirius is waiting for us there."**

**Harry nodded. A kind of numbness and a sense of complete unreality were upon him, but he did not care; he was even glad of it. He didn't want to have to think about anything that had happened since he had first touched the Triwizard Cup. He didn't want to have to examine the memories, fresh and sharp as photographs, which kept flashing across his mind. Mad-Eye Moody, inside the trunk. Wormtail, slumped on the ground, cradling his stump of an arm. Voldemort, rising from the steaming cauldron. Cedric... dead...**

**Cedric, asking to be returned to his parents...**

**"Professor," Harry mumbled, "where are Mr. and Mrs. Diggory?"**

**"They are with Professor Sprout," said Dumbledore. His voice, which had been so calm throughout the interrogation of Barty Crouch, shook very slightly for the first time. "She was Head of Cedric's house, and knew him best."**

**They had reached the stone gargoyle. Dumbledore gave the password, it sprang aside, and he and Harry went up the moving spiral staircase to the oak door. Dumbledore pushed it open. Sirius was standing there. His face was white and gaunt as it had been when he had escaped Azkaban. In one swift moment, he had crossed the room.**

**"Harry, are you all right? I knew it - I knew something like this - what happened?"**

"You have a habit of saying hello in the oddest way possible." Harry huffed.

"Hey! I was worried out of my mind about you!" Sirius protested, "I had a reason and you never said anything until Fawkes flew over to see you."

Harry shrugged with a smirk, "I had a reason."

James snickered at Sirius's shocked look, "Padfoot you should know not to say stuff like that. It'll always come back and bite you on the -"

"James don't swear!" Lily warned.

"On the bum." he finished anyway. The men all chuckled while the women just smiled or tried - and failed - to look disapproving.

**His hands shook as he helped Harry into a chair in front of the desk.**

**"What happened?" he asked more urgently.**

**Dumbledore began to tell Sirius everything Barty Crouch had said. Harry was only half listening. So tired every bone in his body was aching, he wanted nothing more than to sit here, undisturbed, for hours and hours, until he fell asleep and didn't have to think or feel anymore.**

**There was a soft rush of wings. Fawkes the phoenix had left his perch, flown across the office, and landed on Harry's knee.**

**"'Lo, Fawkes," said Harry quietly. He stroked the phoenix's beautiful scarlet-and-gold plumage. Fawkes blinked peacefully up at him. There was something comforting about his warm weight.**

**Dumbledore stopped talking. He sat down opposite Harry, behind his desk. He was looking at Harry, who avoided his eyes. Dumbledore was going to question him. He was going to make Harry relive everything.**

**"I need to know what happened after you touched the Portkey in the maze. Harry," said Dumbledore.**

**"We can leave that till morning, can't we, Dumbledore?" said Sirius harshly. He had put a hand on Harrys shoulder. "Let him have a sleep. Let him rest."**

**Harry felt a rush of gratitude toward Sirius, but Dumbledore took no notice of Sirius's words. He leaned forward toward Harry.**

**Very unwillingly, Harry raised his head and looked into those blue eyes.**

**"If I thought I could help you," Dumbledore said gently, "by putting you into an enchanted sleep and allowing you to postpone the moment when you would have to think about what has happened tonight, I would do it. But I know better. Numbing the pain for a while will make it worse when you finally feel it. You have shown bravery beyond anything I could have expected of you. I ask you to demonstrate your courage one more time. I ask you to tell us what happened."**

"It was annoying when you made sense." Sirius told Albus.

"What would you have said if I refused?" Harry asked.

"I would have left it until the next morning." Albus shrugged. "But I wouldn't have been able to wait longer than that if I was going to re-start the Order effectively again. It was crucial we knew." Harry nodded in understanding.

**The phoenix let out one soft, quavering note. It shivered in the air, and Harry felt as though a drop of hot liquid had slipped down his throat into his stomach, warming him, and strengthening him.**

**He took a deep breath and began to tell them. As he spoke, visions of everything that had passed that night seemed to rise before his eyes; he saw the sparkling surface of the potion that had revived Voldemort; he saw the Death Eaters Apparating between the graves around them; he saw Cedric's body, lying on the ground beside the cup.**

**Once or twice, Sirius made a noise as though about to say something, his hand still tight on Harry's shoulder, but Dumbledore raised his hand to stop him, and Harry was glad of this, because it was easier to keep going now he had started. It was even a relief; he felt almost as though something poisonous were being extracted from him. It was costing him every bit of determination he had to keep talking, yet he sensed that once he had finished, he would feel better.**

**When Harry told of Wormtail piercing his arm with the dagger, however, Sirius let out a vehement exclamation and Dumbledore stood up so quickly that Harry started. Dumbledore walked around the desk and told Harry to stretch out his arm. Harry showed them both the place where his robes were torn and the cut beneath them.**

**"He said my blood would make him stronger than if he'd used someone else's," Harry told Dumbledore. "He said the protection my - my mother left in me - he'd have it too. And he was right - he could touch me without hurting himself, he touched my face."**

**For a fleeting instant, Harry thought he saw a gleam of something like triumph in Dumbledore's eyes. But next second. Harry was sure he had imagined it, for when Dumbledore had returned to his seat behind the desk, he looked as old and weary as Harry had ever seen him.**

**"Very well," he said, sitting down again. "Voldemort has overcome that particular barrier. Harry, continue, please."**

**Harry went on; he explained how Voldemort had emerged from the cauldron, and told them all he could remember of Voldemort's speech to the Death Eaters. Then he told how Voldemort had untied him, returned his wand to him, and prepared to duel.**

**But when he reached the part where the golden beam of light had connected his and Voldemort's wands, he found his throat obstructed. He tried to keep talking, but the memories of what had come out of Voldemort's wand were flooding into his mind. He could see Cedric emerging, see the old man, Bertha Jorkins... his father... his mother...**

**He was glad when Sirius broke the silence.**

**"The wands connected?" he said, looking from Harry to Dumbledore. "Why?"**

**Harry looked up at Dumbledore again, on whose face there was an arrested look.**

**"Priori Incantatem," he muttered.**

**His eyes gazed into Harry's and it was almost as though an invisible beam of understanding shot between them.**

**"The Reverse Spell effect?" said Sirius sharply.**

**"Exactly," said Dumbledore. "Harry's wand and Voldemorts wand share cores. Each of them contains a feather from the tail of the same phoenix. This phoenix, in fact," he added, and he pointed at the scarlet-and-gold bird, perching peacefully on Harry's knee.**

**"My wand's feather came from Fawkes?" Harry said, amazed.**

"I still find that amazing." Harry grinned.

"I am surprised Ollivander didn't tell you." Albus admitted, "Especially since he told you of the connection to Tom's wand."

**"Yes," said Dumbledore. "Mr. Ollivander wrote to tell me you had bought the second wand, the moment you left his shop four years ago."**

**"So what happens when a wand meets its brother?" said Sirius.**

**"They will not work properly against each other," said Dumbledore. "If, however, the owners of the wands force the wands to do battle... a very rare effect will take place. One of the wands will force the other to regurgitate spells it has performed - in reverse. The most recent first... and then those which preceded it..."**

**He looked interrogatively at Harry, and Harry nodded.**

**"Which means," said Dumbledore slowly, his eyes upon Harry's face, "that some form of Cedric must have reappeared."**

**Harry nodded again.**

**"Diggory came back to life?" said Sirius sharply.**

**"No spell can reawaken the dead," said Dumbledore heavily. "All that would have happened is a kind of reverse echo. A shadow of the living Cedric would have emerged from the wand... am I correct, Harry?"**

**"He spoke to me," Harry said. He was suddenly shaking again. "The... the ghost Cedric, or whatever he was, spoke."**

**"An echo," said Dumbledore, "which retained Cedric's appearance and character. I am guessing other such forms appeared... less recent victims of Voldemort's wand..."**

**"An old man," Harry said, his throat still constricted. "Bertha Jorkins. And..."**

**"Your parents?" said Dumbledore quietly.**

**"Yes," said Harry.**

**Sirius's grip on Harry's shoulder was now so tight it was painful.**

"Sorry Harry. You should have tapped my hand or something." Sirius told him.

"It distracted me from my arm and leg so I'm grateful for it." Harry shrugged, "If that makes sense."

"A lesser pain you could feel that distracts you from a larger injury." Remus nodded, "Usually after full moon's I'd focus on something that didnt hurt as much so I was distracted from focusing on an injury that was larger or hurt more." he admitted, "It's understandable."

**"The last murders the wand performed," said Dumbledore, nodding. "In reverse order. More would have appeared, of course, had you maintained the connection. Very well, Harry, these echoes, these shadows... what did they do?"**

**Harry described how the figures that had emerged from the wand had prowled the edges of the golden web, how Voldemort had seemed to fear them, how the shadow of Harry's mother had told him what to do, how Cedric's had made its final request.**

**At this point. Harry found he could not continue. He looked around at Sirius and saw that he had his face in his hands.**

**Harry suddenly became aware that Fawkes had left his knee. The phoenix had fluttered to the floor. It was resting its beautiful head against Harry's injured leg, and thick, pearly tears were falling from its eyes onto the wound left by the spider. The pain vanished. The skin mended. His leg was repaired.**

"That was nice of him." Astoria smiled.

**"I will say it again," said Dumbledore as the phoenix rose into the air and resettled itself upon the perch beside the door. "You have shown bravery beyond anything I could have expected of you tonight. Harry. You have shown bravery equal to those who died fighting Voldemort at the height of his powers. You have shouldered a grown wizard's burden and found yourself equal to it - and you have now given us all we have a right to expect. You will come with me to the hospital wing. I do not want you returning to the dormitory tonight. A Sleeping Potion, and some peace... Sirius, would you like to stay with him?"**

"I wasnt going to leave after that." Sirius huffed.

**Sirius nodded and stood up. He transformed back into the great black dog and walked with Harry and Dumbledore out of the office, accompanying them down a flight of stairs to the hospital wing.**

**When Dumbledore pushed open the door. Harry saw Mrs. Weasley, Bill, Ron, and Hermione grouped around a harassed-looking Madam Pomfrey. They appeared to be demanding to know where Harry was and what had happened to him. All of them whipped around as Harry, Dumbledore, and the black dog entered, and Mrs. Weasley let out a kind of muffled scream.**

**"Harry! Oh Harry!"**

**She started to hurry toward him, but Dumbledore moved between them.**

**"Molly," he said, holding up a hand, "please listen to me for a moment. Harry has been through a terrible ordeal tonight. He has just had to relive it for me. What he needs now is sleep, and peace, and quiet. If he would like you all to stay with him," he added, looking around at Ron, Hermione, and Bill too, "you may do so. But I do not want you questioning him until he is ready to answer, and certainly not this evening."**

**Mrs. Weasley nodded. She was very white. She rounded on Ron, Hermione, and Bill as though they were being noisy, and hissed, "Did you hear? He needs quiet!"**

**"Headmaster," said Madam Pomfrey, staring at the great black dog that was Sirius, "may I ask what - ?"**

**"This dog will be remaining with Harry for a while," said Dumbledore simply. "I assure you, he is extremely well trained. Harry - I will wait while you get into bed."**

**Harry felt an inexpressible sense of gratitude to Dumbledore for asking the others not to question him. It wasn't as though he didn't want them there; but the thought of explaining it all over again, the idea of reliving it one more time, was more than he could stand.**

**"I will be back to see you as soon as I have met with Fudge, Harry," said Dumbledore. "I would like you to remain here tomorrow until I have spoken to the school." He left.**

**As Madam Pomfrey led Harry to a nearby bed, he caught sight of the real Moody lying motionless in a bed at the far end of the room. His wooden leg and magical eye were lying on the bedside table.**

**"Is he okay?" Harry asked.**

**"He'll be fine," said Madam Pomfrey, giving Harry some pajamas and pulling screens around him. He took off his robes, pulled on the pajamas, and got into bed. Ron, Hermione, Bill, Mrs. Weasley, and the black dog came around the screen and settled themselves in chairs on either side of him. Ron and Hermione were looking at him almost cautiously, as though scared of him.**

"You looked really bad." Hermione sighed.

"We weren't scared of you, just what you'd been through." Ron nodded.

Harry smiled, "I figured that."

**"I'm all right," he told them. "Just tired."**

**Mrs. Weasley's eyes filled with tears as she smoothed his bed-covers unnecessarily.**

**Madam Pomfrey, who had bustled off to her office, returned holding a small bottle of some purple potion and a goblet.**

**"You'll need to drink all of this, Harry." she said. "It's a potion for dreamless sleep."**

**Harry took the goblet and drank a few mouthfuls. He felt himself becoming drowsy at once. Everything around him became hazy; the lamps around the hospital wing seemed to be winking at him in a friendly way through the screen around his bed; his body felt as though it was sinking deeper into the warmth of the feather mattress. Before he could finish the potion, before he could say another word, his exhaustion had carried him off to sleep.**

**Harry woke up, so warm, so very sleepy, that he didn't open his eyes, wanting to drop off again. The room was still dimly lit; he was sure it was still nighttime and had a feeling that he couldn't have been asleep very long.**

"You'd been out for about an hour." Molly told him, he nodded.

**Then he heard whispering around him.**

**"They'll wake him if they don't shut up!"**

**"What are they shouting about? Nothing else can have happened, can it?"**

**Harry opened his eyes blearily. Someone had removed his glasses. He could see the fuzzy outlines of Mrs. Weasley and Bill close by. Mrs. Weasley was on her feet.**

**"That's Fudge's voice," she whispered. "And that's Minerva McGonagall's, isn't it? But what are they arguing about?"**

**Now Harry could hear them too: people shouting and running toward the hospital wing.**

**"Regrettable, but all the same, Minerva -" Cornelius Fudge was saying loudly.**

**"You should never have brought it inside the castle!" yelled Professor McGonagall. "When Dumbledore finds out -"**

**Harry heard the hospital doors burst open. Unnoticed by any of the people around his bed, all of whom were staring at the door as Bill pulled back the screens, Harry sat up and put his glasses back on.**

**Fudge came striding up the ward. Professors McGonagall and Snape were at his heels.**

**"Where's Dumbledore?" Fudge demanded of Mrs. Weasley.**

**"He's not here," said Mrs. Weasley angrily. "This is a hospital wing. Minister, don't you think you'd do better to -"**

**But the door opened, and Dumbledore came sweeping up the ward.**

**"What has happened?" said Dumbledore sharply, looking from Fudge to Professor McGonagall. "Why are you disturbing these people? Minerva, I'm surprised at you - I asked you to stand guard over Barty Crouch -"**

**"There is no need to stand guard over him anymore, Dumbledore!" she shrieked. "The Minister has seen to that!"**

**Harry had never seen Professor McGonagall lose control like this. There were angry blotches of color in her cheeks, and a hands were balled into fists; she was trembling with fury.**

"I was very tempted to hex the idiot." Minerva admitted, colouring slightly.

"You are not the only one who wanted to cause him some harm Minerva." Snape assured her, "Not after what he did."

"What did he -?"

"You'll find out in a minute." Sirius cut Frank off, "You're not going to like it."

**"When we told Mr. Fudge that we had caught the Death Eater responsible for tonight's events," said Snape, in a low voice; he seemed to feel his personal safety was in question. "He insisted on summoning a dementor to accompany him into the castle. He brought it up to the office where Barty Crouch -"**

**"I told him you would not agree, Dumbledore!" McGonagall fumed. "I told him you would never allow dementors to set foot inside the castle, but -"**

**"My dear woman!" roared Fudge, who likewise looked angrier than Harry had ever seen him, "as Minister of Magic, it is my decision whether I wish to bring protection with me when interviewing a possibly dangerous -"**

**But Professor McGonagall's voice drowned Fudge's.**

**"The moment that - that thing entered the room," she screamed, pointing at Fudge, trembling all over, "it swooped down on Crouch and - and -"**

**Harry felt a chill in his stomach as Professor McGonagall struggled to find words to describe what had happened. He did not need her to finish her sentence. He knew what the dementor must have done. It had administered its fatal kiss to Barty Crouch. It had sucked his soul out through his mouth. He was worse than dead.**

**"By all accounts, he is no loss!" blustered Fudge. "It seems he has been responsible for several deaths'."**

**"But he cannot now give testimony, Cornelius," said Dumbledore. He was staring hard at Fudge, as though seeing him plainly for the first time. "He cannot give evidence about why he killed those people."**

**"Why he killed them? Well, that's no mystery, is it?" blustered Fudge. "He was a raving lunatic! From what Minerva and Severus have told me, he seems to have thought he was doing it all on You-Know-Who's instructions!"**

**"Lord Voldemort was giving him instructions, Cornelius," Dumbledore said. "Those peoples deaths were mere by-products of a plan to restore Voldemort to full strength again. The plan succeeded. Voldemort has been restored to his body."**

**Fudge looked as though someone had just swung a heavy weight into his face. Dazed and blinking, he stared back at Dumbledore as if he couldn't quite believe what he had just heard. He began to sputter, still goggling at Dumbledore.**

**"You-Know-Who... returned? Preposterous. Come now, Dumbledore..."**

**"As Minerva and Severus have doubtless told you," said Dumbledore, "we heard Barty Crouch confess. Under the influence of Veritaserum, he told us how he was smuggled out of Azkaban, and how Voldemort - learning of his continued existence from Bertha Jorkins - went to free him from his father and used him to capture Harry. The plan worked, I tell you. Crouch has helped Voldemort to return."**

**"See here, Dumbledore," said Fudge, and Harry was astonished to see a slight smile dawning on his face, "you - you can't seriously believe that You-Know-Who - back? Come now, come now... certainly, Crouch may have believed himself to be acting upon You-Know-Who's orders - but to take the word of a lunatic like that, Dumbledore..."**

**"When Harry touched the Triwizard Cup tonight, he was transported straight to Voldemort," said Dumbledore steadily. "He witnessed Lord Voldemort's rebirth. I will explain it all to you if you will step up to my office." Dumbledore glanced around at Harry and saw that he was awake, but shook his head and said, "I am afraid I cannot permit you to question Harry tonight."**

**Fudge's curious smile lingered. He too glanced at Harry, then looked back at Dumbledore, and said, "You are - er - prepared to take Harry's word on this, are you, Dumbledore?"**

**There was a moment's silence, which was broken by Sirius growling. His hackles were raised, and he was baring his teeth at Fudge.**

"Interesting how none of you told me to behave." Sirius mused, "That was the common response when I growled at people like that."

"Fudge deserved it." Harry shrugged, "He was doubting my word, I certainly wasn't going to say anything." he glanced up at Albus, "What about you?"

Albus chuckled, "I share the same thoughts. He was doubting and denying the truth. Sirius growling at him wasn't an overly bad thing, as long as he didn't attack him."

"Wasn't going to happen." Sirius shrugged, "I'd rather not have him suspecting I was more than just a dog, for all he knew I could've been growing at Minerva, sensing her cat side since she'd been in the room long enough for her scent to reach me." he smirked.

"A rather good point." Minerva mused, "Doesn't it affect you at all?" she frowned.

He shook his head, "Not at all." he stated, "Well... It did when I first managed the transformation until I managed to control it." he admitted.

"It's the canine vs cat thing." Remus shrugged, "I got that too a little, Moony was easier to persuade though since he could see through human eyes that you were a human that turns into a cat and you're scent wasn't in the Shrieking Shack."

"In short you're cat side bothers me about as much as you're bothered by my dog side." Sirius told Minerva honestly.

"Not in the slightest then." she chuckled.

**"Certainly, I believe Harry," said Dumbledore. His eyes were blazing now. "I heard Crouch's confession, and I heard Harry's account of what happened after he touched the Triwizard Cup; the two stories make sense, they explain everything that has happened since Bertha Jorkins disappeared last summer."**

**Fudge still had that strange smile on his face. Once again, he glanced at Harry before answering.**

**"You are prepared to believe that Lord Voldemort has returned, on the word of a lunatic murderer, and a boy who... well..."**

**Fudge shot Harry another look, and Harry suddenly understood.**

**"You've been reading Rita Skeeter, Mr. Fudge," he said quietly.**

**Ron, Hermione, Mrs. Weasley, and Bill all jumped. None of them had realized that Harry was awake.**

"Give us a heart attack why don't you, we'd already had at least three already that night." Hermione scowled.

"That really wasnt funny Harry." Bill told him.

"Sorry." Harry grinned, snickering slightly.

**Fudge reddened slightly, but a defiant and obstinate look came over his face.**

**"And if I have?" he said, looking at Dumbledore. "If I have discovered that you've been keeping certain facts about the boy very quiet? A Parselmouth, eh? And having funny turns all over the place -"**

**"I assume that you are referring to the pains Harry has been experiencing in his scar?" said Dumbledore coolly.**

**"You admit that he has been having these pains, then?" said Fudge quickly. "Headaches?Nightmares? Possibly - hallucinations?"**

**"Listen to me, Cornelius," said Dumbledore, taking a step toward Fudge, and once again, he seemed to radiate that indefinable sense of power that Harry had felt after Dumbledore had Stunned young Crouch. "Harry is as sane as you or I. That scar upon his forehead has not addled his brains. I believe it hurts him when Lord Voldemort is close by, or feeling particularly murderous."**

**Fudge had taken half a step back from Dumbledore, but he looked no less stubborn.**

**"You'll forgive me, Dumbledore, but I've never heard of a curse scar acting as an alarm bell before..."**

**"Look, I saw Voldemort come back!" Harry shouted. He tried to get out of bed again, but Mrs. Weasley forced him back. "I saw the Death Eaters! I can give you their names! Lucius Malfoy -"**

**Snape made a sudden movement, but as Harry looked at him, Snape's eyes flew back to Fudge.**

"As soon as you said that the Mark flared again." Snape admitted, "I'd been getting called for over an hour at that point."

"You should've said something." Albus frowned, "I would have told you to go, even if it was an excuse like you had a potion brewing and it needed tended."

"I wouldn't have been able to leave the grounds." he reminded him, "The Aurors would've stopped me."

"He's right Albus. Scrimgeour had us keeping everyone on the grounds." Kingsley nodded, "Though if you'd said Albus had asked you to fetch something we would've let you past Severus, regardless of orders."

Snape shrugged, "I didn't fancy my chances." he stated.

**"Malfoy was cleared!" said Fudge, visibly affronted. "A very old family - donations to excellent causes -"**

"Bribes he means." Draco scoffed.

**"Macnair!" Harry continued.**

**"Also cleared! Now working for the Ministry!"**

**"Avery - Nott - Crabbe - Goyle -"**

**"You are merely repeating the names of those who were acquitted of being Death Eaters thirteen years ago!" said Fudge angrily.**

"Because they escaped punishment and were guilty the whole time." Kingsley rolled his eyes, "You know, almost all of them bribed their way out? I found a book with every bribe Fudge ever took." he explained, "And all of them except Malfoy and Nott used bribes."

Cissy nodded, "Lucius and I claimed to be under Imperious, they couldn't prove anything. The Nott's did the same." she shrugged.

"Speaking of Nott, have you heard from Theo lately?" Draco asked Astoria.

She frowned, "I haven't actually, except just after his trial to let Daphne and I know the results." she shrugged.

"Hmm... I'll owl him later, make sure he's alright." he decided, "It sounds sappy, but I hate to think of him wandering about that manor of his alone."

"He's probably not there." she disagreed with that, "He'll have gone somewhere else, he hated that place. But we should probably still contact him later." she mused.

**"You could have found those names in old reports of the trials! For heavens sake, Dumbledore - the boy was full of some crackpot story at the end of last year too - his tales are getting taller, and you're still swallowing them - the boy can talk to snakes. Dumbledore, and you still think he's trustworthy?"**

**"You fool!" Professor McGonagall cried. "Cedric Diggory! Mr. Crouch! These deaths were not the random work of a lunatic!"**

**"I see no evidence to the contrary!" shouted Fudge, now matching her anger, his face purpling. "It seems to me that you are all determined to start a panic that will destabilize everything we have worked for these last thirteen years!"**

**Harry couldn't believe what he was hearing. He had always thought of Fudge as a kindly figure, a little blustering, a little pompous, but essentially good-natured. But now a short, angry wizard stood before him, refusing, point-blank, to accept the prospect of disruption in his comfortable and ordered world - to believe that Voldemort could have risen.**

**"Voldemort has returned," Dumbledore repeated. "If you accept that fact straightaway. Fudge, and take the necessary measures, we may still be able to save the situation. The first and most essential step is to remove Azkaban from the control of the dementors -"**

**"Preposterous!" shouted Fudge again. "Remove the dementors? I'd be kicked out of office for suggesting it! Half of us only feel safe in our beds at night because we know the dementors are standing guard at Azkaban!"**

**"The rest of us sleep less soundly in our beds, Cornelius, knowing that you have put Lord Voldemort's most dangerous supporters in the care of creatures who will join him the instant he asks them!" said Dumbledore. "They will not remain loyal to you, Fudge! Voldemort can offer them much more scope for their powers and their pleasures than you can! With the dementors behind him, and his old supporters returned to him, you will be hard-pressed to stop him regaining the sort of power he had thirteen years ago!"**

**Fudge was opening and closing his mouth as though no words could express his outrage.**

**"The second step you must take - and at once," Dumbledore pressed on, "is to send envoys to the giants."**

**"Envoys to the giants?" Fudge shrieked, finding his tongue again. "What madness is this?"**

**"Extend them the hand of friendship, now, before it is too late," said Dumbledore, "or Voldemort will persuade them, as he did before, that he alone among wizards will give them their rights and their freedom!"**

**"You - you cannot be serious!" Fudge gasped, shaking his head and retreating further from Dumbledore. "If the magical community got wind that I had approached the giants - people hate them, Dumbledore - end of my career -"**

"Fudge ignoring Voldemort's return was the end of his career anyway." Molly frowned.

**"You are blinded," said Dumbledore, his voice rising now, the aura of power around him palpable, his eyes blazing once more, "by the love of the office you hold, Cornelius! You place too much importance, and you always have done, on the so-called purity of blood! You fail to recognize that it matters not what someone is born, but what they grow to be! Your dementor has just destroyed the last remaining member of a pure-blood family as old as any - and see what that man chose to make of his life! I tell you now - take the steps I have suggested, and you will be remembered, in office or out, as one of the bravest and greatest Ministers of Magic we have ever known. Fail to act - and history will remember you as the man who stepped aside and allowed Voldemort a second chance to destroy the world we have tried to rebuild!"**

"What's he known as now?" Alice asked curiously.

"The-Idiot-Who-Refused-To-Believe-Albus-Dumbledore-And-Harry-Potter-That-Voldemort-Was-Back-And-Almost-Doomed-Us-All." Hermione chuckled, "It seems reporters love hyphenated names."

"Of course they do, look what I got stuck with." Harry muttered. "The-Boy-Who-Lived is very original."

"That actually wasn't reporters. That's just what everyone started calling you." Molly smiled.

"It was kind of so your name could be used without your permission, people could say the hyphenated version instead of your real name." Albus explained, "That's how you kept getting new one's like 'The Chosen One' or 'The-Man-Who-Won'."

"Not much I can do about it I suppose." Harry sighed, "Except live with it... And hide when I see reporters." he muttered, causing the others to laugh slightly.

**"Insane," whispered Fudge, still backing away. "Mad..."**

**And then there was silence. Madam Pomfrey was standing frozen at the foot of Harry's bed, her hands over her mouth. was still standing over Harry, her hand on his shoulder to prevent him from rising. Bill, Ron, and Hermione were staring at Fudge.**

**"If your determination to shut your eyes will carry you as far as this, Cornelius," said Dumbledore, "we have reached a parting of the ways. You must act as you see fit. And I - I shall act as I see fit."**

**Dumbledore's voice carried no hint of a threat; it sounded like a mere statement, but Fudge bristled as though Dumbledore were advancing upon him with a wand.**

**"Now, see here, Dumbledore," he said, waving a threatening finger. "I've given you free rein, always. I've had a lot of respect for you. I might not have agreed with some of your decisions, but I've kept quiet. There aren't many who'd have let you hire werewolves, or keep Hagrid, or decide what to teach your students without reference to the Ministry. But if you're going to work against me -"**

**"The only one against whom I intend to work," said Dumbledore, "is Lord Voldemort. If you are against him, then we remain, Cornelius, on the same side."**

**It seemed Fudge could think of no answer to this. He rocked backward and forward on his small feet for a moment and spun his bowler hat in his hands. Finally, he said, with a hint of a plea in his voice, "He can't be back, Dumbledore, he just can't be..."**

**Snape strode forward, past Dumbledore, pulling up the left sleeve of his robes as he went. He stuck out his forearm and showed it to Fudge, who recoiled.**

**"There," said Snape harshly. "There. The Dark Mark. It is not as clear as it was an hour or so ago, when it burned black, but you can still see it. Every Death Eater had the sign burned into him by the Dark Lord. It was a means of distinguishing one another, and his means of summoning us to him. When he touched the Mark of any Death Eater, we were to Disapparate, and Apparate, instantly, at his side. This Mark has been growing clearer all year. Karkaroff's too. Why do you think Karkaroff fled tonight? We both felt the Mark burn. We both knew he had returned. Karkaroff fears the Dark Lord's vengeance. He betrayed too many of his fellow Death Eaters to be sure of a welcome back into the fold."**

"I was surprised you did that Severus." Albus mused, "Usually you prefered keeping the Mark hidden."

Snape frowned, "I had hoped the idiot would see sense upon seeing it, he knew the Mark's faded when Voldemort disappeared. Apparently he was too stupid to see the truth behind my words."

**Fudge stepped back from Snape too. He was shaking his head. He did not seem to have taken in a word Snape had said. He stared, apparently repelled by the ugly mark on Snape's arm, then looked up at Dumbledore and whispered, "I don't know what you and your staff are playing at, Dumbledore, but I have heard enough. I have no more to add. I will be in touch with you tomorrow, Dumbledore, to discuss the running of this school. I must return to the Ministry."**

**He had almost reached the door when he paused. He turned around, strode back down the dormitory, and stopped at Harry's bed.**

**"Your winnings," he said shortly, taking a large bag of gold out of his pocket and dropping it onto Harrys bedside table. "One thousand Galleons. There should have been a presentation ceremony, but under the circumstances..."**

**He crammed his bowler hat onto his head and walked out of the room, slamming the door behind him. The moment he had disappeared, Dumbledore turned to look at the group around Harry's bed.**

**"There is work to be done," he said. "Molly... am I right in thinking that I can count on you and Arthur?"**

**"Of course you can," said Mrs. Weasley. She was white to the lips, but she looked resolute. "We know what Fudge is. It's Arthur's fondness for Muggles that has held him back at the Ministry all these years. Fudge thinks he lacks proper wizarding pride."**

**"Then I need to send a message to Arthur," said Dumbledore. "All those that we can persuade of the truth must be notified immediately, and he is well placed to contact those at the Ministry who are not as shortsighted as Cornelius."**

**"I'll go to Dad," said Bill, standing up. "I'll go now."**

**"Excellent," said Dumbledore. "Tell him what has happened. Tell him I will be in direct contact with him shortly. He will need to be discreet, however. If Fudge thinks I am interfering at the Ministry -"**

**"Leave it to me," said Bill.**

**He clapped a hand on Harry's shoulder, kissed his mother on the cheek, pulled on his cloak, and strode quickly from the room.**

**"Minerva," said Dumbledore, turning to Professor McGonagall, "I want to see Hagrid in my office as soon as possible. Also - if she will consent to come - Madame Maxime."**

**Professor McGonagall nodded and left without a word.**

**"Poppy," Dumbledore said to Madam Pomfrey, "would you be very kind and go down to Professor Moodys office, where I think you will find a house-elf called Winky in considerable distress? Do what you can for her, and take her back to the kitchens. I think Dobby will look after her for us."**

**"Very - very well," said Madam Pomfrey, looking startled, and she too left.**

**Dumbledore made sure that the door was closed, and that Madam Pomfrey's footsteps had died away, before he spoke again.**

**"And now," he said, "it is time for two of our number to recognize each other for what they are. Sirius... if you could resume your usual form."**

**The great black dog looked up at Dumbledore, then, in an instant, turned back into a man.**

**Mrs. Weasley screamed and leapt back from the bed.**

**"Sirius Black!" she shrieked, pointing at him.**

**"Mum, shut up!" Ron yelled. "It's okay!"**

**Snape had not yelled or jumped backward, but the look on his face was one of mingled fury and horror.**

**"Him!" he snarled, staring at Sirius, whose face showed equal dislike. "What is he doing here?"**

**"He is here at my invitation," said Dumbledore, looking between them, "as are you, Severus. I trust you both. It is time for you to lay aside your old differences and trust each other."**

"You were asking for a miracle." Remus laughed.

"Too right." both Snape and Sirius muttered.

Albus shrugged, chuckling slightly.

**Harry thought Dumbledore was asking for a near miracle. Sirius and Snape were eyeing each other with the utmost loathing.**

**"I will settle, in the short term," said Dumbledore, with a bite of impatience in his voice, "for a lack of open hostility. You will shake hands. You are on the same side now. Time is short, and unless the few of us who know the truth do not stand united, there is no hope for any us."**

**Very slowly - but still glaring at each other as though each wished the other nothing but ill - Sirius and Snape moved toward each other and shook hands. They let go extremely quickly.**

**"That will do to be going on with," said Dumbledore, stepping between them once more.**

**"Now I have work for each of you. Fudge's attitude, though not unexpected, changes everything. Sirius, I need you to set off at once. You are to alert Remus Lupin, Arabella Figg, Mundungus Fletcher - the old crowd. Lie low at Lupin's for a while; I will contact you there."**

"How did you manage to contact them without most of them attacking you Paddy?" James asked curiously.

"Moony helped." he shrugged, "It was mostly Moony who met them with me as a dog until he explained to them."

Remus nodded, "I had a little difficulty getting Andy to beleive me though." he smiled looking amused.

"It was a lot to take in." Andy shrugged, "I had thought Sirius couldn't have betrayed anyone but I didn't want to beleive it and get my hopes up too."

"Fair enough." Sirius shrugged. "I'd probably do the same if it was the other way around." he admitted. "At least they all believed Moony eventually... I swear most of them thought he'd gone mad at one point." he laughed. "You should've seen the faces he got from some people."

Remus huffed, "Not fair Padfoot, you should try convince people your best friend is innocent and is in fact the big black mutt sitting next to you."

"What was your reaction Dora?" Lily inquired.

"I didn't think it possible at first. Then again, my memory of Sirius was rather vague until I started talking to him again." she replied, "Though Remus had me believing him before Mum, Dad was wary but willing to believe it." she shrugged, "I think the main problem was we thought he," she gestured Sirius, "was a real dog before he transformed. That's when I believed the story fully."

"I'd never have guessed." Sirius commented dryly, "Considering the hug that was more like a tackle not 5 minutes later."

Dora flushed slightly, "I couldn't help it. A few of my memories of you came back to me after I heard your voice." she admitted, "As I said, my memories were rather vague. Possibly because you looked so different, but your voice was about the same." she shrugged, "I'm used to changing my own looks often enough that I've learned to look past that in other people and pick up on their voices more than their faces, even if the voices change a bit I can usually recognise them."

"Fair enough." he smirked.

**"But -" said Harry.**

**He wanted Sirius to stay. He did not want to have to say goodbye again so quickly.**

**"You'll see me very soon. Harry," said Sirius, turning to him. "I promise you. But I must do what I can, you understand, don't you?"**

**"Yeah," said Harry. "Yeah... of course I do."**

**Sirius grasped his hand briefly, nodded to Dumbledore, transformed again into the black dog, and ran the length of the room to the door, whose handle he turned with a paw. Then he was gone.**

**"Severus," said Dumbledore, turning to Snape, "you know what I must ask you to do. If you are ready... if you are prepared..."**

**"I am," said Snape.**

**He looked slightly paler than usual, and his cold, black eyes glittered strangely.**

"I knew what was coming." Snape winced, "A lot of acting and torture."

**"Then good luck," said Dumbledore, and he watched, with a trace of apprehension on his face, as Snape swept wordlessly after Sirius.**

**It was several minutes before Dumbledore spoke again.**

**"I must go downstairs," he said finally. "I must see the Diggorys. Harry - take the rest of your potion. I will see all of you later."**

**Harry slumped back against his pillows as Dumbledore disappeared. Hermione, Ron, and Mrs. Weasley were all looking at him. None of them spoke for a very long time.**

**"You've got to take the rest of your potion. Harry," Mrs. Weasley said at last. Her hand nudged the sack of gold on his bedside cabinet as she reached for the bottle and the goblet. "You have a good long sleep. Try and think about something else for a while... think about what you're going to buy with your winnings!"**

**"I don't want that gold," said Harry in an expressionless voice. "You have it. Anyone can have it. I shouldn't have won it. It should've been Cedric's."**

**The thing against which he had been fighting on and off ever since he had come out of the maze was threatening to overpower him. He could feel a burning, prickling feeling in the inner corners of his eyes. He blinked and stared up at the ceiling.**

**"It wasn't your fault. Harry," Mrs. Weasley whispered.**

**"I told him to take the cup with me," said Harry.**

**Now the burning feeling was in his throat too. He wished Ron would look away.**

**Mrs. Weasley set the potion down on the bedside cabinet, bent down, and put her arms around Harry. He had no memory of ever being hugged like this, as though by a mother.**

**The full weight of everything he had seen that night seemed to fall in upon him as Mrs. Weasley held him to her. His mother s face, his father's voice, the sight of Cedric, dead on the ground all started spinning in his head until he could hardly bear it, until he was screwing up his face against the howl of misery fighting to get out of him.**

**There was a loud slamming noise, and Mrs. Weasley and Harry broke apart. Hermione was standing by the window. She was holding something tight in her hand.**

**"Sorry," she whispered.**

"What did you do that for?" Cissy asked.

"There was a bug." Hermione smiled, "I was just getting rid of it."

**"Your potion, Harry," said Mrs. Weasley quickly, wiping her eyes on the back of her hand.**

**Harry drank it in one gulp. The effect was instantaneous. Heavy, irresistible waves of dreamless sleep broke over him; he fell back onto his pillows and thought no more.**

"Pity it dosnt work anymore." Harry sighed, "I'm guessing you all heard me this morning?"

Everyone nodded.

"I thought so. It was another nightmare, mainly about that night." he sighed again. "It happens quite a bit." he admitted.

"It was one of the worst night's of your life Harry, no one can blame you for having nightmares about it." Ron smiled sadly.

"Oh yeah, sorry about your rib's Ron." he winced, "And I know at least one broke, I saw the blue light through your shirt at breakfast." he explained, "That and I know I had a little burst of accidental magic, I could feel it."

"It's fine Harry, it wasn't really your fault." Ron grinned, "And the advanced healing fixed it within an hour with help from a pain potion."

"An improved pain potion at that." Draco chuckled, "Your lucky I had a vial with me."

"Incredibly lucky." Ron agreed. "At least we know the advanced healing takes under an hour to fix a rib with one of Draco's improved pain potions."

"Yeah, let's watch the last memory then we can do something else." Harry smiled.

* * *

><p>Review please x<p> 


	50. Chapter 50

Chapter 50 - Fourth Year (Part 17.5)

19, August, 1998. 2.30pm.

"This is the last one for 4th year." Harry smiled.

**When he looked back, even a month later, Harry found he had only scattered memories of the next few days. It was as though he had been through too much to take in any more.**

**The recollections he did have were very painful. The worst, perhaps, was the meeting with the Diggorys that took place the following morning.**

**They did not blame him for what had happened; on the contrary, both thanked him for returning Cedric's body to them. Mr. Diggory sobbed through most of the interview. Mrs. Diggory's grief seemed to be beyond tears.**

**"He suffered very little then," she said, when Harry had told her how Cedric had died. "And after all, Amos... he died just when he'd won the tournament. He must have been happy." When they got to their feet, she looked down at Harry and said, "You look after yourself, now."**

**Harry seized the sack of gold on the bedside table.**

**"You take this," he muttered to her. "It should've been Cedric's, he got there first, you take it -"**

**But she backed away from him.**

**"Oh no, it's yours, dear, I couldn't... you keep it."**

**Harry returned to Gryffindor Tower the following evening. From what Hermione and Ron told him, Dumbledore had spoken to the school that morning at breakfast. He had merely requested that they leave Harry alone, that nobody ask him questions or badger him to tell the story of what had happened in the maze. Most people, he noticed, were skirting him in the corridors, avoiding his eyes. Some whispered behind their hands as he passed.**

"Amazingly that didn't bother me as much as people pointing and talking about me openly." Harry mused.

"You probably wouldn't have cared that much anyway." Ginny pointed out.

"True." he shrugged.

**He guessed that many of them had believed Rita Skeeter's article about how disturbed and possibly dangerous he was. Perhaps they were formulating their own theories about how Cedric had died. He found he didn't care very much. He liked it best when he was with Ron and Hermione and they were talking about other things, or else letting him sit in silence while they played chess. He felt as though all three of them had reached an understanding they didn't need to put into words; that each was waiting for some sign, some word, of what was going on outside Hogwarts - and that it was useless to speculate about what might be coming until they knew anything for certain. The only time they touched upon the subject was when Ron told Harry about a meeting Mrs. Weasley had had with Dumbledore before going home.**

**"She went to ask him if you could come straight to us this summer," he said. "But he wants you to go back to the Dursleys, at least at first."**

**"Why?" said Harry.**

**"She said Dumbledore's got his reasons," said Ron, shaking his head darkly. "I suppose we've got to trust him, haven't we?"**

**The only person apart from Ron and Hermione that Harry felt able to talk to was Hagrid.**

**As there was no longer a Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, they had those lessons free. They used the one on Thursday afternoon to go down and visit Hagrid in his cabin.**

**It was a bright and sunny day; Fang bounded out of the open door as they approached, barking and wagging his tail madly.**

**"Who's that?" called Hagrid, coming to the door. "Harry!"**

**He strode out to meet them, pulled Harry into a one-armed hug, ruffled his hair, and said, "Good ter see yeh, mate. Good ter see yeh."**

"Probably one of the only hugs that wasn't bone-breaking I've received from Hagrid." Harry chuckled.

"He'd been worried about you, and he knew you might've still been a bit sore." Minerva smiled fondly.

"I wasn't sore." he shook his head, "Nothing I noticed anyway, but I appreciated his caution all the same." he smiled.

**They saw two bucket-size cups and saucers on the wooden table in front of the fireplace when they entered Hagrid's cabin.**

**"Bin havin' a cuppa with Olympe," Hagrid said. "She's jus' left."**

**"Who?" said Ron curiously.**

**"Madame Maxime, o' course!" said Hagrid.**

**"You two made up, have you?" said Ron.**

**"Dunno what yeh're talkin' about," said Hagrid airily, fetching more cups from the dresser. When he had made tea and offered around a plate of doughy cookies, he leaned back in his chair and surveyed Harry closely through his beetle-black eyes.**

**"You all righ'?" he said gruffly.**

**"Yeah," said Harry.**

**"No, yeh're not," said Hagrid. "Course yeh're not. But yeh will be."**

**Harry said nothing.**

**"Knew he was goin' ter come back," said Hagrid, and Harry, Ron, and Hermione looked up at him, shocked. "Known it fer years. Harry. Knew he was out there, bidin' his time. It had ter happen. Well, now it has, an' we'll jus' have ter get on with it. We'll fight. Migh' be able ter stop him before he gets a good hold. That's Dumbledores plan, anyway. Great man, Dumbledore. 'S long as we've got him, I'm not too worried."**

"Remind me to thank Hagrid next time I see him Minerva." Albus smiled.

**Hagrid raised his bushy eyebrows at the disbelieving expressions on their faces.**

**"No good sittin' worryin' abou' it," he said. "What's comin' will come, an we'll meet it when it does. Dumbledore told me wha' you did. Harry."**

**Hagrid's chest swelled as he looked at Harry.**

**"Yeh did as much as yer father would've done, an' I can' give yeh no higher praise than that."**

**Harry smiled back at him. It was the first time he'd smiled in days. "What's Dumbledore asked you to do, Hagrid?" he asked. "He sent Professor McGonagall to ask you and Madame Maxime to meet him - that night."**

**"Got a little job fer me over the summer," said Hagrid. "Secret, though. I'm not s'pposed ter talk abou' it, no, not even ter you lot. Olympe - Madame Maxime ter you - might be comin' with me. I think she will. Think I got her persuaded."**

**"Is it to do with Voldemort?"**

**Hagrid flinched at the sound of the name.**

**"Migh' be," he said evasively. "Now... who'd like ter come an' visit the las' skrewt with me? I was jokin' - jokin'!" he added hastily, seeing the looks on their faces.**

"I think I'd rather face Fluffy again." Ron muttered.

"So would I." Hermione nodded.

"I think anyone would rather face Fluffy over a Skrewt." Harry smiled amusedly.

"Fluffy?" Alice asked curiously.

"Hagrid's three headed dog, a Cerberus." Neville reminded them.

"Oh yeah, I remember now." she smiled.

**It was with a heavy heart that Harry packed his trunk up in the dormitory on the night before his return to Privet Drive. He was dreading the Leaving Feast, which was usually a cause for celebration, when the winner of the Inter-House Championship would be announced. He had avoided being in the Great Hall when it was full ever since he had left the hospital wing, preferring to eat when it was nearly empty to avoid the stares of his fellow students.**

**When he, Ron, and Hermione entered the Hall, they saw at once that the usual decorations were missing. The Great Hall was normally decorated with the winning House's colors for the Leaving Feast. Tonight, however, there were black drapes on the wall behind the teachers' table. Harry knew instantly that they were there as a mark of respect to Cedric.**

**The real Mad-Eye Moody was at the staff table now, his wooden leg and his magical eye back in place. He was extremely twitchy, jumping every time someone spoke to him. Harry couldn't blame him; Moodys fear of attack was bound to have been increased by his ten-month imprisonment in his own trunk. Professor Karkaroff's chair was empty. Harry wondered, as he sat down with the other Gryffindors, where Karkaroff was now, and whether Voldemort had caught up with him.**

**Madame Maxime was still there. She was sitting next to Hagrid. They were talking quietly together. Further along the table, sitting next to Professor McGonagall, was Snape. His eyes lingered on Harry for a moment as Harry looked at him. His expression was difficult to read. He looked as sour and unpleasant as ever. Harry continued to watch him, long after Snape had looked away.**

**What was it that Snape had done on Dumbledores orders, the night that Voldemort had returned? And why... why... was Dumbledore so convinced that Snape was truly on their side? He had been their spy, Dumbledore had said so in the Pensieve. Snape had turned spy against Voldemort, "at great personal risk." Was that the job he had taken up again? Had he made contact with the Death Eaters, perhaps? Pretended that he had never really gone over to Dumbledore, that he had been, like Voldemort himself, biding his time?**

"You know what it is now." Snape shrugged.

"Yes I do but some of this lot still dont, so please dont tell them." Harry smiled.

Snape raised an eyebrow, "Why would I tell them?" he smirked, "It's more amusing watching people try to figure thing's out."

"You do have a point with that one." Hermione smirked, "We've been doing it constantly."

"And it's very annoying." Regulus huffed.

**Harry's musings were ended by Professor Dumbledore, who stood up at the staff table. The Great Hall, which in any case had been less noisy than it usually was at the Leaving Feast, became very quiet.**

**"The end," said Dumbledore, looking around at them all, "of another year."**

**He paused, and his eyes fell upon the Hufflepuff table. Theirs had been the most subdued table before he had gotten to his feet, and theirs were still the saddest and palest faces in the Hall.**

**"There is much that I would like to say to you all tonight," said Dumbledore, "but I must first acknowledge the loss of a very fine person, who should be sitting here," he gestured toward the Hufflepuffs, "enjoying our feast with us. I would like you all, please, to stand, and raise your glasses, to Cedric Diggory."**

**They did it, all of them; the benches scraped as everyone in the Hall stood, and raised their goblets, and echoed, in one loud, low, rumbling voice, "Cedric Diggory."**

**Harry caught a glimpse of Cho through the crowd. There were tears pouring silently down her face. He looked down at the table as they all sat down again.**

**"Cedric was a person who exemplified many of the qualities that distinguish Hufflepuff house," Dumbledore continued. "He was a good and loyal friend, a hard worker, he valued fair play. His death has affected you all, whether you knew him well or not. I think that you have the right, therefore, to know exactly how it came about."**

**Harry raised his head and stared at Dumbledore.**

**"Cedric Diggory was murdered by Lord Voldemort."**

**A panicked whisper swept the Great Hall. People were staring at Dumbledore in disbelief, in horror. He looked perfectly calm as he watched them mutter themselves into silence.**

**"The Ministry of Magic," Dumbledore continued, "does not wish me to tell you this. It is possible that some of your parents will be horrified that I have done so - either because they will not believe that Lord Voldemort has returned, or because they think I should not tell you so, young as you are. It is my belief, however, that the truth is generally preferable to lies, and that any attempt to pretend that Cedric died as the result of an accident, or some sort of blunder of his own, is an insult to his memory."**

**Stunned and frightened, every face in the Hall was turned toward Dumbledore now... or almost every face. Over at the Slytherin table. Harry saw Draco Malfoy muttering something to Crabbe and Goyle. Harry felt a hot, sick swoop of anger in his stomach.**

"I was telling them that Albus was telling the truth. Their fathers had not told them at that point and Lucius had told me." Draco explained, "And I also said something about the Ministry thinking Albus was crazy." he admitted, "Sorry Albus."

"It's fine Draco. I know what you used to be like." Albus smiled, "As I once told Harry, it's our choices that prove who we really are. You've chosen not to go back to the darker side of magic, it proves you've always had good in you."

Draco smiled up at the portrait of his old Headmaster.

**He forced himself to look back at Dumbledore.**

**"There is somebody else who must be mentioned in connection with Cedrics death," Dumbledore went on. "I am talking, of course, about Harry Potter."**

**A kind of ripple crossed the Great Hall as a few heads turned in Harry's direction before flicking back to face Dumbledore.**

**"Harry Potter managed to escape Lord Voldemort," said Dumbledore. "He risked his own life to return Cedric's body to Hogwarts. He showed, in every respect, the sort of bravery that few wizards have ever shown in facing Lord Voldemort, and for this, I honor him."**

"That wasn't really necessary." Harry huffed.

"You deserved some praise for what you went through." Albus shrugged, "After all, it was the truth."

**Dumbledore turned gravely to Harry and raised his goblet once more. Nearly everyone in the Great Hall followed suit. They murmured his name, as they had murmured Cedric's, and drank to him.**

"Minerva?" Harry asked.

"Yes?"

"Please dont do anything like that this year?" he requested, slightly pleadingly. The other teens nodding their agreements with this request.

"Make that for any of us." Hermione added, looking wary.

She chuckled, "I wont." she promised, "You have my word."

**But through a gap in the standing figures. Harry saw that Malfoy, Crabbe, Goyle, and many of the other Slytherins had remained defiantly in their seats, their goblets untouched. Dumbledore, who after all possessed no magical eye, did not see them.**

"Because most of us hated you." Draco smirked.

"And those who didn't hate you weren't going to show it." Astoria grinned, "That and most of the Slytherin's who didn't hate you could see you didn't like the attention you received." she added.

**When everyone had once again resumed their seats, Dumbledore continued, "The Triwizard Tournament's aim was to further and promote magical understanding. In the light of what has happened - of Lord Voldemorts return - such ties are more important than ever before."**

**Dumbledore looked from Madame Maxime and Hagrid, to Fleur Delacour and her fellow Beauxbatons students, to Viktor Krum and the Durmstrangs at the Slytherin table. Krum, Harry saw, looked wary, almost frightened, as though he expected Dumbledore to say something harsh.**

**"Every guest in this Hall," said Dumbledore, and his eyes lingered upon the Durmstrang students, "will be welcomed back here at any time, should they wish to come. I say to you all, once again - in the light of Lord Voldemort's return, we are only as strong as we are united, as weak as we are divided. Lord Voldemorts gift for spreading discord and enmity is very great. We can fight it only by showing an equally strong bond of friendship and trust. Differences of habit and language are nothing at all if our aims are identical and our hearts are open. It is my belief- and never have I so hoped that I am mistaken - that we are all facing dark and difficult times. Some of you in this Hall have already suffered directly at the hands of Lord Voldemort. Many of your families have been torn asunder. A week ago, a student was taken from our midst. Remember Cedric. Remember, if the time should come when you have to make a choice between what is right and what is easy, remember what happened to a boy who was good, and kind, and brave, because he strayed across the path of Lord Voldemort. Remember Cedric Diggory."**

**Harry's trunk was packed; Hedwig was back in her cage on top of it. He, Ron, and Hermione were waiting in the crowded entrance hall with the rest of the fourth years for the carriages that would take them back to Hogsmeade station. It was another beautiful summer's day. He supposed that Privet Drive would be hot and leafy, its flower beds a riot of color, when he arrived there that evening. The thought gave him no pleasure at all.**

**"'Arry!"**

**He looked around. Fleur Delacour was hurrying up the stone steps into the castle. Beyond her, far across the grounds. Harry could see Hagrid helping Madame Maxime to back two of the giant horses into their harness. The Beauxbatons carriage was about to take off.**

**"We will see each uzzer again, I 'ope," said Fleur as she reached him, holding out her hand. "I am 'oping to get a job 'ere, to improve my Eenglish."**

**"It's very good already," said Ron in a strangled sort of voice. Fleur smiled at him; Hermione scowled.**

"I couldn't resist using a little of the veela charm." Fleur chuckled, "Sorry Ron."

**"Good-bye, 'Arry," said Fleur, turning to go. "It 'az been a pleasure meeting you!"**

**Harry's spirits couldn't help but lift slightly as he watched Fleur hurry back across the lawns to Madame Maxime, her silvery hair rippling in the sunlight.**

"Seems you were affected a little zat time Harry." Fleur mused.

He shook his head, "It wasn't the Veela charm, it was knowing you weren't holding a grudge or hated me with how the tournament ended." he told her, "You're bound to know most of your classmates were amongst those that were looking at me suspiciously or talking about me behind their hands."

She looked surprised, "They were? I didn't know." she admitted, "Most of them avoided mentioning anything to do with the tournament at all when I was around." she shrugged, "Seemed to think I'd react badly."

**"Wonder how the Durmstrang students are getting back," said Ron. "D' you reckon they can steer that ship without Karkaroff?"**

**"Karkaroff did not steer," said a gruff voice. "He stayed in his cabin and let us do the vork."**

**Krum had come to say good-bye to Hermione. "Could I have a vord?" he asked her.**

**"Oh... yes... all right," said Hermione, looking slightly flustered, and following Krum through the crowd and out of sight.**

**"You'd better hurry up!" Ron called loudly after her. "The carriages'll be here in a minute!"**

**He let Harry keep a watch for the carriages, however, and spent the next few minutes craning his neck over the crowd to try and see what Krum and Hermione might be up to.**

**They returned quite soon. Ron stared at Hermione, but her face was quite impassive.**

**"I liked Diggory," said Krum abruptly to Harry. "He vos alvays polite to me. Alvays. Even though I vos from Durmstrang - with Karkaroff," he added, scowling.**

**"Have you got a new headmaster yet?" said Harry Krum shrugged. He held out his hand as Fleur had done, shook Harry's hand, and then Ron's. Ron looked as though he was suffering some sort of painful internal struggle.**

**Krum had already started walking away when Ron burst out, "Can I have your autograph?"**

Everybody laughed.

**Hermione turned away, smiling at the horseless carriages that were now trundling toward them up the drive, as Krum, looking surprised but gratified, signed a fragment of parchment for Ron.**

"Hey Harry? How come you couldn't see the thestrals on the way home?" Neville frowned.

"I dont know." Harry shrugged, "I don't think it had properly sunk in yet."

**The weather could not have been more different on the journey back to King's Cross than it had been on their way to Hogwarts the previous September. There wasn't a single cloud in the sky. Harry, Ron, and Hermione had managed to get a compartment to themselves.**

**Pigwidgeon was once again hidden under Rons dress robes to stop him from hooting continually; Hedwig was dozing, her head under her wing, and Crookshanks was curled up in a spare seat like a large, furry ginger cushion. Harry, Ron, and Hermione talked more fully and freely than they had all week as the train sped them southward. Harry felt as though Dumbledore's speech at the Leaving Feast had unblocked him, somehow. It was less painful to discuss what had happened now. They broke off their conversation about what action Dumbledore might be taking, even now, to stop Voldemort only when the lunch trolley arrived.**

**When Hermione returned from the trolley and put her money back into her schoolbag, she dislodged a copy of the Daily Prophet that she had been carrying in there. Harry looked at it, unsure whether he really wanted to know what it might say, but Hermione, seeing him looking at it, said calmly, "There's nothing in there. You can look for yourself, but there's nothing at all. I've been checking every day. Just a small piece the day after the third task saying you won the tournament. They didn't even mention Cedric. Nothing about any of it. If you ask me. Fudge is forcing them to keep quiet."**

**"He'll never keep Rita quiet," said Harry. "Not on a story like this."**

**"Oh, Rita hasn't written anything at all since the third task," said Hermione in an oddly constrained voice. "As a matter of fact," she added, her voice now trembling slightly, "Rita Skeeter isn't going to be writing anything at all for a while. Not unless she wants me to spill the beans on her."**

**"What are you talking about?" said Ron.**

**"I found out how she was listening in on private conversations when she wasn't supposed to be coming onto the grounds," said Hermione in a rush.**

"Ready to hear the blackmail we have on Skeeter?" Hermione smirked, "It's a good one."

**Harry had the impression that Hermione had been dying to tell them this for days, but that she had restrained herself in light of everything else that had happened.**

**"How was she doing it?" said Harry at once.**

**"How did you find out?" said Ron, staring at her.**

**"Well, it was you, really, who gave me the idea. Harry," she said.**

**"Did I?" said Harry, perplexed. "How?"**

**"Bugging," said Hermione happily.**

**"But you said they didn't work -"**

**"Oh not electronic bugs," said Hermione. "No, you see... Rita Skeeter" - Hermiones voice trembled with quiet triumph - "is an unregistered Animagus. She can turn -" Hermione pulled a small sealed glass jar out other bag. "- into a beetle."**

"She can, can she?" Kingsley grinned, "I think that will come in handy to know if she's ever badgering me for information, which is quite often."

"Your supposed to hand the information over." Arthur chuckled. "Being the Minister and all."

"True... I'll end up telling the Aurors to arrest her soon enough." he shrugged, "In the mean time I'll let them focus on catching the escaped Death Eater's. They really don't need anything else to deal with right now, especially bug hunting." he chuckled, "Though I might mention it to Gawain in the morning, he can decide when to focus on it." he added.

**"You're kidding," said Ron. "You haven't... she's not..."**

**"Oh yes she is," said Hermione happily, brandishing the jar at them.**

**Inside were a few twigs and leaves and one large, fat beetle.**

**"That's never - you're kidding -" Ron whispered, lifting the jar to his eyes.**

**"No, I'm not," said Hermione, beaming. "I caught her on the windowsill in the hospital wing. Look very closely, and you'll notice the markings around her antennae are exactly like those foul glasses she wears."**

**Harry looked and saw that she was quite right. He also remembered something.**

**"There was a beetle on the statue the night we heard Hagrid telling Madame Maxime about his mum!"**

**"Exactly," said Hermione. "And Viktor pulled a beetle out of my hair after we'd had our conversation by the lake. And unless I'm very much mistaken, Rita was perched on the windowsill of the Divination class the day your scar hurt. She's been buzzing around for stories all year."**

**"When we saw Malfoy under that tree..." said Ron slowly.**

**"He was talking to her, in his hand," said Hermione. "He knew, of course. That's how she's been getting all those nice little interviews with the Slytherins. They wouldn't care that she was doing something illegal, as long as they were giving her horrible stuff about us and Hagrid."**

"I'm amazed you understood the Slytherin's so well." Draco smirked. "That's exactly what happened."

**Hermione took the glass jar back from Ron and smiled at the beetle, which buzzed angrily against the glass.**

**"I've told her I'll let her out when we get back to London," said Hermione. "I've put an Unbreakable Charm on the jar, you see, so she can't transform. And I've told her she's to keep her quill to herself for a whole year. See if she can't break the habit of writing horrible lies about people."**

**Smiling serenely, Hermione placed the beetle back inside her schoolbag.**

**The door of the compartment slid open.**

**"Very clever. Granger," said Draco Malfoy.**

**Crabbe and Goyle were standing behind him. All three of them looked more pleased with themselves, more arrogant and more menacing, than Harry had ever seen them.**

**"So," said Malfoy slowly, advancing slightly into the compartment and looking slowly around at them, a smirk quivering on his lips. "You caught some pathetic reporter, and Potter's Dumbledore's favorite boy again. Big deal."**

**His smirk widened. Crabbe and Goyle leered.**

**"Trying not to think about it, are we?" said Malfoy softly, looking around at all three of them. "Trying to pretend it hasn't happened?"**

"You know, that was a really risky time for you to be anywhere near us." Harry scowled at Draco.

"Just the traditional bugging you on the train part. I wasn't actually considering how good an idea it was or wasn't at the time." he shrugged, his tone honest.

**"Get out," said Harry.**

**He had not been this close to Malfoy since he had watched him muttering to Crabbe and Goyle during Dumbledores speech about Cedric. He could feel a kind of ringing in his ears. His hand gripped his wand under his robes.**

**"You've picked the losing side, Potter! I warned you! I told you you ought to choose your company more carefully, remember? When we met on the train, first day at Hogwarts? I told you not to hang around with riffraff like this!" He jerked his head at Ron and Hermione. "Too late now. Potter! They'll be the first to go, now the Dark Lord's back! Mudbloods and Muggle-lovers first! Well - second - Diggory was the f -"**

**It was as though someone had exploded a box of fireworks within the compartment. Blinded by the blaze of the spells that had blasted from every direction, deafened by a series of bangs, Harry blinked and looked down at the floor.**

**Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle were all lying unconscious in the doorway. He, Ron, and Hermione were on their feet, all three of them having used a different hex. Nor were they the only ones to have done so.**

**"Thought we'd see what those three were up to," said Fred matter-of-factly, stepping onto Goyle and into the compartment. He had his wand out, and so did George, who was careful to tread on Malfoy as he followed Fred inside.**

Draco glared at George.

"You deserved it." he smirked.

Draco huffed, "Wasn't expecting to be hit from behind as well as from the front."

"It was your own fault." Hermione chuckled, "You should have known we'd have back-up, even if we didn't know the twins were there." she added.

**"Interesting effect," said George, looking down at Crabbe. "Who used the Furnunculus Curse?"**

**"Me," said Harry.**

**"Odd," said George lightly. "I used Jelly-Legs. Looks as though those two shouldn't be mixed. He seems to have sprouted little tentacles all over his face. Well, let's not leave them here, they don't add much to the decor."**

**Ron, Harry, and George kicked, rolled, and pushed the unconscious Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle - each of whom looked distinctly the worse for the jumble of jinxes with which they had been hit - out into the corridor, then came back into the compartment and rolled the door shut.**

**"Exploding Snap, anyone?" said Fred, pulling out a pack of cards.**

**They were halfway through their fifth game when Harry decided to ask them.**

**"You going to tell us, then?" he said to George. "Who you were blackmailing?"**

**"Oh," said George darkly. "That."**

**"It doesn't matter," said Fred, shaking his head impatiently. "It wasn't anything important. Not now, anyway."**

**"We've given up," said George, shrugging.**

**But Harry, Ron, and Hermione kept on asking, and finally, Fred said, "All right, all right, if you really want to know... it was Ludo Bagman."**

"You'll find out why in a minute." Fred cut his mother off as she was about to ask.

**"Bagman?" said Harry sharply. "Are you saying he was involved in -"**

**"Nah," said George gloomily. "Nothing like that. Stupid git. He wouldn't have the brains."**

**"Well, what, then?" said Ron.**

**Fred hesitated, then said, "You remember that bet we had with him at the Quidditch World Cup? About how Ireland would win, but Krum would get the Snitch?"**

**"Yeah," said Harry and Ron slowly.**

**"Well, the git paid us in leprechaun gold he'd caught from the Irish mascots."**

**"So?"**

**"So," said Fred impatiently, "it vanished, didn't it? By next morning, it had gone!"**

**"But - it must've been an accident, mustn't it?" said Hermione.**

**George laughed very bitterly.**

**"Yeah, that's what we thought, at first. We thought if we just wrote to him, and told him he'd made a mistake, he'd cough up. But nothing doing. Ignored our letter. We kept trying to talk to him about it at Hogwarts, but he was always making some excuse to get away from us."**

**"In the end, he turned pretty nasty," said Fred. "Told us we were too young to gamble, and he wasn't giving us anything."**

**"So we asked for our money back," said George glowering.**

**"He didn't refuse!" gasped Hermione.**

**"Right in one," said Fred.**

**"But that was all your savings!" said Ron.**

**"Tell me about it," said George. "'Course, we found out what was going on in the end. Lee Jordan's dad had had a bit of trouble getting money off Bagman as well. Turns out he's in big trouble with the goblins. Borrowed loads of gold off them. A gang of them cornered him in the woods after the World Cup and took all the gold he had, and it still wasn't enough to cover all his debts. They followed him all the way to Hogwarts to keep an eye on him. He's lost everything gambling. Hasn't got two Galleons to rub together. And you know how the idiot tried to pay the goblins back?"**

**"How?" said Harry.**

**"He put a bet on you, mate," said Fred. "Put a big bet on you to win the tournament. Bet against the goblins."**

**"So that's why he kept trying to help me win!" said Harry. "Well - I did win, didn't I? So he can pay you your gold!"**

**"Nope," said George, shaking his head. "The goblins play as dirty as him. They say you drew with Diggory, and Bagman was betting you'd win outright. So Bagman had to run for it. He did run for it right after the third task."**

**George sighed deeply and started dealing out the cards again.**

**The rest of the journey passed pleasantly enough; Harry wished it could have gone on all summer, in fact, and that he would never arrive at King's Cross... but as he had learned the hard way that year, time will not slow down when something unpleasant lies ahead, and all too soon, the Hogwarts Express was pulling in at platform nine and three-quarters. The usual confusion and noise filled the corridors as the students began to disembark. Ron and Hermione struggled out past Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle, carrying their trunks. Harry, however, stayed put.**

**"Fred - George - wait a moment."**

**The twins turned. Harry pulled open his trunk and drew out his Triwizard winnings.**

**"Take it," he said, and he thrust the sack into George's hands.**

**"What?" said Fred, looking flabbergasted.**

**"Take it," Harry repeated firmly. "I don't want it."**

**"You're mental," said George, trying to push it back at Harry.**

**"No, I'm not," said Harry. "You take it, and get inventing. It's for the joke shop."**

**"He is mental," Fred said in an almost awed voice.**

**"Listen," said Harry firmly. "If you don't take it, I'm throwing it down the drain. I don't want it and I don't need it. But I could do with a few laughs. We could all do with a few laughs. I've got a feeling we're going to need them more than usual before long."**

**"Harry," said George weakly, weighing the money bag in his hands, "there's got to be a thousand Galleons in here."**

**"Yeah," said Harry, grinning. "Think how many Canary Creams that is."**

**The twins stared at him.**

**"Just don't tell your mum where you got it... although she might not be so keen for you to join the Ministry anymore, come to think of it..."**

**"Harry," Fred began, but Harry pulled out his wand.**

**"Look," he said flatly, "take it, or I'll hex you. I know some good ones now. Just do me one favor, okay? Buy Ron some different dress robes and say they're from you."**

Ron glared at Harry, who looked guilty but unapologetic at the same time.

**He left the compartment before they could say another word, stepping over Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle, who were still lying on the floor, covered in hex marks.**

**Uncle Vernon was waiting beyond the barrier. Mrs. Weasley was close by him. She hugged Harry very tightly when she saw him and whispered in his ear, "I think Dumbledore will let you come to us later in the summer. Keep in touch, Harry."**

**"See you. Harry," said Ron, clapping him on the back.**

**"'Bye, Harry!" said Hermione, and she did something she had never done before, and kissed him on the cheek.**

**"Harry - thanks," George muttered, while Fred nodded fervently at his side.**

"It really wasn't a problem." Harry grinned, "You'd do better with it than me, and I was right about everyone needing a laugh." the twins grinned at him.

"I had wondered where you got your start up money." Molly smiled, "I may not have agreed with the idea of a joke shop then, but I think it's brilliant now." she admitted.

**Harry winked at them, turned to Uncle Vernon, and followed him silently from the station.**

**There was no point worrying yet, he told himself, as he got into the back of the Dursleys' car.**

**As Hagrid had said, what would come, would come... and he would have to meet it when it did.**

"And that was 4th year." Harry smiled, "What do you think?"

"It was definitely eventful." Lily smiled.

"And slightly terrifying." James chuckled, "I'm just glad you gave us a warning."

"Was all of your years at Hogwarts like that?" Regulus asked.

"Pretty much." Harry nodded.

"We always seemed to get in trouble at the end of the year." Ron mused.

"Sometimes the start but it's never overly dangerous until the end of the year." Hermione smirked.

"It's normal for us now." Harry shrugged. "Even more people started getting dragged into it too. Mainly the DA and Order of the Phoenix." he added.

"Or rather the Advanced Guard you weren't aware existed until you were moved from Privet Drive to Order headquarters?" Remus suggested.

"Yes, you lot interfered quite a bit."

"That's because we're good at it." Dora smirked as Teddy stirred on Remus's knee. "How long has it been since Teddy took that potion?"

"4 and a half hours. He'll be waking up now." Andy smiled as Teddy's hair went bright turquoise from the dark sleepy blue it was before.

"Mummy?" the boy mumbled sleepily.

"Yes Teddy." she asked.

"Wh're Moon?"

"Right here." she smiled handing him the stuffed wolf as he sat up a bit more with a yawn. He took the toy and reached for her so she took him off Remus's knee.

Remus rubbed his legs, "He's getting heavy." he commented.

"It's a good thing." Harry smiled, "Especially because he refuses to eat a lot around the full moon."

"Sometimes he wont eat at all." Andy nodded, "So we end up feeding him as much as he wants for a few days before he refuses to eat." she explained.

"What are we doing for the rest of today then?" Dudley asked.

"Hmm... We wont start 5th year until tomorrow so it's up to you lot what you do."

"Until 9pm that is." Fred grinned.

"Lee's bringing over some fireworks to the Burrow from the shop so we're going to give you lot a fireworks show." George smirked.

"And no Mum they won't attack anyone." Fred added noticing Molly's wary look. "We decided those one's need work because of their tendency to explode at the wrong time."

"Good." Molly smiled, "Those were a nightmare."

"Although we still have those ones that follow people for about half an hour like a bee might follow you." George chuckled.

"Meaning they fly about your ears and buzz in an annoying high pitched voice that squeals 'I will have order', taken from a statement by the Ministry last year that they will have order and anything less than order wouldn't be tolerated, at irregular times." Fred smirked. "But I think those need work too, they sound uncannily like Umbridge and that is considered torture to listen to her for half a minute, never mind half an hour. We need to change the voice, possibly some of the phrases they say too." he mused.

"We'll change the voice to something more tolerable then." George agreed, "Maybe a deep voice. Or we could go around and get quotes from well known people and have the fireworks buzz it in their voice."

"We could." Fred nodded, "We'll work on it later." he shrugged. "In the meantime we're heading to the shop." he said before George and he left. Percy and Charlie headed towards the Floo saying they were going to the Burrow for a while before they too had disappeared.

"Anyone have any suggestions on what to do for the rest of the day?" Ginny asked.

"Me! We should go exploring." Jex said bouncing up and down.

Jinx nodded eagerly. "Exploring where?" he asked his brother.

"Here, the big stone castle."

"Yeah, let's explore the castle." Jinx started bouncing too.

"We have two votes for exploring the castle." Harry chuckled.

"I think I'll head back to the Ministry, I still have mountains of paperwork." Kingsley groaned, "I'll see you all tomorrow." he waved before going to the fire place, with a shouted 'Ministry of Magic, Ministers office!' and a flash of green flames he was gone.

"I'd be up for exploring." Dudley shrugged, "Maybe try out how fast I can run as Falcon." he smirked.

"It's true we haven't really had the chance to do that yet." Ginny nodded, "None of us know our top speed. I'm all for exploring the castle as Misty too."

"What about you lot?" Harry asked the others.

"I think I'll give Petunia and Amber a tour of the castle if they want." Lily smiled as he sister and niece-in-law nodded in confirmation. "It is alright with you isn't it Minerva?"

"Of course, take as long as you need." Minerva smiled.

"We were going to just walk around." Frank shrugged gesturing to his wife, son and Luna.

"Ron? Hermione?" Ginny asked.

"We'll come exploring with you." Hermione smiled as Ron nodded.

"What about you three?" Harry asked the Marauders.

"You want to go exploring with them?" Remus asked James and Sirius who shrugged then nodded. "We'll come with you."

"Minerva how many people are in the castle?" James asked.

"A few, mainly Fillius, Hagrid, Pomona, Jean, Horace, Poppy and myself. It seems most of the staff are on holiday, though some have resigned." she shrugged. "Why?"

"Just incase we run into someone... Who's Jean?" Sirius asked.

"Jean Sinistra, she currently teaches Astronomy. You probably won't run into her though, she's usually in the staff room or in her personal rooms through the day." Minerva smiled.

"Do the staff know we're here?" Harry frowned.

"Pomona and Fillius do." she admitted.

"Right, if we run into anyone change back so they're not startled by massive wolves running around." Ginny chuckled.

"We have an appointment with a healer at 4 so we're going to head to St Mungo's." Bill smiled. He and Fleur dissapeared through the Floo.

"And we're going to go see my sister and see if she's sorry yet." Astoria said making Draco groan.

"Oh, she is sorry. We bumped into her at Diagon and she said she want's to see you. And Draco, Blaise is back in the country and want's to talk to you, he's staying with Daphne." Hermione told them, "I almost forgot about that."

"If your going there can you give these to Blaise and Daphne?" Minerva said holding out two letters, "It's to see if there returning to school next month." she explained as Draco took them.

"We'll make sure they get them." he promised before the two went through the Floo with a shouted 'Greengrass Manor'.

"Cissy, Andy, Dora? What do you three plan to do?"

"Hmm... We'll join Lily, Amber and Petunia if they have no objections." Dora smiled while shifting Teddy's position on her knee.

"Of course not, you're more than welcome to join us." Petunia smiled.

"Regulus?" Sirius inquired.

"I'll just come along with you lot." he shrugged, "I can keep James company whilst the rest of you are speed testing." he smirked.

"A very good point." James nodded, grinning at the younger man.

"That's everyone got something to do then. When we're all heading back to the Burrow we can call everyone with their P.C.D's." Hermione smiled, "Everyone has their P.C.D's with them, don't they?"

Everyone did and they all went in their separate groups to do what they had said they would.

* * *

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	51. Chapter 51

Chapter 51 - Exploring and Stories.

19, August, 1998.

As the group that was going exploring was about to change Harry turned to Jinx and Jex, "You two stay close to one of us at all times okay?" he asked.

"Why?" Jinx asked.

"Because you might get lost and it's not always safe for little cubs around here." Ginny said sternly, "So stay close to one of us and no wandering off." she warned.

"Fine." both cub's agreed, a little reluctantly.

"It's for your own safety." Harry sighed, "I know you don't like it but it's necessary until your bigger."

"We know." Jinx sighed, "It wont be long until we're bigger anyway. Guardian Wolves like us grow big within a few minutes of bonding to our two-legger and we can both smell our two-legger's off of you."

"Casper and Jasper?" Harry asked, "If it's them then you'll be meeting them before next full moon." he said.

Soon all the Lycan's were running around the halls, James and Regulus watching the cubs while the others raced up and down the corridor.

Eventually they gave up with the races, because Shadow always won and was determined the fastest, so they decided to explore a few different floor's.

Shadow stopped outside a blank stretch of wall on the 7th floor making the other's stop too, James was on Moony's back - Regulus on Misty's - so he climbed down as Shadow changed back into Harry.

"What's up?" James frowned.

"Do you lot want to see where I trained up the DA? I know you three have seen it," he told Misty, Smokey and Paws, "and you all know it was in the Room of Requirement but do you actually want to see it?" Harry asked.

"Sure." James shrugged as the wolves and Padfoot changed back, Misty kneeling so Regulus could get off first.

"Where is it?" Dudley asked.

"Right here." Hermione smirked as Harry walked up and down the corridor three times making a door appear on the blank bit of wall.

Ginny opened the door and waved them inside.

Inside those who hadn't seen the room before looked shocked.

"I can't beleive we never found this place." Sirius muttered as he looked around.

"You had a good training room." Remus smiled looking at the books and the dummies for target practice, "Is this the exact room you used?"

"Exactly the same room." Ron confirmed, "See that burn mark there?" he pointed at a black smudge on the wall above one of the target's, "That was from when we worked on target practice with stunners." he smiled fondly.

"Harry what are these?" Dudley asked, he was looking at a table with little objects on it.

"Dark Detectors, Dud. They told us when an enemy was approaching." Harry grinned, "Sneakoscopes, a Foe-Glass, Traitor Trinket's to pick up any untrustworthy people, Fred and George were the ones that created the Traitor Trinket's according to Neville."

"They made them when you three were in hiding." Ginny told the Golden Trio.

"We missed quite a bit when we were away." Hermione sighed.

"Why exactly did you have to go into hiding?" Dudley asked.

"The war, same reason why you had to go into hiding with Aunt Petunia and Vernon." Harry sighed, "You saw in the memories that Voldemort wanted me dead by no hand but his. We couldn't trust staying in one place and travelling between Order houses every few day's was too risky."

"We had a job to do that no one could know about but it was impossible to hide it while trying to figure out our next move, we couldn't risk being overheard you see." Hermione explained, "So it was just the three of us moving around the country for months on end."

"Living and going on basically nothing. A few time's we went to go see members of the light side. We stayed with Bill and Fleur for the two month's before the Final Battle, we visited Xenophilius Lovegood before that and we stayed at Grimmauld place for a while when we first left." Ron added.

"It was horrible." Ginny shuddered, "My brother, Hermione who is like a sister to me and the love of my life all gone for almost 10 months without a single word from any of them. Simply vanished without a trace. That's how I got so close to Neville and Luna, they didn't pretend to know what I was going through at that time and they knew we had to re-start the DA just to stay alive and fighting."

"So the three of you took over while we couldnt." Harry nodded, "Gin I know it hurt you, it hurt everyone really... It was painful not being there for people who cared for us but we did what we had to do."

"Doesn't mean I like it." she huffed.

"I don't think any of us liked it all that much Ginny." Remus sighed, "It was really difficult not knowing if you three were safe or not." he frowned. "I know you apparently had to but... All three of you were barely even adult's, Harry you were literally just 17 the day before you left."

"We had no choice in leaving." Ron pointed out, "Or we probably would have waited a few days." he mentally asked for some beanbags and one appeared for each of them so they all sat down.

"Let's change the topic. We have nothing more to say on that matter until after the memories and it's depressing." Hermione pouted.

"I know." Sirius smirked, "Who wants to hear some stories?"

"Stories? What kind of stories?" Harry asked suspiciously as Jinx claimed his knee and Jex claimed Ginny's.

"Stories about our time at school, what kind of pranks we pulled, what we got caught doing and things like that." Sirius shrugged.

"Like the time we upset Minerva in second year? The one with the bow, the sticking charm and the pink polka dotted dress?" Remus chuckled.

"Now this sounds interesting." Dudley grinned.

"It was not so long after we became friends with Moony maybe half way through our second year, and we'd been attempting to master a temporary sticking charm, we had been practicing in our dorm and when we thought we had it we decided to use it in our next prank." James explained.

"Well it went wrong. We were attempting to use the charm to stick a lot of hair bow's to the ceiling of the Great Hall so they would fall when the change fast hex Moony set up had gone off." Sirius added.

"It kind of backfired a little. The change fast hex I used was supposed to turn all the boy's clothes purple and the girl's blue and the hair bow's were supposed to fall and land on everyones heads and stick there for the whole day." Remus chuckled, "So everyone went around with purple and blue robes as well as a bow in their hair that was the opposite colour of their clothes."

"So what happened?" Harry asked.

"Well as Moony said, it backfired. We were aiming for the whole school but it only worked on Minerva, even then it didn't work like it was supposed to." James laughed, "She ended up in a pink dress with white polka dots and a massive pink bow in her hair."

They all laughed.

"That's why we call her Minnie." Remus chuckled, "I was raised watching Disney movies and Minerva looked like Minnie Mouse, I told these two and Wormtail and since then we've called her Minnie. Though those two do it more than me." he laughed.

"She caught us for that one and we ended up with detention for a week." Sirius grinned, "It was worth it though."

"It was." James agreed. "Remember the time we got the House-Elves to help us prank the whole school?" he asked.

"Yeah, we put the potion in their drinks." Remus nodded, "It was at the end of our third year, that one, just a few days before the leaving feast."

"It was a potion that made them sound like animals all day." Sirius smirked, "Cissy got a owl and Lucius a frog, it was their 6th year and they were both prefects, neither of them noticed until they came to accuse us of doing something." he laughed, so did the others.

"I'm just thankful I didn't touch my drink." Regulus mused, "Though it was funny to watch." he grinned.

"That was a good prank though. The whole day of classes got cancelled because no one could talk if they had drank their drinks at breakfast." Remus grinned, "It's funny what some of the teachers got."

"I still think Dumbledore knew. He didn't touch his drink at all." Sirius explained, "Despite the fact we drank our drinks to make it seem less suspicious." he shrugged.

"What did you get?" Hermione asked.

"Funnily enough it was our alternate forms." James mused, "I sounded like Prongs, Sirius like Padfoot, Peter like Wormtail and Remus like Moony. We already knew about Moony by that point, and it was the day after we found out about our forms, we couldnt stop laughing when we did."

"So you all ended up sounding like your forms all day?" Ron laughed.

The Marauders nodded.

"It was funny what the teachers got, Minnie got a cat like her animagus, Slughorn got a snake, our DADA teacher got a snake too... Umm I forgot the rest." James muttered.

"The Astronomy teacher got a hawk, COMC got a Hippogriff, Flitwick got a eagle, Sprout got a horse... I can't remember the other teachers names." Sirius pouted.

"We got Filch too, he sounded like a sheep all day." Remus chuckled, "It never worked on Hagrid." he added.

"Sound's familiar." Harry smirked, "Almost nothing works on Hagrid."

"It's part of the giant blood I think." Hermione mused, "It'll stop some thing's working on him."

"Like how Polyjuice doesn't agree with Werewolves." Remus nodded, "It has no effect whatsoever. It's not dangerous to them, it just doesn't work."

"Really?" Dudley asked, "Why not?"

"It doesn't work on part humans." Sirius explained, "Never has."

"I wonder if it works on Lycans then?" Ron frowned, "'Mione have you -"

Hermione stopped him by pulling a vial out of the belt on her trousers. "Honestly, you and Harry always forget your belts."

"Hey! We don't always forget!" Harry protested.

"Belts?" James asked in confusion, the others looking very confused as well.

"We wear belts filled with potions if we ever leave the Burrow." Ginny explained, she lifted the side of her shirt to reveal she was wearing a belt that had vials of potion attached to it.

"Precautions. You never know when you might need a potion in a hurry." Harry smiled, "Like if you need to be disguised quickly."

"Which is what Polyjuice dose. So who want's to test it?" Hermione asked, Ron volunteered so she filled a little conjured egg cup with the disgusting looking potion and handed it to him.

"Who do you want to be?" Ginny smirked.

"Try it with me since it's only me who isn't some kind of canine." James suggested, Ron nodded so James took a hair from the back of his head and dropped it into the potion. The potion turned yellow, "The colour goes by power level and if you use Dark magic or not, or if you have used recently but not often it then the colour goes darker than your true colour." he explained to Dudley.

"Which is why it wouldn't be advisable for it to be tried with me." Regulus muttered, "I'll admit I used quite a bit of Dark magic in the past, not against other people but its still classed as Dark." he explained hastily, "And Dark magic leaves a residue on people who've used it, could be years before the residue disappears completely from me." he sighed.

"Took a few years to get off of me." Sirius told him, "Just being around Grimmauld left Dark magic traces, very weak traces mind you, but they existed. Just because of the amount of Dark magic used in the house at the time by our parents." he shuddered, "It doesn't cause damage or anything, but you're probably right about it not being advisable to try the Polyjuice with you."

Ron downed the potion, "Still nasty but better than Crabbe anyway." they all waited for about five minutes before a blue glow went all over Ron's body then faded slowly after another five minutes nothing more had happened.

"It doesn't work on Lycan's then. We'll need to remember that." Ginny smiled.

"Should be easy to remember it." Hermione nodded, "Or we can start making a list of everything we know so far." she suggested.

"I was actually thinking about that the other day, not just a list though." Harry grinned, "Flyers. When the building has been designed, built and opened to the public I was thinking we should have flyers for people to read about on Lycan's the benefits and disadvantages involved and how the change is performed." he explained.

"That actually sounds like a good idea." Remus said thoughtfully, "Especially when it comes to Werewolves being changed. I know a few who won't beleive something until they've seen proof of some sort but that could be easily fixed with an explanation or two from me or someone they trust. Like you Harry." he smirked at Harry's shocked look.

"Why would they trust me?"

"You ended the war, many of them didn't want to work with Greyback and would be glad of an opportunity to be considered an equal. When I was away during your 5th year and when I met a few of them through the year during your 6th quite a few said they wished they could meet you because you didnt seem to mind 'half-breeds' like Werewolves." he explained smiling. "Two young Werewolves I met, they were only 9, always asked about you whenever I was teaching them a few things."

"9 is pretty young." Dudley frowned.

"There's a few others I know who were bitten at 6. I was bitten at 4 myself." Remus admitted, "The transformation was supposed to be fatal for anyone younger than 6." he sighed, "I just got lucky I suppose, depends on how you look at it."

"You did get lucky. You were never alone and you got to go to school as well as having us around at full moons once we managed the Animagus transformation." James grinned, "You practically had the best health care after a full moon and you lived past 35."

"Your transformations never killed you." Sirius added, "You got married and had a kid, most Werewolves don't get that chance." he pointed out.

"No matter how reluctant you were at first." Harry smirked, "Not very nice of you to play hard to get with Dora." he mock-scolded.

"He's always played the I'm-Dangerous-And-Don't-Deserve-A-Family excuse." Sirius mused as Remus blushed, "I told you Dora didn't care the night I died. How long did it take for her to talk you around after that?"

"A year." he admitted quietly.

"That's with everyone ganging up on him at the end of the year, Mum trying to talk some sense into him through the year and Dora yelling at him a few times." Ginny smirked.

"Dad spoke to him a few times too." Ron added.

"How in the world do you know this?" Remus demanded.

"Please, Mum and Dad can't hide anything from us anymore." Ginny chuckled, "It's quite fun trying to figure stuff out on little bit's and pieces they let slip."

"That's how we figured out a lot of things too." Harry nodded, "Little bits and pieces helped us loads through the years."

"The people who let things slip either do it on purpose like Albus or don't realise they did it at all." Ron grinned, "Hagrid's the only one who notices but he doesn't try hiding stuff from us anymore anyway, he knows we'd get him to slip up eventually." he shrugged.

"That's true." Hermione nodded, "Unless he has a valid reason for not telling us we won't ask more than once, if he doesn't have a reason we usually talk him into telling us. We can be persuasive when we need or want to be."

"How persuasive?" Dudley asked.

"Persuasive enough to persuade anybody into anything." Ginny smirked, "Even the most stubborn person in the world."

"Hmm... That's kind of true but we don't know who the most stubborn person in the world is." Ron chuckled, "Put it this way, Harry's really stubborn and we can talk him into doing things he either doesn't want to or doesn't think is a good idea."

Harry nodded, "Same goes the other way around... I could convince Ron or Hermione into a few things. It works best if it's two on one though." he added.

"Like the DA." Ron nodded, "Harry was reluctant to teach everyone and it took both me and 'Mione to talk him into that."

"I swear that was force." Harry muttered, "You had already told people it was going to happen and then you had so many valid points so I _had_ to." he said putting emphasis on the 'had'.

"We were sure you were going to do it anyway." Hermione shrugged, "We knew how much the Toad From Hell annoyed you more than she did us."

"'Toad From Hell'?" Dudley asked.

"Our teacher in 5th year." Ron explained. "She looked like a toad and she was the worst teacher. So everyone called her the Toad From Hell."

"Who was it?" James asked.

"Dolores Umbridge." Remus growled, "Responsible for over half of the werewolf laws, including the one that means I couldn't get a job."

"Kingsley's eliminated that law already." Hermione smiled, "He's scrapped most of the laws made by blood purists and he scrapped the unfair laws too."

"Surely people would have protested." James commented.

"They did." Harry nodded, "Until Kingsley explained why and told the wizarding world if anyone tried to get the laws back without good reason they'd be arrested and questioned for their actions."

"He had our full support of course, so that helped people realise it can't be that bad." Ginny added.

"And he used Remus's case as an example of why some of the Werewolf laws should be scrapped." Ron grinned, "You weren't the only Werewolf that fought for the Light but you were the best known because of your connection to Harry." he told Remus who grinned.

"Brilliant, glad I could help."

"Teddy helped too." Harry added, "There were a few occasions he was with me during the court cases while we were scrapping the laws on Werewolves having families when he was about four or five months old." he explained, "People saw him with me and obviously they asked annoying questions at first, when they found out who his parents were and that your names were on the 'Heroes' monument on the grounds here they realised there wasn't a chance he could possibly be evil or dangerous and that maybe not all Werewolves were bad."

"Wait? What monument?" Sirius asked.

"Theres a monument here near Albus's tomb with the names of all the people who died in the war, both war's, on the light side." Ginny explained, "The five of you are on it, so's Fred and even Regulus is on it."

"I am?" Regulus inquired in surprise.

"You are." she nodded.

"Five of us?" James asked.

"Yes Dad, you, Mum, Sirius, Remus and Dora." Harry nodded, "I made sure of it. People were bothered about Sirius's and Regulus's names being on it at first." he admitted, "But once your names, were cleared they didn't bother about it anymore."

"Good." Sirius grinned, "And now I'm finally a free man."

"Yes you are." Remus chuckled, "Which is good because you don't have to go back to Grimmauld. Ever."

"Actually he does in a week or two." Harry smirked, "You all do."

"What've you done?" Regulus asked suspiciously.

"Well... Let's just say it's had a thorough cleaning and that there's going to be an Order meeting about the returnee's." Hermione told them, "Minerva's already agreed to have the meeting."

"Why?" Dudley asked, "I thought everyone already knew?"

"The Order's a suspicious bunch. A lot of them will want to see us again too." Remus reasoned.

"You'll all be joining a DA meeting too." Hermione added after a quick mind to mind discussion with Harry and Ron, "You all need to work on your dueling skills again and the DA can help with that. Well... Whoever returns to school next month that was in the DA, the original people mostly."

"I know Seamus and Dean are returning, so is Lavender, the Patil twins, Ernie MacMillan and Hannah Abbott." Ginny said, "A lot of us were in here for most of the year." she gestured the room, "It was a different room but we used to sit and talk about who would redo last year if they had the chance." she explained.

"Why were you in here?" Sirius frowned.

"When Albus died Death Eater's took over Hogwarts." Remus frowned, "Some of the DA got on the bad side of the Death Eater's that were staff here by rebelling and had to hide for their own safety."

"Led by Neville, Luna and I." Ginny grinned, "Neville was the first to have to hide in here, then I had to leave at Easter after being in here for a week and Luna well... I cant explain that now but a lot of us ended up in here. Almost the whole DA."

"The older members of the DA had left by then, like Fred and George." Hermione added. "So they didnt have to hide."

"Sounds like it was pretty tough." James sighed.

The four teens who were there and Remus nodded.

"Worse than the last war at any rate." Remus sighed.

"Things are looking up for the Wizarding world now though. Voldemort's gone and he's not coming back this time." Harry smiled sadly, "With a minister who knows what he's doing how could things not look up?"

"We'll find the Death Eater's that are on the loose again and everything will be fine or at least peaceful." Ron added, "No more war, no more constant fighting for survival, no more worrying if you're going home to find the Dark Mark above your house..."

"No more fear of being attacked walking down the street." Harry smiled.

"No more having to hide." Hermione put in.

"No more wondering who you can trust or who's going to be next in line to be killed." Ginny added.

"The only thing we really need to worry about are reporters but they're easy to get rid of most of the time." Harry smirked.

"Yeah by getting restraining orders." Ron snorted.

"That's only for the one reporter though." Ginny pointed out, "And he was really annoying. He kept asking inappropriate questions and wouldn't give up when we told him to leave us alone so we had to get him charged under section 5A of the decree of Reasonable Reporting." she explained those who didn't know.

"He crossed the line too many times." Harry added. "He was very interested in what happened to me after the war you see... When I was... ill. So he decided to follow me everywhere I went and ask me repeatedly what happened. I ended up punching him because he was starting to threaten me for answers and he kept butting in when I had Teddy with me in public and saying he'd kidnap him if I didn't tell him right then." he explained.

"So naturally we all got restraining orders, he wouldn't leave us alone either. I reckon he was stupid enough to think one of us would tell him behind Harry's back, and that would never happen." Ron said firmly. "Everyone else has one too, even Andy."

"You wont need to worry though." Hermione told them, "He wont bother you Dudley because nobody knows you're a latent wizard yet, and he wouldnt dare bother you three." she told the Marauders, "Because he'll think you won't know about it or he'll think we've told you what he did."

"He'd be too afraid to go anywhere near Remus if he thinks you know about it, which you do." Ron added, smirking slightly, "After all, you're cub was threatened."

Remus nodded, growling slightly, "Not just Teddy. Moony see's Harry as his cub too. Both were threatened. He'd better hope I dont run into him or that I can control Moony if I do."

"You'll be fine." Harry told him, "He's unlikely to cause any trouble. He know's if he comes near any of us he gets an extended visit to Azkaban for breaking the restraining order."

He nodded, looking slightly sheepish, "About Moony seeing you as a cub despite being an adult, Harry, you know I can't help that right?"

"It's fine." he chuckled, "I have a feeling any of my kids will always be called cub by Shadow no matter their age."

"Probably going to be the same for the rest of us too." Ginny mused, "I know I've already been thinking of the twins as our cubs instead of children." she admitted, "I never notice when it happens either."

"It's wolf mentality." Jex put in, "Wolves see anyone younger than them as cubs. So do most canines. It doesn't matter their age or gender."

Harry repeated what he'd said to the others, who looked thoughtful at this.

"You know... That technically means the majority of the Lycan's see us as cubs, and we're the Alpha's." Ginny muttered to Harry after a moment.

Dudley frowned, "Does it apply if it's same age people? There's only 2 months difference between Harry and I, it'd be a bit odd if I saw him as a cub."

Jinx answered this one with Ginny translating for him, "No, that doesn't count. It's if the age difference is more than 60 moons."

"It depends on relationship between the wolves too." Jex added.

"60 moons... That's 5 years, I think." Hermione said, counting quickly in her head, "Yes, 12 x 5 is 60." she nodded.

"What do you mean by it depends on relationship?" Harry asked the cubs.

"A wolf parent will always see their cubs as a cub no matter the age. Uncles or Aunts will see the cub as a cub until they have their own cubs, as will littermates, but sometimes they still see the wolf as a cub even if they have their own cubs." Jinx stated, "For Aunts and Uncles it depends on how close the bond is, if it's a close bond they keep seeing cubs, if its weaker they stop seeing cubs - when the younger one has their own litter. Littermates always stop seeing younger siblings as cubs when the younger siblings have their own cub or cubs."

"Not born at the same time littermates, like us." Jex said, "They're always just littermates in that case because there's not much difference in age. Other pack members who either aren't closely related to many in the pack or have no relation will see cubs as cubs until they're 168 moons old."

Hermione did some quick thinking once this had been translated, "That's around 14 years." she mused.

"So Aunt Petunia wouldn't see me as a cub since I have my own cubs?" Harry frowned, as if checking this fact.

Jinx nodded, "Just like the rest of the pack won't see you and Misty as cubs, because you're Alpha's as well as you have you're own cubs." he looked at Remus, "He'll always consider you his cub though. You know how you explained that 'adopting' thing Ginny?" she nodded, "His wolf has kind of adopted Harry, in a way. You're considered his not-born cub."

"It happens when the parents of a young cub die or disappear, a close Aunt or Uncle - even if they're only considered as such but there's no relation - will take the cub under their tail and help them grow like a parent would." Jex told them, "But Moony didn't raise you or see you often did he?" Harry shook his head, "My only guess for that would be because he's thought of you as a cub for so long, despite not being there often. You were a big part of his life?" he asked.

Ginny translated the jist of what they'd said and asked Remus the question.

Remus nodded, "A very large part." he admitted, flushing slightly, "To be perfectly honest with you, Harry was the only reason I didn't give up after that Halloween. Knowing I'd see him again stopped me losing my mind and ultimately driving myself into the ground." he smiled at the teen, who smiled back.

"Glad to know that, even if it's slightly sad." he said before translating it for the cubs, who had not understood all of what he'd said.

"Then that'll be why he still see's you as his cub." Jinx stated, "Because you were such a big part of his life. Its not only what we've said so far, it depends on circumstances and events happening regarding a cub too, from what we've seen of your life a lot of bad things happened and Moony will have stuck with the cub label because it lets him feel as though he can still protect you."

Remus smiled slightly when this was translated, "I never considered it like that. From the wolf's point of view."

"It's rather fortunate these two can tell us somethings we don't know then, it'll let us see a similar view to that of the true, non-magical, wolf." Hermione mused, "I doubt things like that are in books about wolves, the mentality side."

"True." Regulus nodded, "I've never once seen anything about mentality in any of the books I've read about Werewolves."

"Most aren't willing to discuss it." Remus shrugged, "Mostly its because people just dont care." he sighed, "If no one asks, they won't know anything about it. And, lets face it, hardly anyone is willing to talk to a Werewolf long enough to get the right facts and information, even then they put inaccurate information in books or just simply don't care to share the information with others because they're afraid of retribution for speaking the truth."

"The truth will come out." James stated.

"As soon as the center has started to be built." Harry nodded, "Or is halfway built, I'm thinking Christmas Holiday's to reveal the intentions of the building, it would give us plenty of time to get the needed information, staff, permissions etc."

"The permissions will be easy to get, all we need to do is tell Kingsley and he'll get us the needed forms and paperwork. I doubt we'll be refused once we've proved we're not dangerous and our intentions are pure." Ron reasoned.

"Might be more difficult." Dudley pointed out, "I'd bet it'll probably need all the current Lycan's to pitch in with getting the right one's. Because we're the first in however many years it's been since the species died out, people are bound to be cautious, aren't they? So it would likely need all of us to sign some forms and do certain bits of paperwork to prove all of the Lycan's intentions are pure, especially those of us who will likely be helping out at the center." he stated.

"That's actually a very good point." Regulus mused, "You'll probably have to do a few public speeches too."

"I know that." Harry nodded, making a face, "But I'll gladly do them if it helps people." he checked his watch, "It's time to head back." he told them, "We need to contact the others then go back to the Burrow."

They nodded and stood up, leaving the room and going back to Minerva's office - human all the way - they ran into the others on the way there, saving them from having to contact them, and they all headed to the Burrow through Minerva's Floo after bidding her farewell as she was doing paperwork.

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><p>Really sorry for disappearing for like 10 days, just been so busy with college as we're starting to do exams *gulp* but I promise I'll try and keep updating as much as possible :-)<p>

(Also you may have guessed this but I don't own Disney - I am however a big fan of Disney movies so there'll probably be a few more references)

Review please x


	52. Chapter 52

Chapter 52 - Fireworks.

19, August, 1998.

At the Burrow after dinner everyone was sitting outside in the warm night air. There were little lanterns giving off light floating about so everyone could see, it was dark enough that they were needed so they could see properly, though the sky was still a bit light it wasn't enough for them to see everything comfortably.

Fred and George were talking quietly with a man who had just arrived. The man had four large scars going down the side of his face and had brought two large boxes with him.

"Who's that?" James asked quietly.

"It's Lee Jordan, Fred and George's best friend." Ginny smiled.

"He's the one who used to do the commentary at Quidditch matches before he left school." Ron added.

"Really? I didn't recognise him." Lily said shocked.

"It's the scars. He was hit by a few curses through the war." Hermione sighed. "They weren't deadly but he refused to let Madame Pomfrey heal the wounds completely so they scarred quite badly."

"He won't tell anyone why he refused either." Ginny frowned.

"He's probably told the twins." Ron shrugged, "It was his decision. Like how we decided to let some of our own injuries scar instead of them healing." he added to Hermione who nodded.

"Why did you do that?" Lily asked.

"As a reminder of what we've been through, what it cost us and how we achieved our goal no matter how hard it was or how injured we were." Hermione smiled, "Some of the cuts we got were left to heal by themselves and left tiny little scars that cannot be seen unless we point them out."

"And some were due to lack of equipment. When we were away we mostly used Dittany because it was quick, convenient and we didn't know many healing spells that we wanted to risk trying." Harry added as the twins and Lee walked over to the end of the garden and started unpacking the two boxes.

"That's true." Ron nodded, "Like the bit missing on my shoulder was when I was splinched." he winced.

"I knew how to fix it but I didn't want to risk it so I just used Dittany." Hermione explained.

"I suppose it's for the best really." James mused, "Splinching is difficult at the best of times and you didn't want to try something and have it go wrong."

"It takes trained healers or members of the Accidental Magic Squad to fix it most of the time." Lily nodded.

"So what are they doing?" James asked nodding towards the twins who were dancing around an irritated Lee.

"Teasing Lee about Angelina." Harry smirked. "I can hear them." he explained.

"So can I." Ginny nodded.

"I can almost hear them if I strain my ears." Hermione shrugged as Ron nodded.

"Well you two must have better hearing than us." he chuckled.

"Could be 'cause we've had more practice at listening in." Ginny told them. "Me with finding out things Mum didn't want me to know..."

"And me with listening for danger or trying to find out things with Death Eaters that no one seemed to think important enough to tell me." Harry smirked, "There's always something someone's not telling us and it's usually important or at least interesting."

"I see your point on that one." Hermione nodded.

"Oh Ginny? Our favourite little sister." George said appearing behind the group.

"I'm your only little sister." Ginny pointed out, rolling her eyes fondly at her brother.

"Never mind that. Can you give us a hand please?"

"To do what?"

"We're setting up the fireworks but we can't decide how far to put them." he explained, "We don't want them too close to the Burrow and everyone but they can't be outside of the protective enchantments or Muggles will see them. We just need you to check the distance between the boundaries and the setup site as Lee, Fred and I lay them out. "

Ginny nodded and followed him over to where Fred and Lee were standing next to the two big boxes Lee had brought.

"Odd." Ron frowned, "Fred and George usually know exactly where to put them."

"Not all the time and never with such a large group of people." Harry pointed out.

"Do they do firework shows often?" Lily asked.

"The last one was just before the war got worse as far as we know." Hermione sighed, "To be honest we still dont really know what happened here or elsewhere while we were in hiding."

"We just know the basics." Harry added, "The big things."

"Like what?" James asked.

"Mainly arrests, deaths, attacks and some information on the Order that was of interest." Ron shrugged, "We were pretty beaten up so we've not had the chance to find out the little things."

"What do you mean by pretty beaten up?" Lily frowned.

"Inside and out." Harry sighed, "We were pretty worse off, nothing life threatening mind you. You remember the picture Dudley showed? The one with the three of us and Ginny outside of Hogwarts, from the Prophet?"

"Yeah, we could see almost every one of your bones... Well the three of you." James amended.

"That picture was two days after the final battle." Ron winced. "Mum had got a hold of 'Mione and I by then but we, none of us three, had appetites at all."

Ginny re-joined them at that point. "Fred seems to be having a little trouble with his memory, he forgot where they set the fireworks up last time and was arguing about it." she explained.

"That's not like Fred. I don't think I've known him to forget anything." Ron frowned.

"It'll be with us being dead for a while." Remus commented having heard this, "It's making some memories go slower."

"How come you never mentioned it before?" Harry asked.

"There's not much we can do about it." Remus shrugged, he had Teddy on his hip.

"I reckon it'll speed up eventually." James shrugged.

Teddy reached for Harry so Harry took him.

"Hello Teddy." Harry smiled.

"Unca Har? Hung'y." the boy said.

"Will we go see if we can find a snack for you then?" Harry smiled, he went inside with Teddy.

Remus watched them go with a small smile.

"You know Remus, I think this is the happiest I've seen you since we met." Dora said coming up behind him.

"Not being a werewolf anymore helps." he admitted, "So does not being at war and getting a second chance at life. We'll be able to watch our son grow up..." he trailed off.

Harry came back outside with Teddy happily eating bits of soft, almost mashed, fruit from a bowl Harry was holding.

"Quite amazing how you do that." Ginny smiled, "Teddy only ever eats fruit, other than mashed banana, for you."

Harry chuckled, "Because he knows that if he doesn't then he wont get chocolate milk from me until tomorrow."

"So you basically bribe him to eat it?" Dora guessed.

"Yeah. He does like fruit he just likes being fussy about eating it for other people more." he explained.

"Including Andy." Ginny nodded as Teddy picked up a bit of banana and ate it. "You are literally the only person who's been able to get him to willingly eat other types of fruit than banana."

"George got him to eat some once." Harry pointed out.

"Then he got his face covered in mashed apple and carrot." Hermione smirked.

They all laughed.

"That was funny." Ron grinned.

"It was." Ginny agreed.

"So he's fussy about fruit?" Remus chuckled.

"All fruit except mashed banana." Hermione nodded.

"'Nana." Teddy said happily mashing a bit in his chubby fists.

"You're meant to eat it Teddy, not squish it." Harry grinned.

Teddy looked at him and put his banana covered hand in his mouth.

"There that's better. Is it good?" Ginny asked. Teddy just looked at her blankly. She took a bit of soft apple from the bowl and offered it to him when he finished, "Are you going to eat this for me?" she asked.

Teddy frowned but took the bit of apple and looked at it before throwing it on the ground, "No." he giggled.

"Why not?" Harry asked.

"No." he said again, still giggling.

Ginny vanished the bit of apple on the ground.

"See? He wont eat it for anyone but Harry. Why don't one of you try?" Hermione told Remus and Dora.

Remus shrugged and took a bit of orange from the bowl, "Teddy can you eat this for me?" he asked his son holding the orange out.

Teddy took the orange and slowly ate it.

"Well thats a first." Harry chuckled, "He won't even eat oranges for me half the time." he commented as Teddy picked up a bit of apple and looked at it before putting it back for a bit of banana.

"Ladies, Gentlemen and children!" Fred's voice shouted.

"Get comfortable for our magnificent Flaming Firework show!" George's voice came.

Everyone turned around from their conversations to see the twins and Lee standing a little away from the fence at the end of the garden. Lee was holding a red button.

"5... 4... 3... 2... 1... Blast off!" Lee pushed the button and five fireworks exploded into the sky, one was gold and the others were, red, green, blue and yellow.

These were followed by smaller explosions that were multi coloured fireworks that formed them into the shape of two fighting dragons before changing into three hippogriffs that cantered around only to be joined by more explosions as a centaur appeared and started chasing the three hippogriffs.

Once the first four were gone a dragon resembling a Hungarian Horntail exploded into existance and breathed out more fireworks that fizzed and crackled around while the dragon tried to eat them all.

Everyone was cheering or clapping by this point.

Then came something totally unexpected, it was a firework that changed into the image of a troll with a club and three little figures (made of red, gold and silver sparks) standing around it. The three figures beat the troll in a similar fashion to what the Golden Trio did when they were 11, the show prompted more loud cheer's around the garden.

Then two of the figures and the troll disappeared to be replaced by a giant snake and a smaller figure riding the snake.

The first figure suddenly had a silver firework in its hand and threw it at the snake, the snake exploded when the silver one flew into its open mouth and the first figure caught the smaller one as it fell from where it had been riding the snake.

Everyone cheered again as the fireworks all disappeared.

"Now for our grand finale!" Lee's voice, magically amplified, boomed.

Then after a few seconds of silence, there was multiple crackles as various animals appeared, the same amount for everyone in the garden and in the same forms as there was on the P.C.D's making everyone laugh as they chased and played with each other in the dark sky.

Once the animals disappeared everyone looked at the smirking twins.

"That's all we have for you unfortunately." Fred told them.

There was a shrill whistling sound and he turned around confused.

"Or it should be." George frowned. "How many did you bring Lee?"

"Around 100 of the special effect variety." Lee frowned, "There was only one left over and it shouldnt activate untill it's told..." he cut off as a stay firework shot from a box on the ground and shot up into the sky leaving an orange streak behind it.

The stray firework suddenly rounded and started headed back toward's the ground, and everyone standing there.

"Everyone get inside now! We need to get rid of it!" George yelled, everyone did as they were told except Harry who handed Teddy, and his bowl of fruit, to Dora as she and Remus ran inside.

"Harry go now!" Fred yelled.

Harry ignored him while running forward unconsciously raising his arms and sent a strong pulse of energy towards the firework as it headed for Lee. The rogue firework exploded into a million peices and no longer existed. He then promptly collapsed.

The twins ran over to him, Fred got there first and checked his pulse, "Crap." he cursed only finding a pulse so faint it was barely there, "Someone get Mum." he commanded.

George hurriedly ran inside and reappeared a minute later with Molly and Andy in tow.

"What happened?" Andy asked starting to cast diagnosis spells on Harry's unconscious form.

"We don't know exactly what he did but it was like he sent a lot of power towards the firework, it exploded then vanished." Lee explained. "It was about to attack me."

"His pulse feels really weak." Fred added.

Andy frowned, "He'll be fine but... Molly can you get Ginny and James for me?"

Molly nodded worriedly and went inside, James came out a minute later.

"How's he doing?" he asked, he didn't seem very worried.

"He'll be fine, he's just unconscious. Where's Ginny?" Andy asked frowning.

"She passed out, so she's on one of the couches in the living room." he shrugged. "Dont worry about Harry, he'll be fine. It'll be his magic making his pulse seem weak, I can feel that it's wrapped around him tightly right now. He's just used his first big bit of raw power since his power level reached such a high number, it's a normal thing for that to happen with high power levels."

"Why'd Ginny pass out then?" George frowned.

"I dont know... The only thing I can think of is that they were using their soul bond and she got hit with the backlash of Harry's magic." James shrugged.

"Is that possible?" Fred asked.

"Highly possible." Andy nodded. "I'm guessing something similar to this happened to you James?"

"Not with a soul bond but yeah, Lily might tell you exactly what happened. I was unconscious so I couldn't tell you properly but she could."

Harry twitched then groaned as he opened his eyes, "Who ran me over with a hippogriff?"

"No one, you over-taxed yourself." James chuckled, "Come on, up you come." he pulled Harry to his feet and supported him so he didn't fall. "Let's go get you a pain reducer." he said as the small group headed inside, James still holding onto Harry.

When they got inside and went into the living room they found Ginny sitting up on the couch and James pushed Harry down on the couch next to her, Molly handed Harry a potion which he drank quickly. Everyone else had gone upstairs or were in the kitchen except the Marauders, twins, Molly and Ginny, knowing they'd be told when it had been figured out and there was no point hovering around.

"You're a prat." Ginny told Harry, scowling.

"I didnt know it would affect you too." he protested.

"What exactly was 'it'?" Remus asked.

"Raw power." James supplied.

"Like what you used the second time we escaped from Voldemort?" Lily asked.

"I think so." he shrugged.

"It will have been." Sirius nodded, "The question is how did that firework escape?"

"Lee's working on it now." Fred promised, "We don't know because it wasn't supposed to do that."

"We didn't make that batch." George added.

"We didn't?" Fred asked surprised.

"No, it was one Mr Seamus Finnigan." he told his twin. "Remember I told you I hired him for the summer to help with the pyrotechnics."

"Seamus would've been careful." Ginny pointed out, "It might've just been a defect in that batch."

"We do get them once in a while." Fred reluctantly admitted.

"We'll get Seamus to check it out." George added, "We don't want another incident like this."

Lee walked in, "You're not going to like this." he warned throwing a tube to George, "It's safety powder wasn't attached."

"Odd, I could've sworn they get checked at least three times for the special effect fireworks." George frowned while examining the tube.

"There's no damage on the box so it wasn't on purpose." Lee added.

"How long has that box been sealed for?" Fred questioned.

"Since June." George sighed, "I think Ginny has a point, it could've been a defect in this batch... Or we need to work on the charms that keep the safety powder where it's supposed to be."

"That seems to be a new feature." Remus commented.

"It only got added in February when one of the fireworks set the lawn on fire." Molly told him.

"We didn't know it would do that." George pointed out. "And it was a new type of firework so it was experimental."

"And you did agree to let them test it in the garden Mum." Ginny smirked.

"I'm going to drop this off at the store and I'll see you later." Lee said taking the tube off George and waving his goodbye, the twins said goodnight and went upstairs.

Just as he left Ron and Hermione came in holding Jinx and Jex.

"You're a prat, Harry." Ron said.

"What is it with everyone calling me a prat?" Harry pouted.

"You scared these two when you passed out." Hermione told Ginny and Harry, "They were upstairs hiding in a cupboard."

"We're sorry." Ginny said to the cubs, "We didn't mean it, Harry used a lot of magic and I got hit with the backlash of it."

"What's that?" Jinx asked.

"It's when magic turns around and hits it's castor but since I was talking to Ginny through our soul bond she got hit too." Harry explained. "And we are really sorry for scaring you two."

"It's alright, we're just glad you're okay." Jex said jumping from Ron's arms to Ginny's knee. Jinx copied but jumped from Hermione to Harry.

"Your lucky Teddy didnt see you mate." Ron added, "You know how he gets when you don't respond when he shout's on you."

"Yes, he's very very loud." Harry winced.

"You know this how?" Remus asked curiously.

"Mainly waking up with him screaming in my ear." he explained, "A few times I've pretended to be knocked out or I've fallen asleep holding him, he doesn't like it at all." he added looking sheepish.

"Sounds like something I used to do with you." James chuckled, "You just laughed though."

"Teddy laughs if anyone does it except Harry." Ginny grinned, "He's very protective of his Godfather."

"That's a good thing." Remus chuckled.

After talking for a few more minutes everyone except Harry, Ginny, Ron and Hermione went up to bed, saying they'd had enough excitement for one day.

"So you're planning on showing them what we did to Grimmauld?" Hermione asked Harry.

"Yeah, though not until they've seen what it used to look like in the memories." he said.

"I hope they're alright with it. Especially Regulus." Ginny sighed.

"He should be alright with it, and Kreacher managed to move Mrs Black's portrait to the attic. He told me this morning before we left for Hogwarts." Harry smiled.

"I'm guessing that's when you said you'd forgotten something?" Ron asked.

"Yeah I was checking in with him and he said that's the house is finished and that he likes the changes." Harry said before yawning, "I'm going to head up to bed." he decided.

The other three nodded and they all went up to their beds for the night.

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><p>Review please x<p> 


	53. Chapter 53

Chapter 53 - Fifth Year (Part 1)

20, August, Friday, 1998.

The next morning everyone had arrived and they were just waiting on Harry starting the memories.

"Dudley can I talk to you for a minute?" Harry asked, Dudley looked confused but followed him to the kitchen anyway. "I have to show the Dementor attack."

"Oh." Dudley sighed. "And I was a git. I'm sorry about what I said by the way." he winced, remembering his exact words.

"Apology accepted. I thought I'd just warn you that the others, especially Ron, Hermione and Ginny, might not be very happy with you. They're very overprotective at times, something like that is likely to annoy them, big time."

Dudley nodded, "Mum knows about it, I told her everything about what I used to do when Dad was killed and how I realised it was wrong. She wasn't too impressed." he winced.

Harry sighed, "I don't want to make you out as a bad guy but most of the others have already heard about it. It's just hearing about something isn't always as bad as seeing it." he said as the two went back to the living room.

"Harry, Albus asked if we could go to Hogwarts so he can see what happened this year." Minerva told him, "He's very curious." she added.

"He would be." he muttered, "I don't have a problem if no one else does." he shrugged.

No one did so soon enough they were all sitting in Minerva's office, magically expanded for comfort.

"Ah, Harry my boy. So glad you could come." Albus smiled.

"No problem Albus. I know how curious you are about what happened this year." Harry grinned, "After all everyone here is curious too."

"Damn right we are." Regulus nodded.

"Regulus don't swear in front of the kids." Cissy scolded him gesturing to Teddy and Cecelia who were watching everyone, Cecelia being wide awake that morning instead of sleeping.

"Oop's sorry."

Harry fixed the memories he was going to show and sat down, "This is during the summer." he explained before the memory started.

**The hottest day of the summer so far was drawing to a close and a drowsy silence lay over the large, square houses of Privet Drive. Cars that were usually gleaming stood dusty in their drives and lawns that were once emerald green lay parched and yellowing -for the use of hosepipes had been banned due to drought. Deprived of their usual car-washing and lawn-mowing pursuits, the inhabitants of Privet Drive had retreated into the shade of their cool houses, windows thrown wide in the hope of tempting in a nonexistent breeze. The only person left outdoors was a teenage boy who was lying flat on his back in a flowerbed outside number four.**

**He was a skinny, black-haired, bespectacled boy who had the pinched, slightly unhealthy look of someone who has grown a lot in a short space of time.**

"I'd forgotten you were a midget until that year." Ron chuckled as Harry glared at him.

**His jeans were torn and dirty, his T-shirt baggy and faded, and the soles of his trainers were peeling away from the uppers.**

**Harry Potter's appearance did not endear him to the neighbours, who were the sort of people who thought scruffiness ought to be punishable by law, but as he had hidden himself behind a large hydrangea bush this evening he was quite invisible to passers-by. In fact, the only way he would be spotted was if his Uncle Vernon or Aunt Petunia stuck their heads out of the living-room window and looked straight down into the flowerbed below.**

**On the whole, Harry thought he was to be congratulated on his idea of hiding here. He was not, perhaps, very comfortable lying on the hot, hard earth but, on the other hand, nobody was glaring at him, grinding their teeth so loudly that he could not hear the news, or shooting nasty questions at him, as had happened every time he had tried sitting down in the living room to watch television with his aunt and uncle.**

"What!" demanded Sirius. "Harry has every right to watch the news!"

"I know that. It was Vernon." Petunia shrugged, "He said he didn't know why Harry was interested in the news and therefore tried to stop him."

"I was better off outside anyway." Harry shrugged, "It was way too hot inside."

**Almost as though this thought had fluttered through the open window, Vernon Dursley, Harry's uncle, suddenly spoke.**

**"Glad to see the boy's stopped trying to butt in. Where is he, anyway?"**

**"I don't know," said Aunt Petunia, unconcerned. "Not in the house."**

"The reason I wasn't concerned was because I knew exactly where he was." Petunia smiled.

"So you knew I was there?" Harry asked.

"I did." she confirmed, "I'm just a good actor. Had to be to stop you and Dudley suspecting anything if Vernon lashed out." she winced.

**Uncle Vernon grunted.**

**"Watching the news..." he said scathingly. "I'd like to know what he's really up to. As if a normal boy cares what's on the news - Dudley hasn't got a clue what's going on; doubt he knows who the Prime Minister is! Anyway, it's not as if there'd be anything about his lot on our news ****-"**

"And he managed to insult my intelligence and you as a whole in one sentence." Dudley scoffed, "I know exactly who the prime minister was at that time. I just can't remember who it was now." he admitted.

"Neither do I." Petunia shrugged, "It was a forgettable name."

"It might be the same guy." Dora pointed out, "I've met him once or twice, occasionally the Muggle prime minister needs magical guards for big events so Aurors or Hit Wizards are assigned to protect him or her along with their Muggle gaurds." she explained, "I never bothered learning his name though." she shrugged.

"Does the Muggle prime minister know about magic then?" Regulus inquired.

"Yep." she nodded, "He certainly does, Fudge told the one that was in power when he was Minister, I don't know if its the same guy or not, but the Muggle Minister always gets told by the Magical Minister so some disasters that involve Witches and Wizards are explained. Like when Sirius broke out of Azkaban, or the damage Death Eaters done in the Muggle world." she explained.

"So thats why even the Muggles knew who I was." Sirius mused, "I had wondered how they got a hold of the pictures."

"Chances are Fudge handed them over." Andy told him, "Or an Auror." she shrugged as they turned back to the memory.

**"****Vernon, shh!****"**** said Aunt Petunia. ****"****The window's open!****"**

**"****Oh - yes - sorry, dear.****"**

**The Dursleys fell silent. Harry listened to a jingle about Fruit 'n' Bran breakfast cereal while he watched Mrs. Figg, a batty cat-loving old lady from nearby Wisteria Walk, amble slowly past. She was frowning and muttering to herself. Harry was very pleased he was concealed behind the bush, as Mrs. Figg had recently taken to asking him round for tea whenever she met him in the street.**

"To keep an eye on you and make sure you were okay." Albus smiled.

"Someone could have told me I was being watched." Harry pouted.

"We didn't think you'd take it well." Remus admitted. "And Arabella was willing to keep it quiet."

"I'm afraid that's my doing. I thought that if you knew then you would see it as though we thought you couldn't take care of yourself." Albus sighed.

"Which is basically what happened." Hermione pointed out.

Harry sighed and nodded in acceptance.

**She had rounded the corner and vanished from view before Uncle Vernon"s voice floated out of the window again.**

**"****Dudders out for tea?****"**

**"At the Polkisses'," said Aunt Petunia fondly. "He's got so many little friends, he's so popular."**

Dudley winced, "Popular? Everyone either hated me or were afraid of me."

"I didn't know that at the time." Petunia scowled.

**Harry suppressed a snort with difficulty. The Dursleys really were astonishingly stupid about their son, Dudley. They had swallowed all his dim-witted lies about having tea with a different member of his gang every night of the summer holidays. Harry knew perfectly well that Dudley had not been to tea anywhere; he and his gang spent every evening vandalising the play park, smoking on street corners and throwing stones at passing cars and children.**

"So Dudley, you turned into a juvenile delinquent?" Lily asked in amusement.

"Pretty much." he nodded. "Though I didn't smoke or throw stones at cars that was only Peirs."

"I never actually saw you doing those things but I saw the rest of them." Harry added.

**Harry had seen them at it during his evening walks around Little Whinging; he had spent most of the holidays wandering the streets, scavenging newspapers from bins along the way.**

**The opening notes of the music that heralded the seven o'clock news reached Harry's ears and his stomach turned over. Perhaps tonight - after a month of waiting - would be the night.**

**"Record numbers of stranded holiday makers fill airports as the Spanish baggage-handlers' strike reaches its second week -"**

**"Give 'em a lifelong siesta, I would," snarled Uncle Vernon over the end of the newsreader's sentence, but no matter; outside in the flowerbed, Harry's stomach seemed to unclench. If anything had happened, it would surely have been the first item on the news; death and destruction were more important than stranded holidaymakers.**

"It would." muttered Sirius. "Voldemort was keeping quiet."

**He let out a long, slow breath and stared up at the brilliant blue sky. Every day this summer had been the same: the tension, the expectation, the temporary relief, and then mounting tension again... and always, growing more insistent all the time, the question of why nothing had happened yet.**

**He kept listening, just in case there was some small clue, not recognised for what it really was by the Muggles - an unexplained disappearance, perhaps, or some strange accident... but the baggage-handlers' strike was followed by news about the drought in the Southeast ("I hope he's listening next door!" bellowed Uncle Vernon. "Him with his sprinklers on at three in the morning!"), then a helicopter that had almost crashed in a field in Surrey, then a famous actress's divorce from her famous husband ("As if we're interested in their sordid affairs," sniffed Aunt Petunia, who had followed the case obsessively in every magazine she could lay her bony hands on).**

"I didnt actually. I wasnt all that interested in that story because it was the same two people as a few years before."

**Harry closed his eyes against the now blazing evening sky as the newsreader said, "- and finally, Bungy the budgie has found a novel way of keeping cool this summer. Bungy, who lives at the Five Feathers in Barnsley, has learned to water ski! Mary Dorkins went to find out more."**

**Harry opened his eyes. If they had reached water-skiing budgerigars, there would be nothing else worth hearing. He rolled cautiously on to his front and raised himself on to his knees and elbows, preparing to crawl out from under the window.**

**He had moved about two inches when several things happened in very quick succession.**

"What happened?" asked Regulus. They all looked alarmed.

**A loud, echoing crack broke the sleepy silence like a gunshot; a cat streaked out from under a parked car and flew out of sight; a shriek, a bellowed oath and the sound of breaking china came from the Dursleys' living room, and as though this was the signal Harry had been waiting for he jumped to his feet, at the same time pulling from the waistband of his jeans a thin wooden wand as if he were unsheathing a sword - but before he could draw himself up to full height, the top of his head collided with the Dursleys open window.**

"Ouch," said James, wincing. "That has got to hurt."

"It did." Harry winced.

**The resultant crash made Aunt Petunia scream even louder.**

**Harry felt as though his head had been split in two. Eyes streaming, he swayed, trying to focus on the street to spot the source of the noise, but he had barely staggered upright when two large purple hands reached through the open window and closed tightly around his throat.**

"Get your hands off my son, Dursley!" snapped Lily.

**"Put - it - away!" Uncle Vernon snarled into Harry's ear. "Now. Before - anyone - sees!"**

**"Get - off - me!" Harry gasped. For a few seconds they struggled, Harry pulling at his uncles sausage-like fingers with his left hand, his right maintaining a firm grip on his raised wand; then, as the pain in the top of Harry's head gave a particularly nasty throb, Uncle Vernon yelped and released Harry as though he had received an electric shock. Some invisible force seemed to have surged through his nephew, making him impossible to hold.**

"Accidental magic at 15?" James asked.

"There's more." Harry shrugged. "It continued until I was 17."

"Quite extraordinary." Albus chuckled.

"Especially because you had the block on your magic." Lily nodded.

**Panting, Harry fell forwards over the hydrangea bush, straightened up and stared around. There was no sign of what had caused the loud cracking noise, but there were several faces peering through various nearby windows. Harry stuffed his wand hastily back into his jeans and tried to look innocent.**

**"Lovely evening!" shouted Uncle Vernon, waving at Mrs. Number Seven opposite, who was glaring from behind her net curtains. "Did you hear that car backfire just now? Gave Petunia and me quite a turn!"**

**He continued to grin in a horrible, manic way until all the curious neighbours had disappeared from their various windows, then the grin became a grimace of rage as he beckoned Harry back towards him.**

"I suppose he's going to blame everything on Harry now." said Remus.

"When does he never? Everything got blamed on me." Harry frowned, "At least where Vernon was concerned. Aunt Petunia actually stuck up for me a few times, now that I think about it." he smiled at Petunia who smiled back.

**Harry moved a few steps closer, taking care to stop just short of the point at which Uncle Vernon's outstretched hands could resume their strangling.**

**"What the devil do you mean by it, boy?" asked Uncle Vernon in a croaky voice that trembled with fury.**

**"What do I mean by what?" said Harry coldly. He kept looking left and right up the street, still hoping to see the person who had made the cracking noise.**

**"Making a racket like a starting pistol right outside our -"**

**"I didn't make that noise," said Harry firmly.**

**Aunt Petunia's thin, horsy face now appeared beside Uncle Vernon's wide, purple one. She looked livid.**

"Acting again." Petunia said smugly.

**"Why were you lurking under our window?"**

"To listen to the news since you're making it difficult for him to watch it in the living room!" shouted Lily.

**"Yes - yes, good point, Petunia! What were you doing under our window, boy?"**

**"Listening to the news," said Harry in a resigned voice.**

"Why couldn't you have lied?" asked Sirius. "You could have said that you were just resting there, studying or something?"

"I didn't have a book and they wouldn't have believed me anyway." Harry shrugged.

**His aunt and uncle exchanged looks of outrage.**

**"Listening to the news! Again?"**

**"Well, it changes every day, you see," said Harry.**

They all laughed at that.

**"Don't you be clever with me, boy! I want to know what you're really up to - and don't give me any more of this listening to the news tosh! You know perfectly well that your lot -"**

**"Careful, Vernon!" breathed Aunt Petunia, and Uncle Vernon lowered his voice so that Harry could barely hear him, "- that your lot don't get on our news!"**

"They will if it involves strange death or disappearances!" James snapped. "Or like when Sirius was on the news."

**"That's all you know," said Harry.**

**The Dursleys goggled at him for a few seconds, then Aunt Petunia said, "You're a nasty little liar. What are all those -" she, too, lowered her voice so that Harry had to lip-read the next word, "- owls doing if they're not bringing you news?"**

"Making sure he was still there and telling him he'd be out of there soon enough." Ron supplied.

**"Aha!" said Uncle Vernon in a triumphant whisper. "Get out of that one, boy! As if we didn't know you get all your news from those pestilential birds!"**

**Harry hesitated for a moment. It cost him something to tell the truth this time, even though his aunt and uncle could not possibly know how bad he felt at admitting it.**

**"The owls... aren't bringing me news," he said tonelessly.**

"Why didnt you tell him what was going on?" Lily asked Ron and Hermione.

"We weren't allowed to." Hermione sighed.

"And we couldn't risk someone else getting a hold of the information either." Ron added.

**"I don't believe it," said Aunt Petunia at once.**

**"No more do I," said Uncle Vernon forcefully.**

**"We know you're up to something funny," said Aunt Petunia.**

**"We're not stupid, you know," said Uncle Vernon.**

"Really?" asked Fred.

"That's news to me!" George exclaimed.

The others chuckled at this statement.

**"Well, that's news to me," said Harry, his temper rising, and before the Dursleys could call him back, he had wheeled about, crossed the front lawn, stepped over the low garden wall and was striding off up the street.**

**He was in trouble now and he knew it. He would have to face his aunt and uncle later and pay the price for his rudeness, but he did not care very much just at the moment; he had much more pressing matters on his mind.**

"Yeah, like who made that sound." said James.

**Harry was sure the cracking noise had been made by someone Apparating or Disapparating. It was exactly the sound Dobby the house-elf made when he vanished into thin air.**

**Was it possible that Dobby was here in Privet Drive? Could Dobby be following him right at this very moment? As this thought occurred he wheeled around and stared back down Privet Drive, but it appeared to be completely deserted and Harry was sure that Dobby did not know how to become invisible.**

**He walked on, hardly aware of the route he was taking, for he had pounded these streets so often lately that his feet carried him to his favourite haunts automatically. Every few steps he glanced back over his shoulder. Someone magical had been near him as he lay among Aunt Petunia's dying begonias, he was sure of it. Why hadn't they spoken to him, why hadn't they made contact, why were they hiding now?**

**And then, as his feeling of frustration peaked, his certainty leaked away.**

**Perhaps it hadn't been a magical sound after all. Perhaps he was so desperate for the tiniest sign of contact from the world to which he belonged that he was simply overreacting to perfectly ordinary noises. Could he be sure it hadn't been the sound of something breaking inside a neighbour's house?**

"I suppose." said James, but he looked skeptical.

**Harry felt a dull, sinking sensation in his stomach and before he knew it the feeling of hopelessness that had plagued him all summer rolled over him once again.**

**Tomorrow morning he would be woken by the alarm at five o'clock so he could pay the owl that delivered the Daily Prophet - but was there any point continuing to take it? Harry merely glanced at the front page before throwing it aside these days; when the idiots who ran the paper finally realised that Voldemort was back it would be headline news, and that was the only kind Harry cared about.**

"You should have read more of it." Sirius winced.

**If he was lucky, there would also be owls carrying letters from his best friends Ron and Hermione, though any expectation he"d had that their letters would bring him news had long since been dashed.**

**We can't say much about you-know-what, obviously... We've been told not to say anything important in case our letters go astray... We're quite busy but I can't give you details here... There's a fair amount going on, we'll tell you everything when we see you...**

**But when were they going to see him? Nobody seemed too bothered with a precise date. Hermione had scribbled "I expect we'll be seeing you quite soon" inside his birthday card, but how soon was soon? As far as Harry could tell from the vague hints in their letters, Hermione and Ron were in the same place, presumably at Ron's parents' house. He could hardly bear to think of the pair of them having fun at The Burrow when he was stuck in Privet Drive. In fact, he was so angry with them he had thrown away, unopened, the two boxes of Honeydukes chocolates they'd sent him for his birthday.**

"I got them back. Sorry guys." Harry apologised sheepishly.

**He'd regretted it later, after the wilted salad Aunt Petunia had provided for dinner that night.**

**And what were Ron and Hermione busy with? Why wasn't he, Harry, busy? Hadn't he proved himself capable of handling much more than them? Had they all forgotten what he had done? Hadn't it been he who had entered that graveyard and watched Cedric being murdered, and been tied to that tombstone and nearly killed?**

**Don't think about that, Harry told himself sternly for the hundredth lime that summer. It was bad enough that he kept revisiting the graveyard in his nightmares, without dwelling on it in his waking moments too.**

**He turned a corner into Magnolia Crescent; halfway along he passed the narrow alleyway down the side of a garage where he had first clapped eyes on his godfather. Sirius, at least, seemed to understand how Harry was feeling. Admittedly, his letters were just as empty of proper news as Ron and Hermione's, but at least they contained words of caution and consolation instead of tantalising hints:**

**I know this must be frustrating for you... Keep your nose clean and everything will be OK... Be careful and don't do anything rash...**

"That helped a little." Harry smiled.

Sirius grinned.

**Well, thought Harry, as he crossed Magnolia Crescent, turned into Magnolia Road and headed towards the darkening play park, he had (by and large) done as Sirius advised. He had at least resisted the temptation to tie his trunk to his broomstick and set off for The Burrow by himself.**

"Thank Merlin you resisted that temptation!" exclaimed Arthur, looking relieved. "We werent at the Burrow."

**In fact, Harry thought his behaviour had been very good considering how frustrated and angry he felt at being stuck in Privet Drive so long, reduced to hiding in flowerbeds in the hope of hearing something that might point to what Lord Voldemort was doing. Nevertheless, it was quite galling to be told not to be rash by a man who had served twelve years in the wizard prison, Azkaban, escaped, attempted to commit the murder he had been convicted for in the first place, then gone on the run with a stolen Hippogriff.**

"Just because I've done some rash things doesn't mean that I want you to do the same, Harry!" exclaimed Sirius. "With Voldemort back, you're in danger, and I want you to be safe, even if you have to be stuck there!"

"I'll agree I was safer there." Harry nodded, "But I was a little annoyed at that point so I really couldnt care less about my actions."

**Harry vaulted over the locked park gate and set off across the parched grass. The park was as empty as the surrounding streets. When he reached the swings he sank on to the only one that Dudley and his friends had not yet managed to break, coiled one arm around the chain and stared moodily at the ground. He would not be able to hide in the Dursleys' flowerbed again.**

**Tomorrow, he would have to think of some fresh way of listening to the news. In the meantime, he had nothing to look forward to but another restless, disturbed night, because even when he escaped the nightmares about Cedric he had unsettling dreams about long dark corridors, all finishing in dead ends and locked doors, which he supposed had something to do with the trapped feeling he had when he was awake.**

"You never told us about that." Remus frowned.

Harry shrugged, "I wasn't told about anything. Its not like I'd rather spend weeks, possibly months, getting concerned looks for having the same dream over and over again." he grimaced, "Which happened, by the way." he shot a look at Ron and Hermione, who both blushed.

"We couldn't help it mate, we were worried about you." Ron told him, looking sheepish.

"It was like you were hardly you that year." Hermione added, "The only time we saw the real you was when you were teaching the DA, or something good happened. Other times you were just generally angry and liable to snap at anyone and everyone."

"I'll second that statement." Ginny sighed, "You weren't yourself Harry."

Harry growled, "Couldn't exactly help that, could I?"

"No." she said slowly, "But you could've talked to us. Told us what the problem was or something, other than keeping everything bottled up."

He sighed, "Maybe." he shrugged. Seeing he wasn't going to say anymore they all turned back to the memory.

**Often the old scar on his forehead prickled uncomfortably, but he did not fool himself that Ron or Hermione or Sirius would find that very interesting any more. In the past, his scar hurting had warned that Voldemort was getting stronger again, but now that Voldemort was back they would probably remind him that its regular irritation was only to be expected... nothing to worry about... old news...**

"We'd still be worried." Hermione disagreed.

"It might be expected, but it couldn't be nothing to worry about!" Ron added firmly.

**The injustice of it all welled up inside him so that he wanted to yell with fury. If it hadn't been for him, nobody would even have known Voldemort was back! And his reward was to be stuck in Little Whinging for four solid weeks, completely cut off from the magical world, reduced to squatting among dying begonias so that he could hear about water-skiing budgerigars!**

**How could Dumbledore have forgotten him so easily? Why had Ron and Hermione got together without inviting him along, too?**

"I hadn't forgotten you." Albus sighed, "I was trying to protect you."

"People don't like being locked up and in the dark. I told you that." Sirius scowled. "I had to live with it at Grimmauld every summer and pretty much all year this year." he gestured the pensieve.

"And I am very sorry for that." Albus sighed again.

**How much longer was he supposed to endure Sirius telling him to sit tight and be a good boy; or resist the temptation to write to the stupid Daily Prophet and point out that Voldemort had returned?**

**These furious thoughts whirled around in Harry's head, and his insides writhed with anger as a sultry, velvety night fell around him, the air full of the smell of warm, dry grass, and the only sound that of the low grumble of traffic on the road beyond the park railings.**

**He did not know how long he had sat on the swing before the sound of voices interrupted his musings and he looked up. The streetlamps from the surrounding roads were casting a misty glow strong enough to silhouette a group of people making their way across the park. One of them was singing a loud, crude song. The others were laughing. A soft ticking noise came from several expensive racing bikes that they were wheeling along.**

**Harry knew who those people were. The figure in front was unmistakeably his cousin, Dudley Dursley, wending his way home, accompanied by his faithful gang.**

**Dudley was as vast as ever, but a year's hard dieting and the discovery of a new talent had wrought quite a change in his physique. As Uncle Vernon delightedly told anyone who would listen, Dudley had recently become the Junior Heavyweight Inter-School Boxing Champion of the Southeast.**

"Boxing?" asked Sirius. "What's that?"

"It"s a Muggle sport." responded Dudley. "Two people put on these large gloves and punch each other with them for a certain number of rounds. If one of them collapses for the count of ten, then he loses that round. The person who wins the most rounds or gains the most points is the winner."

**"The noble sport", as Uncle Vernon called it, had made Dudley even more formidable than he had seemed to Harry in their primary school days when he had served as Dudley's first punchball. Harry was not remotely afraid of his cousin any more but he still didn't think that Dudley learning to punch harder and more accurately was cause for celebration.**

"We don't either." said James, frowning.

**Neighbourhood children all around were terrified of him - even more terrified than they were of "that Potter boy" who, they had been warned, was a hardened hooligan and attended St. Brutus's Secure Centre for Incurably Criminal Boys.**

"Harry doesn't go there!" Remus growled. "Were the Dursleys still spreading that around?"

"We had to tell the neighbors he was going somewhere when he was coming here. St Brutus's was far enough away and private enough no one would be able to find out he didn't actually go there." Petunia shrugged, "It wasn't my idea."

**Harry watched the dark figures crossing the grass and wondered who they had been beating up tonight. Look round, Harry found himself thinking as he watched them. Come on… look round... I'm sitting here all alone... come and have a go...**

"That might not be a good idea." said Lily.

"I might have been too afraid of magic to do anything to Harry at that point, but my 'friends' wouldn't be." Dudley agreed.

**If Dudley's friends saw him sitting here, they would be sure to make a beeline for him, and what would Dudley do then? He wouldn't want to lose face in front of the gang, but he'd be terrified of provoking Harry... it would be really fun to watch Dudley's dilemma, to taunt him, watch him, with him powerless to respond... and if any of the others tried hitting Harry, he was ready - he had his wand. Let them try... he'd love to vent some of his frustration on the boys who had once made his life hell.**

**But they didn't turn around, they didn't see him, they were almost at the railings. Harry mastered the impulse to call after them... seeking a fight was not a smart move... he must not use magic... he would be risking expulsion again. The voices of Dudley's gang died away; they were out of sight, heading along Magnolia Road.**

**There you go, Sirius, Harry thought dully. Nothing rash. Kept my nose clean. Exactly the opposite of what you'd have done.**

"I would have done the same." Sirius disagreed.

"No you wouldnt." James and Remus said together. He pouted.

**He got to his feet and stretched. Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon seemed to feel that whenever Dudley turned up was the right time to be home, and any time after that was much too late. Uncle Vernon had threatened to lock Harry in the shed if he came home after Dudley ever again, so, stifling a yawn, and still scowling, Harry set off towards the park gate.**

**Magnolia Road, like Privet Drive, was full of large, square houses with perfectly manicured lawns, all owned by large, square owners who drove very clean cars similar to Uncle Vernon's. Harry preferred Little Whinging by night, when the curtained windows made patches of jewel-bright colour in the darkness and he ran no danger of hearing disapproving mutters about his "delinquent" appearance when he passed the householders. He walked quickly, so that halfway along Magnolia Road Dudley's gang came into view again; they were saying their farewells at the entrance to Magnolia Crescent. Harry stepped into the shadow of a large lilac tree and waited.**

**"... squealed like a pig, didn't he?" Malcolm was saying, to guffaws from the others.**

"So they were out bullying little kids?" Regulus asked, frowning.

Dudley sighed but nodded.

**"Nice right hook, Big D," said Piers.**

**"Same time tomorrow?" said Dudley.**

**"Round at my place, my parents will be out," said Gordon.**

**"See you then," said Dudley.**

**"Bye, Dud!"**

**"See ya, Big D!"**

**Harry waited for the rest of the gang to move on before setting off again.**

"Wise move." said Amber, she was holding Cecelia, who was squirming around, "Dudley." when he looked at her she handed Cecelia over and the little girl sat happily on his knee, no longer squirming.

**When their voices had faded once more he headed around the corner into Magnolia Crescent and by walking very quickly he soon came within hailing distance of Dudley, who was strolling along at his ease, humming tunelessly.**

**"Hey, Big D!"**

**Dudley turned. "Oh," he grunted. "It's you."**

**"How long have you been 'Big D' then?" said Harry.**

**"Shut it," snarled Dudley, turning away.**

**"Cool name," said Harry, grinning and falling into step beside his cousin. "But you'll always be 'Ickle Diddykins' to me."**

**"I said, SHUT IT!" said Dudley, whose ham-like hands had curled into fists.**

**"Don't the boys know that's what your mum calls you?"**

**"Shut your face."**

**"You don't tell her to shut her face. What about 'Popkin' and 'Dinky Diddydums', can I use them then?"**

They all laughed again.

**Dudley said nothing. The effort of keeping himself from hitting Harry seemed to demand all his self-control.**

**"So who've you been beating up tonight?" Harry asked, his grin fading. "Another ten-year-old? I know you did Mark Evans two nights ago -****"**

**"He was asking for it," snarled Dudley.**

**"Oh yeah?"**

**"He cheeked me."**

"That was brave of this Mark boy." commented Minerva.

"Wait a minute, Evan's?" Lily frowned.

"There's no relation." Petunia told her, "I checked when I heard about that incident last month."

**"Yeah? Did he say you look like a pig that's been taught to walk on its hind legs? 'Cause that's not cheek, Dud, that's true."**

**A muscle was twitching in Dudley's jaw. It gave Harry enormous satisfaction to know how furious he was making Dudley; he felt as though he was siphoning off his own frustration into his cousin, the only outlet he had.**

**They turned right down the narrow alleyway where Harry had first seen Sirius and which formed a short cut between Magnolia Crescent and Wisteria Walk. It was empty and much darker than the streets it linked because there were no streetlamps. Their footsteps were muffled between garage walls on one side and a high fence on the other.**

**"Think you're a big man carrying that thing, don't you?" Dudley said after a few seconds.**

"Oh you mean my wand?" Harry smirked.

**"What thing?"**

**"That - that thing you are hiding."**

**Harry grinned again.**

**"Not as stupid as you look, are you, Dud? But I's'pose, if you were, you wouldn't be able to walk and talk at the same time."**

They all burst into laughter again, except Dudley who glared at Harry. Harry just smirked at him.

**Harry pulled out his wand. He saw Dudley look sideways at it.**

**"You're not allowed," Dudley said at once. "I know you're not. You'd get expelled from that freak school you go to."**

**"How d'you know they haven't changed the rules, Big D?"**

**"They haven't," said Dudley, though he didn't sound completely convinced.**

"If they did you probably would have hexed me before that." Dudley reasoned.

**Harry laughed softly.**

**"You haven't got the guts to take me on without that thing, have you?" Dudley snarled.**

**"Whereas you just need four mates behind you before you can beat up a ten-year old. You know that boxing title you keep banging on about? How old was your opponent? Seven? Eight?"**

**"He was sixteen, for your information," snarled Dudley, "and he was out cold for twenty minutes after I'd finished with him and he was twice as heavy as you. You just wait till I tell Dad you had that thing out -"**

"And now Dudley's so scared that he's running to his Dad." George laughed.

Dudley flushed, "It was an automatic thing."

**"Running to Daddy now, are you? Is his ickle boxing champ frightened of nasty Harry's wand?"**

**"Not this brave at night, are you?" sneered Dudley.**

**"This is night, Diddykins. That's what we call it when it goes all dark like this."**

They all laughed a little.

**"I mean when you're in bed!" Dudley snarled.**

"What are you talking about?" Andy demanded.

"You're not going to like it." Harry warned them.

**He had stopped walking. Harry stopped too, staring at his cousin. From the little he could see of Dudley's large face, he was wearing a strangely triumphant look.**

**"What d'you mean, I'm not brave when I'm in bed?" said Harry, completely nonplussed. "What am I supposed to be frightened of, pillows or something?"**

**"I heard you last night," said Dudley breathlessly. "Talking in your sleep. Moaning."**

"Oh no, Dudley must have heard Harry during a nightmare." groaned Lily.

"Right in one Mum." Harry sighed.

**"What d'you mean?" Harry said again, but there was a cold, plunging sensation in his stomach. He had revisited the graveyard last night in his dreams.**

**Dudley gave a harsh bark of laughter, then adopted a high-pitched whimpering voice.**

**"'Don't kill Cedric! Don't kill Cedric!' Who's Cedric - your boyfriend?"**

"You didnt!" Lily yelled.

"I did." Dudley winced while staring at his feet.

**"I - you're lying," said Harry automatically. But his mouth had gone dry. He knew Dudley wasn't lying - how else would he know about Cedric?**

**"'Dad! Help me, Dad! He's going to kill me, Dad! Boo hoo!'"**

**"Shut up," said Harry quietly. "Shut up, Dudley, I'm warning you!"**

**"'Come and help me, Dad! Mum, come and help me! He's killed Cedric! Dad, help me! He's going to -' Don't you point that thing at me!"**

**Dudley backed into the alley wall. Harry was pointing the wand directly at Dudley's heart. Harry could feel fourteen years' hatred of Dudley pounding in his veins - what wouldn't he give to strike now, to jinx Dudley so thoroughly he'd have to crawl home like an insect, struck dumb, sprouting feelers...**

"However sweet revenge might be, it's not worth being expelled from Hogwarts, Harry." Minerva said sternly.

Harry nodded, "I figured that. And threats worked very well on Dudley, I reckon it was the tail." he cast an amused look at his cousin, who rolled his eyes.

**"Don't ever talk about that again," Harry snarled. "D'you understand me?"**

**"Point that thing somewhere else!"**

**"I said, do you understand me?"**

**"Point it somewhere else!"**

**"DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME?"**

**"GET THAT THING AWAY FROM -"**

**Dudley gave an odd, shuddering gasp, as though he had been doused in icy water.**

**Something had happened to the night. The star-strewn indigo sky was suddenly pitch black and lightless - the stars, the moon, the misty streetlamps at either end of the alley had vanished. The distant rumble of cars and the whisper of trees had gone. The balmy evening was suddenly piercingly, bitingly cold. They were surrounded by total, impenetrable, silent darkness, as though some giant hand had dropped a thick, icy mantle over the entire alleyway, blinding them.**

"Something bad is going on." said Lily. "But I don't know what it is."

**For a split second Harry thought he had done magic without meaning to, despite the fact that he'd been resisting as hard as he could - then his reason caught up with his senses - he didn't have the power to turn off the stars. He turned his head this way and that, trying to see something, but the darkness pressed on his eyes like a weightless veil.**

**Dudley's terrified voice broke in Harry's ear.**

**"W-what are you d-doing? St-stop it!"**

**"I'm not doing anything! Shut up and don't move!"**

**"I c-can't see! I've g-gone blind! I -"**

**"I said shut up!"**

**Harry stood stock still, turning his sightless eyes left and right. The cold was so intense he was shivering all over; goose bumps had erupted up his arms and the hairs on the back of his neck were standing up - he opened his eyes to their fullest extent, staring blankly around, unseeing.**

**It was impossible... they couldn't be here... not in Little Whinging... he strained his ears... he would hear them before he saw them...**

"Dementors?" Regulus asked.

Harry and Dudley nodded.

**"I'll t-tell Dad!" Dudley whimpered. "W-where are you? What are you d-do**** -****?"**

**"Will you shut up?" Harry hissed, "I'm trying to lis**** -****"**

**But he fell silent. He had heard just the thing he had been dreading.**

**There was something in the alleyway apart from themselves, something that was drawing long, hoarse, rattling breaths. Harry felt a horrible jolt of dread as he stood trembling in the freezing air.**

**"C-cut it out! Stop doing it! I'll h-hit you, I swear I will!"**

**"Dudley, shut**** -****"**

**WHAM.**

**A fist made contact with the side of Harry's head, lifting him off his feet.**

"You idiot!" Sirius yelled.

Dudley winced again, "Sorry."

**Small white lights popped in front of his eyes. For the second time in an hour Harry felt as though his head had been cleaved in two; next moment, he had landed hard on the ground and his wand had flown out of his hand.**

**"You moron, Dudley!" Harry yelled, his eyes watering with pain as he scrambled to his hands and knees, feeling around frantically in the blackness. He heard Dudley blundering away, hitting the alley fence, stumbling.**

**"DUDLEY, COME BACK! YOU'RE RUNNING RIGHT AT IT!"**

**There was a horrible squealing yell and Dudley's footsteps stopped. At the same moment, Harry felt a creeping chill behind him that could mean only one thing. There was more than one.**

**"DUDLEY, KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT! WHATEVER YOU DO, KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT! Wand!" Harry muttered frantically, his hands flying over the ground like spiders. "Where's - wand - come on - lumos!"**

**He said the spell automatically, desperate for light to help him in his search - and to his disbelieving relief, light flared inches from his right hand - the wand tip had ignited.**

"Wandless magic." James said wide-eyed, "It took me about three years to learn basic spells."

"And I wasn't expecting it to work." Harry chuckled.

**Harry snatched it up, scrambled to his feet and turned around.**

**His stomach turned over.**

**A towering, hooded figure was gliding smoothly towards him, hovering over the ground, no feet or face visible beneath its robes, sucking on the night as it came.**

**Stumbling backwards, Harry raised his wand.**

**"Expecto patronum!"**

**A silvery wisp of vapour shot from the tip of the wand and the Dementor slowed, but the spell hadn't worked properly; tripping over his own feet, Harry retreated further as the Dementor bore down upon him, panic fogging his brain - concentrate - A pair of grey, slimy, scabbed hands slid from inside the Dementor's robes, reaching for him. A rushing noise filled Harry's ears.**

"Oh no!" cried Lily. She buried her face in James's shoulder.

**"Expecto patronum!"**

**His voice sounded dim and distant. Another wisp of silver smoke, feebler than the last, drifted from the wand - he couldn't do it any more, he couldn't work the spell.**

**There was laughter inside his own head, shrill, high-pitched laughter... he could smell the Dementor's putrid, death-cold breath filling his own lungs, drowning him - think... something happy...**

**But there was no happiness in him... the Dementor's icy fingers were closing on his throat - the high-pitched laughter was growing louder and louder, and a voice spoke inside his head: "Bow to death, Harry... it might even be painless... I would not know... I have never died..."**

"NO!" shouted Sirius. "Fight it and produce a proper Patronus, Harry!"

**He was never going to see Ron and Hermione again - And their faces burst clearly into his mind as he fought for breath.**

**"****EXPECTO PATRONUM!****"**

**An enormous silver stag erupted from the tip of Harry's wand; its antlers caught the Dementor in the place where the heart should have been; it was thrown backwards, weightless as darkness, and as the stag charged, the Dementor swooped away, bat-like and defeated.**

**"THIS WAY!" Harry shouted at the stag. Wheeling around, he sprinted down the alleyway, holding the lit wand aloft. "DUDLEY? DUDLEY!"**

**He had run barely a dozen steps when he reached them: Dudley was curled up on the ground, his arms clamped over his face. A second Dementor was crouching low over him, gripping his wrists in its slimy hands, prising them slowly almost lovingly apart, lowering its hooded head towards Dudley's face as though about to kiss him.**

**"GET IT!" Harry bellowed, and with a rushing, roaring sound, the silver stag he had conjured came galloping past him. The Dementor's eyeless face was barely an inch from Dudley's when the silver antlers caught it; the thing was thrown up into the air and, like its fellow, it soared away and was absorbed into the darkness; the stag cantered to the end of the alleyway and dissolved into silver mist.**

They all cheered again. "But wouldn't he be in serious trouble for doing magic outside of school?" Petunia frowned.

"No he won't." James replied. "Not once he explains about the dementors and how he was forced to save him and his cousin from them."

"That's what you think." Harry sighed, "Didn't exactly have the Ministry on my side at that point."

**Moon, stars and streetlamps burst back into life. A warm breeze swept the alleyway. Trees rustled in neighbouring gardens and the mundane rumble of cars in Magnolia Crescent filled the air again.**

**Harry stood quite still, all his senses vibrating, taking in the abrupt return to normality. After a moment, he became aware that his T-shirt was sticking to him; he was drenched in sweat.**

**He could not believe what had just happened. Dementors here, in Little Whinging.**

"We couldn't either." Ron stated. "At least you were able to repel them mate." he grinned.

"Very good thing Remus taught me then." Harry smiled at his ex-professor.

Remus grinned, "A very good I did." he agreed.

**Dudley lay curled up on the ground, whimpering and shaking. Harry bent down to see whether he was in a fit state to stand up, but then he heard loud, running footsteps behind him. Instinctively raising his wand again, he span on his heel to face the newcomer.**

**Mrs. Figg, their batty old neighbour, came panting into sight. Her grizzled grey hair was escaping from its hairnet, a clanking string shopping bag was swinging from her wrist and her feet were halfway out of her tartan carpet slippers. Harry made to stow his wand hurriedly out of sight, but -**

**"Don't put it away idiot boy!" she shrieked. "What if there are more of them around? Oh, I'm going to kill Mundungus Fletcher!"**

"And that is one of the reasons I've never fully trusted Dung." Harry said. "If he'd been there instead of leaving I wouldn't have gotten in as much trouble as I did."

"He got in a lot of trouble for that one." Remus frowned. "I can see your point though, he was supposed to make sure something like that didn't happen."

"It's not like we were expecting it to happen in the first place." Sirius pointed out. "Dung should've stayed though."

"Or at least got someone to cover for him." Dora nodded, "I could've easily done it, I wasn't working that day."

"Mundungus was supposed to swap over with you at midnight." Albus reminded her.

"Yet we didn't see him at headquarters until 1pm the next afternoon." Molly huffed. "After we'd heard about the attack."

"He was hiding because he knew no one was happy with him." Kingsley mused.

"Didn't help much." Sirius muttered. "He still got hexed."

"He deserved it." Hermione shrugged.

"He did and you know we don't use that term lightly." Ron nodded.

"Except when it comes to hexing Draco." Astoria giggled.

"I always deserved that and I always fought back anyway." Draco told them.

"He has a point." Ginny conceded, "What's next Harry?"

"The aftermath."

* * *

><p>Review please x<p> 


	54. Chapter 54

Chapter 54 - Fifth Year (Part 1.5)

20, August, 1998. 9.30am.

"Right where we left off." Harry smiled.

**"What?" said Harry blankly.**

**"He left!" said Mrs. Figg, wringing her hands. "Left to see someone about a batch of cauldrons that fell off the back of a broom! I told him I"d flay him alive if he went, and now look! Dementors! It"s just lucky I put Mr. Tibbies on the case!"**

"Who's Mr. Tibbies?" asked Sirius.

"One of Mrs. Figg's cats." answered Harry.

**"But we haven't got time to stand around! Hurry, now, we've got to get you back! Oh, the trouble this is going to cause! I will kill him!"**

**"But -" The revelation that his batty old cat-obsessed neighbour knew what Dementors were was almost as big a shock to Harry as meeting two of them down the alleyway. "You're - you're a witch?"**

**"I"m a Squib, as Mundungus knows full well, so how on earth was I supposed to help you fight off Dementors? He left you completely without cover when I'd warned him -"**

"I can't believe he did that!" Lily snapped. "He's supposed to be keeping an eye on Harry, and instead he just Disapparates away!"

"Probably he had to go check out some stolen goods." James muttered angrily.

**"This Mundungus has been following me? Hang on - it was him! He Disapparated from the front of my house!"**

**"Yes, yes, yes, but luckily I'd stationed Mr. Tibbies under a car just in case, and Mr. Tibbies came and warned me, but by the time I got to your house you'd gone - and now - oh, what's Dumbledore going to say? You!" she shrieked at Dudley, still supine on the alley floor. "Get your fat bottom off the ground, quick!"**

**"You know Dumbledore?" said Harry, staring at her.**

"Who wouldn't?" Remus inquired. "Besides Muggles I mean."

**"Of course I know Dumbledore, who doesn't know Dumbledore? But come on - I'll be no help if they come back, I've never so much as Transfigured a teabag."**

**She stooped down, seized one of Dudley's massive arms in her wizened hands and tugged.**

**"Get up, you useless lump, get up!"**

**But Dudley either could not or would not move. He remained on the ground, trembling and ashen-faced, his mouth shut very tight.**

"Poor Dudley, having to face a Dementor and not knowing what happened." Lily sighed.

The others nodded in agreement.

"I'll admit I was a bit shocked." Dudley mused, he shifted Cecelia as she leaned off to the side.

**"I'll do it." Harry took hold of Dudley's arm and heaved. With an enormous effort he managed to hoist him to his feet. Dudley seemed to be on the point of fainting. His small eyes were rolling in their sockets and sweat was beading his face; the moment Harry let go of him he swayed dangerously.**

"Your increadibly heavy." Harry told his cousin. Dudley made a face at him.

**"Hurry up!" said Mrs. Figg hysterically.**

**Harry pulled one of Dudley's massive arms around his own shoulders and dragged him towards the road, sagging slightly under the weight. Mrs. Figg tottered along in front of them, peering anxiously around the corner.**

"Can't Mrs. Figg help with getting Dudley home?" asked James.

"I suppose she's busy keeping a lookout for more Dementors." said Sirius.

"That and I doubt she'd be able to do much." Dudley shrugged, "I was heavy enough for Harry."

**"Keep your wand out," she told Harry, as they entered Wisteria Walk. "Never mind the Statute of Secrecy now, there's going to be hell to pay anyway, we might as well be hanged for a dragon as an egg. Talk about the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery... this was exactly what Dumbledore was afraid of -"**

"What were you afraid of?" Lily asked Albus. "That Dementors were going to turn up at Privet Drive? Or that something would happen, forcing Harry to do magic?"

"That something like that would happen." Albus frowned.

**"What's that at the end of the street? Oh, it's just Mr. Prentice... don't put your wand away, boy, don't I keep telling you I'm no use?"**

**It was not easy to hold a wand steady and haul Dudley along at the same time. Harry gave his cousin an impatient dig in the ribs, but Dudley seemed to have lost all desire for independent movement. He was slumped on Harry's shoulder, his large feet dragging along the ground.**

"Well, Dudley has been badly affected by the Dementors." said Remus. "But he'll recover."

"Even if it took a few hours." Petunia sighed, "Or days rather."

"It wasnt that bad Mum, I was fine after an hour or two." Dudley argued.

"It was 8 hours until you were completely fine Dudley." she shook her head, "You basically sat and stared at a wall for 6 of those hours and you'd only talk if we asked you questions, even then you were reluctant to answer." she frowned.

**"Why didn't you tell me you're a Squib, Mrs. Figg?" asked Harry, panting with the effort to keep walking. "All those times I came round your house - why didn't you say anything?"**

**"Dumbledore's orders. I was to keep an eye on you but not say anything, you were too young. I'm sorry I gave you such a miserable time, Harry, but the Dursleys would never have let you come if they'd thought you enjoyed it."**

"Wrong. He wouldn't have told us and probably would've acted miserable. Right Harry?" Dudley grinned.

"Of course." he nodded, smirking.

**"It wasn't easy, you know... but oh my word," she said tragically, wringing her hands once more, "when Dumbledore hears about this - how could Mundungus have left, he was supposed to be on duty until midnight - where is he? How am I going to tell Dumbledore what's happened? I can't Apparate."**

"We knew minutes after it happened." Albus smiled, "Thank you again Arthur."

"No problem." he shrugged.

**"I've got an owl, you can borrow her." Harry groaned, wondering whether his spine was going to snap under Dudleys weight.**

**"Harry, you don't understand! Dumbledore will need to act as quickly as possible, the Ministry have their own ways of detecting underage magic, they'll know already, you mark my words."**

**"But I was getting rid of Dementors, I had to use magic - they're going to be more worried about what Dementors were doing floating around Wisteria Walk, surely?"**

**"Oh, my dear, I wish it were so, but I'm afraid - MUNDUNGUS FLETCHER, I AM GOING TO KILL YOU!"**

**There was a loud crack and a strong smell of drink mingled with stale tobacco filled the air as a squat, unshaven man in a tattered overcoat materialised right in front of them. He had short, bandy legs, long straggly ginger hair and bloodshot, baggy eyes that gave him the doleful look of a basset hound.**

**He was also clutching a silvery bundle that Harry recognised at once as an Invisibility Cloak.**

"So the guard on Harry has to be be unseen." James stated.

"Yup, lest he blow up at us." Dora smirked, "Like Remus said, we knew he wouldn't be happy about it."

Harry rolled his eyes, "I would've caught on eventually. It was that year when my instincts peaked and I was able to tell if I was being followed or not." he shrugged, "So one of you would've been caught at least."

"Probably you." Remus chuckled at his wife, "Didnt you say there were a few times when you tripped over something and he almost spotted you?"

"Stealth isnt a great skill of mine, I always have been too clumsy." she flushed. The others chuckled lightly at that, knowing just how clumsy the witch could be.

**"S'up, Figgy?"**

James and Sirius chuckled. "I can't believe Dung called Mrs. Figg 'Figgy'!" James exclaimed.

**he said, staring from Mrs. Figg to Harry and Dudley. "What 'appened to staying undercover?"**

"Dementors showed up!" Lily snapped. "So there's no point in undercover now!"

**"I'll give you undercover!" cried Mrs. Figg. "Dementors, you useless, skiving sneak thief!"**

**"Dementors?" repeated Mundungus, aghast. "Dementors, 'ere?"**

**"Yes, here, you worthless pile of bat droppings, here!" shrieked Mrs Figg. "Dementors attacking the boy on your watch!"**

"Who else was watching me?" Harry frowned.

"That would be Kingsley, Hestia Jones, me and a few other Order members. Not those who would probably reveal themselves to you." Dora chuckled, "You weren't supposed to know we were there so it was mostly people you didn't know, but they were trustworthy enough."

"I wouldnt ask anyone who I didn't trust." Albus said thoughtfully, "At least not anyone I wasnt sure wouldnt either reveal themselves or do something idiotic." he shrugged.

"And I told you I didn't like the idea of spying on Harry and that I'd tell him I was there." Remus added, "Padfoot said the same."

"Not like I could walk around as a human anyway." Sirius pouted.

"Even as a dog I would've been pleased to see you." Harry smiled, Sirius grinned back. "Same goes for anyone I knew at that time really."

**"Blimey," said Mundungus weakly, looking from Mrs. Figg to Harry, and back again. "Blimey, I -"**

**"And you off buying stolen cauldrons! Didn't I tell you not to go? Didn't I?"**

**"I - well, I -" Mundungus looked deeply uncomfortable. "It - it was a very good business opportunity, see -"**

"OH, SO A BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY IS WORTH MORE THAN MY SON'S LIFE?!" Lily yelled, making the Lycan's wince and grab their ears.

**Mrs. Figg raised the arm from which her string bag dangled and whacked Mundungus around the face and neck with it; judging by the clanking noise it made it was full of cat food.**

"Serves Mundungus right." Sirius growled angrily.

**"Ouch - gerroff - gerroff, you mad old bat! Someone's gotta tell Dumbledore!"**

**"Yes - they - have!" yelled Mrs. Figg, swinging the bag of cat food at every bit of Mundungus she could reach. "And - it - had- better - be - you - and - you - can - tell - him - why - you -weren't - there - to - help!"**

**"Keep your 'airnet on!" said Mundungus, his arms over his head, cowering. "I'm going, I'm going!"**

**And with another loud crack, he vanished.**

**"I hope Dumbledore murders him!" said Mrs. Figg furiously.**

"No I don't think I'd do that. I did lose my temper with him though." Albus admitted.

**"Now come on, Harry, what are you waiting for?"**

**Harry decided not to waste his remaining breath on pointing out that he could barely walk under Dudley's bulk. He gave the semi-conscious Dudley a heave and staggered onwards.**

**"I'll take you to the door," said Mrs. Figg, as they turned into Privet Drive. "Just in case there are more of them around... oh my word, what a catastrophe... and you had to fight them off yourself... and Dumbledore said we were to keep you from doing magic at all costs... well, it's no good crying over spilt potion, I suppose... but the cat's among the pixies now."**

**"So," Harry panted, "Dumbledore's... been having... me followed?"**

**"Of course he has," said Mrs. Figg impatiently. "Did you expect him to let you wander around on your own after what happened in June? Good Lord, boy, they told me you were intelligent... right... get inside and stay there," she said, as they reached number four. "I expect someone will be in touch with you soon enough."**

**"What are you going to do?" asked Harry quickly.**

**"I'm going straight home," said Mrs. Figg, staring around the dark street and shuddering. "I'll need to wait for more instructions. Just stay in the house. Goodnight."**

**"Hang on, don"t go yet! I want to know -"**

**But Mrs. Figg had already set off at a trot, carpet slippers flopping, string bag clanking.**

**"Wait!" Harry shouted after her. He had a million questions to ask anyone who was in contact with Dumbledore; but within seconds Mrs. Figg was swallowed by the darkness. Scowling, Harry readjusted Dudley on his shoulder and made his slow, painful way up number four's garden path.**

"Poor Harry, having to deal with all this." Bill said, shooting an amused look at Harry, who huffed when he recognised the teasing tone.

**The hall light was on. Harry stuck his wand back inside the waistband of his jeans, rang the bell and watched Aunt Petunia's outline grow larger and larger, oddly distorted by the rippling glass in the front door.**

**"Diddy! About time too, I was getting quite - quite - Diddy, what's the matter!"**

**Harry looked sideways at Dudley and ducked out from under his arm just in time. Dudley swayed on the spot for a moment, his face pale green... then he opened his mouth and vomited all over the doormat.**

**"DIDDY! Diddy, what's the matter with you? Vernon? VERNON!"**

**Harry's uncle came galumphing out of the living room, walrus moustache blowing hither and thither as it always did when he was agitated. He hurried forwards to help Aunt Petunia negotiate a weak-kneed Dudley over the threshold while avoiding stepping in the pool of sick.**

**"He's ill, Vernon!"**

**"What is it, son? What's happened? Did Mrs. Polkiss give you something foreign for tea?"**

**"Why are you all covered in dirt, darling? Have you been lying on the ground?"**

**"Hang on - you haven't been mugged, have you, son?"**

**Aunt Petunia screamed.**

**"Phone the police, Vernon! Phone the police! Diddy, darling, speak to Mummy! What did they do to you?"**

**In all the kerfuffle nobody seemed to have noticed Harry, which suited him perfectly. He managed to slip inside just before Uncle Vernon slammed the door and, while the Dursleys made their noisy progress down the hall towards the kitchen, Harry moved carefully and quietly towards the stairs.**

"Good thinking," said James. "Hurry up and get to your room."

**"Who did it, son? Give us names. We'll get them, don't worry."**

**"Shh! He's trying to say something, Vernon! What is it, Diddy? Tell Mummy!"**

**Harry's foot was on the bottom-most stair when Dudley found his voice.**

**"Him."**

"You had to." Harry groaned, "You really had to."

"I couldn't see the Dementors. I only saw you with your wand out, I thought it was you." Dudley shrugged, "Sorry Harry."

**Harry froze, foot on the stair, face screwed up, braced for the explosion.**

**"BOY! COME HERE!"**

**With a feeling of mingled dread and anger, Harry removed his foot slowly from the stair and turned to follow the Dursleys.**

**The scrupulously clean kitchen had an oddly unreal glitter after the darkness outside. Aunt Petunia was ushering Dudley into a chair; he was still very green and clammy-looking. Uncle Vernon standing in front of the draining board, glaring at Harry through tiny, narrowed eyes.**

**"What have you done to my son?" he said in a menacing growl.**

**"Nothing," said Harry, knowing perfectly well that Uncle Vernon wouldn't believe him.**

**"What did he do to you, Diddy?" Aunt Petunia said in a quavering voice, now sponging sick from the front of Dudley's leather jacket. "Was it - was it you-know-what, darling? Did he use - his thing?"**

"Harry used his wand, but it was to fight Dementors!" Sirius huffed.

"I didnt know that until he told me." Petunia defended herself.

**Slowly, tremulously, Dudley nodded.**

**"I didn't!" Harry said sharply, as Aunt Petunia let out a wail and Uncle Vernon raised his fists. "I didn't do anything to him, it wasn't me, it was -"**

**But at that precise moment a screech owl swooped in through the kitchen window. Narrowly missing the top of Uncle Vernon"s head, it soared across the kitchen, dropped the large parchment envelope it was carrying in its beak at Harry's feet, turned gracefully, the tips of its wings just brushing the top of the fridge, then zoomed outside again and off across the garden.**

"That's terrible timing." Charlie winced.

**"OWLS!" bellowed Uncle Vernon, the well-worn vein in his temple pulsing angrily as he slammed the kitchen window shut. "OWLS AGAIN! I WILL NOT HAVE ANY MORE OWLS IN MY HOUSE!"**

**But Harry was already ripping open the envelope and pulling out the letter inside, his heart pounding somewhere in the region of his Adam's apple.**

**Dear Mr. Potter,**

**We have received intelligence that you performed the Patronus Charm at twenty-three minutes past nine this evening in a Muggle-inhabited area and in the presence of a Muggle.**

**The seventy of this breach of the Decree for the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery has resulted in your expulsion from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Ministry representatives will be calling at your place of residence shortly to destroy your wand.**

"WHAT!" shrieked Lily. "They will not snap my son's wand! He only did magic to combat two Dementors! And don't they have to grant a hearing first before expelling students for underage magic?"

"Yes, they do," Regulus frowned, "Harry had no choice but to do magic, so he can't just be expelled like that and have his wand destroyed."

"Technically it's not up to the Ministry to expel students anyway." Minerva shrugged, "It would have been Albus's decision so Harry would have returned to the school anyway."

"They may have doubled their efforts to remove me from the school but I doubt they would have succeeded." Albus smiled.

**As you have already received an official warning for a previous offence under Section 13 of the International Confederation of Warlocks" Statute of Secrecy, we regret to inform you that your presence is required at a disciplinary hearing at the Ministry of Magic at 9 a.m. on the twelfth of August.**

**Hoping you are well,**

**Mafalda Hopkirk**

**Improper Use of Magic Office, Ministry of Magic**

**Harry read the letter through twice. He was only vaguely aware of Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia talking. Inside his head, all was icy and numb. One fact had penetrated his consciousness like a paralysing dart. He was expelled from Hogwarts. It was all over. He was never going back.**

"Stop thinking negatively!" Ginny scolded him.

**He looked up at the Dursleys. Uncle Vernon was purple-faced, shouting, his fists still raised; Aunt Petunia had her arms around Dudley, who was retching again.**

**Harry's temporarily stupefied brain seemed to reawaken. Ministry representatives will be calling at your place of residence shortly to destroy your wand. There was only one thing for it. He would have to run - now. Where he was going to go, Harry didn't know, but he was certain of one thing: at Hogwarts or outside it, he needed his wand. In an almost dreamlike state, he pulled his wand out and turned to leave the kitchen.**

**"Where d'you think you're going?" yelled Uncle Vernon. When Harry didn't reply, he pounded across the kitchen to block the doorway into the hall. "I haven't finished with you, boy!"**

**"Get out of the way," said Harry quietly.**

**"You're going to stay here and explain how my son -"**

**"If you don't get out of the way I'm going to jinx you," said Harry, raising the wand.**

**"You can't pull that one on me!" snarled Uncle Vernon. "I know you're not allowed to use it outside that madhouse you call a school!"**

**"The madhouse has chucked me out," said Harry. "So I can do whatever I like. You've got three seconds. One - two -"**

**A resounding CRACK filled the kitchen. Aunt Petunia screamed, "hide!" Vernon yelled and ducked, but for the third time that night Harry was searching for the source of a disturbance he had not made. He spotted it at once: a dazed and ruffled-looking barn owl was sitting outside on the kitchen sill, having just collided with the closed window.**

"Errol." Arthur chuckled. "He always crashes into windows."

**Ignoring Uncle Vernon's anguished yell of "OWLS!" Harry crossed the room at a run and wrenched the window open. The owl stuck out its leg, to which a small roll of parchment was tied, shook its leathers, and took off the moment Harry had taken the letter. Hands shaking, Harry unfurled the second message, which was written very hastily and blotchily in black ink.**

**Harry -**

**Dumbledore"s just arrived at the Ministry and he's trying to sort it all out.**

**DO NOT LEAVE YOUR AUNT AND UNCLE'S HOUSE. DO NOT DO ANY MORE MAGIC. DO NOT SURRENDER YOUR WAND.**

**Arthur Weasley**

"Good advice." said Lily. "Listen to Arthur, Harry."

"I did." he nodded.

**Dumbledore was trying to sort it all out... what did that mean? How much power did Dumbledore have to override the Ministry of Magic? Was there a chance that he might be allowed back to Hogwarts, then?**

**A small shoot of hope burgeoned in Harry's chest, almost immediately strangled by panic - how was he supposed to refuse to surrender his wand without doing magic? He'd have to duel with the Ministry representatives, and if he did that, he'd be lucky to escape Azkaban, let alone expulsion.**

"You could've hid it." Ron shrugged.

"They would have summoned it." Hermione pointed out.

"And where would I hide it?" Harry added, rolling his eyes.

"Somewhere they wouldn't go or suspect." Dora smirked, "And they wouldn't be allowed to summon it, not without having a sort of warrant to allow them to take your wand anyway. Its part of the legality thing, and I doubt many of them would want to do like 25 pages of paperwork just to confiscate a wand to have it snapped."

"Which, funnily enough, is one of the reasons mine wasn't snapped when I was arrested." Sirius smirked, "The other reason was that they didn't give me a trial, so therefore couldn't fill in the forms to snap the wand without bringing that to light. Something they didn't want to do."

**His mind was racing... he could run for it and risk being captured by the Ministry, or stay put and wait for them to find him here. He was much more tempted by the former course, but he knew Mr Weasley had his best interests at heart... and after all, Dumbledore had sorted out much worse than this before.**

**"Right," Harry said, "I've changed my mind, I"m staying." He flung himself down at the kitchen table and faced Dudley and Aunt Petunia. The Dursleys appeared taken aback at his abrupt change of mind. Aunt Petunia glanced despairingly at Uncle Vernon. The vein in his purple temple was throbbing worse than ever.**

**"Who are all these ruddy owls from?" he growled.**

**"The first one was from the Ministry of Magic, expelling me," said Harry calmly. He was straining his ears to catch any noises outside, in case the Ministry representatives were approaching, and it was easier and quieter to answer Uncle Vernon's questions than to have him start raging and bellowing. "The second one was from my friend Ron's dad, who works at the Ministry."**

**"Ministry of Magic?" bellowed Uncle Vernon. "People like you in government! Oh, this explains everything, everything, no wonder the country's going to the dogs."**

"It is not." Molly muttered. "The Ministry of Magic works perfectly well."

"At that time it didn't." Kingsley reminded her, "It was rocky with Scrimgeour too. I'm still clearing up some of the mess, actually." he shook his head, "There's loads of it."

Percy nodded, "Tons. I'd bet one departments, lets say the Department of Magical Travel, could fill the Great Hall with the paperwork that needs done."

"Which we'll be starting to clear up next month." Kingsley added, "At the moment the aim is to make sure those departments that need done most, are getting done until they're steady enough before moving on. The current mission is the Wizengamot."

"It thought that would've been sorted before the trials?" Draco frowned.

"You saw it at your own. It was only those present there that was doing all the trials." Percy admitted, "Occasionally another head of a Department was there, but usually it was only those that were really needed."

"Oh well, sessions don't start until November, we've still got time." Kingsley shrugged.

**When Harry did not respond, Uncle Vernon glared at him, then spat out, "And why have you been expelled?"**

**"Because I did magic."**

**"AHA!" roared Uncle Vernon, slamming his fist down on top of the fridge, which sprang open; several of Dudley's low-fat snacks toppled out and burst on the floor. "So you admit it! What did you do to Dudley?"**

**"Nothing," said Harry, slightly less calmly. "That wasn't me -"**

**"Was," muttered Dudley unexpectedly, and Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia instantly made flapping gestures at Harry to quieten him while they both bent low over Dudley.**

**"Go on, son," said Uncle Vernon, "what did he do?"**

**"Tell us, darling," whispered Aunt Petunia.**

**"Pointed his wand at me," Dudley mumbled.**

**"Yeah, I did, but I didn't use -" Harry began angrily, but -**

**"SHUT UP!" roared Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia in unison.**

**"Go on, son," repeated Uncle Vernon, moustache blowing about furiously.**

**"All went dark," Dudley said hoarsely, shuddering. "Everything dark. And then I h-heard... things. Inside m-my head."**

**Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia exchanged looks of utter horror. If their least favourite thing in the world was magic - closely followed by neighbours who cheated more than they did on the hosepipe ban - people who heard voices were definitely in the bottom ten. They obviously thought Dudley was losing his mind.**

**"What sort of things did you hear, Popkin?" breathed Aunt Petunia, very white-faced and with tears in her eyes.**

**But Dudley seemed incapable of saying. He shuddered again and shook his large blond head, and despite the sense of numb dread that had settled on Harry since the arrival of the first owl, he felt a certain curiosity. Dementors caused a person to relive the worst moments of their life. What would spoiled, pampered, bullying Dudley have been forced to hear?**

"I'm not telling." Dudley told the room, many of them had looked curious.

**"How come you fell over, son?" said Uncle Vernon, in an unnaturally quiet voice, the kind of voice he might adopt at the bedside of a very ill person.**

**"T-tripped," said Dudley shakily. "And then -"**

**He gestured at his massive chest. Harry understood. Dudley was remembering the clammy cold that filled the lungs as hope and happiness were sucked out of you.**

**"Horrible," croaked Dudley. "Cold. Really cold."**

**"OK," said Uncle Vernon, in a voice of forced calm, while Aunt Petunia laid an anxious hand on Dudley's forehead to feel his temperature. "What happened then, Dudders?"**

**"Felt... felt... felt... as if... as if..."**

**"As if you'd never be happy again," Harry supplied dully.**

**"Yes," Dudley whispered, still trembling.**

**"So!" said Uncle Vernon, voice restored to full and considerable volume as he straightened up. "You put some crackpot spell on my son so he'd hear voices and believe he was - was doomed to misery, or something, did you?"**

**"How many times do I have to tell you?" said Harry, temper and voice both rising. "It wasn"t me! It was a couple of Dementors!"**

**"A couple of - what's this codswallop?"**

**"De - men - tors," said Harry slowly and clearly. "Two of them."**

**"And what the ruddy hell are Dementors?"**

**"They guard the wizard prison, Azkaban," said Aunt Petunia.**

Everyone looked incredulously at Petunia.

"I did listen to Lily occasionally you know." she huffed.

"Wasn't that information obtained by spying?" Snape's portrait said making them all jump, they hadn't known he was there.

"Um... Maybe?" Petunia said, "Fine it was. But Lily did tell me about them once."

"When I was telling our parents." Lily nodded, "It was after I'd gotten my Hogwarts letter and they finally believed me." she smiled.

**Two seconds of ringing silence followed these words before Aunt Petunia clapped her hand over her mouth as though she had let slip a disgusting swear word. Uncle Vernon was goggling at her. Harrys brain reeled. Mrs. Figg was one thing - but Aunt Petunia?**

**"How d'you know that?" he asked her, astonished.**

**Aunt Petunia looked quite appalled with herself. She glanced at Uncle Vernon in fearful apology, then lowered her hand slightly to reveal her horsy teeth.**

**"I heard - that awful boy - telling her about them - years ago," she said jerkily.**

"You could've used our names." Lily frowned.

"I'm glad she did not." Snape shrugged, "Or would you rather your son knew we were friends?"

"I reacted badly when I did find out." Harry added. "So it's probably best I didn't right then."

"Actually, how did you find out?" Remus asked.

"Yes, we never did find out how." Sirius added.

Harry shared a look with Severus.

"During an Occlumency lesson." Snape said shortly. "It was partially my fault, though he couldnt mind his own business so it was his own fault as well."

Harry rolled his eyes, "Mostly your fault, you shouldn't have left me in the room alone. Anyway, you'll all likely find out what happened later on."

**"If you mean my mum and dad, why don't you use their names?" said Harry loudly, but Aunt Petunia ignored him. She seemed horribly flustered.**

**Harry was stunned. Except for one outburst years ago, in the course of which Aunt Petunia had screamed that Harry's mother had been a freak, he had never heard her mention her sister. He was astounded that she had remembered this scrap of information about the magical world for so long, when she usually put all her energies into pretending it didn't exist.**

**Uncle Vernon opened his mouth, closed it again, opened it once more, shut it, then, apparently struggling to remember how to talk, opened it for a third time and croaked, "So - so - they - er - they - er - they actually exist, do they - er - Dementy-whatsits?"**

**Aunt Petunia nodded.**

**Uncle Vernon looked from Aunt Petunia to Dudley to Harry as if hoping somebody was going to shout "April Fool!" When nobody did, he opened his mouth yet again, but was spared the struggle to find more words by the arrival of the third owl of the evening. It zoomed through the still-open window like a feathery cannon-ball and landed with a clatter on the kitchen table, causing all three of the Dursleys to jump with fright. Harry tore a second official-looking envelope from the owls beak and ripped it open as the owl swooped back out into the night.**

**"Enough - effing - owls," muttered Uncle Vernon distractedly, stomping over to the window and slamming it shut again.**

**Dear Mr. Potter,**

**Further to our letter of approximately twenty-two minutes ago, the Ministry of Magic has revised its decision to destroy your wand forthwith. You may retain your wand until your disciplinary hearing on the twelfth of August, at which time an official decision will be taken.**

**Following discussions with the Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, the Ministry has agreed that the question of your expulsion will also be decided at that time. You should therefore consider yourself suspended from school pending further enquiries.**

**With best wishes,**

**Mafalda Hopkirk**

**Improper Use of Magic Office**

**Ministry of Magic**

**Harry read this letter through three times in quick succession. The miserable knot in his chest loosened slightly with the relief of knowing he was not yet definitely expelled, though his fears were by no means banished. Everything seemed to hang on this hearing on the twelfth of August.**

**"Well?" said Uncle Vernon, recalling Harry to his surroundings. "What now? Have they sentenced you to anything? Do your lot have the death penalty?" he added as a hopeful afterthought.**

"Unless you count the Dementors Kiss then no, we dont have the death penalty." Hermione growled.

**"I've got to go to a hearing," said Harry.**

**"And they'll sentence you there?"**

**"I suppose so."**

**"I won't give up hope, then," said Uncle Vernon nastily.**

**"Well, if that's all," said Harry, getting to his feet. He was desperate to be alone, to think, perhaps to send a letter to Ron, Hermione or Sirius.**

**"NO, IT RUDDY WELL IS NOT ALL!" bellowed Uncle Vernon. "SIT BACK DOWN!"**

**"What now?" said Harry impatiently.**

**"DUDLEY!" roared Uncle Vernon. "I want to know exactly what happened to my son!"**

**"FINE!" yelled Harry, and in his temper, red and gold sparks shot out of the end of his wand, still clutched in his hand. All three Dursleys flinched, looking terrified. "Dudley and I were in the alleyway between Magnolia Crescent and Wisteria Walk," said Harry, speaking fast, fighting to control his temper. "Dudley thought he'd be smart with me, I pulled out my wand but didn't use it. Then two Dementors turned up -"**

**"But what ARE Dementoids?" asked Uncle Vernon furiously. "What do they DO?"**

**"I told you - they suck all the happiness out of you," said Harry, "and if they get the chance, they kiss you -"**

**"Kiss you?" said Uncle Vernon, his eyes popping slightly. "Kiss you?"**

**"It's what they call it when they suck the soul out of your mouth."**

**Aunt Petunia uttered a soft scream.**

**"His soul? They didn't take - he's still got his -"**

**She seized Dudley by the shoulders and shook him, as though testing to see whether she could hear his soul rattling around inside him.**

**"Of course they didn't get his soul, you'd know if they had," said Harry, exasperated.**

**"Fought 'em off, did you, son?" said Uncle Vernon loudly, with the appearance of a man struggling to bring the conversation back on to a plane he understood. "Gave 'em the old one-two, did you?"**

"You can't give a Dementor 'the old one-two'!" snapped Sirius, exasperated.

"That's what I said." Harry smirked.

**"You can't give a Dementor the old one-two," said Harry through clenched teeth.**

**"Why's he all right, then?" blustered Uncle Vernon. "Why isn't he all empty, then?"**

**"Because I used the Patronus -"**

**WHOOSH. With a clattering, a whirring of wings and a soft fall of dust, a fourth owl came shooting out of the kitchen fireplace.**

**"FOR GOD'S SAKE!" roared Uncle Vernon, pulling great clumps of hair out of his moustache, something he hadn't been driven to do in a long time. "I WILL NOT HAVE OWLS HERE, I WILL NOT TOLERATE THIS, I TELL YOU!"**

"You can't stop owls from showing up!" exclaimed Lily.

**But Harry was already pulling a roll of parchment from the owl's leg. He was so convinced that this letter had to be from Dumbledore, explaining everything - the Dementors, Mrs Figg, what the Ministry was up to, how he, Dumbledore, intended to sort everything out - that for the first time in his life he was disappointed to see Sirius's handwriting.**

"What!" exclaimed Sirius. "I'm hurt! You don't think I can explain things, Harry?"

"I didnt know you knew what had happened." Harry said defensively, "You never mentioned you were in contact with anyone other than myself, Ron, Hermione, Albus or Remus in your letters. How was I to know you'd been talking to other people?" he huffed.

"He has a point Sirius." Remus smiled slightly, "He couldn't have known until we took him to Headquarters."

**Ignoring Uncle Vernon's ongoing rant about owls, and narrowing his eyes against a second cloud of dust as the most recent owl look off back up the chimney, Harry read Sirius's message.**

**Arthur has just told us what's happened. Don't leave the house again, whatever you do.**

"I wasn't allowed to write more." Sirius huffed.

**Harry found this such an inadequate response to everything that had happened tonight that he turned the piece of parchment over, looking for the rest of the letter, but there was nothing else.**

**And now his temper was rising again. Wasn't anybody going to say "well done" for fighting off two Dementors single-handed? Both Mr. Weasley and Sirius were acting as though he'd misbehaved, and were saving their tellings-off until they could ascertain how much damage had been done.**

"You're in danger!" exclaimed James. "Nobody's going to be saying well-done for what you did until they're certain you're safe and out of trouble!"

"Besides at 13 you drove away over 100 Dementors single handedly. Two is easier to handle but well done anyway." Ron grinned, "Even if it is a bit late to say it."

Harry chuckled.

**"... a peck, I mean, pack of owls shooting in and out of my house. I won't have it, boy, I won't -"**

**"I can't stop the owls coming," Harry snapped, crushing Sirius's letter in his fist.**

**"I want the truth about what happened tonight!" barked Uncle Vernon. "If it was Demenders who hurt Dudley, how come you've been expelled? You did you-know-what, you've admitted it!"**

"It was the only way to fight off the Dementors," Amber snapped. "And can't you get the name right?"

"Kind of glad you never met him properly." Dudley smiled sadly. "You would've drove him insane."

"He was already insane." Petunia muttered.

**Harry took a deep, steadying breath. His head was beginning to ache again. He wanted more than anything to get out of the kitchen, and away from the Dursleys.**

**"I did the Patronus Charm to get rid of the Dementors," he said, forcing himself to remain calm. "It's the only thing that works against them."**

**"But what were Dementoids doing in Little Whinging?" said Uncle Vernon in an outraged tone.**

**"Couldn't tell you," said Harry wearily. "No idea."**

"It could have been Voldemort who sent them," Regulus frowned.

Harry exchanged a dark look with Hermione.

"It wasn't Voldemort. Remember he wanted me dead by his hand. We can't tell you who but... You will probably guess soon." Harry sighed.

**His head was pounding in the glare of the strip-lighting now. His anger was ebbing away. He felt drained, exhausted. The Dursleys were all staring at him.**

**"It's you," said Uncle Vernon forcefully. "It's got something to do with you, boy, I know it. Why else would they turn up here? Why else would they be down that alleyway? You've got to be the only - the only -" Evidently, he couldn't bring himself to say the word "wizard". "The only you-know-what for miles."**

**"I don't know why they were here."**

**But at Uncle Vernon's words, Harry's exhausted brain had ground back into action. Why had the Dementors come to Little Whinging? How could it be coincidence that they had arrived in the alleyway where Harry was? Had they been sent? Had the Ministry of Magic lost control of the Dementors? Had they deserted Azkaban and joined Voldemort, as Dumbledore had predicted they would?**

**"These Demembers guard some weirdo prison?" asked Uncle Vernon, lumbering along in the wake of Harry's train of thought.**

**"Yes," said Harry.**

**If only his head would stop hurting, if only he could just leave the kitchen and get to his dark bedroom and think...**

**"Oho! They were coming to arrest you!" said Uncle Vernon, with the triumphant air of a man reaching an unassailable conclusion. "That's it, isn't it, boy? You're on the run from the law!"**

"Harry's not on the run from the law!" snapped Sirius. "That's me who was doing that."

**"Of course I'm not," said Harry, shaking his head as though to scare off a fly, his mind racing now.**

**"Then why -?"**

**"He must have sent them," said Harry quietly, more to himself than to Uncle Vernon.**

**"What's that? Who must have sent them?"**

**"Lord Voldemort," said Harry.**

**He registered dimly how strange it was that the Dursleys, who flinched, winced and squawked if they heard words like "wizard", "magic" or "wand", could hear the name of the most evil wizard of all time without the slightest tremor.**

**"Lord - hang on," said Uncle Vernon, his face screwed up, a look of dawning comprehension coming into his piggy eyes. "I've heard that name... that was the one who -"**

**"Murdered my parents, yes," Harry said dully.**

**"But he's gone," said Uncle Vernon impatiently, without the slightest sign that the murder of Harry's parents might be a painful topic. "That giant bloke said so. He's gone."**

"I'm shocked he remembered that." James said.

"Your not the only one." Petunia told him.

**"He's back," said Harry heavily.**

**It felt very strange to be standing here in Aunt Petunia's surgically clean kitchen, beside the top-of-the-range fridge and the wide-screen television, talking calmly of Lord Voldemort to Uncle Vernon. The arrival of the Dementors in Little Whinging seemed to have breached the great, invisible wall that divided the relentlessly non-magical world of Privet Drive and the world beyond, Harry's two lives had somehow become fused and everything had been turned upside-down; the Dursleys were asking for details about the magical world, and Mrs. Figg knew Albus Dumbledore; Dementors were soaring around Little Whinging, and he might never return to Hogwarts. Harry's head throbbed more painfully.**

**"Back?" whispered Aunt Petunia.**

**She was looking at Harry as she had never looked at him before. And all of a sudden, for the very first time in his life, Harry fully appreciated that Aunt Petunia was his mother's sister. He could not have said why this hit him so very powerfully at this moment. All he knew was that he was not the only person in the room who had an inkling of what Lord Voldemort being back might mean.**

"Well, she does know quite a bit of the wizarding world from hearing all those discussions at the dinner table during the holidays." said Lily.

"And you should have told me he was back." Petunia told Harry.

"Why?" Harry asked, "You never seemed to care."

"I did care. I was worried about you but I couldn't very well show it in front of Vernon." she frowned, "You should've warned me so we could've kept an eye out for potential danger. Lily's right, I know quite a bit about the first war because of the discussions over the holidays."

"It never seemed obvious to me that you were actually worried. I would've told you if you had told the truth about the way you treated me and why." Harry snapped, he looked quite irritated, "Thirteen years at that point and you never once told me anything about yourself, about why I was forced to live in a cupboard, about why I was treated like dirt on someones shoe! And you expect me to confide that the most dangerous wizard possibly in the world was after me?! You expect me to tell you the monster who caused me to come live with you in the first place killed a student right in front of me and was trying to kill me as well?! Or maybe I missed something?!" he hung his head, took a deep breath and fell silent.

Everyone looked shocked at his outburst.

Petunia looked miserable, "I don't know what to say except your right. I should have told you... Looking at it from your point of view I can see why you didn't tell me."

"Just forget it." Harry sighed not looking up from his knees.

**Aunt Petunia had never in her life looked at him like that before. Her large, pale eyes (so unlike her sister's) were not narrowed in dislike or anger, they were wide and fearful. The furious pretence that Aunt Petunia had maintained all Harry's life - that there was no magic and no world other than the world she inhabited with Uncle Vernon - seemed to have fallen away.**

**"Yes," Harry said, talking directly to Aunt Petunia now. "He came back a month ago. I saw him."**

**Her hands found Dudley's massive leather-clad shoulders and clutched them.**

**"Hang on," said Uncle Vernon, looking from his wife to Harry and back again, apparently dazed and confused by the unprecedented understanding that seemed to have sprung up between them. "Hang on. This Lord Voldything's back, you say."**

**"Yes."**

**"The one who murdered your parents."**

**"Yes."**

**"And now he's sending Dismembers after you?"**

**"Looks like it," said Harry.**

**"I see," said Uncle Vernon, looking from his white-faced wife to Harry and hitching up his trousers. He seemed to be swelling, his great purple face stretching before Harry's eyes. "Well, that settles it," he said, his shirt front straining as he inflated himself, "you can get out of this house, boy!"**

"What?!" they all, except Dudley, Petunia and Harry, asked, staring at the memory in shock.

**"What?" said Harry.**

**"You heard me - OUT!" Uncle Vernon bellowed, and even Aunt Petunia and Dudley jumped. "OUT! OUT! I should've done this years ago! Owls treating the place like a rest home, puddings exploding, half the lounge destroyed, Dudley's tail, Marge bobbing around on the ceiling and that flying Ford Anglia - OUT! OUT! You've had it! You're history! You're not staying here if some loony's after you, you're not endangering my wife and son, you're not bringing trouble down on us. If you're going the same way as your useless parents, I've had it! OUT!"**

"You can't force Harry out!" shouted Lily. "It's not safe for him to leave, except to go to Hogwarts, and he can't do that now!"

"I wouldn't let Vernon kick him out." Petunia sighed.

**Harry stood rooted to the spot. The letters from the Ministry, Mr. Weasley and Sirius were all crushed in his left hand. Don't leave the house again, whatever you do. DO NOT LEAVE YOUR AUNT AND UNCLE'S HOUSE.**

**"You heard me!" said Uncle Vernon, bending forwards now, his massive purple face coming so close to Harry's, he actually felt flecks of spit hit his face. "Get going! You were all keen to leave half an hour ago! I'm right behind you! Get out and never darken our doorstep again! Why we ever kept you in the first place, I don't know, Marge was right, it should have been the orphanage. We were too damn soft for our own good, thought we could squash it out of you, thought we could turn you normal, but you've been rotten from the beginning and I've had enough - owls!"**

**The fifth owl zoomed down the chimney so fast it actually hit the floor before zooming into the air again with a loud screech. Harry raised his hand to seize the letter, which was in a scarlet envelope, but it soared straight over his head, flying directly at Aunt Petunia, who let out a scream and ducked, her arms over her face. The owl dropped the red envelope on her head, turned, and flew straight back up the chimney.**

"Did someone send you a Howler, Petunia?" Sirius asked incredulously.

"Yes." Petunia winced.

**Harry darted forwards to pick up the letter, but Aunt Petunia beat him to it.**

**"You can open it if you like," said Harry, "but I'll hear what it says anyway. That's a Howler."**

**"Let go of it, Petunia!" roared Uncle Vernon. "Don't touch it, it could be dangerous!"**

**"It's addressed to me," said Aunt Petunia in a shaking voice. "It's addressed to me, Vernon, look! Mrs. Petunia Dursley, The Kitchen, Number Four, Privet Drive -"**

"Who sent my sister a Howler?" asked Lily, shocked.

"Only Hogwarts would give an exact address like that." Minerva said looking at Albus suspiciously.

**She caught her breath, horrified. The red envelope had begun to smoke.**

**"Open it!" Harry urged her. "Get it over with! It'll happen anyway."**

**"No."**

**Aunt Petunia's hand was trembling. She looked wildly around the kitchen as though looking for an escape route, but too late - the envelope burst into flames. Aunt Petunia screamed and dropped it.**

**An awful voice filled the kitchen, echoing in the confined space, issuing from the burning letter on the table.**

**"Remember my last, Petunia."**

"Albus?" Minerva asked.

"Yes Minerva." he replied smiling.

"Did you send that?" she asked.

"Yes I did." he confirmed, "Just a little reminder of the last letter I sent."

"It worked." Petunia told him.

"I thought it would." he nodded.

**Aunt Petunia looked as though she might faint. She sank into the chair beside Dudley, her face in her hands. The remains of the envelope smouldered into ash in the silence.**

**"What is this?" Uncle Vernon said hoarsely. "What - I don't - Petunia?"**

**Aunt Petunia said nothing. Dudley was staring stupidly at his mother, his mouth hanging open. The silence spiralled horribly. Harry was watching his aunt, utterly bewildered, his head throbbing fit to burst.**

**"Petunia, dear?" said Uncle Vernon timidly. "P-Petunia?"**

**She raised her head. She was still trembling. She swallowed.**

**"The boy - the boy will have to stay, Vernon," she said weakly.**

**"W-what?"**

**"He stays," she said. She was not looking at Harry. She got to her feet again.**

**"He... but Petunia..."**

**"If we throw him out, the neighbours will talk," she said. She was rapidly regaining her usual brisk, snappish manner, though she was still very pale. "They'll ask awkward questions, they'll want to know where he's gone. We'll have to keep him."**

"That reason makes sense." said Sirius bitterly. "Now Dursley won't be able to throw Harry out."

**Uncle Vernon was deflating like an old tyre.**

**"But Petunia, dear -"**

**Aunt Petunia ignored him. She turned to Harry. "You're to stay in your room," she said. "You're not to leave the house. Now get to bed."**

**Harry didn't move. "Who was that Howler from?"**

**"Don't ask questions," Aunt Petunia snapped.**

**"Are you in touch with wizards?"**

**"I told you to get to bed!"**

**"What did it mean? Remember the last what?"**

**"Go to bed!"**

**"How come -?"**

**"YOU HEARD YOUR AUNT, NOW GO UP TO BED!"**

"And Harry will have to listen to Dursley and go to bed." James made a face of annoyance.

"I couldn't win that argument." Harry pouted.

"It certainly didn't stop you from asking repeatedly." Petunia chuckled.

"Not much would stop me." he shrugged. "And I found out at the end of the year anyway."

"It's always the end of the year." Ron muttered, "Never at the start."

"Yeah, we spend a school year frustrated because we're never told anything then we figure it out and it all comes together at the end of the year." Harry agreed.

"Usually it's a bad thing." Hermione added, "Because it takes dangerous situations to help us figure it out... Or we get told because we're in danger." she added.

"And the excuse for not telling us is usually along the lines of 'You're too young to understand'." Ron grumbled.

"I beleive that was the most common one." Albus sighed, "I also know that some of the information you really were to young to handle."

"And yet you found out anyway." Minerva frowned, "How did you do that?"

"Rumors and reactions." Hermione smirked, "We'd hear a rumor and tell someone about it and their reactions usually gave them away."

"Or subtle questions." Harry supplied. "A few times we managed to shock people into telling us the truth."

"I was under the impression you just annoyed people until they let something slip." Snape frowned.

"Sometimes." Hermione shrugged, "It usually worked. Half the time people ended up telling us though."

"Only because you would've found out eventually." Sirius pointed out, "Your a persistent bunch when you want to be."

"You have a point." Harry nodded, "Lets continue."

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><p>There will probably be more chapters up later, right now I'm barely able to keep my eyes open so I think its bedtime for me. Nighty night :-)<p>

Review please x


	55. Chapter 55

Hey there, I'm calling a vote of sorts. I know wolf babies are called pups, but I've seen lots of fanfics that refer to them - more specifically Remus to his kids/Harry - as a 'cub' or 'cubs', so I'd like to know people's opinions on that. If people like 'cub/cubs' better than 'pup/pups' then I'll keep it as 'cubs', if the popular choice is 'pup/pups' then I'll change what I call them. For now it will remain as 'cubs' when referring to Jinx or Jex, just so you know.

Tonight will be fewer chapters put up than usual, but I'm rather stuck on how to put down my next idea in writing, so it might be a few more days until my next update.

Thank you all for the reviews, I enjoy reading them and would even go as far as saying they're the highlight of my day since exams are rather depressing and boring. They tend to cheer me up, so keep 'em coming :-)

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><p>Chapter 55 - Fifth Year (Part 2)<p>

20, August, 1998. 10.30am.

"Time to meet my Advanced Guard." Harry grinned.

"Yay!" Dora cheered.

"I'm currently writing a letter just so no one get's confused." Harry added.

**I've just been attacked by Dementors and I might be expelled from Hogwarts. I want to know what's going on and when I'm going to get out of here.**

**Harry copied these words on to three separate pieces of parchment the moment he reached the desk in his dark bedroom. He addressed the first to Sirius, the second to Ron and the third to Hermione. His owl, Hedwig, was off hunting; her cage stood empty on the desk. Harry paced the bedroom waiting for her to come back, his head pounding, his brain too busy for sleep even though his eyes stung and itched with tiredness. His back ached from hauling Dudley home, and the two lumps on his head where the window and Dudley had hit him were throbbing painfully.**

"Sorry Harry." Dudley winced.

"It's fine. You were scared and I should've known to step further away from you by then." Harry chuckled.

**Up and down he paced, consumed with anger and frustration, grinding his teeth and clenching his fists, casting angry looks out at the empty, star-strewn sky every time he passed the window. Dementors sent to get him, Mrs. Figg and Mundungus Fletcher tailing him in secret, then suspension from Hogwarts and a hearing at the Ministry of Magic - and still no one was telling him what was going on.**

"Yeah, why can't someone tell Harry something about what's going on?" demanded James.

"Relax James, he'll get told at Headquarters." Remus assured him.

"And when is that?" Neville inquired.

"Soon." Dora smiled, "Or do you think we'd leave him there after something like that?"

**And what, what, had that Howler been about? Whose voice had echoed so horribly, so menacingly, through the kitchen?**

"You are quite terrifying when you're angry." Minerva told Albus, he just chuckled and casually leaned against the frame of his portrait.

**Why was he still trapped here without information? Why was everyone treating him like some naughty kid? Don't do any more magic, stay in the house...**

"They don't mean it!" exclaimed Lily. "They're just all very concerned about your safety and don't want you getting into any more trouble with the Ministry."

"Mum it looked like that from my point of view." Harry pointed out, "I'd been kept in the dark all summer and after that all I was told is don't do more magic and don't leave the house."

"We should have told him more." Remus muttered, "Maybe a visit or two to keep him informed..."

**He kicked his school trunk as he passed it, but far from relieving his anger he felt worse, as he now had a sharp pain in his toe to deal with in addition to the pain in the rest of his body.**

**Just as he limped past the window, Hedwig soared through it with a soft rustle of wings like a small ghost.**

**"About time!" Harry snarled, as she landed lightly on top of her cage. "You can put that down, I've got work for you!"**

"Harry, don't take your frustrations out on Hedwig!" scolded Ginny.

Harry winced, "I didnt mean it."

**Hedwig's large, round, amber eyes gazed at him reproachfully over the dead frog clamped in her beak.**

**"Come here," said Harry, picking up the three small rolls of parchment and a leather thong and tying the scrolls to her scaly leg. "Take these straight to Sirius, Ron and Hermione and don't come back here without good long replies. Keep pecking them till they've written decent-length answers if you've got to. Understand?"**

"So that's why she did that." Ron scowled, "I've still got scars from her going mental."

"So have I." Hermione nodded.

"She only scratched me once." Sirius added.

"Sorry." Harry winced again.

**Hedwig gave a muffled hooting noise, her beak still full of frog.**

**"Get going, then," said Harry.**

**She took off immediately. The moment she'd gone, Harry threw himself down on his bed without undressing and stared at the dark ceiling. In addition to every other miserable feeling, he now felt guilty that he'd been irritable with Hedwig; she was the only friend he had at number four, Privet Drive. But he'd make it up to her when she came back with the answers from Sirius, Ron and Hermione.**

**They were bound to write back quickly; they couldn't possibly ignore a Dementor attack. He'd probably wake up tomorrow to three fat letters full of sympathy and plans for his immediate removal to The Burrow. And with that comforting idea, sleep rolled over him, stifling all further thought.**

**But Hedwig didn't return next morning.**

**Harry spent the day in his bedroom, leaving it only to go to the bathroom. Three times that day Aunt Petunia shoved food into his room through the cat-flap Uncle Vernon had installed three summers ago. Every time Harry heard her approaching he tried to question her about the Howler, but he might as well have interrogated the doorknob for all the answers he got. Otherwise, the Dursleys kept well clear of his bedroom. Harry couldn't see the point of forcing his company on them; another row would achieve nothing except perhaps make him so angry he'd perform more illegal magic.**

"Yeah, and you don't need any more of that happening." said Frank.

**So it went on for three whole days. Harry was alternately filled with restless energy that made him unable to settle to anything, during which time he paced his bedroom, furious at the whole lot of them for leaving him to stew in this mess; and with a lethargy so complete that he could lie on his bed for an hour at a time, staring dazedly into space, aching with dread at the thought of the Ministry hearing.**

**What if they ruled against him? What if he was expelled and his wand was snapped in half? What would he do, where would he go? He could not return to living full-time with the Dursleys, not now he knew the other world, the one to which he really belonged. Might he be able to move into Sirius's house, as Sirius had suggested a year ago, before he had been forced to flee from the Ministry?**

"If you were found guilty, you definitely can move in with me, Harry." Sirius smiled.

"It would have been what had happened." Albus nodded, "We could train you in secret at Grimmauld."

"Wouldn't using magic alert the ministry though?" Harry frowned.

"Not at Grimmauld with the right wards." Regulus said, "There's one that our parents used to put up every summer so we could use magic when we were there."

"That ward deteriorated and I couldn't find the spell to put it back up or I would have for you lot." Sirius added, glancing at the teens who had still been underage at that time, "I eventually found it about a month before I died."

"And it kept falling down because of the other wards." Bill huffed, "None of us could get it to stay up."

"Oop's, that was my fault. I put up a ward that made it tricky to put up wards like that." Regulus admitted, "It must have been that."

"Why did you do that?" Alice asked.

"It was to stop temporary wards like Anti-Apparition being put up." he explained, "It never really agreed with the other wards."

"That's a vicious ward." Bill nodded, "It eats away at minor to moderate wards making them only last a few minutes or hours, sometimes days."

Regulus chuckled, "If it didn't do that, I wouldn't have put it up. It also got rid of some of the wards my Father put up - they were even more vicious than that one so it's a good thing." he shrugged.

**Would Harry be allowed to live there alone, given that he was still underage? Or would the matter of where he went next be decided for him? Had his breach of the International Statute of Secrecy been severe enough to land him in a cell in Azkaban?**

"Definitely not." Kingsley said, "No one underage ever goes to Azkaban unless it's really bad, like murder."

**Whenever this thought occurred, Harry invariably slid off his bed and began pacing again.**

**On the fourth night after Hedwig"s departure Harry was lying in one of his apathetic phases, staring at the ceiling, his exhausted mind quite blank, when his uncle entered his bedroom. Harry looked slowly around at him. Uncle Vernon was wearing his best suit and an expression of enormous smugness.**

"Oh, is he going somewhere?" asked Luna. "I hope he is."

"He is." Dora nodded, "Just not where he thinks he's going." she smirked.

**"We're going out," he said.**

**"Sorry?"**

**"We - that is to say, your aunt, Dudley and I - are going out."**

**"Fine," said Harry dully, looking back at the ceiling.**

**"You are not to leave your bedroom while we are away."**

**"OK."**

**"You are not to touch the television, the stereo, or any of our possessions."**

**"Right."**

**"You are not to steal food from the fridge."**

**"OK."**

**"I am going to lock your door."**

"Hey, do you intend to starve Harry?" demanded James. "Or prevent him from using the bathroom?"

"I told Vernon not to lock the door." Petunia huffed.

"Why?" Harry asked.

"Mainly because you hadnt left your room in days and deserved a few hours in the house alone." she shrugged, "After all, it's not like you'd blow the place up."

**"You do that."**

**Uncle Vernon glared at Harry, clearly suspicious of this lack of argument, then stomped out of the room and closed the door behind him. Harry heard the key turn in the lock and Uncle Vernon's footsteps walking heavily down the stairs. A few minutes later he heard the slamming of car doors, the rumble of an engine, and the unmistakeable sound of the car sweeping out of the drive.**

**Harry had no particular feeling about the Dursleys leaving. It made no difference to him whether they were in the house or not. He could not even summon the energy to get up and turn on his bedroom light. The room grew steadily darker around him as he lay listening to the night sounds through the window he kept open all the time, waiting for the blessed moment when Hedwig returned. The empty house creaked around him. The pipes gurgled. Harry lay there in a kind of stupor, thinking of nothing, suspended in misery.**

**Then, quite distinctly, he heard a crash in the kitchen below.**

"Dora." Remus chuckled.

Dora blushed, "I didn't mean it."

**He sat bolt upright, listening intently. The Dursleys couldn't be back, it was much too soon, and in any case he hadn't heard their car.**

**There was silence for a few seconds, then voices. Burglars, he thought, sliding off the bed on to his feet - but a split second later it occurred to him that burglars would keep their voices down, and whoever was moving around in the kitchen was certainly not troubling to do so.**

"You really aren't a quiet lot are you?" Harry chuckled.

"We weren't trying to be quiet after that crash." Dora shrugged, still blushing slightly.

**He snatched up his wand from the bedside table and stood facing his bedroom door, listening with all his might. Next moment, he jumped as the lock gave a loud click and his door swung open.**

"Who did that by the way?" Harry frowned.

"We assumed it was you. We didn't know you were even locked in." Remus shrugged.

"Great, more accidental magic." Harry grinned.

**Harry stood motionless, staring through the open doorway at the dark upstairs landing, straining his ears for further sounds, but none came. He hesitated for a moment, then moved swiftly and silently out of his room to the head of the stairs.**

"Be careful, Harry!" cried Lily. "You don't want to get hurt!"

"I was being careful!" he assured her.

**His heart shot upwards into his throat. There were people standing in the shadowy hall below, silhouetted against the streetlight glowing through the glass door; eight or nine of them, all, as far as he could see, looking up at him.**

**"Lower your wand, boy, before you take someone's eye out," said a low, growling voice.**

"Hey, that sounds like Moody's voice!" exclaimed James. "But is it really Moody, or someone using Polyjuice Potion again?"

"It's really Moody that time." Kingsley smiled.

**Harry's heart was thumping uncontrollably. He knew that voice, but he did not lower his wand.**

"You impressed Mad-Eye with that." Dora grinned.

**"Professor Moody?" he said uncertainly.**

**"I don't know so much about 'Professor'," growled the voice, "never got round to much teaching, did I? Get down here, we want to see you properly."**

**Harry lowered his wand slightly but did not relax his grip on it, nor did he move. He had very good reason to be suspicious. He had recently spent nine months in what he had thought was Mad-Eye Moody's company only to find out that it wasn't Moody at all, but an impostor; an impostor, moreover, who had tried to kill Harry before being unmasked.**

"And Crouch Jr. deserved to have the Dementor's Kiss, but it could have happened until after he could have confessed to the Ministry!" Sirius growled.

**But before he could make a decision about what to do next, a second, slightly hoarse voice floated upstairs.**

**"It's all right, Harry. We've come to take you away."**

"Moony!" the two dark haired Marauders yelled happily. Remus shook his head in bemusement.

**Harry's heart leapt. He knew that voice, too, though he hadn't heard it for over a year.**

**"P-Professor Lupin?" he said disbelievingly. "Is that you?"**

"Yes." Remus chuckled.

**"Why are we all standing in the dark?" said a third voice, this one completely unfamiliar, a woman's. "Lumos."**

**A wand-tip flared, illuminating the hall with magical light. Harry blinked. The people below were crowded around the foot of the stairs, gazing up at him intently, some craning their heads for a better look.**

**Remus Lupin stood nearest to him. Though still quite young, Lupin looked tired and rather ill; he had more grey hairs than when Harry had last said goodbye to him and his robes were more patched and shabbier than ever.**

"Moony, what happened to you?" asked James, concerned. "How could your robes be in such a state?"

"I suppose the transformations were taking a toll on me, even with the Wolfsbane Potion. And I wasn't able to find stable employment after I resigned from teaching." Remus shrugged.

**Nevertheless, he was smiling broadly at Harry, who tried to smile back despite his state of shock.**

**"Oooh, he looks just like I thought he would," said the witch who was holding her lit wand aloft. She looked the youngest there; she had a pale heart-shaped face, dark twinkling eyes, and short spiky hair that was a violent shade of violet. "Wotcher, Harry!"**

"And that would be you." Sirius grinned at his cousin.

"Of course." she grinned back.

**"Yeah, I see what you mean, Remus," said a bald black wizard standing furthest back - he had a deep, slow voice and wore a single gold hoop in his ear - "he looks exactly like James."**

"You were talking about me." Harry accused.

"They asked." Remus shrugged.

"And it is true, you do look extraordinarily like James." Kingsley added, "Even now the similarities are obvious."

**"Except the eyes," said a wheezy-voiced, silver-haired wizard at the back. "Lily's eyes."**

**Mad-Eye Moody, who had long grizzled grey hair and a large chunk missing from his nose, was squinting suspiciously at Harry through his mismatched eyes. One eye was small, dark and beady, the other large, round and electric blue - the magical eye that could see through walls, doors and the back of Moody's own head. "Are you quite sure it's him, Lupin?" he growled. "It'd be a nice lookout if we bring back some Death Eater impersonating him. We ought to ask him something only the real Potter would know. Unless anyone brought any Veritaserum?"**

"Of course I was sure. Even though werewolf senses are terrible compared to Lycan senses I'd be able to smell if anyone was impersonating Harry. Polyjuice doesn't mask scent too well." Remus shrugged.

**"Harry, what form does your Patronus take?" Lupin asked.**

**"A stag," said Harry nervously.**

**"That's him, Mad-Eye," said Lupin.**

**Very conscious of everybody still staring at him, Harry descended the stairs, stowing his wand in the back pocket of his jeans as he came.**

**"Don't put your wand there, boy!" roared Moody. "What if it ignited? Better wizards than you have lost buttocks, you know!"**

**"Who d'you know who's lost a buttock?" the violet-haired woman asked Mad-Eye interestedly.**

"Probably himself." muttered James. Everyone chuckled.

**"Never you mind, you just keep your wand out of your back pocket!" growled Mad-Eye. "Elementary wand-safety, nobody bothers about it any more." He stumped off towards the kitchen. "And I saw that," he added irritably, as the woman rolled her eyes towards the ceiling.**

**Lupin held out his hand and shook Harry's. "How are you?" he asked, looking closely at Harry.**

**"F-fine..."**

**Harry could hardly believe this was real. Four weeks with nothing, not the tiniest hint of a plan to remove him from Privet Drive, and suddenly a whole bunch of wizards was standing matter-of-factly in the house as though this was a long-standing arrangement.**

"We couldn't warn you we were coming." Dora said apologetically, "Just in case the message was intercepted."

**He glanced at the people surrounding Lupin; they were still gazing avidly at him. He felt very conscious of the fact that he had not combed his hair for four days.**

"Doesn't help much anyway." Ginny laughed.

"Very true." James nodded messing up his hair, "It never helps."

"I'd figured that out funnily enough." Harry chuckled.

**"I'm - you're really lucky the Dursleys are out..." he mumbled.**

**"Lucky, ha!" said the violet-haired woman. "It was me who lured them out of the way. Sent a letter by Muggle post telling them they'd been short-listed for the All-England Best Kept Suburban Lawn Competition. They're heading off to the prize-giving right now... or they think they are."**

"Vernon was mad." Petunia smirked, "I suspected it wasn't real."

"How?" Dora asked.

"Because those competitions don't exist." Dudley grinned, "We just never told Dad that."

"Never thought of that." Dora muttered.

"Dont worry, it was still a good enough plan." Remus smiled.

**Harry had a fleeting vision of Uncle Vernon's face when he realised there was no All-England Best Kept Suburban Lawn Competition.**

**"We are leaving, aren't we?" he asked. "Soon?"**

**"Almost at once," said Lupin, "we're just waiting for the all-clear."**

**"Where are we going? The Burrow?" Harry asked hopefully.**

**"Not The Burrow, no," said Lupin, motioning Harry towards the kitchen; the little knot of wizards followed, all still eyeing Harry curiously. "Too risky. We've set up Headquarters somewhere undetectable. It's taken a while..."**

**Mad-Eye Moody was now sitting at the kitchen table swigging from a hip flask, his magical eye spinning in all directions, taking in the Dursleys' many labour-saving appliances.**

**"This is Alastor Moody, Harry." Lupin continued, pointing towards Moody.**

**"Yeah, I know," said Harry uncomfortably. It felt odd to be introduced to somebody he'd thought he'd known for a year.**

**"And this is Nymphadora -"**

**"Don't call me Nymphadora, Remus," said the young witch with a shudder, "it's Tonks."**

**"Nymphadora Tonks, who prefers to be known by her surname only," finished Lupin.**

**"So would you if your fool of a mother had called you Nymphadora," muttered Tonks.**

"Because it's a stupid name." Dora made a face.

"It's not stupid." Andy frowned, "It's a very nice name."

"It's stupid." she stated firmly.

"'Oopid." Teddy babbled, "'Oopid, 'oopid."

"And Teddy still agrees with me." Dora grinned.

Andy huffed but didnt reply.

**"And this is Kingsley Shacklebolt."**

Kingsley grinned.

**He indicated the tall black wizard, who bowed. "Elphias Doge." The wheezy-voiced wizard nodded. "Dedalus Diggle -"**

**"We've met before," squeaked the excitable Diggle, dropping his violet-coloured top hat.**

**"Emmeline Vance."**

"Emmeline?" asked Lily, blinking.

"She was a year above us. She helped me in Potions in my third year." Alice nodded.

"Yes, when I was stuck in detention." Frank muttered.

"You're terrible at potions anyway." Alice smirked.

"Still got a higher score on the N.E.W.T than you did." he teased.

**A stately-looking witch in an emerald green shawl inclined her head. "Sturgis Podmore." A square-jawed wizard with thick straw-coloured hair winked. "And Hestia Jones." A pink-cheeked, black-haired witch waved from next to the toaster.**

**Harry inclined his head awkwardly at each of them as they were introduced. He wished they would look at something other than him; it was as though he had suddenly been ushered on-stage. He also wondered why so many of them were there.**

**"A surprising number of people volunteered to come and get you," said Lupin, as though he had read Harry's mind; the corners of his mouth twitched slightly.**

Harry looked at Remus curiously.

"I could see the confusion on your face." he chuckled.

**"Yeah, well, the more the better," said Moody darkly. "We're your guard, Potter."**

**"We're just waiting for the signal to tell us it's safe to set off," said Lupin, glancing out of the kitchen window. "We've got about fifteen minutes."**

**"Very clean, aren't they, these Muggles?" said the witch called Tonks, who was looking around the kitchen with great interest. "My dad's Muggle-born and he's a right old slob. I suppose it varies, just as it does with wizards?"**

"Yeah." Sirius mused. "Ted is a bit of a slob, but Andy's good with household spells, so it doesn't matter so much."

"He wasn't all that messy." Andy sighed, "He just tended to forget to clean up after himself."

**"Er - yeah," said Harry. "Look -" he turned back to Lupin, "what's going on, I haven't heard anything from anyone, what's Vol -?"**

**Several of the witches and wizards made odd hissing noises; Dedalus Diggle dropped his hat again and Moody growled, "Shut up!"**

**"What?" said Harry.**

**"We're not discussing anything here, it's too risky," said Moody, turning his normal eye on Harry.**

**His magical eye remained focused on the ceiling. "Damn it," he added angrily, putting a hand up to the magical eye, "it keeps getting stuck - ever since that scum wore it."**

**And with a nasty squelching sound much like a plunger being pulled from a sink, he popped out his eye.**

**"Mad-Eye, you do know that's disgusting, don't you?" said Tonks conversationally.**

"Thank you for saying that." Remus winced, "It truly was disgusting and..."

"He probably would have told you to shut it if you or anyone else had said it." Dora grinned.

"Probably." Kingsley chuckled, "Moody was like that, and you were always one of his favourites, Dora, even if he'd never admit it."

**"Get me a glass of water, would you, Harry," requested Moody.**

"It better have not been one of the good glasses." Petunia wrinkled her nose.

"It was a normal one." Harry smiled, "And it got smashed before I returned at summer." he added.

"How'd you know it was the same one?" Dudley frowned.

"It had a scratch on it." he replied, "None of the others did."

**Harry crossed to the dishwasher, took out a clean glass and filled it with water at the sink, still watched eagerly by the band of wizards. Their relentless staring was starting to annoy him.**

"Why do they have to stare?" Harry groaned.

"They were curious." Albus chuckled.

"Very." Kingsley added, "Though I didn't stare."

"Neither did I. We could tell your fame bothered you through what Remus had told us." Dora smiled.

"Oh good." Harry smiled back.

**"Cheers," said Moody, when Harry handed him the glass. He dropped the magical eyeball into the water and prodded it up and down; the eye whizzed around, staring at them all in turn. "I want three hundred and sixty degrees visibility on the return journey."**

**"How're we getting - wherever we're going?" Harry asked.**

**"Brooms," said Lupin. "Only way. You're too young to Apparate, they'll be watching the Floo Network and it's more than our life's worth to set up an unauthorised Portkey."**

**"Remus says you're a good flier," said Kingsley Shacklebolt in his deep voice.**

"Understatement." Sirius chuckled.

**"He's excellent," said Lupin, who was checking his watch. "Anyway, you'd better go and get packed, Harry, we want to be ready to go when the signal comes."**

**"I'll come and help you," said Tonks brightly.**

**She followed Harry back into the hall and up the stairs, looking around with much curiosity and interest.**

**"Funny place," she said. "It's a bit too clean, d'you know what I mean? Bit unnatural. Oh, this is better," she added, as they entered Harry's bedroom and he turned on the light.**

"So obviously, Harry's room is messy, unlike the rest of the house." said Remus.

**His room was certainly much messier than the rest of the house. Confined to it for four days in a very bad mood, Harry had not bothered tidying up after himself. Most of the books he owned were strewn over the floor where he'd tried to distract himself with each in turn and thrown it aside; Hedwig's cage needed cleaning out and was starting to smell; and his trunk lay open, revealing a jumbled mixture of Muggle clothes and wizards' robes that had spilled on to the floor around it.**

"Harry James Potter, how can you be such a slob?" demanded Lily, frowning. "You're worse than James!"

"Calm down, Lily," James told her, "It seems that normally Harry is relatively neat, but after four days of being in a bad mood, he slipped and didn't bother tidying..."

"It was usually cleaner." Harry nodded.

**Harry started picking up books and throwing them hastily into his trunk. Tonks paused at his open wardrobe to look critically at her reflection in the mirror on the inside of the door.**

**"You know, I don't think violet's really my colour," she said pensively, tugging at a lock of spiky hair. "D'you think it makes me look a bit peaky?"**

**"Er -" said Harry, looking up at her over the top of Quidditch Teams of Britain and Ireland.**

**"Yeah, it does," said Tonks decisively. She screwed up her eyes in a strained expression as though she was struggling to remember something. A second later, her hair had turned bubble-gum pink.**

**"How did you do that?" said Harry, gaping at her as she opened her eyes again.**

**"I'm a Metamorphmagus," she said, looking back at her reflection and turning her head so that she could see her hair from all directions. "It means I can change my appearance at will," she added, spotting Harry's puzzled expression in the mirror behind her. "I was born one. I got top marks in Concealment and Disguise during Auror training without any study at all, it was great."**

"Made up for the bad stealth and tracking mark." Dora winced.

**"You're an Auror?" said Harry, impressed. Being a Dark-wizard-catcher was the only career he'd ever considered after Hogwarts.**

**"Yeah," said Tonks, looking proud. "Kingsley is as well, he's a bit higher up than me, though. I only qualified a year ago. Nearly failed on Stealth and Tracking. I'm dead clumsy, did you hear me break that plate when we arrived downstairs?"**

**"Can you learn how to be a Metamorphmagus?" Harry asked her, straightening up, completely forgetting about packing.**

**Tonks chuckled.**

**"Bet you wouldn't mind hiding that scar sometimes, eh?"**

"You read my mind." Harry smirked.

**Her eyes found the lightning-shaped scar on Harry's forehead.**

**"No, I wouldn't mind," Harry mumbled, turning away. He did not like people staring at his scar.**

**"Well, you'll have to learn the hard way, I'm afraid," said Tonks. "Metamorphmagi are really rare, they're born, not made. Most wizards need to use a wand, or potions, to change their appearance. But we've got to get going, Harry, we're supposed to be packing," she added guiltily, looking around at all the mess on the floor.**

**"Oh - yeah," said Harry, grabbing a few more books.**

**"Don't be stupid, it'll be much quicker if I - pack!" cried Tonks, waving her wand in a long, sweeping movement over the floor. Books, clothes, telescope and scales all soared into the air and flew pell-mell into the trunk. "It's not very neat," said Tonks, walking over to the trunk and looking down at the jumble inside. "My mum's got this knack of getting stuff to fit itself in neatly - she even gets the socks to fold themselves - but I've never mastered how she does it - it's a kind of flick -"**

"It's a swish and three flicks, dear." Andy told her daughter.

"Ah. Oh well." Dora shrugged, chuckling slightly.

**She flicked her wand hopefully.**

**One of Harry's socks gave a feeble sort of wiggle and flopped back on top of the mess in the trunk.**

**"Ah, well," said Tonks, slamming the trunk's lid shut, "at least it's all in. That could do with a bit of cleaning, too." She pointed her wand at Hedwig's cage. "Scourgify." A few feathers and droppings vanished. "Well, that's a bit better - I've never quite got the hang of these householdy sort of spells. Right - got everything? Cauldron? Broom? Wow! - A Firebolt!"**

**Her eyes widened as they fell on the broomstick in Harry's right hand. It was his pride and joy, a gift from Sirius, an international-standard broomstick.**

**"And I'm still riding a Comet Two Sixty," said Tonks enviously. "Ah well... wand still in your jeans? Both buttocks still on?"**

There were a few chuckles at that.

**"OK, let's go. Locomotor trunk."**

**Harry's trunk rose a few inches into the air. Holding her wand like a conductor's baton, Tonks made the trunk hover across the room and out of the door ahead of them, Hedwig's cage in her left hand. Harry followed her down the stairs carrying his broomstick.**

**Back in the kitchen Moody had replaced his eye, which was spinning so fast after its cleaning it made Harry feel sick to look at it. Kingsley Shacklebolt and Sturgis Podmore were examining the microwave and Hestia Jones was laughing at a potato peeler she had come across while rummaging in the drawers. Lupin was sealing a letter addressed to the Dursleys.**

**"Excellent," said Lupin, looking up as Tonks and Harry entered. "We've got about a minute, I think. We should probably get out into the garden so we're ready. Harry, I've left a letter telling your aunt and uncle not to worry -"**

**"They won't," said Harry.**

**"- that you're safe -"**

**"That'll just depress them."**

**"- and you'll see them next summer."**

**"Do I have to?"**

**Lupin smiled but made no answer.**

"Why'd you smile Moony?" James asked.

"It sounded like something you'd say, Prongs." he said with a chuckle.

**"Come here, boy," said Moody gruffly, beckoning Harry towards him with his wand. "I need to Disillusion you."**

**"You need to what?" said Harry nervously.**

**"Disillusionment Charm," said Moody, raising his wand. "Lupin says you've got an Invisibility Cloak, but it won't stay on while we're flying; this'll disguise you better. Here you go -"**

**He rapped him hard on the top of the head and Harry felt a curious sensation as though Moody had just smashed an egg there; cold trickles seemed to be running down his body from the point the wand had struck.**

"Very good description." Astoria nodded, "It dose feel a little like having something cold running down your body."

**"Nice one, Mad-Eye," said Tonks appreciatively, staring at Harry's midriff.**

Dora blushed, "Oop's, I thought it was your stomach." she admitted. Harry just smirked.

**Harry looked down at his body, or rather, what had been his body, for it didn't look anything like his any more. It was not invisible; it had simply taken on the exact colour and texture of the kitchen unit behind him. He seemed to have become a human chameleon.**

**"Come on," said Moody, unlocking the back door with his wand.**

**They all stepped outside on to Uncle Vernon's beautifully kept lawn.**

**"Clear night," grunted Moody, his magical eye scanning the heavens. "Could've done with a bit more cloud cover. Right, you," he barked at Harry, "we're going to be flying in close formation. Tonks'll be right in front of you, keep close on her tail. Lupin'll be covering you from below I'm going to be behind you. The rest'll be circling us. We don't break ranks for anything, got me? If one of us is killed -"**

"Always cheerful, ain't he?" Charlie commented.

"Moody was always overly paranoid." Kingsley shrugged.

"He had a reason after being locked in his own trunk for a year." Harry said reasonably.

"He was still overly paranoid before that." Dora chuckled.

"Moody put a lot of people in Azkaban, I saw a lot of people being dragged in and I heard even more swear to get their revenge on him." Sirius frowned, "I reckon he had a decent reason for being overly paranoid almost constantly."

**"Is that likely?" Harry asked apprehensively, but Moody ignored him.**

**"- the others keep flying, don't stop, don't break ranks. If they take out all of us and you survive, Harry, the rear guard are standing by to take over; keep flying east and they'll join you."**

**"Stop being so cheerful, Mad-Eye, he'll think we're not taking this seriously," said Tonks, as she strapped Harry's trunk and Hedwig's cage into a harness hanging from her broom.**

**"I'm just telling the boy the plan," growled Moody. "Our job's to deliver him safely to Headquarters and if we die in the attempt -"**

**"No one's going to die," said Kingsley Shacklebolt in his deep, calming voice.**

"Thank Merlin Kingsley was there with a voice of reason." Arthur stated.

"I was stopping Dora from starting an argument with Mad-Eye as well as calming Harry down." Kingsley chuckled. "I could see you were nervous."

"Thank you Kingsley, it was appreciated." Harry smiled.

**"Mount your brooms, that's the first signal!" said Lupin sharply, pointing into the sky.**

**Far, far above them, a shower of bright red sparks had flared among the stars, Harry recognised them at once as wand sparks. He swung his right leg over his Firebolt, gripped its handle tightly and felt it vibrating very slightly, as though it was as keen as he was to be up in the air once more.**

**"Second signal, let's go!" said Lupin loudly as more sparks, green this time, exploded high above them.**

**Harry kicked off hard from the ground. The cool night air rushed through his hair as the neat square gardens of Privet Drive fell away, shrinking rapidly into a patchwork of dark greens and blacks, and every thought of the Ministry hearing was swept from his mind as though the rush of air had blown it out of his head. He felt as though his heart was going to explode with pleasure; he was flying again, flying away from Privet Drive as hed been fantasising about all summer, he was going home... for a few glorious moments, all his problems seemed to recede to nothing, insignificant in the vast, starry sky.**

"Ah, flying can make anyone forget their troubles for awhile." Ginny sighed happily. Harry put an arm around her and kissed her cheek.

"Unless you're scared of heights or flying." Percy pointed out.

"Like you?" George smirked.

"I have a valid reason for being scared of heights." Percy made a face, "And that would be you and Fred pushing me out of the attic window when you were 5 and I was 7."

"You did what!" Molly demanded.

"It was an accident." Fred told them all, "The Ghoul was trying to hit us with pipes and we did tell him to duck."

"They did yell duck." Bill nodded, "I heard them from the garden."

"Just be glad I managed to catch you while I was on my broom." Charlie added.

Percy nodded reluctantly.

**"Hard left, hard left, there's a Muggle looking up!" shouted Moody from behind him. Tonks swerved and Harry followed her, watching his trunk swinging wildly beneath her broom. "We need more height... give it another quarter of a mile!"**

**Harry's eyes watered in the chill as they soared upwards; he could see nothing below now but tiny pinpricks of light that were car headlights and streetlamps. Two of those tiny lights might belong to Uncle Vernon's car... the Dursleys would be heading back to their empty house right now, full of rage about the non-existent Lawn Competition... and Harry laughed aloud at the thought, though his voice was drowned by the flapping robes of the others, the creaking of the harness holding his trunk and the cage, and the whoosh of the wind in their ears as they sped through the air. He had not felt this alive in a month, or this happy.**

"You always seem to have terrible summers." Cissy commented.

"Not all of them were terrible." Harry shrugged, "Between 3rd and 4th year was probably the best though."

**"Bearing south!" shouted Mad-Eye. "Town ahead!"**

**They soared right to avoid passing directly over the glittering spider's web of lights below.**

**"Bear southeast and keep climbing, there's some low cloud ahead we can lose ourselves in!" called Moody.**

**"We're not going through clouds!" shouted Tonks angrily, "we'll get soaked, Mad-Eye!"**

**Harry was relieved to hear her say this; his hands were growing numb on the Firebolt's handle. He wished he had thought to put on a coat; he was starting to shiver.**

"Oop's, we should have made sure you were going to be warm enough, sorry." Remus apologised.

"I should have realised it would be freezing so it's not really your fault." Harry shrugged.

**They altered their course every now and then according to Mad-Eyes instructions. Harry's eyes were screwed up against the rush of icy wind that was starting to make his ears ache; he could remember being this cold on a broom only once before, during the Quidditch match against Hufflepuff in his third year, which had taken place in a storm. The guard around him was circling continuously like giant birds of prey. Harry lost track of time. He wondered how long they had been flying, it felt like an hour at least.**

"An hour and a half actually." Kingsley smiled.

**"Turning southwest!" yelled Moody "We want to avoid the motorway!"**

**Harry was now so chilled he thought longingly of the snug, dry interiors of the cars streaming along below, then, even more longingly, of travelling by Floo powder; it might be uncomfortable to spin around in fireplaces but it was at least warm in the flames... Kingsley Shacklebolt swooped around him, bald pate and earring gleaming slightly in the moonlight... now Emmeline Vance was on his right, her wand out, her head turning left and right... then she, too, swooped over him, to be replaced by Sturgis Podmore...**

**"We ought to double back for a bit, just to make sure we're not being followed!" Moody shouted.**

**"ARE YOU MAD, MAD-EYE?" Tonks screamed from the front. "We're all frozen to our brooms! If we keep going off-course we're not going to get there until next week! Besides, we're nearly there now!"**

**"Time to start the descent!" came Lupin's voice. "Follow Tonks, Harry!"**

**Harry followed Tonks into a dive. They were heading for the largest collection of lights he had yet seen, a huge, sprawling crisscrossing mass, glittering in lines and grids, interspersed with patches of deepest black.**

**Lower and lower they flew, until Harry could see individual headlights and streetlamps, chimneys and television aerials. He wanted to reach the ground very much, though he felt sure someone would have to unfreeze him from his broom.**

**"Here we go!" called Tonks, and a few seconds later she had landed.**

**Harry touched down right behind her and dismounted on a patch of unkempt grass in the middle of a small square. Tonks was already unbuckling Harry's trunk. Shivering, Harry looked around. The grimy fronts of the surrounding houses were not welcoming; some of them had broken windows, glimmering dully in the light from the streetlamps, paint was peeling from many of the doors and heaps of rubbish lay outside several sets of front steps.**

**"Where are we?" Harry asked, but Lupin said quietly, "In a minute."**

**Moody was rummaging in his cloak, his gnarled hands clumsy with cold.**

**"Got it," he muttered, raising what looked like a silver cigarette lighter into the air and clicking it.**

"Deluminator." Ron smiled, "Excellent invention and very useful."

"Glad you think so." Albus smiled. "You should tell Aberforth too, he did help me design it after all."

"I will next time I see him." Ron promised.

**The nearest streetlamp went out with a pop. He clicked the unlighter again; the next lamp went out; he kept clicking until every lamp in the square was extinguished and the only remaining light came from curtained windows and the sickle moon overhead.**

**"Borrowed it from Dumbledore," growled Moody, pocketing the Put-Outer. "That"ll take care of any Muggles looking out of the window, see? Now come on, quick."**

**He took Harry by the arm and led him from the patch of grass, across the road and on to the pavement; Lupin and Tonks followed, carrying Harry's trunk between them, the rest of the guard, all with their wands out, flanking them.**

"Not at all suspicious." Hermione mused, "I mean, what's normal about a group of people who all have sticks in their hands in the middle of a street?"

"Not much." Remus chuckled, "Mad-Eye shouted at them for that."

"He did." Kingsley nodded, "It was supposed to look like we didn't have our wands out but he'd noticed a few of us weren't trying to hide the fact that we did."

**The muffled pounding of a stereo was coming from an upper window in the nearest house. A pungent smell of rotting rubbish came from the pile of bulging bin-bags just inside the broken gate.**

"Same old Grimmauld place then." Regulus muttered.

"Just a lot more dustier, dirtier, grimier and massively more depressing." Sirius informed him.

**"Here," Moody muttered, thrusting a piece of parchment towards Harry's Disillusioned hand and holding his lit wand close to it, so as to illuminate the writing. "Read quickly and memorise."**

**Harry looked down at the piece of paper. The narrow handwriting was vaguely familiar. It said:**

**The Headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix may be found at number twelve, Grimmauld Place, London.**

"I'm going to guess it was your idea?" Draco asked Sirius.

"Of course. Nothing better than using a traditionally dark family's house for the light side. It annoyed my Mother a lot." he smirked. "And that's always a good thing."

"I thought your Mother died?" Astoria frowned.

"She did, but she had a portrait made and it's only Regulus who knew the charm to get it off the wall, apparently." he explained.

"Kreacher was told what it was." Regulus smirked, "Just incase Mother's portrait wanted, or needed, to be moved."

"Wish I had known that when we first started using the house." he muttered.

"What would it have changed? He wouldn't have told you unless you were nice to him." Regulus pointed out.

"Which wouldn't have happened anytime soon." Hermione huffed. "I told you that being nice to him would work."

"Maybe but..."

"No but's Sirius. Hermione's right, we were nice to him and now he's much nicer to everyone and he'll willingly listen to anyone as long as he knows I'm fine with it." Harry said. "As you've seen before he doesn't care about blood purity at all anymore and he's not that bad when you're nice to him."

"I told you that when we were younger." Regulus smirked, "That's why he treated you so horribly, because you did the same to him."

Sirius, reluctantly, nodded. "You're right. I should have been nicer."

"At least you recognise you were wrong." Harry smiled, "We have time for one more before lunch I think."

* * *

><p>Review please x<p> 


	56. Chapter 56

Chapter 56 - Fifth Year (Part 2.5)

20, August, 1998. 11.30am.

"Where we left off." Harry smiled.

**"What's the Order of the -?" Harry began.**

**"Not here, boy! snarled Moody. Wait till we're inside!"**

**He pulled the piece of parchment out of Harry's hand and set fire to it with his wand-tip. As the message curled into flames and floated to the ground, Harry looked around at the houses again. They were standing outside number eleven; he looked to the left and saw number ten; to the right, however, was number thirteen.**

**"But where's -?"**

"Fidelius Charm?" Amber guessed.

"Right in one." Sirius grinned.

**"Think about what you've just memorised," said Lupin quietly.**

**Harry thought, and no sooner had he reached the part about number twelve, Grimmauld Place, than a battered door emerged out of nowhere between numbers eleven and thirteen, followed swiftly by dirty walls and grimy windows. It was as though an extra house had inflated, pushing those on either side out of its way. Harry gaped at it. The stereo in number eleven thudded on. Apparently the Muggles inside hadn't felt anything.**

**"Come on, hurry," growled Moody, prodding Harry in the back.**

**Harry walked up the worn stone steps, staring at the newly materialised door. Its black paint was shabby and scratched. The silver doorknocker was in the form of a twisted serpent. There was no keyhole or letterbox.**

"I think that house is one of the most anti-muggle houses I've ever seen." Lily commented.

"It's worse inside." Regulus shuddered.

"Remember you asked me where I grew up, Lily?" Sirius asked, she nodded, "That's where. Admittedly it was a bit cleaner back then, but you get the idea." he shrugged, "Not the ideal place to grow up."

**Lupin pulled out his wand and tapped the door once. Harry heard many loud, metallic clicks and what sounded like the clatter of a chain. The door creaked open.**

**"Get in quick, Harry," Lupin whispered, "but don't go far inside and don't touch anything."**

"Why ever not?" asked Lily.

"This is Sirius's house we're talking about," said Andy. "Or rather, the Black house."

"You never know what's in there." Cissy added.

"A lot of evil or cursed stuff mostly." Sirius muttered, "It took three weeks just to clear the front hall."

**Harry stepped over the threshold into the almost total darkness of the hall. He could smell damp, dust and a sweetish, rotting smell; the place had the feeling of a derelict building. He looked over his shoulder and saw the others filing in behind him, Lupin and Tonks carrying his trunk and Hedwig's cage. Moody was standing on the top step releasing the balls of light the Put-Outer had stolen from the streetlamps; they flew back to their bulbs and the square glowed momentarily with orange light before Moody limped inside and closed the front door, so that the darkness in the hall became complete.**

**"Here -"**

**He rapped Harry hard over the head with his wand; Harry felt as though something hot was trickling down his back this time and knew that the Disillusionment Charm must have lifed.**

**"Now stay still, everyone, while I give us a bit of light in here," Moody whispered.**

**The others' hushed voices were giving Harry an odd feeling of foreboding; it was as though they had just entered the house of a dying person. He heard a soft hissing noise and then old-fashioned gas lamps sputtered into life all along the walls, casting a flickering insubstantial light over the peeling wallpaper and threadbare carpet of a long, gloomy hallway, where a cobwebby chandelier glimmered overhead and age-blackened portraits hung crooked on the walls. Harry heard something scuttling behind the skirting board. Both the chandelier and the candelabra on a rickety table nearby were shaped like serpents.**

"Is your old house really like that?" asked Petunia, shuddering. Sirius nodded.

"I've seen it before," said James. "When the Black's had social functions and all the wealthy and influential pureblood families were invited. Which one was that again Sirius?"

"Um... I think it was the one when we were 13, around Christmas, and we drove both of our Mothers up the wall." he grinned.

"And the rest of us that were there." Regulus snorted.

"True." James smirked, "It was a common occurrence for us to annoy everyone."

**There were hurried footsteps and Ron's mother, Mrs. Weasley, emerged from a door at the far end of the hall. She was beaming in welcome as she hurried towards them, though Harry noticed that she was rather thinner and paler than she had been last time he had seen her.**

**"Oh, Harry, it's lovely to see you!" she whispered, pulling him into a rib-cracking hug before holding him at arm's length and examining him critically. "You're looking peaky; you need feeding up, but you'll have to wait a bit for dinner, I'm afraid." She turned to the gang of wizards behind him and whispered urgently, "He's just arrived, the meeting's started."**

"It hadn't officially started." Albus chuckled.

"You were already getting reports when I left." Molly shrugged, "So official or not it had started."

**The wizards behind Harry all made noises of interest and excitement and began filing past him towards the door through which Mrs. Weasley had just come. Harry made to follow Lupin, but Mrs. Weasley held him back.**

**"No, Harry, the meetings only for members of the Order. Ron and Hermione are upstairs, you can wait with them until the meetings over, then we'll have dinner. And keep your voice down in the hall," she added in an urgent whisper.**

**"Why?"**

**"I don't want anything to wake up."**

"As in my Mother?" Sirius snorted, "Definitely don't want her waking up."

**"What d'you -?"**

**"I'll explain later, I've got to hurry, I'm supposed to be at the meeting - I'll just show you where you're sleeping."**

**Pressing her finger to her lips, she led him on tiptoe past a pair of long, moth-eaten curtains, behind which Harry supposed there must be another door, and after skirting a large umbrella stand that looked as though it had been made from a severed troll's leg they started up the dark staircase, passing a row of shrunken heads mounted on plaques on the wall. A closer look showed Harry that the heads belonged to house-elves. All of them had the same rather snout-like nose.**

"What!?" Alice asked, looking faintly disgusted.

"Family tradition." Regulus muttered, "Whenever a House-Elf died our Father would chop its head off, stuff it, and stick it on the wall." he shuddered.

**Harry's bewilderment deepened with every step he took. What on earth were they doing in a house that looked as though it belonged to the darkest of wizards?**

"Looked like it was because it did. At least 6 generations of the Black family used that house." Andy muttered, "It's probably one of the darkest houses in the world."

"Black Manors probably worse." Cissy pointed out, "And that's not been entered for over 60 years as far as I know."

"80 years." Regulus shook his head, "It was our Great-Grandfather who sealed it, not entirely sure why." he shrugged.

**"Mrs. Weasley, why -?"**

**"Ron and Hermione will explain everything, dear, I've really got to dash," Mrs. Weasley whispered distractedly. "There -" they had reached the second landing, "- you're the door on the right. I'll call you when it's over." And she hurried off downstairs again.**

**Harry crossed the dingy landing, turned the bedroom doorknob, which was shaped like a serpent's head, and opened the door.**

"You know, I'm surprised I didn't accidentally speak Parseltongue half the time." Harry mused, "With all the snakes." he explained.

"Huh, never even thought of that." Ron mused, "But you weren't exactly trying mate, or looking at the snakes."

"True enough." he shrugged.

**He caught a brief glimpse of a gloomy high-ceilinged, twin-bedded room; then there was a loud twittering noise, followed by an even louder shriek, and his vision was completely obscured by a large quantity of very bushy hair.**

"Ah, Hermione must have spotted him and is now giving Harry a big hug." said Remus, sounding slightly amused.

Hermione blushed when Harry and Ron laughed.

**Hermione had thrown herself on to him in a hug that nearly knocked him flat, while Ron's tiny owl, Pigwidgeon, zoomed excitedly round and round their heads.**

**"HARRY! Ron, he's here, Harry's here! We didn't hear you arrive! Oh, how are you? Are you all right? Have you been furious with us? I bet you have, I know our letters were useless - but we couldn't tell you anything, Dumbledore made us swear we wouldn't, oh, we've got so much to tell you, and you've got things to tell us - the Dementors! When we heard - and that Ministry hearing - it's just outrageous, I've looked it all up, they can't expel you, they just can't, there's provision in the Decree for the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery for the use of magic in life-threatening situations -"**

"Breath Hermione." Dora smirked. Hermione made a face at her.

**"Let him breathe, Hermione," said Ron, grinning as he closed the door behind Harry. He seemed to have grown several more inches during their month apart, making him taller and more gangly looking than ever, though the long nose, bright red hair and freckles were the same.**

**Still beaming, Hermione let go of Harry, but before she could say another word there was a soft whooshing sound and something white soared from the top of a dark wardrobe and landed gently on Harry's shoulder.**

**"Hedwig!"**

**The snowy owl clicked her beak and nibbled his ear affectionately as Harry stroked her feathers.**

**"She's been in a right state," said Ron. "Pecked us half to death when she brought your last letters, look at this -"**

**He showed Harry the index finger on his right hand, which sported a half-healed but clearly deep cut.**

Lily frowned. "You shouldn't have told Hedwig to peck your friends, even if you did want answers, Harry."

"I was frustrated." Harry shrugged.

"And we did kind of deserve it." Ron nodded.

**"Oh, yeah," Harry said. "Sorry about that, but I wanted answers, you know -"**

**"We wanted to give them to you, mate," said Ron. "Hermione was going spare, she kept saying you'd do something stupid if you were stuck all on your own without news, but Dumbledore made us -"**

**"- swear not to tell me," said Harry. "Yeah, Hermione's already said."**

**The warm glow that had flared inside him at the sight of his two best friends was extinguished as something icy flooded the pit of his stomach. All of a sudden - after yearning to see them for a solid month - he felt he would rather Ron and Hermione left him alone.**

"We'd noticed that." Hermione sighed.

**There was a strained silence in which Harry stroked Hedwig automatically, not looking at either of the others.**

**"He seemed to think it was best," said Hermione rather breathlessly. "Dumbledore, I mean."**

**"Right," said Harry. He noticed that her hands, too, bore the marks of Hedwig's beak and found that he was not at all sorry.**

"Excuse me?" asked James. "It's not their fault they couldn't write any proper information, Harry. Albus made them promise not to, so don't be mad at them."

"It couldn't be helped or I would have allowed them to tell you." Albus agreed.

"I get it, I'm sorry now." Harry said.

**"I think he thought you were safest with the Muggles -" Ron began.**

**"Yeah?" said Harry, raising his eyebrows. "Have either of you been attacked by Dementors this summer?"**

**"Well, no - but that's why he's had people from the Order of the Phoenix tailing you all the time -"**

"Wrong thing to say." George muttered.

**Harry felt a great jolt in his guts as though he had just missed a step going downstairs. So everyone had known he was being followed, except him.**

**"Didn't work that well, though, did it?" said Harry, doing his utmost to keep his voice even. "Had to look after myself after all, didn't I?"**

**"He was so angry," said Hermione, in an almost awestruck voice. "Dumbledore. We saw him. When he found out Mundungus had left before his shift had ended. He was scary."**

**"Well, I'm glad he left," Harry said coldly. "If he hadn't, I wouldn't have done magic and Dumbledore would probably have left me at Privet Drive all summer."**

"I wouldn't have done that." Albus frowned, "I was aware you weren't on the best terms with your Aunt and Uncle. I wouldnt, couldnt, have left you there the whole summer."

**"Aren't you... aren't you worried about the Ministry of Magic hearing?" said Hermione quietly.**

**"No," Harry lied defiantly. He walked away from them, looking around, with Hedwig nestled contentedly on his shoulder, but this room was not likely to raise his spirits. It was dank and dark. A blank stretch of canvas in an ornate picture frame was all that relieved the bareness of the peeling walls, and as Harry passed it he thought he heard someone, who was lurking out of sight, snigger.**

"I know that picture," said Regulus. "Wasn't it the portrait of Phineas Nigellus Black?"

"Of course it was me you fool." a portrait snapped.

"Oh hello, didn't see you there." Sirius smirked.

"Hmph, Sirius Black you were always trouble." Phineas scowled.

"And Regulus on the other hand was a 'good' little relative." he asked.

"Of course. He was much better behaved than you." Phineas said coldly.

"'Fraid I wasnt. I was just better at hiding it." Regulus smiled sheepishly.

"Impertinent." Phineas said before leaving his portrait to go through another until he was out of the office.

"You shouldnt have told him that Reg. He'll tell Mother." Sirius shuddered.

"No he won't." Hermione smiled, "His other portrait's not at that house anymore, we had to move it when we were hiding there last year."

"Where is it then?" Cissy asked.

"In a handbag at the Burrow." Ginny smirked.

"A handbag?" Dudley asked.

"We'll explain later on." Harry said, chuckling slightly.

**"So why's Dumbledore been so keen to keep me in the dark?" Harry asked, still trying hard to keep his voice casual. "Did you - er - bother to ask him at all?"**

**He glanced up just in time to see them exchanging a look that told him he was behaving just as they had feared he would. It did nothing to improve his temper.**

**"We told Dumbledore we wanted to tell you what was going on," said Ron. "We did, mate. But he's really busy now, we've only seen him twice since we came here and he didn't have much time, he just made us swear not to tell you important stuff when we wrote, he said the owls might be intercepted."**

"Which was likely." Draco nodded, "Especially with Voldemort trying to find out the best ways to destroy Harry and eventually Albus."

**"He could still've kept me informed if he'd wanted to," Harry said shortly. "You're not telling me he doesn't know ways to send messages without owls."**

"It was better to have someone tell you face-to-face so if you didn't understand something it could be explained." Albus said, "And as you know Patronus messages can be overheard. In fact the safest way to pass information along was through the method the DA used."

"We still use it in emergencies or to pass along messages." Luna smiled, "It's very effective."

"What is it?" Lily asked.

"Cant tell you yet." Hermione said, "But you'll find out soon."

**Hermione glanced at Ron and then said, "I thought that, too. But he didn't want you to know anything."**

**"Maybe he thinks I can't be trusted," said Harry, watching their expressions.**

"That's not it." Albus muttered.

**"Don't be thick," said Ron, looking highly disconcerted.**

**"Or that I can't take care of myself."**

**"Of course he doesn't think that!" said Hermione anxiously.**

**"So how come I have to stay at the Dursleys' while you two get to join in everything that's going on here?" said Harry, the words tumbling over one another in a rush, his voice growing louder with every word. "How come you two are allowed to know everything that's going on?"**

**"We're not!" Ron interrupted. "Mum won't let us near the meetings, she says we're too young -"**

"Which you were." Arthur said.

"Um..." Harry looked at Ron and Hermione, "Do I have to show the next part."

"Yes." they replied together.

Harry groaned to the confusion of everyone else.

"He started yelling." Ginny explained. "So I would cover your ears."

"We heard him from downstairs, so that's good advice." Sirius chuckled.

Everyone covered their ears. Dora put a spell on Teddy and Cecelia, Teddy now in a conjured playpen and Cecelia in a conjured bouncy chair (Courtesy of Lily), so they couldn't hear before covering her own ears.

**But before he knew it, Harry was shouting.**

**"SO YOU HAVEN'T BEEN IN THE MEETINGS, BIG DEAL! YOU'VE STILL BEEN HERE, HAVEN'T YOU? YOU'VE STILL BEEN TOGETHER! ME, I'VE BEEN STUCK AT THE DURSLEYS' FOR A MONTH! AND I'VE HANDLED MORE THAN YOU TWO'VE EVER MANAGED AND DUMBLEDORE KNOWS IT - WHO SAVED THE PHILOSOPHER'S STONE? WHO GOT RID OF RIDDLE? WHO SAVED BOTH YOUR SKINS FROM THE DEMENTORS?"**

"We heard you in the meeting." Remus told Harry, he blushed.

"We did." Arthur confirmed, "Heavens knows how these two could still hear." he chuckled.

"We were lucky." Ron shrugged as Harry sank down in his chair, as though he was trying to dissapear through the floor.

**Every bitter and resentful thought Harry had had in the past month was pouring out of him: his frustration at the lack of news, the hurt that they had all been together without him, his fury at being followed and not told about it - all the feelings he was half-ashamed of finally burst their boundaries. Hedwig took fright at the noise and soared off to the top of the wardrobe again; Pigwidgeon twittered in alarm and zoomed even taster around their heads.**

**"WHO HAD TO GET PAST DRAGONS AND SPHINXES AND EVERY OTHER FOUL THING LAST YEAR? WHO SAW HIM COME BACK? WHO HAD TO ESCAPE FROM HIM? ME!"**

**Ron was standing there with his mouth half-open, clearly stunned and at a loss for anything to say, whilst Hermione looked on the verge of tears.**

**"BUT WHY SHOULD I KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON? WHY SHOULD ANYONE BOTHER TO TELL ME WHAT'S BEEN HAPPENING?"**

**"Harry, we wanted to tell you, we really did -" Hermione began.**

**"CANT'VE WANTED TO THAT MUCH, CAN YOU, OR YOU'D HAVE SENT ME AN OWL, BUT DUMBLEDORE MADE YOU SWEAR -"**

**"Well, he did -"**

**"FOUR WEEKS I'VE BEEN STUCK IN PRIVET DRIVE, NICKING PAPERS OUT OF BINS TO TRY AND FIND OUT WHAT'S BEEN GOING ON -"**

**"We wanted to -"**

**"I SUPPOSE YOU'VE BEEN HAVING A REAL LAUGH, HAVEN'T YOU, ALL HOLED UP HERE TOGETHER -"**

**"No, honest -"**

**"Harry we're really sorry!" said Hermione desperately, her eyes now sparkling with tears. "You're absolutely right, Harry - I'd be furious if it was me!"**

Harry now had his head in his hands and Ginny was rubbing circles on his back comfortingly.

**Harry glared at her, still breathing deeply, then turned away from them again, pacing up and down. Hedwig hooted glumly from the top of the wardrobe. There was a long pause, broken only by the mournful creak of the floorboards below Harry's feet.**

**"What is this place, anyway?" he shot at Ron and Hermione.**

**"Headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix," said Ron at once.**

**"Is anyone going to bother telling me what the Order of the Phoenix -?"**

**"It's a secret society," said Hermione quickly. "Dumbledore's in charge, he founded it. It's the people who fought against You-Know-Who last time."**

**"Who's in it?" said Harry, coming to a halt with his hands in his pockets.**

**"Quite a few people -"**

**"We've met about twenty of them," said Ron, "but we think there are more."**

"A lot more." Dora nodded.

"There were at least 50 in the Order." Albus nodded.

**Harry glared at them.**

**"Well?" he demanded, looking from one to the other.**

**"Er," said Ron. "Well what?"**

**"Voldemort!" said Harry furiously, and both Ron and Hermione winced. "What's happening? What's he up to? Where is he? What are we doing to stop him?"**

**"We've told you, the Order don't let us in on their meetings," said Hermione nervously. "So we don't know the details - but we've got a general idea," she added hastily, seeing the look on Harry's face.**

"We didn't want you to start shouting again." Hermione explained.

"I think I got it all out." Harry admitted sheepishly.

**"Fred and George have invented Extendable Ears, see," said Ron. "They're really useful."**

The twins grinned.

**"Extendable -?"**

**"Ears, yeah. Only we've had to stop using them lately because Mum found out and went berserk. Fred and George had to hide them all to stop Mum binning them. But we got a good bit of use out of them before Mum realised what was going on. We know some of the Order are following known Death Eaters, keeping tabs on them, you know -"**

"Mainly those who were high suspects." Albus nodded.

"Like Lucius?" Cissy smirked, "I know he was being watched at one point."

"So was the Avery's, Nott's, Bulstrode's, Parkinson's, Crabbe Sr and Goyle Sr." Snape added.

"Basically everyone who was in the graveyard." Draco mused.

"And a few who werent." Snape nodded.

**"Some of them are working on recruiting more people to the Order -" said Hermione.**

**"And some of them are standing guard over something," said Ron. "They're always talking about guard duty."**

"That would be Harry." Dora chuckled.

**"Couldn't have been me, could it?" said Harry sarcastically.**

**"Oh, yeah," said Ron, with a look of dawning comprehension.**

**Harry snorted. He walked around the room again, looking anywhere but at Ron and Hermione. "So, what have you two been doing, if you're not allowed in meetings?" he demanded. "You said you'd been busy."**

**"We have," said Hermione quickly. "We've been decontaminating this house, it's been empty for ages and stuff's been breeding in here. We've managed to clean out the kitchen, most of the bedrooms and I think we're doing the drawing room tomo -"**

**With two loud cracks, Fred and George, Ron's elder twin brothers, had materialised out of thin air in the middle of the room. Pigwidgeon twittered more wildly than ever and zoomed off to join Hedwig on top of the wardrobe.**

**"Stop doing that!" Hermione said weakly to the twins, who were as vividly red-haired as Ron, though stockier and slightly shorter.**

**"Hello, Harry," said George, beaming at him. "We thought we heard your dulcet tones."**

**"You don't want to bottle up your anger like that, Harry, let it all out," said Fred, also beaming. "There might be a couple of people fifty miles away who didn't hear you."**

**"You two passed your Apparation tests, then?" asked Harry grumpily.**

**"With distinction," said Fred, who was holding what looked like a piece of very long, flesh-coloured string.**

**"It would have taken you about thirty seconds longer to walk down the stairs," said Ron.**

**"Time is Galleons, little brother," said Fred. "Anyway, Harry, you're interfering with reception. Extendable Ears," he added in response to Harry's raised eyebrows, and held up the string which Harry now saw was trailing out on to the landing. "We're trying to hear what's going on downstairs."**

"Good thing we warded the door then." Molly frowned.

**"You want to be careful," said Ron, staring at the Ear, "if Mum sees one of them again..."**

**"It's worth the risk, that's a major meeting they're having," said Fred.**

**The door opened and a long mane of red hair appeared.**

**"Oh, hello, Harry!" said Ron's younger sister, Ginny, brightly. "I thought I heard your voice."**

**Turning to Fred and George, she said, "It's no-go with the Extendable Ears, she's gone and put an Imperturbable Charm on the kitchen door."**

**"How d'you know?" said George, looking crestfallen.**

**"Tonks told me how to find out," said Ginny.**

"Dora!" Andy scolded, "You're supposed to be an adult."

"Better helping them stay out of trouble than letting them get caught." Dora shrugged.

**"You just chuck stuff at the door and if it can't make contact the door's been Imperturbed. I've been flicking Dungbombs at it from the top of the stairs and they just soar away from it, so there's no way the Extendable Ears will be able to get under the gap."**

"And you blamed poor Crookshanks." Molly huffed. "I can't beleive I fell for that."

**Fred heaved a deep sigh.**

**"Shame. I really fancied finding out what old Snape's been up to."**

**"Snape!" said Harry quickly. "Is he here?"**

**"Yeah," said George, carefully closing the door and sitting down on one of the beds; Fred and Ginny followed. "Giving a report. Top secret."**

**"Git," said Fred idly.**

Snape glared at Fred who looked back innocently.

**"He's on our side now," said Hermione reprovingly.**

**Ron snorted. "Doesn't stop him being a git. The way he looks at us when he sees us."**

**"Bill doesn't like him, either," said Ginny, as though that settled the matter.**

"I knew I shouldn't have played the bad guy." Snape muttered.

"You being nice would have scared us more." Harry smirked. All the teens nodded as Snape skulked out of his frame.

**Harry was not sure his anger had abated yet; but his thirst for information was now overcoming his urge to keep shouting. He sank on to the bed opposite the others.**

**"Is Bill here?" he asked. "I thought he was working in Egypt?"**

"I wanted to be closer to home." Bill smiled, "And I'd already fallen for my beautiful wife." Fleur smiled at him and kissed his cheek.

**"He applied for a desk job so he could come home and work for the Order," said Fred. "He says he misses the tombs, but," he smirked, "there are compensations."**

**"What d'you mean?"**

**"Remember old Fleur Delacour?" said George. "She's got a job at Gringotts to 'eemprove 'er Eeenglish -'"**

"And it worked a lot." Fleur smiled.

**"And Bill's been giving her a lot of private lessons," sniggered Fred.**

Bill raised an eyebrow at Fred, "I'll deal with you later." he promised.

"Bill leave him alone." Fleur sighed, "Or at least don't hex him."

"Plan two then." Bill grinned, "Not telling you what it is though, and it includes you too George."

The twins looked quite scared at the evilly thoughtful look on their oldest brothers face.

**"Charlie's in the Order, too," said George, "but he's still in Romania. Dumbledore wants as many foreign wizards brought in as possible, so Charlie's trying to make contacts on his days off."**

**"Couldn't Percy do that?" Harry asked. The last he had heard, the third Weasley brother was working in the Department of International Magical Cooperation at the Ministry of Magic.**

**At Harry's words, all the Weasleys and Hermione exchanged darkly significant looks.**

"Is something going on with Percy?" asked Petunia, frowning.

"Yes. It's the biggest mistake of my life." Percy sighed.

**"Whatever you do, don't mention Percy in front of Mum and Dad," Ron told Harry in a tense voice.**

**"Why not?"**

**"Because every time Percy's name's mentioned, Dad breaks whatever he's holding and Mum starts crying," Fred said.**

"Oh no!" gasped Lily. "It can't be what I think it is!"

**"It's been awful," said Ginny sadly.**

**"I think we're well shot of him," said George, with an uncharacteristically ugly look on his face.**

"You didn't leave!" James gasped. Percy nodded sadly.

**"What's happened?" Harry said.**

**"Percy and Dad had a row," said Fred. "I've never seen Dad row with anyone like that. It's normally Mum who shouts."**

**"It was the first week back after term ended," said Ron. "We were about to come and join the Order. Percy came home and told us he'd been promoted."**

**"You're kidding?" said Harry.**

**Though he knew perfectly well that Percy was highly ambitious, Harry's impression was that Percy had not made a great success of his first job at the Ministry of Magic. Percy had committed the fairly large oversight of failing to notice that his boss was being controlled by Lord Voldemort (not that the Ministry had believed it - they all thought Mr. Crouch had gone mad).**

**"Yeah, we were all surprised," said George, "because Percy got into a load of trouble about Crouch, there was an inquiry and everything. They said Percy ought to have realised Crouch was off his rocker and informed a superior. But you know Percy, Crouch left him in charge, he wasn't going to complain."**

**"So how come they promoted him?"**

**"That's exactly what we wondered," said Ron, who seemed very keen to keep normal conversation going now that Harry had stopped yelling. "He came home really pleased with himself - even more pleased than usual, if you can imagine that - and told Dad he'd been offered a position in Fudge's own office. A really good one for someone only a year out of Hogwarts: Junior Assistant to the Minister. He expected Dad to be all impressed, I think."**

**"Only Dad wasn't," said Fred grimly.**

**"Why not?" said Harry.**

**"Well, apparently Fudge has been storming round the Ministry checking that nobody's having any contact with Dumbledore," said George.**

**"Dumbledore's name is mud with the Ministry these days, see," said Fred. "They all think he's just making trouble saying You-Know-Who's back."**

"Albus? Why didnt you suggest Veritaserum?" Harry asked. "You know I would've been willing to use it."

"They would've said you'd found a way around it." Albus sighed. "I had thought of it but the Ministry did not beleive it was sufficient enough. As for Pensieve memories..."

"They can be tampered with." Harry nodded.

**"Dad says Fudge has made it clear that anyone who's in league with Dumbledore can clear out their desks," said George. "Trouble is, Fudge suspects Dad, he knows he's friendly with Dumbledore, and he's always thought Dad's a bit of a weirdo because of his Muggle obsession."**

**"But what's that got to do with Percy?" asked Harry, confused.**

**"I'm coming to that. Dad reckons Fudge only wants Percy in his office because he wants to use him to spy on the family - and Dumbledore."**

"I figured out that was exactly why." Percy said miserably. "It took a while but I clicked on to it eventually."

**Harry let out a low whistle.**

**"Bet Percy loved that."**

**Ron laughed in a hollow sort of way.**

**"He went completely berserk. He said - well, he said loads of terrible stuff. He said he's been having to struggle against Dad's lousy reputation ever since he joined the Ministry and that Dad's got no ambition and that's why we've always been - you know - not had a lot of money, I mean -"**

"I only said that because I knew it would hurt, I'm sorry Dad." Percy mumbled.

"It's fine son. I know you didnt really mean it." Arthur smiled.

**"What?" said Harry in disbelief, as Ginny made a noise like an angry cat.**

**"I know," said Ron in a low voice. "And it got worse. He said Dad was an idiot to run around with Dumbledore, that Dumbledore was heading for big trouble and Dad was going to go down with him, and that he - Percy - knew where his loyalty lay and it was with the Ministry. And if Mum and Dad were going to become traitors to the Ministry he was going to make sure everyone knew he didn't belong to our family any more. And he packed his bags the same night and left. He's living here in London now."**

**Harry swore under his breath. He had always liked Percy least of Ron's brothers, but he had never imagined he would say such things to Mr. Weasley.**

Percy looked down, ashamed.

**"Mum's been in a right state," said Ron dully. "You know - crying and stuff. She came up to London to try and talk to Percy but he slammed the door in her face."**

"I don't remember doing that." Percy frowned, "Sorry Mum."

"You dont remember?" Molly frowned. Percy shook his head no.

"It's possible you were under the Imperius." Cissy commented, "It wasn't any of the Death Eater's that done it though, it would've been announced."

Percy frowned, "But who -"

"I think I know." Harry said, "Kingsley, can you check Umbridge when the Aurors catch her?"

"Sure, I'd love a reason to put her in Azkaban for life." Kingsley nodded.

"Why would she do that though?" Percy asked.

"She's evil with a capital E." Hermione growled.

**"I dunno what he does if he meets Dad at work - ignores him, I s'pose."**

**"But Percy must know Voldemort's back," said Harry slowly. "He's not stupid, he must know your mum and dad wouldn't risk everything without proof."**

**"Yeah, well, your name got dragged into the row," said Ron, shooting Harry a furtive look. "Percy said the only evidence was your word and... I dunno... he didn't think it was good enough."**

"Okay now that I definitely don't remember." Percy frowned. "I know you'd never lie about something like that Harry." he said honestly.

"Dont worry about it." Harry shrugged, "You did come back." he smiled.

**"Percy takes the Daily Prophet seriously," said Hermione tartly, and the others all nodded.**

**"What are you talking about?" Harry asked, looking around at them all. They were all regarding him warily.**

**"Haven't - haven't you been getting the Daily Prophet?" Hermione asked nervously.**

**"Yeah, I have!" said Harry.**

**"Have you - er - been reading it thoroughly?" Hermione asked, still more anxiously.**

**"Not cover to cover," said Harry defensively. "If they were going to report anything about Voldemort it would be headline news, wouldn't it?"**

**The others flinched at the sound of the name. Hermione hurried on, "Well, you'd need to read it cover to cover to pick it up, but they - um - they mention you a couple of times a week."**

**"But I'd have seen -"**

**"Not if you've only been reading the front page, you wouldn't," said Hermione, shaking her head. "I'm not talking about big articles. They just slip you in, like you're a standing joke."**

**"What d'you -?"**

**"It's quite nasty, actually," said Hermione in a voice of forced calm. "They're just building on Rita's stuff."**

**"But she"s not writing for them any more, is she?"**

**"Oh, no, she's kept her promise ****‐**** not that she's got any choice," Hermione added with satisfaction. "But she laid the foundation for what they're trying to do now."**

"And what would that be?" asked James impatiently. "That my son is some lying, attention-seeking prat?"

"Yes actually." Harry growled.

**"Which is what?" said Harry impatiently.**

**"OK, you know she wrote that you were collapsing all over the place and saying your scar was hurting and all that?"**

**"Yeah," said Harry, who was not likely to forget Rita Skeeters stories about him in a hurry.**

**"Well, they're writing about you as though you're this deluded, attention-seeking person who thinks he's a great tragic hero or something," said Hermione, very fast, as though it would be less unpleasant for Harry to hear these facts quickly. "They keep slipping in snide comments about you. If some far-fetched story appears, they say something like, 'A tale worthy of Harry Potter', and if anyone has a funny accident or anything it's, 'Let's hope he hasn't got a scar on his forehead or we'll be asked to worship him next' -"**

Everyone was either growling or frowning at that point.

**"I don't want anyone to worship -" Harry began hotly.**

**"I know you don't," said Hermione quickly, looking frightened. "I know, Harry. But you see what they're doing? They want to turn you into someone nobody will believe. Fudge is behind it, I'll bet anything. They want wizards on the street to think you're just some stupid boy who's a bit of a joke, who tells ridiculous tall stories because he loves being famous and wants to keep it going."**

**"I didn't ask - I didn't want - Voldemort killed my parents!" Harry spluttered. "I got famous because he murdered my family but couldn't kill me! Who wants to be famous for that? Don't they think I'd rather it'd never -"**

"We'd rather it didn't happen either. That we'd all lived so we could be there for you." Lily sighed, James nodded in agreement.

"You're here now." Harry smiled.

**"We know, Harry," said Ginny earnestly.**

"I've just noticed something." Draco stated, "Ginny was in the same room as Harry and actually talking without blushing." he smirked.

Ginny glared at him, "Shut up Draco. Before I hex you." she warned.

He wisely did as he was told, ignoring the snickers from the other men.

**"And of course, they didn't report a word about the Dementors attacking you," said Hermione. "Someone's told them to keep that quiet. That should've been a really big story, out-of-control Dementors. They haven't even reported that you broke the International Statute of Secrecy. We thought they would, it would tie in so well with this image of you as some stupid show-off. We think they're biding their time until you"re expelled, then they're really going to go to town - I mean, if you"re expelled, obviously," she went on hastily. "You really shouldn't be, not if they abide by their own laws, there's no case against you."**

"When's the Ministry ever followed it's own laws?" Sirius asked.

"Now it does." Kingsley chuckled, "Mainly because I make sure of it."

"And all the previous Ministers were stupid." Harry stated firmly. "Or at least not so good." he added.

"The ones you met anyway. Minister Bagnold wasn't all that bad." James remembered.

"Yeah, she was quite good." Molly nodded.

**They were back on the hearing and Harry did not want to think about that. He cast around for another change of subject, but was saved the necessity of finding one by the sound of footsteps coming up the stairs.**

**"Uh oh."**

**Fred gave the Extendable Ear a hearty tug; there was another loud crack and he and George vanished. Seconds later, Mrs Weasley appeared in the bedroom doorway.**

**"The meeting's over, you can come down and have dinner now. Everyone's dying to see you, Harry. And who's left all those Dungbombs outside the kitchen door?"**

**"Crookshanks," said Ginny unblushingly. "He loves playing with them."**

"Sure, just blame my cat." Hermione pouted.

"Still can't beleive I fell for that." Molly muttered.

"Sorry Mum. I didn't really want to get in trouble." Ginny laughed.

**"Oh," said Mrs Weasley, "I thought it might have been Kreacher, he keeps doing odd things like that. Now don't forget to keep your voices down in the hall. Ginny, your hands are filthy, what have you been doing? Go and wash them before dinner, please."**

"And you still didn't suspect anything." Arthur chuckled, Molly rolled her eyes.

**Ginny grimaced at the others and followed her mother out of the room, leaving Harry alone with Ron and Hermione. Both of them were watching him apprehensively, as though they feared he would start shouting again now that everyone else had gone. The sight of them looking so nervous made him feel slightly ashamed.**

**"Look..." he muttered, but Ron shook his head, and Hermione said quietly, "We knew you'd be angry, Harry, we really don't blame you, but you've got to understand, we did try to persuade Dumbledore -"**

**"Yeah, I know," said Harry shortly.**

**He cast around for a topic that didn't involve his headmaster, because the very thought of Dumbledore made Harry's insides burn with anger again.**

"Oop's." Albus winced.

**"Who's Kreacher?" he asked.**

**"The house-elf who lives here," said Ron. "Nutter. Never met one like him."**

"He is one of a kind." said James. "He was polite enough the first few times I ran into him, but I could tell he wasn't like other house-elves."

**Hermione frowned at Ron.**

**"He's not a nutter, Ron."**

**"His life's ambition is to have his head cut off and stuck up on a plaque just like his mother," said Ron irritably. "Is that normal, Hermione?"**

Lily looked shocked. "That is most definitely not normal."

"It was all he knew." Regulus sighed, "I didnt think to explain there was other ways of life." he admitted.

"Good thing we did then." Harry mused.

**"Well - well, if he is a bit strange, it's not his fault."**

"It wasn't his fault." Regulus nodded, "It was my Mother's and possibly Father's fault."

"More likely Uncle Orion's, Kreacher was his elf since he was born." Andy pointed out.

"How old is Kreacher?" Frank asked.

"Um... About 60? Maybe 70?" Cissy guessed.

"He's in his early 60's." Regulus said. "I worked it out a few nights ago when I was bored." he shrugged. "It was either 63 or 64, I forgot."

"Quite old then." Hermione noted.

"House-Elves can live well into their 100's." Albus smiled, "The oldest in history was 145, belonging to the Black family funnily enough."

"Hmm... I didnt know that." Sirius mused.

**Ron rolled his eyes at Harry.**

**"Hermione still hasn't given up on SPEW -"**

**"It's not SPEW!" said Hermione heatedly. "It's the Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare. And it's not just me, Dumbledore says we should be kind to Kreacher too."**

**"Yeah, yeah," said Ron. "C'mon, I'm starving."**

**He led the way out of the door and on to the landing, but before they could descend the stairs - "Hold it!" Ron breathed, flinging out an arm to stop Harry and Hermione walking any further. "They're still in the hall, we might be able to hear something."**

**The three of them looked cautiously over the banisters. The gloomy hallway below was packed with witches and wizards, including all of Harry's guard. They were whispering excitedly together. In the very centre of the group Harry saw the dark, greasy-haired head and prominent nose of his least favourite teacher at Hogwarts, Professor Snape. Harry leant further over the banisters. He was very interested in what Snape was doing for the Order of the Phoenix...**

**A thin piece of flesh-coloured string descended in front of Harrys eyes. Looking up, he saw Fred and George on the landing above, cautiously lowering the Extendable Ear towards the dark knot of people below. A moment later, however, they all began to move towards the front door and out of sight.**

**"Dammit," Harry heard Fred whisper, as he hoisted the Extendable Ear back up again.**

**They heard the front door open, then close.**

**"Snape never eats here," Ron told Harry quietly. "Thank God. C'mon."**

**"And don't forget to keep your voice down in the hall, Harry," Hermione whispered.**

**As they passed the row of house-elf heads on the wall, they saw Lupin, Mrs. Weasley and Tonks at the front door, magically sealing its many locks and bolts behind those who had just left.**

**"We're eating down in the kitchen," Mrs. Weasley whispered, meeting them at the bottom of the stairs. "Harry, dear, if you'll just tiptoe across the hall, it's through this door here -"**

**CRASH.**

**"Tonks!" cried Mrs. Weasley in exasperation, turning to look behind her.**

**"I'm sorry!" wailed Tonks, who was lying flat on the floor. "It's that stupid umbrella stand, that's the second time I've tripped over -"**

"And certainly not the last." Remus chuckled.

**But the rest of her words were drowned by a horrible, ear-splitting, blood-curdling screech.**

**The moth-eaten velvet curtains Harry had passed earlier had flown apart, but there was no door behind them. For a split second, Harry thought he was looking through a window, a window behind which an old woman in a black cap was screaming and screaming as though she were being tortured - then he realised it was simply a life-size portrait, but the most realistic, and the most unpleasant, he had ever seen in his life.**

**The old woman was drooling, her eyes were rolling, the yellowing skin of her face stretched taut as she screamed; and all along the hall behind them, the other portraits awoke and began to yell, too, so that Harry actually screwed up his eyes at the noise and clapped his hands over his ears.**

**Lupin and Mrs. Weasley darted forward and tried to tug the curtains shut over the old woman, but they would not close and she screeched louder than ever, brandishing clawed hands as though trying to tear at their faces.**

"Dora you know what's coming." Harry said nodding towards Teddy and Cecelia.

"The spell from earlier is still on them, it's fine." she smiled.

**"Filth! Scum! By-products of dirt and vileness! Half-breeds, mutants, freaks, begone from this place! How dare you befoul the house of my fathers -"**

**Tonks apologised over and over again, dragging the huge, heavy troll's leg back off the floor; Mrs. Weasley abandoned the attempt to close the curtains and hurried up and down the hall, stunning all the other portraits with her wand; and a man with long black hair came charging out of a door facing Harry.**

**"Shut up, you horrible old hag, shut UP!" he roared, seizing the curtain Mrs. Weasley had abandoned.**

**The old woman's face blanched.**

**"Yoooou!" she howled, her eyes popping at the sight of the man. "Blood traitor, abomination, shame of my flesh!"**

**"I said - shut - UP!" roared the man, and with a stupendous effort he and Lupin managed to force the curtains closed again.**

**The old woman's screeches died and an echoing silence fell. Panting slightly and sweeping his long dark hair out of his eyes, Harry's godfather Sirius turned to face him.**

**"Hello, Harry," he said grimly, "I see you've met my mother."**

"No offence but she seems a little crazy." Alice muttered.

"None taken. She was crazy." Sirius made a face.

"Most of the time she wouldnt dare scream like that in front of people." Regulus frowned, "Being alone must of affected her."

"She always screeched like that when she saw me though." Sirius pointed out grimly, "She's hated me since I got put in Gryffindor. She just didn't like me much before."

"She did care Sirius. She was just worried you'd make the wrong choices and that she'd lose one of her son's." Cissy told him.

"She drove me further and further away from the family every summer! At one point Regulus was the only one who'd talk to me, even look at me!" he shouted, "You cant say she cared because if she did she wouldn't have pushed me away like she did. And if you didn't notice she called me 'shame of her flesh'." he added.

"We're not going to convince you so you beleive what you want to." Regulus said.

"I'll do that." he muttered.

"Let's take a break for lunch." Harry decided.

* * *

><p>Review please x<p> 


	57. Chapter 57

Chapter 55 - Lunchtime Discussions.

20, August, 1998. 12.30pm.

Everyone had gathered in the great hall for lunch with the remaining Professors at the castle.

"So what are your plans now that you've got a second chance to continue your lives?" Professor Flitwick asked the returnee's.

"I was considering returning to the Aurors." James admitted. "I hated having to stop because of Voldemort."

"Me too." Sirius nodded.

"You'd need to do the new and improved training." Kingsley smiled. "I got the Head Auror to revise it and he suggested some changes that I allowed."

"Like what?" Professor Sinistra, the astronomy teacher, asked curiously.

"Like the amount of things the trainee's should already know has been revised, a lot of the things are N.E.W.T level and previously just under half the training was focused on testing that." Kingsley answered, "Now there's only about 3 weeks making sure the trainees know it."

"I remember that it was about 6 months testing on that." Dora nodded, "It really was a bit ridiculous."

"So it's been cut back on." Kingsley nodded, "It was worse when I did my training, I ended up doing that for a year and then rushing through the other things because we were short on time."

"What about the rest of you then?" Professor Flitwick asked, "What are you plans?"

"I was going to take a year or two off so I can be with Teddy, I'll probably go back to the Aurors when he start's school though." Dora smiled.

"I've no idea what I plan to do yet." Remus admitted. "There's a lot more options now I'm no longer a werewolf."

"I would offer you the DADA position if it were open." Minerva smiled.

"Minerva I forgot to tell you, the Auror who was supposed to be coming is being held in St Mungo's for an undetermind amount of time. Apparently she's not healing the way she should." Kingsley explained. "So it's been decided she's getting a desk job that isn't as stressful as teaching."

"So I do need a new DADA teacher. If you want it Remus, it's yours." Minerva smiled.

"I'll need a few days to think about it." Remus smiled, "What's your plans Lily?"

"To do the same as Dora and take a year or so off." Lily smiled. "And help with taking care of Casper and Jasper."

"Who's that?" Professor Sprout asked.

"Latest additions to the family." Harry smiled, "Ginny and I decided to adopt them so they're our son's."

"How old are they both?" Flitwick wanted to know.

"They were born on the 9th, so 9 days old. They're twins you see." Ginny smiled.

"But you're both so young!" Professor Slughorn exclaimed.

"We know, there is more to the story than meets the eye but we can't say anything and we're prepared to take on the responsibility." Harry explained, "And we'll have help."

"They will have. They also have experience dealing with young kids." Andy commented nodding towards where Teddy was sitting on Draco's knee eating mashed up banana.

"We wouldn't have agreed it was for the best if we didn't think they could handle it." Molly added smiling at her daughter and soon to be son-in-law.

"I suppose but I thought you two were returning to school?" Flitwick asked.

"They are, that's why the four of us are going to take turns taking care of them until they're out of school." Lily gestured to Molly, Arthur and James who nodded.

"Ah. Very clever." Sinistra nodded, "I take it these two are orphans?"

Harry nodded as Ginny said, "Yeah, and they're very identical."

"They're probably more identical than us." Fred added.

"Even before I had my ear cut off." George nodded.

"And heaven knows how difficult it was to tell them apart." Minerva chuckled. "Regulus what's your plans for the future?"

"I was going to talk to you about that actually." he smiled, "I'd like to return and do my N.E.W.T's again."

"That would be fine with me." she smiled, "I'll need to know the classes you plan to take."

"Same as before but including DADA this time." he told her. "I was distracted the first time around. Mainly trying to keep Sirius alive was the second biggest distraction."

"Really? Well baby brother, I'm very touched but you didn't need to." Sirius smiled.

"If you knew what Bella had planned you'd say different." Cissy said dryly, handing a napkin to Astoria so she could help Draco clean Teddy's face, which was covered in banana, it seemed he had more of his meal on him than in him.

"True, I know that story and you wouldn't have liked it at all." Draco nodded.

"She was very determined to kill you." Regulus said, "Just be glad I managed to convince her it wouldn't work."

"This plan wouldn't have anything to do with her kidnapping me, torturing me for hours on end and then leaving me to die would it?" Sirius frowned.

"How'd you know that?" Cissy asked.

"Azkaban. I was in the cell across and up a bit from hers and she used to sit and gloat about what she should've done." he explained, "The arguments we had were quite amusing. Though they were a bit annoying when she dragged Rodolphus or Rabastan into them." he added.

"Well they're all dead now so let's not talk about them." Neville suggested with a worried look to his parent's.

"We're fine son." Frank assured him.

"It was awful what happened to us but at least we're fine now." Alice nodded. "The people who did it are no longer a threat so we're fine."

"They'd tell you if they werent." Luna smiled at her boyfriend. Alice and Frank nodded their agreement. "Maybe you have an infestation of worrying warplings."

"What are worrying warplings?" Neville asked with a smile.

"They're little creatures that stay close to people and make them worry about the ones they love the most." she smiled brightly, "They're easy to get rid of though. All you need to do is not worry as much and tell negative thoughts to go away in the nicest way possible."

Hermione rolled her eyes, "Are you sure they exist Luna?"

"Positive, they live like poltergeists. They're attracted to emotions, and enhance people's tendency to worry. Daddy said there was a lot around during the war and that everyone was so worried anyway that they just made it worse." she frowned.

"Sounds like they could be a problem." Harry nodded seriously, "Neville quit worrying." he told his friend.

"I'll try." he promised.

"Good enough for me." Ginny grinned, "Of course they're still going to worry about what you have in store for them." she told Harry.

"Unavoidable I'm afraid." Ron chuckled, "We do seem to have a tendency to worry people to the point they want to either hug us to death or hex us."

"Or just shout at us." Harry agreed, "Ron's right, with all we've done I'd be worried too if I hadn't lived it."

"And yet Ron and I still have bit's we worry about and we know most of it already." Hermione mused.

"What is it you've all been doing then?" Slughorn asked curiously.

"Mainly getting everyone caught up on everything we've done in the past." Harry smiled, "Everything from just before my first year to May just past and a few bit's in between then and now."

"You call constant heart stopping moments and scaring us half to death getting caught up?" Sirius asked.

"It works." Hermione shrugged, "It also lets everyone get to understand us three and what we've been through better." she added.

"Which is quite a lot." Harry sighed, "And we're only on 5th year despite how much I've been speeding it up."

"Covering four years in 18 days, a few of which we've not used all of or at all, is still quite impressive." Lily pointed out. "And Hermione has a point, we're all getting to know you all a lot better and faster than we would've if you'd just told us."

"I see your point." Harry smiled, "And there's a few parts of our 5th year I wont be showing, same for 6th. 7th is still to be decided but it'll probably be most of it so I'll be speeding up a little bit more."

"As long as you show the important bit's we agree with speeding it up." Ron nodded, "There is quite a bit left."

"How bad can it be though?" Sprout asked.

"Pomona, you've heard the rumors that used to go around about these three." Minerva gestured to the Golden Trio as Sprout nodded, "Most of those were true."

"How many is most?" Sinistra asked. "I've heard some ridiculous thing's. Like them fighting a troll without help when they were 11."

"That was true." Hermione smirked, "Ron had upset me and I was hiding in the bathroom and didn't know about the troll."

"So we went to go get her and ran into the troll. I distracted it while Harry ran in to get Hermione out but she couldn't move." Ron continued.

"So I jumped on the troll's back and my wand went up it's nose, Ron levitated it's club above it's head, let go of the charm and knocked it out." Harry finished, "Then we were found by Minerva, Professor Quirrell and Professor Snape."

"I said it was all my fault and I had gone looking for the troll and that these two had come along and saved me, I lost 10 points and the boys got 5 each for 'Sheer dumb luck'." Hermione laughed, grinning at Minerva.

"So that was actually true." Sinistra said, looking shocked, "How many others are true?"

"Ask us about ones you've heard and we'll tell you as long as it's not made public knowledge just yet." Harry shrugged.

"Hmm... The story behind you and Hermione being up on the Astronomy Tower at midnight because Hagrid had a dragon?" Flitwick asked.

"True." Minerva smiled.

"Umm... The stories of you saving the school?" Sinistra questioned.

"True, depending on which one it is." Ron supplied.

"The one about you saving the Philosopher's stone?" she asked instead.

"True, that was mostly Harry. We helped get passed the protective enchantments." Hermione explained as Ron nodded.

"I only survived that thanks to Mum's love continuing to protect me." Harry added.

"Even then it was close." Minerva sighed, "You'll remember there was a few days he was in the hospital wing." she told the staff, "He almost died at 11."

"Oh my!" Flitwick exclaimed. "I didnt know it was that bad."

"Neither did we until we covered the memory." Hermione admitted, "Minerva told us how bad he really was and why we weren't told before."

"Alright how about the rumor that Harry speaks Parseltongue?" Slughorn asked.

"True." Harry nodded, "I'm not the heir of Slytherin though." he added.

"I didnt think so." Sprout smiled, "I know a few of my house did though."

"Same here." Flitwick nodded.

"Not all of the Ravenclaw's did. Just a few who couldn't work it out that he wasn't evil." Luna smiled.

"Even some of the Gryffindor's thought he was until Fred and George convinced them otherwise." Ginny sighed, "It's a pity a few still didn't beleive it."

"Well they're not all that important." George shrugged, "Point is we got most of them to listen."

"Pointing out the obvious they did eventually listen." Fred added, "As soon as they noticed that if Harry really was evil he'd probably have done something by then."

"And that was a likely as Voldemort walking into the school and announcing he was sorry and loved everyone." Harry said. "Or that he was finished being evil and gave everyone a hug."

Everyone laughed.

"Impossible then." James smirked.

"Exactly." Harry grinned.

"Is it true you saved the school from the attacks in your second year?" Sinistra asked, she leaned forward interestedly.

"Completely true. It was a Basilisk." Ginny shuddered, "It's a long story but he saved my life that night too."

Harry put a comforting arm around her shoulders and she laid her head on his shoulder.

"It's alright Gin, you were there, you saw the Basilisk after I'd killed it. Riddle's gone so it's just a memory." he soothed.

"I know." she sighed, "Still not the best start to my Hogwarts years though."

"Harry did you just say you killed a basilisk?" Slughorn asked in shock.

"When I was 12 yes." Harry nodded.

The staff who hadn't known were shocked.

"Add to that he did it with Gryffindor's sword." Neville smirked.

"Still got bitten though." Harry shrugged.

"How in the world are you still alive!?" Sprout demanded.

"Fawkes mainly, after I was bitten and I'd pulled the fang out of my arm he healed me with his tears." Harry explained.

"And you were only 12?" Flitwick asked rhetorically, "That's quite amazing."

"Which is why Albus kept it quiet." Minerva said, "Imagine how bad it would be in terms of keeping reporters and students from annoying him."

"Which happens enough already, well... Not the student part."

"That'll probably change when we come back, and not just for you either." Neville pointed out.

"That's true." Hermione nodded, "Hopefully it'll die down quickly."

"Unlikely." Harry snorted.

"We can only hope." Ron added cheerfully.

"So most of the rumors are true then?" Slughorn asked.

"Yes Professor. Most of them." Harry nodded.

"Almost none of them from their third year are though." Ginny commented. "Like the fact that Sirius never attacked them at the end of the year."

"And I cant change into a plant as suggested by a Hufflepuff." Sirius smirked.

"Some of my students can be very creative with their ideas." Sprout chuckled.

"Unca Har!" Teddy yelled, he was wiggling to be put down so Draco put him on the floor where the little boy crawled over to his godfather, who picked him up, "Wet." he said.

"Guess your on nappy change duty this time Harry." Andy smiled handing him Teddy's changing bag.

"Come on then." he told Teddy carrying him to the nearest bathroom. Jinx and Jex, who had been lying down, followed after while he was leaving him asking questions about the castle.

"Harry make sure those two don't wander off." Ginny called just as he left.

"I'll do that." he promised.

When he was gone the staff kept asking questions.

"So how far have you gotten with catching up? I'm guessing your using a pensieve?" Flitwick asked.

"We are and we've got as far as just before our 5th year, still during the summer." Hermione smiled.

"We started from Dudley's 11th birthday." Ron added.

"Which is only about 2 months from Harry's." Petunia added, "And probably made the two of us out to be monsters."

"Not monsters really." Lily disagreed, "We saw you as unfair and uncaring and Dudley as a big bully."

"Which I am ashamed to admit, was all I really was." Dudley sighed.

"Well I'm glad you'd changed by the time we got together." Amber told him, rocking Cecelia gently as the little girl was sleepy but fighting to stay awake.

"You probably would have convince me to change within a week." he retorted.

"No I would have ignored you completely and our daughter wouldn't be here right now, or ever." she countered. "You still would have changed though."

"She's right Dudley. I already saw big changes in your actions towards Harry before we even went into hiding." Petunia noted. "Maybe even before that." she added.

"You mean how I left him alone after he saved my life?" he asked.

"That and you stopped listening to your father as much." she nodded.

"Sometimes it's best not to listen to your parents." Draco said, "I stopped listening to my father because he almost got me killed... And I was sick of playing the baddie, like Uncle Sev was tired of being a double spy. I saw it every time I saw him, he hated having to be close to Voldemort..."

"But he couldn't re-join the light for good without endangering the students." Minerva sighed.

"Not to mention we weren't all that happy with him either." Flitwick put in, gesturing to the other staff, who nodded.

"We may not have liked him much but I don't think we'd ever wanted him dead." Sirius added.

James frowned, "We were wrong to pick on him at school you know." he told Sirius, "He never really done anything to us."

"I realised that in Azkaban, maybe about 6 or 7 years in there. Even though I'd never have admitted that before we started watching the memories." Sirius nodded, "I have a feeling we don't know the whole story behind his actions so let's wait and see."

"Good decision." Hermione nodded approvingly. "You dont have to be nice to him, just civil like we do."

"Hermione's right as always, Professor Snape gave his life for the light like many others and for that he deserves respect." Astoria smiled.

Harry walked in carrying Teddy and the two wolf cubs walking behind him.

"Here." he said plopping Teddy on Remus's knee, "He's been asking for you."

"Dada wolf!" Teddy yelled happily snuggling into his father's chest.

"Still obsessed with wolves then?" Flitwick chuckled.

"Of course." Andy smiled, "He absolutely loves the Lycans."

"Or rather our wolf forms." Harry grinned before changing into Shadow and nosing Teddy's tummy making the boy giggle.

"Sh-ad-ow!" Teddy cheered, clapping happily as Shadow spun around in a circle.

The staff who hadn't seen one of them change before were shocked.

_You should've warned them you were going to change,_ Ginny mentally scolded him.

_Oop's,_ he replied slowly going over to Slughorn and Flitwick and sitting behind them before covering his eyes with a paw.

"He means sorry for scaring you." Ginny supplied at their confused looks, "And he's really quite tame." she smirked.

"He's also the biggest of all the Lycans." Ron added before standing and changing into Paws.

Shadow noticed and growled playfully at his best friend and beta. Paws growled back prompting Shadow to chase him into an empty bit of the hall and start playfighting.

"Let's just leave them to it." Hermione smiled, "How's your first time meeting a transformed Lycan?" she asked the Professors.

"I-it's a bit of a shock." Slughorn said, "I didn't think they would be as big as that."

"That's what everyone said the first time we'd seen Harry and Ginny before they named their wolves." Charlie laughed.

"Named their wolves?" Flitwick asked.

"Like Moony." Remus supplied, "James and Sirius named me that after finding out about me being a werewolf, glad that's not the case now but I'm keeping the name."

"Makes it easier and helps if we have to shout one of them when people who don't know who they are, are with us." Molly smiled, "Harry's Shadow and Ron's Paws."

"I'm Misty." Ginny said. "Hermione's Smokey."

"I'm Crystal, Draco's Snowstorm." Astoria added.

"I'm Celena and Dudley is Falcon." Petunia smiled.

"Bill is Storm, Neville's Blue, Luna's Silver and Frank and Alice have still got to get names." Lily added.

"Why don't we pick them now?" Alice suggested, she and Frank stood up and changed.

"Alice I have one for you." Lily grinned, "Remember I used to always say you were like Alice in Wonderland?" she asked, the wolf nodded, "How about Wonder? Since Wonderland doesn't really make sense for a wolf." she suggested.

The wolf nodded happily and went over to nuzzle her best friends hand, prompting Lily to scratch behind her ears.

"Now for Frankie." James smirked, the wolf looked at him in a way that said 'Don't call me that or you'll regret it'.

"Boomer?" Bill suggested, it was rejected with a fierce shake of the head,

"Frankenstein?" Sirius grinned. The wolf growled at him.

"How about Fang?" Dudley suggested.

"Wouldn't that get confused with Hagrid's dog?" Petunia asked.

"No, Hagrid's Fang is a coward and when's he ever going to be in that form around him?" Hermione said.

The wolf nodded liking the name. Shadow and Paws had finished their playfight and changed back, Harry had a few scratches on his lower arms that were already starting to heal and Ron had a gash on his face.

"I think we need to watch the claws." Harry winced.

"I think so too." Ron said as the gash on his face started glowing blue, "At least the advanced healing takes care of it." he shrugged.

"You two have names then." Harry smiled at the two newly named wolves, "Wonder and Fang fit's you very well."

The two changed back, "Thank you." Frank grinned.

"We like them a lot." Alice smiled.

Jex and Jinx climbed onto Harry and Ron's knees as the four sat back down, Harry picked up a few softer bits of meat and gave them to the cubs.

"Thank you." Jinx said.

"So what's the story behind these two?" Flitwick asked nodding at the cubs.

Harry explained quickly.

"So they were found in the castle?" Sinistra asked.

"Yes, Jinx was covered in dried up blood." Hermione said sadly, "Apparently from one of their parents being killed."

"And Jex didn't want to trust us until we said we'd saved his brother." Harry added.

"So they can understand you?" Sprout asked.

"It's a long story but basically every creature we've tried to talk to so far has understood us and we understand them. Only me and Harry though." Ginny explained. "And they understand a little bit of English as well."

"Quite useful." Flitwick mused.

"It is." Jex nodded.

An owl flew in and dropped a thick brown envelope on Ginny's knee before leaving again, probably to the owlery for a rest.

"It's from St Mungo's." she told them opening it and taking out a piece of parchment. She read it quickly and handed it to Harry, "About Casper and Jasper's progress." she said.

As Harry read the letter she pulled out a small stack of photos.

"They're getting bigger." Hermione smiled looking over her friend's shoulder.

"Good 'cause they were tiny." Ginny said passing the photo's around, "Still are."

There were 10 photos in total and a few of them had the twins with their eye's open.

"Oh, they're eyes." Sprout exclaimed, she was holding one picture of the twins with their eyes open.

"Yes they are a little shocking to see at first." Harry smiled. "With one eye brown with green flecked through and the other green with red flecked through it. It may take a while to get used to it." he added.

"Any ideas how it's possible?" Slughorn asked.

"We weren't going to say anything but guess who their biological father is." Ginny said.

The four staff members frowned in thought.

After a minute Flitwick gave up and so did Sinistra, Sprout just after them.

"It can't be." Slughorn said, he was pale and looking directly at Harry, his eyes flicked up to the lightning scar once.

Harry sighed, "Yes, he is their biological father." the three other staff looked confused. "Tom Riddle was a monster in more ways than one. Voldemort is our adoptive son's father."

Flitwick, Sprout and Sinistra looked shocked and Slughorn looked sick.

"We're taking them in because they can't go to an orphanage and their mother died after their birth. They won't be told who their real father is until they're 17 or older." Ginny said, "With us there's really no way for them to go evil. We're not telling anyone else for a reason so please keep it to yourselves." she added.

"We will. I assume you will be making up a story behind adopting them?" Sprout asked.

"Probably, and about their parentage. Their mother was a Death Eater too, we don't know much about her." Harry explained. "But they'll grow up with Ginny and I for parents and they'll have all the love they could want."

"We've got their furniture coming on Monday so we'll be getting them home very soon. We'll bring them in for a visit before school starts again." Ginny promised.

"Should be interesting." Sinistra smiled, "Thank you for telling us though. We'll keep it to ourselves." she promised making the other three nod. "Now if you'll excuse me I have to go work on class rota's and times for all the years." she smiled.

Sprout said she had to sort out a few things too and the two witches left.

* * *

><p>Review please x<p> 


	58. Chapter 58

Chapter 58 - Lunchtime Discussions 2.

20, August, 1998.

"Minerva the man from the Ministry came this morning." Flitwick told her.

"What? Again?" she asked.

"Yes, apparently the Department of Magical Education still think they need to interfere." he frowned.

"I told them to stop it." Kingsley groaned in frustration, "I'll talk with them again, nothing good ever comes out of interfering with Hogwarts."

"The castle doesn't like it." Luna nodded solemnly. "Neither dose those she stands to protect."

"What do you mean?" James frowned.

"Can't you hear how sad the castle is?" she asked him and Harry.

The two men frowned, "Hear how?" Harry asked.

"With your mind, it's a gift from the founders lines, the castle can tell heirs her secrets and they can hear her talking." Luna answered. "She only talks sometimes though. She's very sad about all the death and destruction and that she couldn't save everyone." she added sadly. Her eyes were slightly unfocused.

"I'd forgotten about that." James muttered, "Harry there's another gift with the founders line, it'll allow us to hear the castle talk."

"How in the world can a castle talk?" Harry asked.

"Through the magic that surrounds the place, the same magic that's in the Sorting hat and Gryffindor's sword." James explained, "There's more than just your fire magic that needs to be activated, but it can wait until the memories are done, there's Ravenclaw's sight for one."

"Wait what are you talking about?" Flitwick asked confused.

"There's three heirs of three of Hogwarts founders in this room right now." Luna supplied, "My family is descended from Ravenclaw." she smiled at her shocked Head of House.

"And the Potter line is from three of the founders, Gryffindor, Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw too." James added.

"Voldemort was the heir of Slytherin, now our adopted sons are the heirs." Harry mused.

"How ironic, the heir of three of the houses raising the heirs of the last." Ginny smirked, "Salazar Slytherin will be rolling in his grave."

"Oh good." Minerva grinned, "Serves him right."

"How can you be sure when the lines supposedly died out years ago?" Flitwick asked.

"Family tapestry." James smiled, "Ours goes back to the days when Godric Gryffindor's kids were having their own kids, some of them still had their Grandfathers name, same with the other founders, and the tapestry shows them marrying into each others lines. Ravenclaw had three daughters, one is Helena, the Grey Lady here, one is our ancestor and the other is Luna's, our's married Gryffindors oldest son then their child married Hufflepuff's Grandson he moved on to have a family one of their kids continued the line eventually ending with Ignotus Peverell." he explained, "The Peverell's eventually became Potter's when Ignotus' daughter married into the line, passing on the founders line with every child born."

"My ancestor did not mix with any of the other founders lines." Luna added, "But they eventually became Lovegood around 500 years ago. Our tapestry is a little fuzzy but it's definitely what happened. I used to study it when I was younger, and I have the stories from my mother and Grandad on Daddy's side."

"I thought it was your dad that had it?" Lily asked.

"It is but my Mum was the one who told me the stories at bedtime." she smiled, "Daddy was usually working, he never used to work at home you see. He only started doing that when Mum died so I wouldn't be left alone in the house." she sighed, "I know he cares about me but he can be a little overprotective at times."

"Every father is like that with their children, especially when it's their only daughter or son." Arthur said wisely, "I know there's been a few time I've been like that, even with 7 of them." he chuckled, nodding at his sons and daughter.

"Yes and we know that all too well, you and Mum both do that over protective bit quite often." Bill chuckled, "I think the worst was when Charlie and I left for Hogwarts. I think we got reminded at least 1000 times each to behave and stay safe."

"We didn't really expect you to stay out of trouble." Molly huffed, "But we had to try something."

"She has a point Bill." Percy smirked.

"Coming from the only one of us that never got into trouble at all." Fred muttered.

"Because I can behave for more than a week." Percy smiled. "Longer than that actually."

"Another good point." Charlie grinned.

"So Minerva, who would you say was the worst behaved out of this lot?" Molly asked.

"Hmm... Tricky..." she frowned in thought, "Define worst?"

"Worst behaved in general." Arthur smiled.

"Fred and George." she decided, "I think they were a little easier to handle than the Marauders until their 6th or 7th year." she admitted.

"By which time we had a decent amount of Wheezes." George grinned, "And constantly caused havoc around the school, along with Lee, using them to their full potential."

"I've got to say the portable swamp in the corridor was my favourite." Flitwick laughed, "And your fireworks are good too."

"Fillius! You're not supposed to encourage them." Minerva said shocked.

"It's complimenting, not encouraging." he grinned.

"Thank you sir." Fred smirked.

"We based the Swamp's on an idea we got from your class actually." George added, "When poor Andrew accidently over shot his water jet charm..."

"And whilst covering for his mistake changed objects into fish and made them swim about with a charm. And when you tried to get rid of it, the water rebelled and turned green." Fred finished.

"Only you two could go from a charms accident to Portable Swamp's." Bill chuckled.

"We'll take that as a compliment." George smirked.

"Remind me again how we put up with them growing up?" Bill muttered to Charlie.

"We let Percy deal with them." Charlie smirked. "Or bribed them with sweets loaded with sugar."

"So that's how they were constantly hyper." Molly muttered.

"Sorry Mum but it really was necessary." Bill laughed, "And usually rather amusing."

"I'll agree with that." Charlie nodded.

"I honestly dont know how you managed to handle them all." Lily told Molly and Arthur.

"Neither do we." Arthur chuckled.

"Luck?" Cissy suggested with a smirk.

"Possibly. It helped that some of them listened to us." Molly chuckled, "Mainly Bill, Percy, Ginny and Ron."

"Charlie listened half the time." Bill said.

"When it was you telling him." Ginny added cheekily.

"She has a point Bill, I listened to you more than Mum and Dad." Charlie admitted sheepishly.

"We all listened to Bill more than Mum and Dad other than Percy and the twins." Ron added.

"Yes how did you manage that Bill?" Arthur asked.

"Being the oldest has advantages." he said mysteriously.

"In other words he's not telling." Draco smirked.

"I actually dont know." Bill shrugged.

"Easy, you're the oldest and spent the most time with all of us." Ginny smiled. "Mum was busy making sure the house was clean and cooking for all of us and you always made sure we kept out of her way and kept us from annoying her when Dad was at work. Right Mum?"

"You do have a point there." Molly nodded. "That is basically what happened until you all left for school or work."

"You'll be glad I got the finalisation letter this morning for my move to the reserve in Ireland." Charlie smiled, "I'll be living close by too and just apperating to work each day when I'm not required to stay overnight."

"That's brilliant son." Arthur smiled, "We'll be able to see more of you now your not based in Romania."

"Which is why I got the move. I'll be the most senior handler over there too." he chuckled, "I've got news for Hagrid too." he grinned, "Guess who's moving with me?"

"Norbetta?" Harry asked.

"Exactly. She won't settle for any other handler, I blame Hagrid for that." he said. "She doesn't get along with other dragons either, though she has got a seemingly soft spot for a certain Hungarian Horntail."

"The one Harry fought in the Tri-Wizard?" Draco guessed.

"Yup, they're the best of friends so the two of them are being moved together, along with another Horntail and a Swedish Short-snout, both males they get along with and not in the way you'd expect."

"What do you mean?" Flitwick asked.

"Norbetta's fond of the male Horntail and the other Horntail's fond of the Short-snout. I suspect there'll be little half Horntail-Ridgeback baby dragons running around by next year as well as little Horntail-Short-snout's." he grinned, "Funny how we get two new and different breeds with those particular dragons."

"You'll have to tell Hagrid soon." Harry smirked, "He'll love it."

"And probably ask to go see them when they hatch." Draco smirked.

"It's an open reserve so all he'd have to do is visit. People sometimes take their kids to see the dragons so it's very heavily monitored during visiting hours." Charlie shrugged. "Especially because that reserve hasn't had Horntail's before and now they're getting two."

"Just dont let anyone try and steal their eggs." Harry smirked, "I know from personal experience that it's not all that easy but still."

"Definitely won't be letting anyone near the eggs." Charlie said, "Dragons are most vicious when nesting. Norbetta's relatively tame, but even that would change if she's protecting eggs."

"What do you mean by 'relatively tame'?" Petunia asked.

"I mean she likes human contact. I'm able to go in and scratch her nose and back and she's perfectly happy." he explained, "I think it's because she hatched and the first person she saw was Hagrid, therefore she doesn't reject the idea of letting humans near her. If anyone else but me tries it however..."

"Then theres a human barbecue?" Astoria guessed with a wince.

"Pretty much. She's caught a few colleagues of mine already, no fatalities but a few have spent a week or so in hospital with really bad burns. Let's just say Cedric and Fleur got lucky with their burns."

"And just like that you've reminded me we were the only two to get burned." Fleur muttered.

"You never got it as bad as some people did." Bill pointed out.

"You've also never seen a few of my co-workers. Half of them are as bad as Mad-Eye was." Charlie winced. "I myself have quite a few burns from not getting out of the way quite on time." he rolled up his sleeves to prove his point by the many shiny burn scars on his arms. "Still wouldn't trade my job for anything though."

"Kind of like most of the Aurors, a lot of them complain but they love their job so they don't give it up." Kingsley smiled.

"Sometime I wish our sons hadn't picked such dangerous careers." Molly muttered.

"Come on Mum, you can't really complain about mine anymore." Bill smiled, "I still get to work with curses and such but I'm much safer at Gringotts here than I was over in Egypt in the pyramids."

"And our job's only dangerous if something explodes." Fred added.

"Which isn't as often as it used to be." George grinned.

"And Percy is perfectly safe at the Ministry with me." Kingsley smiled.

"The only danger there is papercuts." Percy agreed.

"What are you planning to do Ron?" Regulus asked.

"After finishing school I'm planning on joining the Aurors." he answered.

"Another dangerous one." Molly groaned.

"Only out in the field." Dora smiled, "The rest of the time it's paperwork and planning sessions. Or guard duty." she shrugged.

"Sounds exciting." Harry said sarcastically.

"Depends who you're trying to catch." Kingsley said, "Like when I was on Sirius's case, it was very fun thinking up places for him to be and reasons why."

"What was your most creative one?" Sirius grinned.

"In the middle of Spain. The reason was that you'd want to hide there knowing Aurors can't arrest people without a permit off of British soil, and you'd probably be somewhere sunny." he smirked. "Made quite a few relaxing weeks at work for me getting your case and knowing exactly where you were."

"While the rest of us were trying to track down actual Death Eaters." Dora huffed, "No idea why I got stuck with the worst of them all."

"Easy, that's because the Head Auror at the time didn't like you much after you'd hexed him." Kingsley laughed, "Now that was a good one."

"He was nothing but a fool." Dora explained to the others, "All he done was sit around and tell people to do stuff for him. He totally abused the rights he had and basically all he did was treat the rest of us like servants."

"So you hexed him?" James grinned.

"He had it coming and if I didnt someone else would've done it soon enough."

"Instead you got stuck with the nastiest Death Eaters." Kingsley smirked.

"At least I caught my fugitive." she retorted, "You were busy talking to Sirius about Quidditch when you were supposed to be looking for him."

"I found him didn't I?" he chuckled.

"He just remembered there is such a thing as freedom to make decisions on his own rather than doing what he was told." Sirius smiled, "And I'm very glad he didn't arrest me."

"We're all glad about that." Harry said, "Now, we should probably continue with the memories, we've been here an hour and a half and there's still tons to cover."

The group agreed said goodbye to Flitwick and Slughorn, who both went off somewhere to do some work, and headed up to Minerva's office.

* * *

><p>Review please x<p> 


	59. Chapter 59

Please don't kill me for doing this! I have reasons and will explain them later on!

Chapter 59 - Fifth Year (Part 3)

20, August, 1998.

When the group reached Minerva's office everyone got comfortable again as Harry sorted his memories.

"What are you going to show mate?" Ron asked.

"We'll start where we left off." Harry smiled. "Then after the information we were told we'll skip to my trial."

"Sounds fair." Hermione nodded.

**"Your -?"**

**"My dear old mum, yeah," said Sirius. "We've been trying to get her down for a month but we think she put a Permanent Sticking Charm on the back of the canvas."**

"Not permanent." Regulus smirked, "Just hard to get off if you don't know the proper spell."

"And you weren't around to tell us and it was unlikely Kreacher would help." Sirius frowned.

"You should've checked my room, I had the spell written on a piece of parchment on my desk." he chuckled.

"I thought there was nasty wards on your door and that it wouldn't be worth the effort." Sirius shrugged.

"Um... Alohamora opened it for us when we needed to look for information on an item." Hermione smiled sheepishly.

"And that's all that's ever opened the door. I told everyone it was worse so they'd stay out of my room when certain nosey brothers decided to annoy me." Regulus smirked, "I can't believe you never tried the simplest thing in the world."

"I didn't see the point." Sirius shrugged again.

**"Let's get downstairs, quick, before they all wake up again."**

**"But what's a portrait of your mother doing here?" Harry asked, bewildered, as they went through the door from the hall and led the way down a flight of narrow stone steps, the others just behind them.**

**"Hasn't anyone told you? This was my parents' house," said Sirius. "But I'm the last Black left, so it's mine now. I offered it to Dumbledore for Headquarters - about the only useful thing I've been able to do."**

"Not true." Harry frowned, "It was useful for me to know you were safe. Even if I know you didn't like being locked up, especially there."

"And you were good at cheering most of us up after being on guard duty for the Prophesy." Dora smiled.

"And you still managed to help with plans and stakeouts." Remus added.

Sirius nodded grudgingly, "I suppose."

**Harry, who had expected a better welcome, noted how hard and bitter Sirius's voice sounded. He followed his godfather to the bottom of the steps and through a door leading into the basement kitchen.**

**It was scarcely less gloomy than the hall above, a cavernous room with rough stone walls. Most of the light was coming from a large fire at the far end of the room. A haze of pipe smoke hung in the air like battle fumes, through which loomed the menacing shapes of heavy iron pots and pans hanging from the dark ceiling. Many chairs had been crammed into the room for the meeting and a long wooden table stood in the middle of them, littered with rolls of parchment, goblets, empty wine bottles, and a heap of what appeared to be rags. Mr. Weasley and his eldest son Bill were talking quietly with their heads together at the end of the table.**

**Mrs. Weasley cleared her throat. Her husband, a thin, balding, red-haired man who wore horn-rimmed glasses, looked around and jumped to his feet.**

**"Harry!" Mr. Weasley said, hurrying forward to greet him, and shaking his hand vigorously. "Good to see you!"**

**Over his shoulder Harry saw Bill, who still wore his long hair in a ponytail, hastily rolling up the lengths of parchment left on the table.**

**"Journey all right, Harry?" Bill called, trying to gather up twelve scrolls at once. "Mad-Eye didn't make you come via Greenland, then?"**

**"He tried," said Tonks, striding over to help Bill and immediately toppling a candle on to the last piece of parchment. "Oh no - sorry -"**

"I hate being clumsy." Dora muttered.

**"Here, dear," said Mrs. Weasley, sounding exasperated, and she repaired the parchment with a wave of her wand. In the flash of light caused by Mrs. Weasley's charm Harry caught a glimpse of what looked like the plan of a building.**

**Mrs. Weasley had seen him looking. She snatched the plan off the table and stuffed it into Bill's already overladen arms.**

"Thanks Mum. I didn't realize Harry was really as nosey as everyone said." Bill chuckled.

"Can't blame me after being in the dark about everything." Harry smirked.

**"This sort of thing ought to be cleared away promptly at the end of meetings," she snapped, before sweeping off towards an ancient dresser from which she started unloading dinner plates.**

**Bill took out his wand, muttered, "Evanesco!" and the scrolls vanished.**

**"Sit down, Harry," said Sirius. "You've met Mundungus, haven't you?"**

**The thing Harry had taken to be a pile of rags gave a prolonged, grunting snore, then jerked awake.**

**"Some'n say m'name?" Mundungus mumbled sleepily. "I 'gree with Sirius..." He raised a very grubby hand in the air as though voting, his droopy, bloodshot eyes unfocused.**

"He didn't even know what he was agreeing to." Remus chuckled.

"What was it?" Harry asked.

"For you to be told more than what we were supposed to tell you." Sirius told him, "Only ten people agreed with me, fifteen of them couldn't decide, and the rest were against it because Albus was." he glared at his former Headmaster.

"I should have listened to you." Albus sighed.

**Ginny giggled.**

**"The meeting's over, Dung," said Sirius, as they all sat down around him at the table. "Harry's arrived."**

**"Eh?" said Mundungus, peering balefully at Harry through his matted ginger hair. "Blimey, so 'e 'as. Yeah... you all right, 'Arry?"**

**"Yeah," said Harry.**

**Mundungus fumbled nervously in his pockets, still staring at Harry, and pulled out a grimy black pipe. He stuck it in his mouth, ignited the end of it with his wand and took a deep pull on it. Great billowing clouds of greenish smoke obscured him within seconds.**

**"Owe you a 'pology," grunted a voice from the middle of the smelly cloud.**

**"For the last time, Mundungus," called Mrs. Weasley, "will you please not smoke that thing in the kitchen, especially not when we're about to eat!"**

**"Ah," said Mundungus. "Right. Sorry, Molly."**

**The cloud of smoke vanished as Mundungus stowed his pipe back in his pocket, but an acrid smell of burning socks lingered.**

They all made faces of disgust.

**"And if you want dinner before midnight I'll need a hand," Mrs. Weasley said to the room at large. "No, you can stay where you are, Harry dear, you've had a long journey."**

**"What can I do, Molly?" said Tonks enthusiastically, bounding forwards.**

**Mrs. Weasley hesitated, looking apprehensive.**

"Never trust Dora in the kitchen." Andy smiled. Dora pouted.

**"Er - no, it's all right, Tonks, you have a rest too, you've done enough today."**

**"No, no, I want to help!" said Tonks brightly, knocking over a chair as she hurried towards the dresser, from which Ginny was collecting cutlery.**

"Not a good idea." said Sirius.

**Soon, a series of heavy knives were chopping meat and vegetables of their own accord, supervised by Mr. Weasley, while Mrs. Weasley stirred a cauldron dangling over the fire and the others took out plates, more goblets and food from the pantry. Harry was left at the table with Sirius and Mundungus, who was still blinking at him mournfully.**

**"Seen old Figgy since?" he asked.**

**"No," said Harry, "I haven't seen anyone."**

**"See, I wouldn"t 'ave left," said Mundungus, leaning forward, a pleading note in his voice, "but I 'ad a business opportunity -"**

**Harry felt something brush against his knees and started, but it was only Crookshanks, Hermione's bandy-legged ginger cat, who wound himself once around Harry's legs, purring, then jumped on to Sirius's lap and curled up. Sirius scratched him absent-mindedly behind the ears as he turned, still grim-faced, to Harry.**

"I still think it's funny for you to get along with cats." James smirked.

"Crookshanks is different and very smart for a cat." Sirius shrugged.

**"Had a good summer so far?"**

**"No, it's been lousy," said Harry.**

**For the first time, something like a grin flitted across Sirius's face.**

**"Don't know what you're complaining about, myself."**

**"What?" said Harry incredulously.**

**"Personally, I'd have welcomed a Dementor attack. A deadly struggle for my soul would have broken the monotony nicely. You think you've had it bad, at least you've been able to get out and about, stretch your legs, get into a few fights... I've been stuck inside for a month."**

**"How come?" asked Harry, frowning.**

**"Because the Ministry of Magic's still after me, and Voldemort will know all about me being an Animagus by now, Wormtail will have told him, so my big disguise is useless. There's not much I can do for the Order of the Phoenix... or so Dumbledore feels."**

"That is not what I said Sirius." Albus protested, "I told you that it was safer to stay indoors and help Order members who were passing through, get their reports and give them to me."

"Still not much." Sirius grumbled.

**There was something about the slightly flattened tone of voice in which Sirius uttered Dumbledore's name that told Harry that Sirius, too, was not very happy with the Headmaster. Harry felt a sudden upsurge of affection for his godfather.**

"Sorry Albus, you had me not very happy with you too." Harry apologized.

"I deserved it. I shouldn't have hidden information from you, like I did." he shrugged.

**"At least you've known what's been going on," he said bracingly.**

**"Oh yeah," said Sirius sarcastically. "Listening to Snape's reports, having to take all his snide hints that he's out there risking his life while I'm sat on my backside here having a nice comfortable time... asking me how the cleanings going -"**

"Severus!" Minerva yelled.

"No need to yell, I'm right here." he smirked.

"By any chance did you hear what was just said in the memory?" she demanded.

"Yes."

"I can't believe you did that! You weren't supposed to." she fumed.

"It's no secret we loathe each other." he said, "I would have thought you'd realize I would've sooner or later anyway. And I wasn't gloating about it Black!" he snapped at Sirius, "I was merely pointing out that Voldemort was getting stronger and my job getting more and more dangerous so you should count yourself lucky. Or would you rather have died?" he demanded.

"I'd rather be doing something better than sitting around all day. Even if I was trying to stay alive I died anyway!" Sirius snapped back, getting to his feet angrily, "And if you hadn't noticed then the house was worse than Azkaban to me, sure I could walk around but the house doesn't exactly hold the best memories either! I was locked in a place that was like hell for me to be in all the time!" he yelled, "You knew eventually I would've had enough and just left, that last comment you made to me, about sitting in the house while Harry was in danger is the main reason I left the house and died that night!" he growled.

"Excuse me." Harry grabbed Sirius's arm firmly, looking a little strained himself, and with help from James and Remus they dragged him out of the room.

"Calm down Paddy!" James snapped as Sirius started pacing furiously.

"Calm down!" he demanded, "Why should I?!"

"Because you managed to scare the cubs, Teddy and a few others." Remus told him, "You didn't realize the power was building and was almost at exploding point until Harry grabbed you did you?" he demanded.

Sirius looked around to see Harry leaning against the wall looking down at the ground and swaying a little, he wasn't looking strained anymore. The anger left him in an instant.

"I'm sorry. You okay, Harry?" he asked worriedly.

"'M fine." he mumbled, he seemed a little weak.

"What did you do?" James asked worriedly.

"Channelled his magic through me so it wouldn't explode." he mumbled, still not looking up. "J'st took bit of my own power to calm him down."

"Blimey Harry, you didn't have to do that." Sirius said guiltily.

"Did, you scared people an' I felt your magic was 'bout to explode. Didn' wan' anyone 'urt."

"Are you going to be okay?" Remus asked.

"No." Harry muttered before passing out.

"James go get Andy." Sirius requested urgently.

James was already halfway up the stairs when he said it and returned seconds later with Andy and Ginny.

"James explained." Andy said as Sirius opened his mouth. She wasted no time in starting to run her wand over his body, there was a shrill fast beeping when she scanned his head and her eyes went wide. "Get Ron and Hermione out of there! They've been neglecting their potions, they can have a relapse at any minute!"

James and Remus sprinted up the stairs while Sirius steadied Ginny, who was swaying a bit.

"I'm dizzy, very dizzy." she muttered.

"Sit down." Sirius said, leaning her against the wall. "Better?" he asked when she was down on the floor beside Harry.

She reached out and grabbed his hand, "A little." she nodded, "It's better when I'm touching Harry, must be the soul bond again."

"I didn't mean to lose my temper." Sirius sighed, looking guilty.

James and Remus came downstairs each dragging Ron and Hermione by the arms as the two tried to fight back.

"Minerva Floo'd Poppy, she'll be up with the potions in a minute." James said, just stopping Ron from punching him.

"These two are getting violent and don't seem to be in control." Remus added, grabbing Hermione's other hand so she couldn't slap him.

"Hope she hurries. Padfoot give us a hand?" James gasped as Ron twisted violently and tried to bite him, ending up elbowing his stomach instead.

Sirius jumped up, pulled his wand out and said "Stupefy." knocking Ron out. He did the same to Hermione. "They would've hurt themselves if they'd kept going."

Poppy appeared at that moment, "What happened to those two?" she asked, pointing at Ron and Hermione's unconscious forms.

"Stunned. Sirius had to or they would've hurt themselves or us." Remus explained.

"They'll be out for a while." she muttered. "Ginny what happened to you?" she asked even as she started waving her wand over Harry and tipped a potion down his throat.

"I don't know, it was about a few minutes after Harry passed out, I felt dizzy, but it went away when I touched his hand." she explained.

"How did he pass out?"

"My fault." Sirius sighed, "I lost my temper and he used some of his magic to calm mine down by channelling my magic through himself. I don't know exactly how though."

Poppy nodded, "I'll ask him when he wakes." she said, moving to check Hermione and Ron, she tipped potions down both their throats, using a spell to make them swallow. "Ginny do you mind if I check you?"

"Go ahead." she said. Poppy checked her and frowned when she scanned Ginny's head.

"You seem to have a bit of backlash from magic a few days ago." she said puzzled.

"Harry used a large amount of raw power to get rid of a rouge firework." James explained, "They were talking through their soul bond and Ginny got hit with the backlash."

"Foolish boy. I swear find's a new way to hurt himself every time I've seen him, rouge fireworks. Ha! Don't want to know what he's going to do next." Poppy muttered, "There's no permanent damage, but the four of them are going to be bedridden for a few days. I'll need to keep them in for observation." she sighed. "I'm aware your watching memories and don't have time for a delay like this..." she added.

"According to Harry we don't." Ginny nodded slowly. "Ow!" she hissed, grabbing her head, "That hurt."

"What was it?" Poppy asked immediately.

Ginny opened her mouth to answer when her eyes rolled back in her head and she slumped unconscious.

Andy checked her before Poppy could, "She's just knocked out, it's not life threatening, but they'll need to be watched closely."

Poppy double checked and a beeping sound went off when she scanned Ginny's head.

"This can't be good." James muttered.

"I don't think it's PTSD. But I could be wrong." Andy said.

"It seems to be a weaker version." Poppy noted, "She's probably getting it from the soul bond link, but not actually having it herself."

"We should get them to the hospital wing and double check it there. One of you tell the rest to come down if they want, warn them the four of them are unconscious though." Andy said, "Remus don't let Teddy see Harry like this, he'll just scream."

Remus nodded and went to inform the others what was happening as Poppy, Andy, Sirius and James conjured stretchers and levitated the four teens down to the hospital wing.

* * *

><p>It had been half an hour before Hermione woke up to find herself magically stuck to a bed in the hospital wing, she had no idea how she got there.<p>

"You're awake." Poppy smiled, "Are you feeling alright dear? You look a bit peaky."

"F-fine Poppy. H-how'd I-I get here?" she asked slowly, stuttering slightly.

"Your PTSD flared up, Hermione, you've been neglecting your potions and as a result have to be kept here with the other three." Poppy informed her.

Hermione frowned, "I didn't hurt anyone, did I?"

"No, Remus managed to restrain you just in time." Andy said as she came around the curtain beside the bed. "James will have a bruise or two from Ron though. Sirius stunned you both so you wouldn't hurt yourselves or anyone else." she added. "Harry passed out shortly after leaving the office and Ginny passed out just before we came down."

Hermione winced, "We're in trouble, aren't we?"

"I'll admit I'm not very happy with you, but I'm not going to lecture you this time." Poppy said, "It was an honest mistake on your parts, from what I can tell."

She nodded as there was a groan from the bed next to hers and they both looked over to see Ron waking up.

"Nice of you to join the land of the living Mr Weasley." Poppy chuckled.

"W-where a-am I-I?"

"Hospital wing." Hermione said moodily, "We'll be here for a few days because we neglected our potions and the PTSD flared up."

"Well darn, there goes the weekend." he sighed, "We deserve it. It was our own fault and we should have remembered. So I for one am not going to complain about it."

"Very wise of you Ron." Andy smirked, walking out of Poppy's office.

"Also a first." Poppy commented, "Are you feeling alright Ron?"

"Fresh as a daisy." he smiled. "How could I not be when this beautiful witch is my neighbor during this hospital visit?"

"Harry and Ginny are across there too. All four of you are being kept in for surveillance." Andy said, nodding across the ward where Ginny and Harry were lying on beds, still passed out.

"Where's everyone else?" Hermione frowned.

"Waiting in Minerva's office for news on you four. I'll allow them in after those two have woken up and you've all been checked for stability again." Poppy answered

"Teddy hasn't seen Harry already has he?" Ron asked worriedly.

"No. I know what my Grandson's like Ron. I wouldn't let him in if Harry was like that." Andy smiled, "Thank you for caring enough to check though."

"He'll technically be my God-Nephew when Harry and Ginny get married." Ron grinned, "Of course I care."

"God-Nephew?" Hermione questioned.

"He's Harry's Godson, so when he's my brother-in-law Teddy will be my God-Nephew." he explained.

"Does that make you his God-Uncle?" Poppy asked amused.

"Something like that." Ron chuckled.

"Think you've been hit by too many Bludgers, brother dearest." Ginny's voice called over making them spin around to see her attempting to sit up. Andy went and helped her. "Make that Bludgers to the head." she amended.

"I've never been hit in the head by a Bludger, that's Harry." Ron smirked.

"Harry can hear you." Ginny laughed, "Soul bond, we can talk silently and hear each others thoughts." she added at the confused look Poppy sent her, making the Nurse nod in realization, "He's saying he can't get his body to move."

Poppy waved her wand and Harry slowly sat up, "You started thrashing around so we stuck you down." she explained.

"Good to know. So what's our sentence?" he asked warily.

"A few days of surveillance for all of you. I'll let you off with a lecture this time, as it's only your first slip up, but any other time you'll be getting a lecture." Poppy said firmly.

"I like all of that, except the few day's surveillance bit." Harry grumbled.

"Look on the bright side mate, we're not here alone this time." Ron pointed out as Andy ran her wand over him, "So what's the verdict Healer Tonks?" he asked cheekily, squirming around a little.

"Another sticking charm if you don't stay still and stop being cheeky." Andy said.

Ron immediately stopped moving.

"Better. Now... Your vitals are good, the PTSD on the other hand, seems to have come forward a little in your mind from where it used to be." she frowned, "Poppy? Have you got any more of the reducer potions?"

"In my office, there's 4 vials on the desk, can you bring them all?" she asked.

Andy disappeared into Poppy's office and re-emerged with the 4 vials of potion, she gave two to Poppy, who was checking Harry, and handed one to Ron who drank it obediently.

"Right I'll check you Hermione while that goes to work on Ron." Andy smiled as she checked Hermione over, "You're the same as Ron, your PTSD is just a little further forward than it was before." she handed her a potion, made sure she drank it all, and went back to re-check Ron. "Your stable for the moment." she told him.

"Andy? Can you come and quickly give me a second opinion?" Poppy called.

Andy went to where Poppy was checking on Ginny and scanned her wand where Poppy told her to.

"Ah. You're thinking what I'm thinking aren't you?" Andy asked as Ginny looked confused.

"That is what I think." Poppy nodded after a moment, "I'll get Sirius to fetch Molly."

"Where is Sirius?" Harry frowned.

"Outside, he felt guilty that you got landed in here for his temper so he's playing messenger boy." Andy explained, "Or rather a messenger dog."

"It's not his fault. I know what happened, I used a bit of raw power to stop him exploding - no idea how I did that, by the way - and after that the PTSD started flaring up, I used some energy at first to fight it but eventually gave in and passed out from the effort of fighting." he explained.

"Could you tell that's what it was? The PTSD I mean?" Ginny asked.

Harry nodded, "It's the first time I've been able to, usually I can't feel anything and we've not had a flare up like that so far. What about you two? Did you feel it?" he asked Ron and Hermione.

"Nope." Ron shook his head. "Last I remember we were in Minerva's office and Remus and James had told us to go with them."

"That's all I remember too, but I remember Ron seized up and James grabbed his arm. That's when I can't remember anything after it." Hermione shrugged.

Poppy returned then, "Your parents have to be here for this or I'd tell you now." she told Ginny.

"Why do they need to be here?"

"In case you go into shock." Andy said, "Trust us on this."

"Can you at least tell me if it's good or bad?" she pleaded.

"It's good and bad." Poppy smiled.

Molly and Arthur entered the ward.

"What is it?" Molly asked immediately, she went straight to Ginny's side.

"Ginny's power level just reached 1000." Poppy smiled.

Ginny froze as Molly and Arthur hugged their daughter.

"Ginny? Ginny?" Arthur called gently after a few minutes of silence.

"Snap out of it Gin." Harry said loudly, "Your yelling in my mental ear." he winced, shaking his head as though to shake it off.

Ginny blinked, "Sorry Harry. Didn't mean it." she said.

"It's fine." he assured her with a grin, "Now your level is the same as mine."

"Bit of a shock." she muttered hugging her parents. "There's something else isn't there?" she asked Poppy.

"Unfortunately, yes." the nurse sighed. "You also have PTSD. And like these three, you'll need to be on the potions for a while."

"How? How'd I get it?" she asked.

"Have you been stressed lately?" Andy asked, "Over the memories?"

"A little." she nodded, "But only because I've heard about some of the stuff that's happened and I'm worried about what my reaction to it will be."

"It's part of the protectiveness that goes with their soul bond." Hermione put in.

Harry nodded, "We've been having more violent reactions to bad things that have happened to each other than we normally would."

"And the memories are stressful when we don't know what's coming." Molly added.

"True." Ginny nodded, "I suppose re-visiting the past didn't help when we covered the Chamber incident."

Poppy nodded thoughtfully, "I suppose it was only a matter of time, with everything you've been through it's a surprise you never got it before." she mused.

"I'm guessing your going to put restrictions on us while we finish the memories?" Ron asked.

"It would be for the best. The others will get checked for it later." Andy smiled, "I got Poppy to check me when you lot were unconscious." she added. "Only Teddy and Cecelia won't be getting tested because they're too young to understand most of the memories anyway."

"Lucky kids." Harry muttered. "So what's the restrictions?"

"You have to take a medium strength Calming draught before you show any bit's that are bad memories." Poppy said. "And at least three mild ones a day if you're doing creepy, dangerous or scary memories."

The four teens groaned.

"No point complaining." Arthur told them, "This'll apply to anyone else if they have it."

"Second restriction is to come straight to me if you feel odd in anyway, even if it's just the full moon." Andy said sternly.

"We'll agree to that if you don't ask us if we're alright every 10 minutes, no more than two or three times a day." Harry said after a quick mental discussion with the other three using the pack bond.

"Deal." Andy nodded.

"Last restriction. Stop any memories at least an hour before you go to bed." Poppy said, "And try and apply a little Occumelency if you can before sleeping."

"I'm terrible at that." Harry groaned.

"We've never tried it." Hermione shrugged as Ron shook his head in the negative.

"Neither have I." Ginny admitted.

"Regulus agreed to teach you what he knows." Molly smiled, "We were talking about it before we came down, we thought you'd just been hit with backlash again." she admitted to Ginny.

"Not this time." she shrugged. "We'll try it Poppy but no promises."

"I can work with that if you promise to try your best." she said.

The teen's exchanged a look, "We promise." they said together.

"Good, now I believe we should let everyone else know they can come down." Poppy smiled.

"Is Sirius still out there?" Harry asked. Molly nodded and he smirked, "Oi! Snuffles get in here!" he yelled.

A big black dog bounded into the room and on to his bed before changing into a guilty looking Sirius, sitting cross legged at his feet.

"It's not your fault. Okay?" Harry said, "It was a PTSD flare up that landed me here, not your temper."

"I'm still sorry for that." Sirius said hoarsely.

"You can make up for it by being a good little doggy and playing fetch with the rest of them upstairs." Ginny smirked.

"Glad I know a lot of shortcuts." Sirius smiled before changing back and charging out of the room.

"Really is a big softie that one." Andy chuckled.

* * *

><p>Terribly sorry for the updating delay, I've been swamped with college work and haven't found the time to update as much as I used to lately and I had seriously bad writers block which I've now successfully gotten rid of. I'll try and make up for it this weekend.<p>

I would say I'm fairly disappointed that I've gotten so few reviews since my last update, but I suppose I can't really complain with how long it's taken me to update again. Thanks to those who did review though, and I hope I'll get a lot more this time around.

Review please x


	60. Chapter 60

Chapter 60 - The Hospital Wing.

20, August, 1998. 3.30pm.

Shortly after Sirius left Poppy and Andy decided to check the four teens again while they waited.

"Harry, Ginny, I have an extra restriction for you two." Poppy told them, "No using large bits of magic for a day or two after you leave here. Nothing stronger than common house-hold spells alright?"

"I can live with that." Harry agreed.

"So can I." Ginny nodded, "It's reasonable enough if not easy to live with but..."

"We'll live with it anyway." Harry finished.

People started trickling in a few at a time after a few minutes starting with James and Lily, who immediately hugged their son and started asking him if he was alright.

"I'm fine Mum, Dad." he laughed, stopping their constant questions, "Just been stuck to the bed for a bit. Literally by the way, there's a sticking charm on me." he pouted.

"You're not the only one." Ron rolled his eyes, "Something tells me she doesn't trust us too much mate."

"'Course she doesn't trust you two." Hermione smirked. "She trust's Ginny and I though."

"Yeah, we're not glued to our bed's." Ginny laughed. "Because Poppy and Andy both know we wont try to get up."

"Poppy did that to Padfoot and I constantly." James chuckled, "I can sympathise with you. She never once stuck Moony or Wormtail down when they landed in here."

"They didn't try and escape though." Lily pointed out.

"She has a point Prongs." Remus grinned as he and Dora walked in with Sirius and Regulus behind them, the latter two carrying the cubs. "You two always tried to escape. So who's stuck to the bed this time?"

"Me and Harry." Ron grumbled, "I've only ever tried to escape like three times."

"And I've only tried to escape once." Harry added. "The temptation was always there though."

"And you don't fancy walking about in your boxers." Sirius smirked, "Remember when we did that Prongs?"

"One of our more successful escapes." James grinned, "We ran from here to Gryffindor tower in our undies." he laughed.

"And straight up to your dorm." Lily laughed, "The whole common room swore they must've been seeing things."

"Until Poppy sent Minerva after you." Remus smirked.

"We were wearing trousers by that point." Sirius shrugged, "And it really was your fault. You said we wouldn't be brave enough to do it."

"Actually I remember him saying stupid enough." Regulus mused, "I was still in here remember? It was a week after the first Slytherin-Gryffindor match of the year and I'd been hit with two Bludgers, one in the back and one in the head as soon as I'd caught the snitch."

"It wasn't me who hit them." Sirius said, "It was your own team-mate and my opposite beater. And he didn't mean it."

"Who was it?" Hermione asked.

"Me." Frank smirked having just walked in with Alice. "I didn't mean it Regulus, I just hit it out of frustration and it kind of..."

"Cracked my skull in 8 different places?" he asked, "Or did that one hit my back?"

"It hit your back." Alice said, "I was watching it."

"You could've yelled 'Move!' and warned me." he complained.

"I did. The crowd was too loud." she said defensively.

"I'll believe that." Regulus nodded, "The beater on my team who hit my head claimed the sun was in his eyes."

"It wasn't sunny." Sirius huffed, putting Jinx down on Ginny's bed, "It was dark grey clouds with thunder and lightning but no rain funnily enough."

"And we were all dying with the humidity." James agreed, "It was worse for the Chasers."

"It was." Alice nodded, "Being constantly on the move and all that."

"Beaters had it worse." Sirius disagreed.

"Yeah we had to chase Bludgers and hit the Slytherin's as many times as we could." Frank said.

The rest of the group, minus Minerva, arrived shortly after and everyone just sat and talked for a while until Poppy came out of her office and called on their attentions.

"I'm going to break one of my own rules for you if you agree to my terms." she started, "I'm aware you've all been doing Pensive memories in order to catch up, and that those 4 being kept here set's you back a bit. I'm going to propose I let you continue doing that here, if you keep the noise down, you four in bed take a Calming Draught, you clean up any mess you make and that if you break any of those conditions I wont let it continue." she said.

Everyone nodded their agreements eagerly.

"Right, I'll take that as an agreement, before you start though I'll need to put those 4 on monitoring spells." she said making Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny groan. "You were going to have them on you anyway." she told them.

"In other words, shut it or be silenced." Andy smirked.

"We'll be good." Harry promised as Poppy rapped his forehead with her wand sharply, "Ow. That hurt."

"You should've stayed still then." she chuckled moving on to do Ginny.

"Listen to her Harry and stay still next time." Ginny advised as Poppy moved on to Hermione's next, "Didn't hurt me at all."

"It's against Healer and Medi-witch procedure to cause unnecessary pain to their patients." Andy added, "So don't think about the whole 'that was on purpose' excuse."

"Wasn't going to, I just said it hurt. And it's not as bad as a few injury's I've had. By the way, has someone called Minerva down?" Harry asked.

"I did." Poppy said, "Before leaving my office, I had a feeling you'd all agree to my terms." she smirked, "So I planned ahead. I must admit I'm surprised you agreed without complaint."

"Your terms are reasonable..." George started.

"And it's better than not being able to continue until this lot's allowed to leave." Fred finished.

"Stops us complaining we're bored too." Ron added.

"All right, I get it." Poppy smiled, she then frowned, "Remus, Dora if your both here where's Teddy?" she asked noticing the boy's absence.

"Right here." Minerva said as she walked in carrying Teddy, the pensive floating along behind her.

"We didn't think it'd be a good idea to let him see these four until we knew they were fine." Remus explained, "So Minerva offered to watch him."

"He's been asking for Harry non-stop." Minerva chuckled as Teddy reached for Harry, she put him down on the bed and the boy crawled onto Harry's lap happily.

"Unca Har." he smiled.

"Hey Teddy." Harry grinned. "Miss me?"

"No." he said.

"Why do I have the feeling that's going to be his favourite response now?" Dora groaned.

"No." Teddy told his Mum.

"Easy to fix." Harry smiled, "Teddy can you say 'Yes'?"

"Y-e-s." the boy said slowly.

"That's right. Don't you think it's better than 'No'?" Ginny asked with a grin.

"Yes." Teddy giggled happily.

"Brilliant." Remus grinned, "Hopefully he'll stick to that."

"He should." Hermione smiled as Teddy kept babbling 'Yes, Yes, yes.' happily.

"He seems to like the word." a voice commented.

Everyone turned to see Albus standing in an empty photo frame, smiling as always.

"Yes!" Teddy yelled.

"Ow! Teddy can you be a little quieter? That was right in my ear." Harry complained.

"Yes." he whispered. "S'rry."

"It's alright." he smiled.

Poppy came out of her office and handed him, Ron, Hermione and Ginny large vials.

"Drink it all before you start, I'll be in my office if you need me." she said going back into her office and closing the door.

"Let's start again." Harry smiled as Teddy cuddled into him, half-asleep, "Since it appears I'm going to be a mattress soon." he added looking amused.

* * *

><p>Review please x<p> 


	61. Chapter 61

Chapter 61 - Fifth Year (Part 3.5)

20, August, 1998.

"You all remember where we were right?" Harry asked.

"Just as I told you about Snape." Sirius grumbled.

"The rest of that memory is still in there." he nodded, "One of you will need to make it start again. I cant get my wand without waking Teddy and he really does need a nap."

"You didn't have your wand on you when we got you here." Andy frowned.

"Leg holster." Harry smirked, "Got it last time I was at Diagon, it goes invisible and intangible when they sense you're not conscious."

"Why on your leg though?" James frowned.

"No one expects it and... Um... All I'm going to say right now is that it's not my normal wand." he said with a look at Albus to warn him not to say anything.

"Not your normal wand?" Dora repeated confused, "Do you carry more than one?"

"Of course he does." Hermione said. "The three of us, Neville, Luna and Ginny do to."

"We'd be stupid not to have a back-up." Luna nodded.

"With all the people who want us six dead." Neville added grimly, "We can't afford the risk."

"So we all carry two." Harry smiled, "My main one must've fell out of my pocket on the way down."

"It did." James nodded pulling two wands out of his pocket and handing one to Harry. "I was helping bring the four of you down. Catch." he added to Ron, tossing the other wand over.

Ron caught his wand before it could land, "Cheers." he grinned.

"Right, lets continue before we get distracted again shall we?" Minerva chuckled.

Harry smiled and flicked his wand at the pensive, causing the screen to show up, flicked it again and the memory started from where it had been.

**"What cleaning?" asked Harry.**

**"Trying to make this place fit for human habitation," said Sirius, waving a hand around the dismal kitchen. "No one's lived here for ten years, not since my dear mother died, unless you count her old house-elf, and he's gone round the twist, hasn't cleaned anything in ages."**

"'Gone around the twist'?" asked Regulus. "I suppose so, if there's nobody for him to talk to except the portraits."

"At least he's better and happier now." Cissy smiled, "If a little mad when it comes to Mundungus Fletcher."

**"Sirius," said Mundungus, who did not appear to have paid any attention to the conversation, but had been closely examining an empty goblet. "This solid silver, mate?"**

**"Yes," said Sirius, surveying it with distaste. "Finest fifteenth-century goblin-wrought silver, embossed with the Black family crest."**

**"That'd come orf, though," muttered Mundungus, polishing it with his cuff.**

**"Fred - George - NO, JUST CARRY THEM!" Mrs. Weasley shrieked.**

**Harry, Sirius and Mundungus looked round and, within a split second, they had dived away from the table. Fred and George had bewitched a large cauldron of stew, an iron flagon of Butterbeer and a heavy wooden breadboard, complete with knife, to hurtle through the air towards them. The stew skidded the length of the table and came to a halt just before the end, leaving a long black burn on the wooden surface; the flagon of Butterbeer fell with a crash, spilling its contents everywhere; the bread knife slipped off the board and landed, point down and quivering ominously, exactly where Sirius's right hand had been seconds before.**

Sirius winced. "That was close."

"Sorry Sirius." the twins said.

**"FOR HEAVEN'S SAKE!" screamed Mrs. Weasley. "THERE WAS NO NEED - I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF THIS - JUST BECAUSE YOU'RE ALLOWED TO USE MAGIC NOW, YOU DON'T HAVE TO WHIP YOUR WANDS OUT FOR EVERY TINY LITTLE THING!"**

**"We were just trying to save a bit of time!" said Fred, hurrying forward to wrench the bread knife out of the table. "Sorry, Sirius, mate - didn't mean to -"**

**Harry and Sirius were both laughing;**

So were all the men in the room, albeit quietly so they didn't upset Poppy or wake Teddy, who was still asleep on Harry's chest. Cecelia was still awake and wasn't sleeping yet, but looked like she was close to falling asleep.

**Mundungus, who had toppled backwards off his chair, was swearing as he got to his feet; Crookshanks had given an angry hiss and shot off under the dresser, from where his large yellow eyes glowed in the darkness.**

**"Boys," Mr. Weasley said, lifting the stew back into the middle of the table, "your mother's right, you're supposed to show a sense of responsibility now you've come of age -"**

**"None of your brothers caused this sort of trouble!" Mrs. Weasley raged at the twins as she slammed a fresh flagon of Butterbeer on to the table, and spilling almost as much again. "Bill didn't feel the need to Apparate every few feet! Charlie didn't charm everything he met! Percy -"**

"Uh oh." Percy winced.

**She stopped dead, catching her breath with a frightened look at her husband, whose expression was suddenly wooden.**

**"Let's eat," said Bill quickly.**

**"It looks wonderful, Molly," said Lupin, ladling stew on to a plate for her and handing it across the table.**

**For a few minutes there was silence but for the chink of plates and cutlery and the scraping of chairs as everyone settled down to their food. Then Mrs. Weasley turned to Sirius.**

**"I've been meaning to tell you, Sirius, there's something trapped in that writing desk in the drawing room, it keeps rattling and shaking. Of course, it could just be a Boggart, but I thought we ought to ask Alastor to have a look at it before we let it out."**

"Good call." Regulus muttered, "There's no telling what's in there with the house being so infested with Dark magic."

**"Whatever you like," said Sirius indifferently.**

"Looks like you don't care very much about it." commented Amber.

"I hate that house with a passion." Sirius shrugged.

**"The curtains in there are full of Doxys, too," Mrs. Weasley went on. "I thought we might try and tackle them tomorrow."**

**"I look forward to it," said Sirius. Harry heard the sarcasm in his voice, but he was not sure that anyone else did.**

**Opposite Harry, Tonks was entertaining Hermione and Ginny by transforming her nose between mouthfuls.**

**Screwing up her eyes each time with the same pained expression she had worn back in Harry's bedroom, her nose swelled to a beak-like protuberance that resembled Snape's, shrank to the size of a button mushroom and then sprouted a great deal of hair from each nostril. Apparently this was a regular mealtime entertainment, because Hermione and Ginny were soon requesting their favourite noses.**

**"Do that one like a pig snout, Tonks." Tonks obliged, and Harry, looking up, had the fleeting impression that a female Dudley was grinning at him from across the table.**

"Hey!" Dudley pouted.

"Sorry Dud." Harry chuckled.

**Mr. Weasley, Bill and Lupin were having an intense discussion about goblins.**

**"They're not giving anything away yet," said Bill. "I still can't work out whether or not they believe he's back. Course, they might prefer not to take sides at all. Keep out of it."**

"That's possible," said James. "But I very much doubt the Goblins would join Voldemort."

"They wouldn't willingly." Bill agreed.

**"I'm sure they'd never go over to You-Know-Who," said Mr Weasley, shaking his head. "They've suffered losses too; remember that goblin family he murdered last time, somewhere near Nottingham?"**

**"I think it depends what they're offered," said Lupin. "And I'm not talking about gold. If they're offered the freedoms we've been denying them for centuries they're going to be tempted."**

"Yeah, that's true." said Hermione nodded. "The freedom bit, not them joining Voldemort." she amended.

"Goblins wouldn't work willingly with him." Bill said, "A lot of them cant stand wizards who haven't earned their trust. Let's face it, they would never trust a man who killed so many of them." he sighed.

**"Have you still not had any luck with Ragnok, Bill?"**

**"He's feeling pretty anti-wizard at the moment," said Bill, "he hasn't stopped raging about the Bagman business, he reckons the Ministry did a cover-up, those goblins never got their gold from him, you know -"**

**A gale of laughter from the middle of the table drowned the rest of Bill's words. Fred, George, Ron and Mundungus were rolling around in their seats.**

**"... and then," choked Mundungus, tears running down his face, "and then, if you'll believe it, 'e says to me, 'e says, 'Ere, Dung, where didja get all them toads from? 'Cos some son of a Bludger's gone and nicked all mine!' And I says, 'Nicked all your toads, Will, what next? So you'll be wanting some more, then?' And if you'll believe me, lads, the gormless gargoyle buys all 'is own toads back orf me for a lot more'n what 'e paid in the first place -"**

"That's just sad." Petunia muttered.

**"I don't think we need to hear any more of your business dealings, thank you very much, Mundungus," said Mrs. Weasley sharply, as Ron slumped forwards on to the table, howling with laughter.**

**"Beg pardon, Molly," said Mundungus at once, wiping his eyes and winking at Harry. "But, you know, Will nicked 'em orf Warty Harris in the first place so I wasn't really doing nothing wrong."**

**"I don't know where you learned about right and wrong, Mundungus, but you seem to have missed a few crucial lessons," said Mrs. Weasley coldly.**

**Fred and George buried their faces in their goblets of Butterbeer; George was hiccoughing. For some reason, Mrs. Weasley threw a very nasty look at Sirius before getting to her feet and going to fetch a large rhubarb crumble for pudding.**

"You know that doesn't work on me Molly." Sirius laughed.

**Harry looked round at his godfather.**

**"Molly doesn't approve of Mundungus," said Sirius in an undertone.**

**"How come he's in the Order?" Harry said, very quietly.**

**"He's useful," Sirius muttered. "Knows all the crooks - well, he would, seeing as he's one himself. But he's also very loyal to Dumbledore, who helped him out of a tight spot once. It pays to have someone like Dung around, he hears things we don't. But Molly thinks inviting him to stay for dinner is going too far. She hasn't forgiven him for slipping off duty when he was supposed to be tailing you."**

"Neither had a few of us." Bill said.

"If I had known it was him..." Ron muttered.

"You couldn't have done anything with magic." Harry pointed out, "One of us in trouble for underage magic and having to go to a trial was enough. It wouldn't be that hard for Fudge to claim my best mate was crazy too, and he'd probably bring everyone close to me into it after that." he reasoned.

"Still could've punched him." Ron smirked.

"He has a point Harry." Hermione nodded, "I certainly wouldn't have stopped him. Dung would've deserved it."

"And I would've helped." Ginny added.

"You seem awfully violent tonight." Andy noted.

"No, they're just very protective of the Gryffindor Golden Boy over there." Draco chuckled.

"And don't you forget it." the three said, Harry just looked amused.

**Three helpings of rhubarb crumble and custard later and the waistband on Harry's jeans was feeling uncomfortably tight (which was saying something as the jeans had once been Dudley's). As he laid down his spoon there was a lull in the general conversation: Mr Weasley was leaning back in his chair, looking replete and relaxed; Tonks was yawning widely, her nose now back to normal; and Ginny, who had lured Crookshanks out from under the dresser, was sitting cross-legged on the floor, rolling Butterbeer corks for him to chase.**

**"Nearly time for bed, I think," said Mrs. Weasley with a yawn.**

**"Not just yet, Molly," said Sirius, pushing away his empty plate and turning to look at Harry. "You know, I'm surprised at you. I thought the first thing you'd do when you got here would be to start asking questions about Voldemort."**

**The atmosphere in the room changed with the rapidity Harry associated with the arrival of Dementors. Where seconds before it had been sleepily relaxed, it was now alert, even tense. A frisson had gone around the table at the mention of Voldemort's name. Lupin, who had been about to take a sip of wine, lowered his goblet slowly, looking wary.**

**"I did!" said Harry indignantly. "I asked Ron and Hermione but they said we're not allowed in the Order, so -"**

**"And they're quite right," said Mrs. Weasley. "You're too young."**

**She was sitting bolt upright in her chair, her fists clenched on its arms, every trace of drowsiness gone.**

**"Since when did someone have to be in the Order of the Phoenix to ask questions?" asked Sirius. "Harry's been trapped in that Muggle house for a month. He's got the right to know what's been happen -"**

**"Hang on!" interrupted George loudly.**

**"How come Harry gets his questions answered?" said Fred angrily.**

**"We've been trying to get stuff out of you for a month and you haven't told us a single stinking thing!" said George.**

"You didn't have Voldemort actively trying to kill you." Sirius pointed out.

"And we know you found out a little with your Extendable Ears." Arthur frowned, "Why'd you think we started warding the room during meetings?"

**"'You're too young, you're not in the Order,'" said Fred, in a high-pitched voice that sounded uncannily like his mother's. "Harry's not even of age!"**

**"It's not my fault you haven't been told what the Order's doing," said Sirius calmly, "that's your parents' decision."**

**"Harry, on the other hand -"**

**"It's not down to you to decide what's good for Harry!" said Mrs. Weasley sharply.**

"Sorry Molly but he's right." Lily said, "He is Harry's godfather and with or without full custody, he does get to decide what's good for Harry."

"And I was bound by the title to do exactly that." Sirius added, "Even if I made bad choices in the past."

"Thank you for worrying though." James added.

Molly sighed and nodded, "Maybe I should've thought about that." she agreed.

**The expression on her normally kind face looked dangerous. "You haven't forgotten what Dumbledore said, I suppose?"**

**"Which bit?" Sirius asked politely, but with the air of a man readying himself for a fight.**

**"The bit about not telling Harry more than he needs to know," said Mrs. Weasley, placing a heavy emphasis on the last three words.**

**Ron, Hermione, Fred and George's heads swivelled from Sirius to Mrs. Weasley as though they were following a tennis rally. Ginny was kneeling amid a pile of abandoned Butterbeer corks, watching the conversation with her mouth slightly open. Lupin's eyes were fixed on Sirius.**

**"I don't intend to tell him more than he needs to know, Molly," said Sirius. "But as he was the one who saw Voldemort come back" (again, there was a collective shudder around the table at the name)**

"Glad we can say it now with no-one flinching." Arthur said, "Well... The Order and DA don't flinch at least." he amended.

"Some people at the Ministry do too." Kingsley added, "Most still flinch though." he grumbled.

"We'll fix that soon enough." Harry said, "Maybe on the next public speaking thing I get dragged into we'll tell people it's stupid to fear his name."

"Especially since it means 'flight from death'." Fleur smirked, "That's what it means in French anyway."

"Hmm... Get them laughing about it to get rid of the fear." George mused.

"I know exactly what your thinking." Fred smirked, "A line of wheezes that takes the mickey out of old Snake-Face."

**"he has more right than most to -"**

**"He's not a member of the Order of the Phoenix!" said Mrs. Weasley. "He's only fifteen and -"**

**"And he's dealt with as much as most in the Order," said Sirius, "and more than some."**

**"No one's denying what he's done!" said Mrs. Weasley, her voice rising, her fists trembling on the arms of her chair. "But he's still -"**

**"He's not a child!" said Sirius impatiently.**

"Sirius," said James, looking at Sirius. "Harry might not be a child, but he's not an adult yet, either."

"That was only true in essentials Dad." Harry frowned, "Essentially my childhood ended when Voldemort returned, maybe even before that."

"That's true. Harry grew up the fastest of the three of us." Hermione nodded. "It was at least a year or so after that before Ron and I grew up properly."

"And even with that, none of us acted our age very often." Ron added. "We only just noticed how true it was a few months ago when Ginny yelled at us to 'Act out age!' and that we were older than we should be." he sighed.

"It was true and you deserved it." Ginny said, "You were acting 80, not 18."

"I'm going to defend that with the 'We were depressed' card." Hermione smiled.

"And I'm going to block your defence by pointing out it took us 3 days to stop you staring at walls and actually get up and do something." Neville pouted.

"Oop's." Harry shrugged, "We didn't mean it and we couldn't help it. But anyway, do you see my point about not really being a child in some ways?"

"I suppose." James sighed.

**"He's not an adult either!" said Mrs. Weasley, the colour rising in her cheeks. "He's not James, Sirius!"**

**"I'm perfectly clear who he is, thanks, Molly," said Sirius coldly.**

**"I'm not sure you are!" said Mrs. Weasley. "Sometimes, the way you talk about him, it's as though you think you've got your best friend back!"**

"That's not true." Sirius hissed.

**"What's wrong with that?" said Harry.**

**"What's wrong, Harry, is that you are not your father, however much you might look like him!" said Mrs. Weasley, her eyes still boring into Sirius. "You are still at school and adults responsible for you should not forget it!"**

**"Meaning I'm an irresponsible godfather?" demanded Sirius, his voice rising.**

**"Meaning you have been known to act rashly, Sirius, which is why Dumbledore keeps reminding you to stay at home and -"**

**"We'll leave my instructions from Dumbledore out of this, if you please!" said Sirius loudly.**

**"Arthur!" said Mrs. Weasley, rounding on her husband. "Arthur, back me up!"**

"You had to get me involved." Arthur winced. "That just wasn't fair Molly." he said.

Molly blushed, "Sorry. I didn't want to give in."

**Mr. Weasley did not speak at once. He took off his glasses and cleaned them slowly on his robes, not looking at his wife. Only when he had replaced them carefully on his nose did he reply.**

**"Dumbledore knows the position has changed, Molly. He accepts that Harry will have to be filled in, to a certain extent, now that he is staying at Headquarters."**

**"Yes, but there's a difference between that and inviting him to ask whatever he likes!"**

**"Personally," said Lupin quietly, looking away from Sirius at last, as Mrs. Weasley turned quickly to him, hopeful that finally she was about to get an ally, "I think it better that Harry gets the facts - not all the facts, Molly, but the general picture - from us, rather than a garbled version from... others."**

"Good for you, Remus," said James. "You're offering a suitable compromise."

"And saving Arthur from upsetting his wife while doing it." Kingsley smirked.

"Why do you think I cut in? To have fun?" Remus chuckled.

**His expression was mild, but Harry felt sure Lupin, at least, knew that some Extendable Ears had survived Mrs. Weasley's purge.**

"Well, I am a Marauder." Remus chuckled.

**"Well," said Mrs. Weasley, breathing deeply and looking around the table for support that did not come, "well... I can see I'm going to be overruled. I'll just say this: Dumbledore must have had his reasons for not wanting Harry to know too much, and speaking as someone who has Harry's best interests at heart -"**

"As well as the safety of the wizarding world." Albus agreed.

**"He's not your son," said Sirius quietly.**

**"He's as good as," said Mrs. Weasley fiercely.**

"Its nice of you to say so." Sirius admitted, "It's like when Prongs' mum sort of adopted me even though she was technically my Auntie anyway."

**"Who else has he got?"**

**"He's got me!"**

**"Yes," said Mrs. Weasley, her lip curling, "the thing is, it's been rather difficult for you to look after him while you've been locked up in Azkaban, hasn't it?"**

Everyone looked shocked at what she had said.

"Molly." James sighed, "That was low."

"I know. I'm sorry Sirius." she said looking ashamed of herself, "I know you didn't have a choice and it was wrong of me to bring it up."

"It's fine. Apology accepted." he smiled.

**Sirius started to rise from his chair.**

**"Molly, you're not the only person at this table who cares about Harry," said Lupin sharply. "Sirius, sit down."**

**Mrs. Weasley's lower lip was trembling. Sirius sank slowly back into his chair, his face white.**

**"I think Harry ought to be allowed a say in this," Lupin continued, "he's old enough to decide for himself."**

**"I want to know what's been going on," Harry said at once.**

**He did not look at Mrs. Weasley. He had been touched by what she had said about his being as good as a son, but he was also impatient with her mollycoddling. Sirius was right, he was not a child.**

"But you're not an adult, either, Harry." protested Lily. "You need some limits."

"I knew that they couldn't tell me everything." Harry assured her.

**"Very well," said Mrs Weasley, her voice cracking. "Ginny - Ron - Hermione - Fred - George - I want you out of this kitchen, now."**

**There was instant uproar.**

**"We're of age!" Fred and George bellowed together.**

**"If Harry's allowed, why can't I?" shouted Ron.**

**"Mum, I want to hear!" wailed Ginny.**

**"NO!" shouted Mrs. Weasley, standing up, her eyes overbright. "I absolutely forbid -"**

**"Molly, you can't stop Fred and George," said Mr. Weasley wearily. "They are of age."**

**"They're still at school."**

**"But they're legally adults now," said Mr. Weasley, in the same tired voice.**

**Mrs. Weasley was now scarlet in the face.**

**"I - oh, all right then, Fred and George can stay, but Ron -"**

**"Harry'll tell me and Hermione everything you say anyway!" said Ron hotly. "Won't - won't you?" he added uncertainly, meeting Harry's eyes.**

**For a split second, Harry considered telling Ron that he wouldn't tell him a single word, that he could try a taste of being kept in the dark and see how he liked it. But the nasty impulse vanished as they looked at each other.**

_Do you think that was something to do with the connection to Voldemort?_ Ron asked using the pack bond, he was very carefully making sure only Harry, Hermione and Ginny heard him.

_I think so, I wasn't usually one to have thoughts like that,_ Harry reasoned.

**"Course I will," Harry said.**

**Ron and Hermione beamed.**

**"Fine!" shouted Mrs. Weasley. "Fine! Ginny - BED!"**

**Ginny did not go quietly.**

"Why was that? You knew I'd tell you." Hermione pointed out.

"Mum would you have been suspicious if I'd gone without a fight?" Ginny asked.

"Of course I would." Molly nodded.

"See Hermione?" she smirked.

**They could hear her raging and storming at her mother all the way up the stairs, and when she reached the hall Mrs. Black's ear-splitting shrieks were added to the din. Lupin hurried off to the portrait to restore calm. It was only after he had returned, closing the kitchen door behind him and taking his seat at the table again, that Sirius spoke.**

**"OK, Harry... what do you want to know?"**

**Harry took a deep breath and asked the question that had obsessed him for the last month.**

**"Where's Voldemort?" he said, ignoring the renewed shudders and winces at the name. "What's he doing? I've been trying to watch the Muggle news, and there hasn't been anything that looks like him yet, no funny deaths or anything."**

**"That's because there haven't been any funny deaths yet," said Sirius, "not as far as we know, anyway... and we know quite a lot."**

**"More than he thinks we do, anyway," said Lupin.**

**"How come he's stopped killing people?" Harry asked. He knew Voldemort had murdered more than once in the last year alone.**

**"Because he doesn't want to draw attention to himself," said Sirius. "It would be dangerous for him. His comeback didn't come off quite the way he wanted it to, you see. He messed it up."**

**"Or rather, you messed it up for him," said Lupin, with a satisfied smile.**

**"How?" Harry asked, perplexed.**

"By your surviving and reporting it to me, of course." Albus smiled widely.

**"You weren't supposed to survive!" said Sirius. "Nobody apart from his Death Eaters was supposed to know he'd come back. But you survived to bear witness."**

**"And the very last person he wanted alerted to his return the moment he got back was Dumbledore," said Lupin. "And you made sure Dumbledore knew at once."**

**"How has that helped?" Harry asked.**

**"Are you kidding?" said Bill incredulously. "Dumbledore was the only one You-Know-Who was ever scared of!"**

**"Thanks to you, Dumbledore was able to recall the Order of the Phoenix about an hour after Voldemort returned," said Sirius.**

"That's good." said James.

"And quicker than expected." Sirius added.

"I'd warned them at the last meeting just after the war that he may not be gone for good and that Voldemort may return." Albus sighed, "I had hoped I was wrong."

**"So, what's the Order been doing?" said Harry, looking around at them all.**

**"Working as hard as we can to make sure Voldemort can't carry out his plans," said Sirius.**

**"How d'you know what his plans are?" Harry asked quickly.**

**"Dumbledore's got a shrewd idea," said Lupin, "and Dumbledore's shrewd ideas normally turn out to be accurate."**

**"So what does Dumbledore reckon he's planning?"**

**"Well, firstly, he wants to build up his army again," said Sirius. "In the old days he had huge numbers at his command: witches and wizards he'd bullied or bewitched into following him, his faithful Death Eaters, a great variety of Dark creatures. You heard him planning to recruit the giants; well, they'll be just one of the groups he's after. He's certainly not going to try and take on the Ministry of Magic with only a dozen Death Eaters."**

**"So you're trying to stop him getting more followers?"**

**"We're doing our best," said Lupin.**

**"How?"**

**"Well, the main thing is to try and convince as many people as possible that You-Know-Who really has returned, to put them on their guard," said Bill. "It's proving tricky, though."**

**"Why?"**

**"Because of the Ministry's attitude," said Tonks. "You saw Cornelius Fudge after You-Know-Who came back, Harry. Well, he hasn't shifted his position at all. He's absolutely refusing to believe it's happened."**

"But why does he have to be so stupid?" demanded Lily. "Harry saw Voldemort return and Dumbledore backed him up!"

**"But why?" said Harry desperately. "Why's he being so stupid? If Dumbledore -"**

**"Ah, well, you've put your finger on the problem," said Mr. Weasley with a wry smile. "Dumbledore."**

"Why is Albus the problem?" asked Petunia.

**"Fudge is frightened of him, you see," said Tonks sadly.**

**"Frightened of Dumbledore?" said Harry incredulously.**

**"Frightened of what he's up to," said Mr. Weasley. "Fudge thinks Dumbledore's plotting to overthrow him. He thinks Dumbledore wants to be Minister for Magic."**

"I would have thought Cornelius was smart enough to figure out that if I'd wanted the position I would have took it on one of the 7 offers I got." Albus sighed, "Apparently he was power blind."

"And not very good at his job." Kingsley added, "I found a lot of evidence of his crimes when I took the position. There was plenty evidence of him doing deals and taking bribes to keep Death Eaters out of Azkaban after the first war. He continued taking bribes from certain family's for classified information and access to restricted files within the Ministry. Add to that, through his actions, hundreds of witches and wizards were killed by the people he helped."

"Like the Muggleborns that were killed?" Minerva asked.

"Exactly." he sighed, "A lot of them were found because Fudge gave the Death Eater's information on them. That's why he's on the most wanted list, not as high as the Death Eater's on the loose, but he's to be arrested if he's found alive."

**"But Dumbledore doesn't want -"**

**"Of course he doesn't," said Mr. Weasley. "He's never wanted the Minister's job, even though a lot of people wanted him to take it when Millicent Bagnold retired. Fudge came to power instead, but he's never quite forgotten how much popular support Dumbledore had, even though Dumbledore never applied for the job."**

**"Deep down, Fudge knows Dumbledore's much cleverer than he is, a much more powerful wizard, and in the early days of his Ministry he was forever asking Dumbledore for help and advice," said Lupin. "But it seems he's become fond of power, and much more confident. He loves being Minister for Magic and he's managed to convince himself that he's the clever one and Dumbledore's simply stirring up trouble for the sake of it."**

**"How can he think that?" said Harry angrily. "How can he think Dumbledore would just make it all up - that I'd make it all up?"**

**"Because accepting that Voldemort's back would mean trouble like the Ministry hasn't had to cope with for nearly fourteen years," said Sirius bitterly. "Fudge just can't bring himself to face it. It's so much more comfortable to convince himself Dumbledore's lying to destabilise him."**

**"You see the problem," said Lupin. "While the Ministry insists there is nothing to fear from Voldemort it's hard to convince people he's back, especially as they really don't want to believe it in the first place. What's more, the Ministry's leaning heavily on the Daily Prophet not to report any of what they're calling Dumbledore's rumour-mongering, so most of the wizarding community are completely unaware anythings happened, and that makes them easy targets for the Death Eaters if they're using the Imperius Curse."**

**"But you're telling people, aren't you?" said Harry, looking around at Mr. Weasley, Sirius, Bill, Mundungus, Lupin and Tonks. "You're letting people know he's back?"**

**They all smiled humourlessly.**

**"Well, as everyone thinks I'm a mad mass-murderer and the Ministry's put a ten thousand Galleon price on my head, I can hardly stroll up the street and start handing out leaflets, can I?" said Sirius restlessly.**

**"And I'm not a very popular dinner guest with most of the community," said Lupin. "It's an occupational hazard of being a werewolf."**

"Surely it can't be that bad?" Petunia asked.

"Worse." Remus stated, "I was downplaying it. People generally got very violent towards Werewolves, its why so many of them prefer to keep it quiet or live away from the wizarding world completely. Generally I kept it quiet, mostly succeeding."

"Mostly?" James frowned, looking confused.

"Well people had to figure it out." he shrugged, "You and Sirius did, as did Hermione. I'd be willing to bet that others figured it out but didn't want to confront me so they kept it to themselves in case they were wrong." he reasoned, "If you look at it, I'm rather fortunate that I was able to keep it quiet for as long as I did. If I'd been revealed as a Werewolf, I wouldn't have been able to attend school. I think I mentioned it when we were watching that night the truth came out about Peter that I received worse reactions to the information than what Ron said." he shrugged again, "I've got to say, after 5 or 6 years of people reacting badly, I heard it all and decided it didn't overly bother me, then again I knew what to expect in regards to attitudes of people towards Werewolves and I've known most of what people would say since I was about 7." he added.

"Didn't you learn the majority of it during our school years?" Sirius inquired.

He nodded, "Yeah, after we 'learned' about them in DADA - the information was mostly wrong in that class but I didn't say anything to avoid suspicion from other students - people muttered about it for a few hours after it, and they also muttered about Werewolf attacks on people when the war started to get worse. I heard a lot more of the prejudiced views and opinions than I care to admit."

"Hmm, he kept us from saying anything either." James added, looking thoughtful, "We were generally annoyed at first..."

"And then decided it was best to keep quiet." Sirius said, "If it looked like we were in contact with a Werewolf - which people would assume with our more accepting attitudes towards Werewolves - then people would be suspicious of who it was we were talking to. With Remus disappearing once a month and usually returning looking like he'd been through hell, people would assume it was him and that wasn't something we wanted, it would be too difficult to conceal what he was if everyone suspected him of being a Werewolf."

"Even though they'd be right, they'd watch me more closely and I would've slipped up or something so they'd have evidence it was true." Remus nodded, "In the end, keeping quiet about our knowledge and views was a good thing."

"Must've been annoying." Dora smiled sympathetically.

"Just a bit." the Marauders nodded.

"Keeping quiet about it came instinctively to me though." Remus shrugged, putting an arm around her, "My parents made sure I knew what I needed to know to keep it quiet, the usual dont let people see the scars, try and act like I didn't turn into a slavering beast every month." he winced, "Though the second qas easier to hide than the scars."

"Partially how we found out." Sirius mused, "The one's on his arms were obvious enough for us to notice when he was in his PJ's."

Remus smiled ruefully, "Initially it was just too difficult to always hide the scars the wolf made when we were in such close contact."

"Generally it is difficult hiding things from people you share a dorm with." Dora mused, "Even more difficult to hide things from your friends."

James chuckled, "Moony figured that out eventually. But back to your question Petunia, yes it really is that bad." she nodded in understanding.

**"Tonks and Arthur would lose their jobs at the Ministry if they started shooting their mouths off," said Sirius, "and it's very important for us to have spies inside the Ministry, because you can bet Voldemort will have them."**

**"We've managed to convince a couple of people, though," said Mr. Weasley. "Tonks here, for one - she's too young to have been in the Order of the Phoenix last time, and having Aurors on our side is a huge advantage - Kingsley Shacklebolt's been a real asset, too; he's in charge of the hunt for Sirius, so he's been feeding the Ministry information that Sirius is in Tibet."**

"Another fun thing to come up with." Kingsley smiled, "You were in Tibet because I seemed to remember you mentioning you were interested in hunting the bears there when we were at school."

"They believed that?" Sirius smirked, "You were a few years behind us at school I think."

Kingsley nodded, "I thought of the story from the prank you did in your 7th year, my 5th. When you turned the grounds into mountains at Christmas."

"That was a great one, but you cant prove it was us." Sirius smirked.

"It had your insignia on it." Lily pointed out, "Not to mention you standing on top of a mountain with a water gun pointed at James and declaring you were going to hunt the bears no matter what." she giggled.

"Insignia?" Fred asked.

"After our 3rd year we started claiming our work by putting a bright red 'M' on it. Or we'd leave a message like the name of the prank with 'With regards from the Marauders.' and the first letters of our nicknames, for whoever took part in that one, on the end." James explained.

"Made it much easier for me to put you in detention for them." Minerva smiled.

"We didn't sign half of them for a reason. Just the really big ones." Remus smiled, "I didn't fancy being stuck in detention permanently."

"Which is what these two almost got landed with." Lily said looking at her husband and his best friend amusedly.

"I hate to say it but your record was broken for the most detentions in a year as well as in total." Albus chuckled.

"By who?" all three Marauders asked.

"What's your record?" Fred asked.

"552 in total - about 350 of them being all four of us - and 110 in one year." Remus answered. "Why?"

"It's not us who beat you." George shrugged.

"We were close though." Fred smirked, "About 10 off the total and maybe 25 off the yearly one, we were only apart for about 30 of the detentions overall. Why not ask the others." he suggested nodding towards the teens.

"Cant you just tell us? Or give us hints?" James asked.

"Hmm... Well it was a win without any competition." Ginny mused, "As in no-one else had it as often or for as long."

"The yearly record was broken with only two teachers constantly handing out detentions to this student." Hermione added.

"It happens this year." Ron said nodding at the pensive. "And the main teacher giving out the detentions was an inspiration in why we started the DA." he smirked.

Sirius's eyes went wide and he looked at James, "Our record was beaten by your son. It was Harry."

James looked at Harry, "How? I know you don't like getting in trouble but more than 110 in one year?"

"And I didn't even pull one prank." Harry smirked, "The teacher hated me." he shrugged. "I'll tell you about it later." he promised as they all turned back to the memory.

**"But if none of you are putting the news out that Voldemort's back -" Harry began.**

**"Who said none of us are putting the news out?" said Sirius. "Why d'you think Dumbledore's in such trouble?"**

**"What d'you mean?" Harry asked.**

**"They're trying to discredit him," said Lupin. "Didn't you see the Daily Prophet last week? They reported that he'd been voted out of the Chairmanship of the International Confederation of Wizards because he's getting old and losing his grip, but it's not true; he was voted out by Ministry wizards after he made a speech announcing Voldemort's return. They've demoted him from Chief Warlock on the Wizengamot - that's the Wizard High Court - and they're talking about taking away his Order of Merlin, First Class, too."**

**"But Dumbledore says he doesn't care what they do as long as they don't take him off the Chocolate Frog Cards," said Bill, grinning.**

"It's true." Albus smiled, "I love having a chocolate frog card."

**"It's no laughing matter," said Mr. Weasley sharply. "If he carries on defying the Ministry like this he could end up in Azkaban, and the last thing we want is to have Dumbledore locked up. While You-Know-Who knows Dumbledore's out there and wise to what he's up to he's going to go cautiously. If Dumbledore's out of the way - well, You-Know-Who will have a clear field."**

**"But if Voldemort's trying to recruit more Death Eaters it's bound to get out that he's come back, isn't it?" asked Harry desperately.**

**"Voldemort doesn't march up to people's houses and bang on their front doors, Harry," said Sirius. "He tricks, jinxes and blackmails them. He's well-practised at operating in secret. In any case, gathering followers is only one thing he's interested in. He's got other plans too, plans he can put into operation very quietly indeed, and he's concentrating on those for the moment."**

**"What"s he after apart from followers?" Harry asked swiftly. He thought he saw Sirius and Lupin exchange the most fleeting of looks before Sirius answered.**

**"Stuff he can only get by stealth."**

**When Harry continued to look puzzled, Sirius said, "Like a weapon. Something he didn't have last time."**

**"When he was powerful before?"**

**"Yes."**

**"Like what kind of weapon?" said Harry. "Something worse than the Avada Kedavra -?"**

**"That's enough!"**

**Mrs. Weasley spoke from the shadows beside the door. Harry hadn't noticed her return from taking Ginny upstairs. Her arms were crossed and she looked furious.**

"I'll admit I, err, wasn't supposed to tell you that." Sirius muttered, "Oop's."

"What were you on about?" Alice asked.

"The Prophecy." Harry told them. "The one that spoke of his downfall."

**"I want you in bed, now. All of you," she added, looking around at Fred, George, Ron and Hermione.**

**"You can't boss us -" Fred began.**

**"Watch me," snarled Mrs. Weasley. She was trembling slightly as she looked at Sirius. "You've given Harry plenty of information. Any more and you might just as well induct him into the Order straightaway."**

**"Why not?" said Harry quickly. "I'll join, I want to join, I want to fight."**

"No Harry you cant! You have enough to worry about without worrying about what's going on with the order!" Lily said tensely.

**"No."**

**It was not Mrs. Weasley who spoke this time, but Lupin.**

"Thank you Remus." Lily relaxed.

"No problem. I figured I'd avoid an argument." he shrugged, "Especially since either Molly or Sirius was likely to say something they'd regret."

"And you knew as soon as you said something I'd have to agree with you." Sirius muttered.

**"The Order is comprised only of overage wizards," he said. "Wizards who have left school," he added, as Fred and George opened their mouths. "There are dangers involved of which you can have no idea, any of you... I think Molly's right, Sirius. We've said enough."**

**Sirius half-shrugged but did not argue. Mrs. Weasley beckoned imperiously to her sons and Hermione. One by one they stood up and Harry, recognising defeat, followed suit.**

"Best thing to do really." Molly said, "Give up because you know I wouldn't budge."

"And we were old enough to recognise it." Ron added grumpily. "It wasn't fair of you to leave us curious about the weapon." he huffed.

"Sirius wasn't supposed to say anything about it." Albus frowned.

"I stand by what I said. You should've told Harry the truth." Sirius said firmly. "Maybe not the contents of the Prophecy but that it existed and that Voldemort was after it."

"I'll admit I did make a huge mistake with that." Albus acknowledged with a sigh, "I didn't intend for everything to happen like it did. I was trying to keep Harry safe."

"But I told you that same night - and you agreed with me - that Sirius probably wouldn't have died if you had told me." Harry frowned, Albus nodded gravely, "Anyway, that was the end of the memory. Let's continue."

* * *

><p>Review please x<p> 


	62. Chapter 62

Chapter 62 - Fifth Year (Part 4)

20, August, 1998.

"Where we left off."

**Mrs. Weasley followed them upstairs looking grim.**

**"I want you all to go straight to bed, no talking," she said as they reached the first landing, "we've got a busy day tomorrow. I expect Ginny's asleep," she added to Hermione, "so try not to wake her up."**

"You honestly thought thst I'd be asleep?" Ginny smirked, "No chance."

"A Mother can dream." Molly sighed.

**"Asleep, yeah, right," said Fred in an undertone, after Hermione bade them goodnight and they were climbing to the next floor. "If Ginny's not lying awake waiting for Hermione to tell her everything they said downstairs then I'm a Flobberworm -"**

**"All right, Ron, Harry," said Mrs. Weasley on the second landing, pointing them into their bedroom. "Off to bed with you."**

**"Night," Harry and Ron said to the twins.**

**"Sleep tight," said Fred, winking.**

"What are you guys up to?" asked Lily.

"You'll see." answered George.

**Mrs. Weasley closed the door behind Harry with a sharp snap. The bedroom looked, if anything, even danker and gloomier than it had on first sight. The blank picture on the wall was now breathing very slowly and deeply, as though its invisible occupant was asleep. Harry put on his pyjamas, took off his glasses and climbed into his chilly bed while Ron threw Owl Treats up on top of the wardrobe to pacify Hedwig and Pigwidgeon, who were clattering around and rustling their wings restlessly.**

**"We can't let them out to hunt every night," Ron explained as he pulled on his maroon pyjamas. "Dumbledore doesn't want too many owls swooping around the square, thinks it'll look suspicious."**

"Hedwig especially would." Dudley noted, "Snowy owls arent common in London, well hardly any owls are common to London really."

"And Pig lives to draw attention to himself." Fred grinned.

"He is rather hyper." Ron chuckled.

**"Oh yeah... I forgot..."**

**He crossed to the door and bolted it.**

**"What're you doing that for?"**

**"Kreacher," said Ron as he turned off the light. "First night I was here he came wandering in at three in the morning. Trust me, you don't want to wake up and find him prowling around your room. Anyway..." he got into his bed, settled down under the covers then turned to look at Harry in the darkness; Harry could see his outline by the moonlight filtering in through the grimy window, "what d'you reckon?"**

**Harry didn't need to ask what Ron meant.**

**"Well, they didn't tell us much we couldn't have guessed, did they?" he said, thinking of all that had been said downstairs. "I mean, all they've really said is that the Order's trying to stop people joining Vol -"**

**There was a sharp intake of breath from Ron.**

**"- demort," said Harry firmly. "When are you going to start using his name? Sirius and Lupin do."**

**Ron ignored this last comment.**

"You got your answer in May." Ron smirked.

Harry rolled his eyes, "Took you long enough, though I suppose it helped when he taboo'd his name." he said in an undertone.

**"Yeah, you're right," he said, "we already knew nearly everything they told us, from using the Extendable Ears. The only new bit was -"**

**Crack.**

**"OUCH!"**

"You two just Apparated into their room, didn't you?" asked Sirius. The twins nodded, smirking. "Told you I heard something Moony." he chuckled.

"I didnt say you hadn't." Remus pointed out.

**"Keep your voice down, Ron, or Mum'll be back up here."**

**"You two just Apparated on my knees!"**

**"Yeah, well, it's harder in the dark."**

"George that was an excuse and you know it." Bill said, "It's not harder in the dark."

"Says the man who almost always falls when he tries to Apparate in the dark." Charlie smirked.

"Least I passed my test first time." Bill retorted, "Besides, you're worse than me in the dark and I dont always fall." he pouted.

"It is harder to get your bearings in the dark when you first hit the ground again." Albus said, "Because we rely on sight more than most things when landing after Apparating, we tend to lose our balance."

"See." George smirked.

"We didn't mean it." Fred grinned, "It just kind of happened."

"You were aiming for his bed so dont bother denying it." Ginny said sternly.

"Fine, we wont." they both shrugged.

**Harry saw the blurred outlines of Fred and George leaping down from Ron's bed. There was a groan of bedsprings and Harry's mattress descended a few inches as George sat down near his feet.**

**"So, got there yet?" said George eagerly.**

**"The weapon Sirius mentioned?" said Harry.**

**"Let slip, more like," said Fred with relish, now sitting next to Ron. "We didn't hear about that on the old Extendables, did we?"**

**"What d'you reckon it is?" said Harry.**

**"Could be anything," said Fred.**

**"But there can't be anything worse than the Avada Kedavra Curse, can there?" said Ron. "What's worse than death?"**

"A lot." Harry shuddered, "Like Voldemort running the country."

Everyone shuddered at the thought.

**"Maybe it's something that can kill loads of people at once," suggested George.**

**"Maybe it's some particularly painful way of killing people," said Ron fearfully.**

"He had plenty for causing pain." Cissy muttered.

"Most common being the Cruciatus, others being potions and mind tricks." Draco winced.

"Mind tricks?" Amber frowned.

"Like locking someone in a room, chained up, until they cant remember their own name." Cissy supplied, grimacing, "He used it once or twice in the first war, not at all in the second, but it was still painful for the victim." she explained, shuddering.

"He tried it with us." James nodded, "The first time he caught Lily and I, he chained us up for a few hours before Lily managed to escape and freed me. Then we managed to get out of where we were."

**"He's got the Cruciatus Curse for causing pain," said Harry, "he doesn't need anything more efficient than that."**

**There was a pause and Harry knew that the others, like him, were wondering what horrors this weapon could perpetrate.**

**"So who d'you think's got it now?" asked George.**

**"I hope it's our side," said Ron, sounding slightly nervous.**

**"If it is, Dumbledore's probably keeping it," said Fred.**

**"Where?" said Ron quickly. "Hogwarts?"**

**"Bet it is!" said George. "That's where he hid the Philosopher's Stone."**

"That was considered." Albus nodded. "But it was reasoned if three first years could get past the stone's protections quite easily, those same three may be able to do that again, even with stronger protections."

"Not if you'd hidden it somewhere in your office." Harry pointed out, "Like behind a portrait, somewhere no one would suspect a secret hidey-hole for something like that."

Albus frowned, "I didn't consider that." he admitted, "It may have been good enough."

**"A weapon's going to be a lot bigger than the Stone, though!" said Ron.**

**"Not necessarily," said Fred.**

**"Yeah, size is no guarantee of power," said George. "Look at Ginny."**

"Will I need to get someone to hex them?" Ginny asked, looking at the twins dangerously.

"No, they complimented your skills." Ron told her quickly.

"We did." the twins nodded.

**"What d'you mean?" said Harry.**

**"You've never been on the receiving end of one of her Bat-Bogey Hexes, have you?"**

"Oh, that's what you meant." Ginny smirked.

The twins and Ron winced and nodded.

"How did you hex them if you weren't allowed to do magic?" James frowned.

"At school." she shrugged.

**"Shhh!" said Fred, half-rising from the bed. "Listen!"**

**They fell silent. Footsteps were coming up the stairs.**

**"Mum," said George and without further ado there was a loud crack and Harry felt the weight vanish from the end of his bed. A few seconds later, they heard the floorboard creak outside their door; Mrs. Weasley was plainly listening to check whether or not they were talking.**

**Hedwig and Pigwidgeon hooted dolefully. The floorboard creaked again and they heard her heading upstairs to check on Fred and George.**

**"She doesn't trust us at all, you know," said Ron regretfully.**

**Harry was sure he would not be able to fall asleep; the evening had been so packed with things to think about that he fully expected to lie awake for hours mulling it all over. He wanted to continue talking to Ron, but Mrs. Weasley was now creaking back downstairs again, and once she had gone he distinctly heard others making their way upstairs... in fact, many-legged creatures were cantering softly up and down outside the bedroom door, and Hagrid the Care of Magical Creatures teacher was saying, "Beauties, arm they, eh, Harry? We'll be studyin' weapons this term..." and Harry saw that the creatures had cannons for heads and were wheeling to face him... he ducked...**

"What?" asked Fred, frowning.

"I fell asleep." Harry blushed.

**The next thing he knew, he was curled into a warm ball under his bedclothes and George's loud voice was filling the room.**

**"Mum says get up, your breakfast is in the kitchen and then she needs you in the drawing room, there are loads more Doxys than she thought and she's found a nest of dead Puffskeins under the sofa."**

**Half an hour later Harry and Ron, who had dressed and breakfasted quickly, entered the drawing room, a long, high-ceilinged room on the first floor with olive green walls covered in dirty tapestries. The carpet exhaled little clouds of dust every time someone put their foot on it and the long, moss green velvet curtains were buzzing as though swarming with invisible bees. It was around these that Mrs. Weasley, Hermione, Ginny, Fred and George were grouped, all looking rather peculiar as they had each tied a cloth over their nose and mouth. Each of them was also holding a large bottle of black liquid with a nozzle at the end.**

**"Cover your faces and take a spray," Mrs. Weasley said to Harry and Ron the moment she saw them, pointing to two more bottles of black liquid standing on a spindle-legged table. "It's Doxycide. I've never seen an infestation this bad - what that house-elf's been doing for the last ten years -"**

**Hermione's face was half concealed by a tea towel but Harry distinctly saw her throw a reproachful look at Mrs. Weasley.**

**"Kreacher's really old, he probably couldn't manage -"**

"Or he was reluctant because everyone was horrible to him except me and he hated me then anyway." Hermione said.

**"You'd be surprised what Kreacher can manage when he wants to, Hermione," said Sirius, who had just entered the room carrying a bloodstained bag of what appeared to be dead rats. "I've just been feeding Buckbeak," he added, in reply to Harry's enquiring look. "I keep him upstairs in my mothers bedroom. Anyway... this writing desk..."**

**He dropped the bag of rats into an armchair, then bent over to examine the locked cabinet which, Harry now noticed for the first time, was shaking slightly.**

**"Well, Molly, I'm pretty sure this is a Boggart," said Sirius, peering through the keyhole, "but perhaps we ought to let Mad-Eye have a shifty at it before we let it out knowing my mother, it could be something much worse."**

**"Right you are, Sirius," said Mrs. Weasley.**

**They were both speaking in carefully light, polite voices that told Harry quite plainly that neither had forgotten their disagreement of the night before.**

**A loud, clanging bell sounded from downstairs, followed at once by the cacophony of screams and wails that had been triggered the previous night by Tonks knocking over the umbrella stand.**

**"I keep telling them not to ring the doorbell!" said Sirius exasperatedly, hurrying out of the room. They heard him thundering down the stairs as Mrs. Black's screeches echoed up through the house once more: "Stains, of dishonour, filthy half-breeds, blood traitors, children of filth -!"**

"I knew the door was locked so I knocked and I didn't get an answer." Kingsley shrugged, "So the bell it was."

"You can't blame us when you didn't hear us knocking half the time." Dora added.

**"Close the door, please, Harry," said Mrs. Weasley.**

**Harry took as much time as he dared to close the drawing-room door; he wanted to listen to what was going on downstairs. Sirius had obviously managed to shut the curtains over his mother's portrait because she had stopped screaming. He heard Sirius walking down the hall, then the clattering of the chain on the front door, and then a deep voice he recognised as Kingsley Shacklebolt's saying, "Hestia's just relieved me, so she's got Moody's Cloak now, thought I'd leave a report for Dumbledore..."**

**Feeling Mrs. Weasley's eyes on the back of his head, Harry regretfully closed the drawing room door and rejoined the Doxy party.**

**Mrs. Weasley was bending over to check the page on Doxys in Gilderoy Lockhart's Guide to Household Pests, which was lying open on the sofa.**

"Didn't either of you tell her that Lockhart's a fraud?" Remus asked Ron and Harry.

"They did." Molly nodded, "But the information was still accurate."

**"Right, you lot, you need to be careful, because Doxys bite and their teeth are poisonous. I've got a bottle of antidote here, but I'd rather nobody needed it."**

**She straightened up, positioned herself squarely in front of the curtains and beckoned them all forward.**

**"When I say the word, start spraying immediately," she said. "They'll come flying out at us, I expect, but it says on the sprays one good squirt will paralyse them. When they're immobilised, just throw them in this bucket."**

**She stepped carefully out of their line of fire, and raised her own spray.**

**"All right - squirt!"**

**Harry had been spraying only a few seconds when a fully-grown Doxy came soaring out of a fold in the material, shiny beetle-like wings whirring, tiny needle-sharp teeth bared, its fairy-like body covered with thick black hair and its four tiny fists clenched with fury. Harry caught it full in the face with a blast of Doxycide. It froze in midair and fell, with a surprisingly loud thunk, on to the worn carpet below. Harry picked it up and threw it in the bucket.**

**"Fred, what are you doing?" said Mrs. Weasley sharply. "Spray that at once and throw it away!"**

**Harry looked round. Fred was holding a struggling Doxy between his forefinger and thumb.**

**"Right-o," Fred said brightly, spraying the Doxy quickly in the face so that it fainted, but the moment Mrs. Weasley's back was turned he pocketed it with a wink.**

"Why did you want the doxy?" asked Arthur hesitantly.

"Oh, to experiment with Doxy venom for our Skiving Snackboxes." Fred explained.

"I knew I should have kept an eye on you two." Molly groaned.

"They gave us the idea for Fainting Fancy's." George said with a shrug, "And the venom helped with some of our defensive products."

**"We want to experiment with Doxy venom for our Skiving Snackboxes," George told Harry under his breath.**

**Deftly spraying two Doxys at once as they soared straight for his nose, Harry moved closer to George and muttered out of the corner of his mouth, "What are Skiving Snackboxes?"**

**"Range of sweets to make you ill," George whispered, keeping a wary eye on Mrs. Weasley's back. "Not seriously ill, mind, just ill enough to get you out of a class when you feel like it. Fred and I have been developing them this summer. They're double-ended, colour-coded chews. If you eat the orange half of the Puking Pastilles, you throw up. Moment you've been rushed out of the lesson for the hospital wing, you swallow the purple half - 'which restores you to full fitness, enabling you to pursue the leisure activity of your own choice during an hour that would otherwise have been devoted to unproftable boredom.' That's what we're putting in the adverts, anyway," whispered Fred, who had edged over out of Mrs. Weasley's line of vision and was now sweeping a few stray Doxys from the floor and adding them to his pocket. "But they still need a bit of work. At the moment our testers are having a bit of trouble stopping themselves puking long enough to swallow the purple end."**

**"Testers?"**

**"Us," said Fred. "We take it in turns. George did the Fainting Fancies - we both tried the Nosebleed Nougat -"**

**"Mum thought we'd been duelling," said George.**

**"Joke shop still on, then?" Harry muttered, pretending to be adjusting the nozzle on his spray.**

**"Well, we haven't had a chance to get premises yet," said Fred, dropping his voice even lower as Mrs. Weasley mopped her brow with her scarf before returning to the attack, "so we're running it as a mail-order service at the moment. We put advertisements in the Daily Prophet last week."**

**"All thanks to you, mate," said George. "But don't worry... Mum hasn't got a clue. She won't read the Daily Prophet any more, 'cause of it telling lies about you and Dumbledore."**

**Harry grinned. He had forced the Weasley twins to take the thousand Galleons prize money he had won in the Triwizard Tournament to help them realise their ambition to open a joke shop, but he was still glad to know that his part in furthering their plans was unknown to Mrs. Weasley. She did not think running a joke shop was a suitable career for two of her sons.**

"It should have been obvious that I wouldn't be able to stop you." Molly sighed. "And that you'd both succeed brilliantly at it."

"You came around eventually." George shrugged.

"Yeah Mum, to be honest we expected you to be more upset that we'd done, and are doing, so great when you thought it was a bad idea." Fred chuckled.

"I was shocked at first." she admitted, "But I'm very happy you did succeed."

"Even if it meant more chaos here during the school year." Minerva sighed. "I must admit though, some of your wheezes are impressive, and highly useful against Death Eaters and unwelcome people at Hogwarts." she smiled.

"Especially in the hands of their little sister and her friends from what we've been told." Frank grinned at his son, Luna and Ginny who tried to look innocent.

"Oh yeah, Gin-Gin your telling me about everything you done to the terrible two that were here with the wheezes." George smirked, "I swear I only heard half of them."

"Of course you only heard half your holiness." Fred pointed out, "Comes with only having one ear."

"We'll fix it soon enough." George shrugged, "In the meantime I'll stay holey."

A few men snickered at that while the women shook their heads in mild amusement.

**The de-Doxying of the curtains took most of the morning. It was past midday when Mrs. Weasley finally removed her protective scarf, sank into a sagging armchair and sprang up again with a cry of disgust, having sat on the bag of dead rats.**

They all began laughing.

"Oop's, sorry Molly. I should've taken them with me." Sirius grinned sheepishly.

"I should've checked before I sat down." she shrugged, "Lets call it even." she suggested, he nodded in acceptance.

**The curtains were no longer buzzing; they hung limp and damp from the intensive spraying. At the foot of them unconscious Doxys lay crammed in the bucket beside a bowl of their black eggs, at which Crookshanks was now sniffing and Fred and George were shooting covetous looks.**

**"I think we'll tackle those after lunch." Mrs. Weasley pointed at the dusty glass-fronted cabinets standing on either side of the mantelpiece.**

"You really don't want to go in there." Regulus said looking pale. "Quite a few things are dangerous... One thing is deadly, I doubt Kreacher was able to destroy the thing."

"We know what your talking about." Hermione said.

"Dont worry." Harry added, "We didn't let it get anyone."

"Except ourselves." Ron muttered quietly. Harry and Hermione shot him warning looks. "We weren't hurt too badly, not even a trip to St Mungo's." he added noticing this.

"Good. 'Cause that thing can probably kill people." Regulus said.

"We're aware." Harry nodded. Noticing the confused and curious looks he added, "I'll explain after this memory." having no intention to tell them about the Horcrux.

**They were crammed with an odd assortment of objects: a selection of rusty daggers, claws, a coiled snakeskin, a number of tarnished silver boxes inscribed with languages Harry could not understand and, least pleasant of all, an ornate crystal bottle with a large opal set into the stopper, full of what Harry was quite sure was blood.**

"It is blood." Sirius nodded. "Cant tell you what type though, I have no idea." he shrugged. "It might be dragon."

"You wont like it if you knew." Cissy shuddered. "All you need to know is it's not dragon blood and not completely human either."

"I may regret asking but... What is it?" Hermione asked.

Cissy shared a look with her sister.

"It's a mix." Andy said after a minute, "Of Dementor blood, Acromantula blood, Basilisk blood, Centaur blood, Manticore blood, Chimera blood and... Werewolf blood." she cringed, so did everyone else.

"Why would someone do that?" Remus winced.

"Old ancient posion, there's no cure and it burns the victim from inside out in about 20 secconds, leaving no more than bones." Regulus wrinkled his face in disgust.

"How'd you know that? And where did the Basilisk blood come from?" Draco asked suspiciously.

"I witnessed it being used once. The Basilisk blood came from a dealer in Bulgaria." he explained.

"I'm going to hazard a guess and say Mother used it." Sirius shuddered.

"On Father." Regulus confirmed, "She made Kreacher slip it in his drink, telling him it was medicine for Fathers bad leg, she told me about it after it." he winced. "Not very nice."

"So it was her who killed Uncle Orion?" Cissy asked.

"It was, she spread the rumour that he was killed by Aurors during a raid." Regulus shuddered, "I was bound by oath not to tell anyone. Sirius had left or I could've told him without breaking the conditions of the oath."

"It was the one where you can tell the heir or head of the family right?" Sirius guessed, he nodded, "I knew our Mother was evil but... I cant really beleive she'd kill our Father. She worshiped the ground he walked on. Ah well, I hate them both anyway." he shrugged.

"Don't blame you there." Cissy agreed, "I think we all did."

"I didn't at first but I hated them as soon as Sirius left." Regulus admitted, "I knew it was their fault... And I didn't exactly help."

"You gave me my escape route." Sirius smiled, "Coming in the front door and being too shocked to close it let me run right out and Apparate away."

"You were 16 though, how did you Apparate?" Dora frowned.

"I was determined to get out of there so I focused on James's house. I splinched myself, badly." he flinched.

"It was the first time you Apparated." James pointed out, "And we hadn't even met Twycross and his three D's yet."

Neville, Draco, Ron and Harry groaned.

"We had him. He was horrible and his three D's didn't help much." Neville complained.

"We had him too." Ginny smirked, "Although Luna and myself already knew how to Apparate, how about you Astoria?"

"Dad taught me." she nodded smiling, "Mum told him she didn't want me stuck somewhere I couldnt get out of so he taught me to Apparate just before I was 16."

"I taught Ginny personally last summer." Arthur smiled at his daughter, "Along the same line of thinking as Astoria's parents."

"And Daddy taught me." Luna smiled, "I asked him too though, he wasn't going too but I told him I needed to know how in case I was cornered by a blibbering humdinger."

"They dont exist." Hermione said immediately.

"I know that, but Daddy doesn't know that." Luna smiled smugly, "I made it up so he would teach me earlier."

"Good plan." Kingsley laughed, "And I'll go mysteriously deaf on the underage magic matter, I wasn't Minister at that time anyway and you're all of age now. You do all have a licence don't you?"

The three girls nodded.

"Knew there was something we forgot, mate." Ron told Harry, grinning sheepishly.

"You two I know about and you won't get in trouble for it." Kingsley assured them, "Just remember to get them before you return to school."

"We will." Harry nodded, "Back to the memory then."

**The clanging doorbell rang again. Everyone looked at Mrs. Weasley.**

**"Stay here," she said firmly, snatching up the bag of rats as Mrs. Black's screeches started up again from down below. "I'll bring up some sandwiches."**

**She left the room, closing the door carefully behind her. At once, everyone dashed over to the window to look down on the doorstep. They could see the top of an unkempt gingery head and a stack of precariously balanced cauldrons.**

**"Mundungus!" said Hermione. "What's he brought all those cauldrons for?"**

**"Probably looking for a sale place to keep them," said Harry. "Isn't that what he was doing the night he was supposed to be tailing me? Picking up dodgy cauldrons?"**

**"Yeah, you're right!" said Fred, as the front door opened; Mundungus heaved his cauldrons through it and disappeared from view. "Blimey, Mum won't like that..."**

**He and George crossed to the door and stood beside it, listening closely. Mrs Black's screaming had stopped.**

**"Mundungus is talking to Sirius and Kingsley," Fred muttered, frowning with concentration. "Can't hear properly... d'you reckon we can risk the Extendable Ears?"**

**"Might be worth it," said George. "I could sneak upstairs and get a pair-"**

**But at that precise moment there was an explosion of sound from downstairs that rendered Extendable Ears quite unnecessary. All of them could hear exactly what Mrs. Weasley was shouting at the top of her voice.**

**"WE ARE NOT RUNNING A HIDEOUT FOR STOLEN GOODS!"**

**"I love hearing Mum shouting at someone else," said Fred, with a satisfied smile on his face as he opened the door an inch or so to allow Mrs. Weasley's voice to permeate the room better, "it makes such a nice change."**

**"- COMPLETELY IRRESPONSIBLE, AS IF WE HAVEN'T GOT ENOUGH TO WORRY ABOUT WITHOUT YOU DRAGGING STOLEN CAULDRONS INTO THE HOUSE -"**

**"The idiots are letting her get into her stride," said George, shaking his head. "You've got to head her off early otherwise she builds up a head of steam and goes on for hours. And she's been dying to have a go at Mundungus ever since he sneaked off when he was supposed to be following you, Harry - and there goes Sirius's mum again."**

Everyone laughed.

**Mrs. Weasley's voice was lost amid fresh shrieks and screams from the portraits in the hall.**

**George made to shut the door to drown the noise, but before he could do so, a house-elf edged into the room.**

**Except for the filthy rag tied like a loincloth around its middle, it was completely naked. It looked very old. Its skin seemed to be several times too big for it and, though it was bald like all house-elves, there was a quantity of white hair growing out of its large, batlike ears. Its eyes were a bloodshot and watery grey and its fleshy nose was large and rather snoutlike.**

"Poor Kreacher." Regulus sighed, "He looked better when we saw him though."

"He's been taking better care of himself and he's not been alone since Sirius died." Harry smiled, "He's been here at Hogwarts most of the time, helping in the kitchens and such."

"The other Elves used to complain about his muttering and attitude, but they're alright with him now. He's friends with Winky, actually." Minerva chuckled, "And a few others."

**The elf took absolutely no notice of Harry and the rest. Acting as though it could not see them, it shuffled hunchbacked, slowly and doggedly, towards the far end of the room, all the while muttering under its breath in a hoarse, deep voice like a bullfrogs.**

Harry looked down to check Teddy was still sleeping so he wouldn't hear Kreacher's bad language, the boy was still sound asleep. With a quick glance he saw Cecelia was now sleeping too.

**"... smells like a drain and a criminal to boot, but she's no better, nasty old blood traitor with her brats messing up my mistress's house, oh, my poor mistress, if she knew, if she knew the scum they've let into her house, what would she say to old Kreacher, oh, the shame of it, Mudbloods and werewolves and traitors and thieves, poor old Kreacher, what can he do..."**

"He sounds horrible!" exclaimed Lily.

"He was." Ron nodded, most in the room nodded too.

"But we've changed that now." Harry smiled.

"I think it's for the best really. Kreacher was tied to a dark family for many years, being tied to the leader of the light will be what's best for him." Regulus smiled.

"It's up to him really. If he wants to go back to you Regulus, I don't have a problem with it." Harry smiled, "As long as he's happy really."

"I'm fine with it." Regulus shrugged, "He can choose what makes him happiest. Besides, he can always visit me if he stays with you, same the other way around."

"We'll discuss it later." Harry decided, Regulus nodded.

**"Hello, Kreacher," said Fred very loudly, closing the door with a snap.**

**The house-elf froze in his tracks, stopped muttering, and gave a very pronounced and very unconvincing start of surprise.**

**"Kreacher did not see young master," he said, turning around and bowing to Fred. Still facing the carpet, he added, perfectly audibly, "Nasty little brat of a blood traitor it is."**

**"Sorry?" said George. "Didn't catch that last bit."**

**"Kreacher said nothing," said the elf, with a second bow to George, adding in a clear undertone, "and there's its twin, unnatural little beasts they are."**

"Quite amusing really." George chuckled.

"I don't think he genuinely meant it." Cissy frowned, "He's lying."

"He'll be repeating Mother's portrait." Regulus said, "And your right, he is lying, I can tell."

"That mean's Hermione was right, he didn't mean it." Ginny smiled, "At least not all the way."

"It was all he knew." Draco shrugged, "Most Elves copy their masters because they think it's right and haven't been told otherwise."

**Harry didn't know whether to laugh or not. The elf straightened up, eyeing them all malevolently, and apparently convinced that they could not hear him as he continued to mutter.**

**"... and there's the Mudblood, standing there bold as brass, oh, if my mistress knew, oh, how she'd cry, and there's a new boy, Kreacher doesn't know his name. What is he doing here? Kreacher doesn't know…"**

**"This is Harry, Kreacher," said Hermione tentatively. "Harry Potter."**

**Kreacher's pale eyes widened and he muttered faster and more furiously than ever.**

**"The Mudblood is talking to Kreacher as though she is my friend, if Kreacher's mistress saw him in such company, oh, what would she say -"**

**"Don't call her a Mudblood!" said Ron and Ginny together, very angrily.**

"You know it didn't affect me at all after third year right?" Hermione asked.

"Defeats the purpose." Ron said, "He was still insulting you."

"It's only an insult if it offends the person, it didn't offend me." she huffed, "As I've said before, I'm a Mudblood and damn proud of it."

"Hermione! Don't call yourself that!" Molly scolded.

"It's true." she shrugged, not looking bothered.

**"It doesn't matter," Hermione whispered, "he's not in his right mind, he doesn't know what he's-"**

**"Don't kid yourself, Hermione, he knows exactly what he's saying," said Fred, eyeing Kreacher with great dislike.**

**Kreacher was still muttering, his eyes on Harry.**

**"Is it true? Is it Harry Potter? Kreacher can see the scar, it must be true, that's the boy who stopped the Dark Lord, Kreacher wonders how he did it -"**

"And so do we all." Astoria said looking suspiciously at Harry.

"The only explanation is love." Albus smiled. "Lily's sacrifice protected him."

"And Riddle's mistake." Harry put in, "He gave Mum a chance to escape, her life for mine, what he didnt count on was at her refusal caused her love to protect me, and ultimately the Killing curse to rebound."

"Glad I could help." Lily smiled sadly, "I'd do it again in a heartbeat if I had to."

"Which you won't. We're all safe now Tom's gone, his Death Eaters are easier to handle." Harry grinned lopsidedly.

"At least they will be when we find them." Kingsley mused, "Bit of a downside of only having 15 Aurors remaining."

"Only 15?" Dora asked shocked, "Out of 35 or more?"

"A lot were killed or injured so badly they had to leave." Minerva sighed, "One of the injured ones was supposed to be next year's DADA teacher."

"Who was it?" Remus asked.

"Her name is Gina Proudfoot." Kingsley supplied, "She lost half an hand and a few toes as well as a few internal injuries, so she volunteered to come teach until she's able to return to work but now with her being held at St Mungo's and been told to get a non-stressful job..." he shrugged. "She'll just be doing desk work for a while."

"Proudfoot got hit?!" Dora asked in shock, "She was one of the best!"

"She was attacked in the dead of night in her own home the house was set on fire, she had others with her, her child and Auror Robards - he was visiting that night." he explained

"Were they alright?" Hermione frowned.

"Robards was unharmed. The kid was in St Mungos for a while with his Mum, just minor burns and a little trauma, maybe a broken bone or two. It would've been worse if Proudfoot hadn't ordered Robards to get the kid out of the house and to leave her. He got the kid out and took him to their neighbor's house before going back for Gina." Kingsley sighed, "He was almost killed but got the two of them out, collected the boy, and went to St Mungo's. He's actually head of department now, and the kid's coming here next year."

"One of the students requiring extra teaching." Minerva nodded, "Proudfoot is Muggleborn herself and her sons Father is a muggle so he's technically muggleborn too."

"We'll get to meet him then." Ron smiled sadly.

**"Don't we all, Kreacher," said Fred.**

**"What do you want, anyway?" George asked.**

**Kreacher's huge eyes darted towards George.**

**"Kreacher is cleaning," he said evasively.**

**"A likely story," said a voice behind Harry.**

**Sirius had come back; he was glowering at the elf from the doorway.**

**The noise in the hall had abated; perhaps Mrs. Weasley and Mundungus had moved their argument down into the kitchen.**

**At the sight of Sirius, Kreacher flung himself into a ridiculously low bow that flattened his snoutltke nose on the floor.**

**"Stand up straight," said Sirius impatiently. "Now, what are you up to?"**

**"Kreacher is cleaning," the elf repeated. "Kreacher lives to serve the Noble House of Black -"**

**"And it's getting blacker every day, it's filthy," said Sirius.**

"Interesting analogy." Regulus snorted, "The House of Black is black. The house was clean when I died."

"I find that hard to beleive." Sirius scoffed, "The state it was in, and probably still is in, was ridiculous."

Regulus frowned but made no comment.

**"Master always liked his little joke," said Kreacher, bowing again, and continuing in an undertone, "Master was a nasty ungrateful swine who broke his mother's heart -"**

**"My mother didn't have a heart, Kreacher," snapped Sirius. "She kept herself alive out of pure spite."**

**Kreacher bowed again as he spoke.**

**"Whatever Master says," he muttered furiously. "Master is not fit to wipe slime from his mother's boots, oh, my poor mistress, what would she say if she saw Kreacher serving him, how she hated him, what a disappointment he was -"**

"I'm glad I disappointed her, means I'm not a cruel heartless monster like most others from hardcore pureblood families." Sirius made a face.

"That was my exact thoughts when I left too." Andy nodded, "If making my parents proud involved being a cruel, sadistic, mindless idiot I'm glad I disappointed them."

**"I asked you what you were up to," said Sirius coldly. "Every time you show up pretending to be cleaning, you sneak something off to your room so we can't throw it out."**

**"Kreacher would never move anything from its proper place in Master's house," said the elf, then muttered very fast, "Mistress would never forgive Kreacher if the tapestry was thrown out, seven centuries it's been in the family, Kreacher must save it, Kreacher will not let Master and the blood traitors and the brats destroy it -"**

**"I thought it might be that," said Sirius, casting a disdainful look at the opposite wall. "She'll have put another Permanent Sticking Charm on the back of it, I don't doubt, but if I can get rid of it I certainly will. Now go away, Kreacher."**

"Wasn't a permanent charm." Harry smirked.

"You got it off?" Sirius asked.

"Kreacher did as long as we promised not to throw it out." Hermione grinned, "So we put it in the attic, gave him permission to go see it when he wants to and he's just as happy as us about it."

"Very clever, and a little sneaky." Regulus commented approvingly.

"It was Draco's idea." Ron shrugged, "We improved the house a lot this summer. You'll have to wait to see it though."

"As soon as we're not stuck to these bed's." Harry nodded. "Mainly because we sealed the house."

**It seemed that Kreacher did not dare disobey a direct order; nevertheless, the look he gave Sirius as he shuffled out past him was full of deepest loathing and he muttered all the way out of the room.**

**"- comes back from Azkaban ordering Kreacher around, oh, my poor mistress, what would she say if she saw the house now, scum living in it, her treasures thrown out, she swore he was no son of hers and he's back, they say he's a murderer too -"**

**"Keep muttering and I will be a murderer!" said Sirius irritably as he slammed the door shut on the elf.**

**"Sirius, he's not right in the head," Hermione pleaded, "I don't think he realises we can hear him."**

**"He's been alone too long," said Sirius, "taking mad orders from my mother's portrait and talking to himself, but he was always a foul little -"**

"No he hasn't!" Regulus protested, "You weren't nice to him so he treated you the way you treated him!"

"There's an old saying my parents used to tell us 'Treat others as you would want to be treated'." Petunia said.

"Or 'Do unto others what you'd do unto yourself'. We were told that repeatedly as kids." Lily nodded.

"Alright! I get the point already." Sirius muttered.

**"If you could just set him free," said Hermione hopefully, "maybe -"**

**"We can't set him free, he knows too much about the Order," said Sirius curtly. "And anyway, the shock would kill him. You suggest to him that he leaves this house, see how he takes it."**

**Sirius walked across the room to where the tapestry Kreacher had been trying to protect hung the length of the wall. Harry and the others followed.**

**The tapestry looked immensely old; it was faded and looked as though Doxys had gnawed it in places. Nevertheless, the golden thread with which it was embroidered still glinted brightly enough to show them a sprawling family tree dating back (as far as Harry could tell) to the Middle Ages. Large words at the very top of the tapestry read:**

**The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black Toujours pur**

"Always pure?" Fleur asked.

"Stupid motto." Regulus growled, "I don't think either of us followed that." he added to Sirius.

"I didn't at all, maybe when I was little, like 3 or 4 but not after that." his brother shrugged. "Not much point in them telling us the lines dieing out and then trying to force us to marry our cousins, not very pure if it's incest."

"I never saw the point in that either." Regulus agreed.

"One of the many reasons I left." Andy muttered, "Marrying and having kids with other family members? No thanks."

"It was disgusting." Cissy nodded, "That's why I decided just to go with Lucius, no family relations at all."

"Until you had me." Draco mused.

Cissy nodded grudgingly, "I may regret who your Father is, Draco, but I dont regret having you." she said firmly.

"Good, I like being alive." he said cheerfully.

"As long as you stay that way I'm glad too." Astoria smirked.

**"You're not on here!" said Harry, after scanning the bottom of the tree closely.**

**"I used to be there," said Sirius, pointing at a small, round, charred hole in the tapestry, rather like a cigarette burn. "My sweet old mother blasted me off after I ran away from home - Kreacher's quite fond of muttering the story under his breath."**

**"You ran away from home?"**

**"When I was about sixteen," said Sirius. "I'd had enough."**

**"Where did you go?" asked Harry, staring at him.**

**"Your dad's place," said Sirius. "Your grandparents were really good about it; they sort of adopted me as a second son. Yeah, I camped out at your dad's in the school holidays, and when I was seventeen I got a place of my own. My Uncle Alphard had left me a decent bit of gold - he's been wiped off here, too, that's probably why - anyway, after that I looked after myself. I was always welcome at Mr. and Mrs. Potter's for Sunday lunch, though."**

**"But... why did you...?"**

**"Leave?" Sirius smiled bitterly and ran his fingers through his long, unkempt hair. "Because I hated the whole lot of them: my parents, with their pure-blood mania, convinced that to be a Black made you practically royal... my idiot brother, soft enough to believe them... that's him."**

"Hey! I died on the light side!" Regulus protested.

"I didn't know that and apparently you're not supposed to tell us how you died." Sirius reminded him.

"Not yet anyway." he shrugged, "I assume you'll find out eventually anyway since those three know." he nodded at the Golden Trio, who grinned and nodded in confirmation.

**Sirius jabbed a finger at the very bottom of the tree, at the name "Regulus Black". A date of death (some fifteen years previously) followed the date of birth.**

"Regulus? When exactly did you... Die?"

"It may have been before you were born. I dont really know anything but the date." he told Harry.

"He hadn't been born when I was told." Sirius said. "What date?"

"Um... 4th January 1979." he said.

"I'm the oldest of all of us and I wasn't born until September in 1979." Hermione told him, "So a bit before I was born and since I'm the oldest out of us," she gestured the other teens, "then I'd wager only one or two of our mothers were pregnant when you died."

"The tapestry said '(?) 1979'. I had a look and it never said anything about a date or month." Cissy added, "So it was a mystery."

"Because you just vanished off the face of the earth." Sirius nodded, frowning.

"I was gone for day's before I died, no one knew the exact day except me... Maybe Kreacher, but I doubt he'd know it, I don't know if he can read at all." Regulus explained.

"I'll ask him later." Harry sighed, "He won't like it but..."

"I'll ask him, he won't mind if I ask." Regulus offered.

Harry nodded gratefully.

**"He was younger than me," said Sirius, "and a much better son, as I was constantly reminded."**

**"But he died," said Harry.**

**"Yeah," said Sirius. "Stupid idiot... he joined the Death Eaters."**

"Which was stupid of me to do." Regulus nodded, "Pains me to say Sirius is right. Always was really, about that anyway." he rolled his eyes when Sirius smirked.

**"You're kidding!"**

**"Come on, Harry, haven't you seen enough of this house to tell what kind of wizards my family were?" said Sirius testily.**

**"Were - were your parents Death Eaters as well?"**

**"No, no, but believe me, they thought Voldemort had the right idea, they were all for the purification of the wizarding race, getting rid of Muggleborns and having purebloods in charge. They weren't alone, either, there were quite a few people, before Voldemort showed his true colours, who thought he had the right idea about things... they got cold feet when they saw what he was prepared to do to get power, though. But I bet my parents thought Regulus was a right little hero for joining up at first."**

**"Was he killed by an Auror?" Harry asked tentatively.**

**"Oh, no," said Sirius. "No, he was murdered by Voldemort. Or on Voldemort's orders, more likely; I doubt Regulus was ever important enough to be killed by Voldemort in person."**

"I know you cant tell us everything but... Were you?" Bill asked curiously.

"In a way." he said mysteriously. "Not by hand but not by orders either."

**"From what I found out after he died, he got in so far, then panicked about what he was being asked to do and tried to back out. Well, you don't just hand in your resignation to Voldemort. It's a lifetime of service or death."**

**"Lunch," said Mrs. Weasley's voice.**

**She was holding her wand high in front of her, balancing a huge tray loaded with sandwiches and cake on its tip. She was very red in the face and still looked angry. The others moved over to her, eager for some food, but Harry remained with Sirius, who had bent closer to the tapestry.**

**"I haven't looked at this for years. There's Phineas Nigellus... my great-great-grandfather, see?... least popular Headmaster Hogwarts ever had... and Araminta Meliflua... cousin of my mothers... tried to force through a Ministry Bill to make Muggle-hunting legal... and dear Aunt Elladora... she started the family tradition of beheading house-elves when they got too old to carry tea trays... of course, any time the family produced someone halfway decent they were disowned."**

"Hold it, are you sure it was Elladora who started that?" Andy frowned.

"Not 100%." Sirius shrugged, "More like 85% sure."

"It was her." Regulus told them, "Definitely her."

**"I see Tonks isn't on here. Maybe that's why Kreacher won't take orders from her - he's supposed to do whatever anyone in the family asks him -"**

**"You and Tonks are related?" Harry asked, surprised.**

"You didn't tell him?" Andy asked her daughter.

"Figured he'd beleive Sirius more than me." she shrugged, "He didn't really know me did he?"

"She has a point Andy." Harry chuckled, "I would've been suspicious."

**"Oh, yeah, her mother Andromeda was my favourite cousin," said Sirius, examining the tapestry closely. "No, Andromeda's not on here either, look -"**

**He pointed to another small round burn mark between two names, Bellatrix and Narcissa.**

**"Andromeda's sisters are still here because they made lovely, respectable pureblood marriages, but Andromeda married a Muggleborn, Ted Tonks, so -"**

**Sirius mimed blasting the tapestry with a wand and laughed sourly. Harry, however, did not laugh; he was too busy staring at the names to the right of Andromeda's burn mark. A double line of gold embroidery linked Narcissa Black with Lucius Malfoy and a single vertical gold line from their names led to the name Draco.**

**"You're related to the Malfoys!"**

**"The pureblood families are all interrelated," said Sirius. "If you're only going to let your sons and daughters marry purebloods your choice is very limited; there are hardly any of us left. Molly and I are cousins by marriage and Arthur's something like my second cousin once removed. But there's no point looking for them on here - if ever a family was a bunch of blood traitors it's the Weasleys."**

"Very proud thing to be." Arthur chuckled, "I forgot about that bond."

"I forgot too." Molly admitted. "And Sirius it's only through marriage with Arthur as well, then again that was distant." she told him.

"It was my third or fourth generation cousin who married your second cousin about 150 years ago." Arthur nodded.

All the Weasley's, except Molly and Arthur, shared looks.

"I reckon we should look into family ties." Ginny mused.

"There's still no incest in the Weasley line." Percy smirked, "I already looked into it."

"Brilliant, our brother the walking talking information box." Fred grinned. "Though the rest of us should still have a look too." he admitted.

"I'll tell you the histories later if you want me to." Arthur promised.

**But Harry was now looking at the name to the left of Andromeda's burn: Bellatrix Black, which was connected by a double line to Rodolphus Lestrange.**

**"Lestrange..." Harry said aloud. The name had stirred something in his memory; he knew it from somewhere, but for a moment he couldn't think where, though it gave him an odd, creeping sensation in the pit of his stomach.**

**"They're in Azkaban," said Sirius shortly.**

"And now they're dead." Cissy sighed.

**Harry looked at him curiously.**

**"Bellatrix and her husband Rodolphus came in with Barty Crouch junior," said Sirius, in the same brusque voice. "Rodolphus's brother Rabastan was with them, too."**

**Then Harry remembered. He had seen Bellatrix Lestrange inside Dumbledore's Pensieve, the strange device in which thoughts and memories could be stored: a tall dark woman with heavy-lidded eyes, who had stood at her trial and proclaimed her continuing allegiance to Lord Voldemort, her pride that she had tried to find him after his downfall and her conviction that she would one day be rewarded for her loyalty.**

**"You never said she was your -"**

**"Does it matter if she's my cousin?" snapped Sirius. "As far as I'm concerned, they're not my family. She's certainly not my family. I haven't seen her since I was your age, unless you count a glimpse of her coming into Azkaban. D'you think I'm proud of having a relative like her?"**

"Sorry Harry, I didnt mean to snap." Sirius apologised, "It was just a bit of a sore spot for me."

"It's fine. I suppose I shouldn't have asked." he smiled.

**"Sorry," said Harry quickly, "I didn't mean - I was just surprised, that's all -"**

**"It doesn't matter, don't apologise," Sirius mumbled. He turned away from the tapestry, his hands deep in his pockets. "I don't like being back here," he said, staring across the drawing room. "I never thought I'd be stuck in this house again."**

**Harry understood completely. He knew how he would feel, when he was grown up and thought he was free of the place for ever, to return and live at number four, Privet Drive.**

**"It's ideal for Headquarters, of course," Sirius said. "My father put every security measure known to wizardkind on it when he lived here. It's unplottable, so Muggles could never come and call - as if they'd ever have wanted to - and now Dumbledore's added his protection, you'd be hard put to find a safer house anywhere. Dumbledore is Secret Keeper for the Order, you know - nobody can find Headquarters unless he tells them personally where it is - that note Moody showed you last night, that was from Dumbledore..." Sirius gave a short, bark-like laugh. "If my parents could see the use their house was being put to now... well, my mother's portrait should give you some idea"**

**He scowled for a moment, then sighed.**

**"I wouldn't mind if I could just get out occasionally and do something useful. I've asked Dumbledore whether I can escort you to your hearing - as Snuffles, obviously - so I can give you a bit of moral support, what d'you think?"**

**Harry felt as though his stomach had sunk through the dusty carpet. He had not thought about the hearing once since dinner the previous evening; in the excitement of being back with the people he liked best, and hearing everything that was going on, it had completely flown his mind. At Sirius's words, however, the crushing sense of dread returned to him. He stared at Hermione and the Weasleys, all tucking into their sandwiches, and thought how he would feel if they went back to Hogwarts without him.**

**"Don't worry," Sirius said. Harry looked up and realised that Sirius had been watching him. "I'm sure they'll clear you, there's definitely something in the International Statute of Secrecy about being allowed to use magic to save your own life."**

**"But if they do expel me," said Harry quietly, "can I come back here and live with you?"**

**Sirius smiled sadly. "We'll see."**

**"I'd feel a lot better about the hearing if I knew I didn't have to go back to the Dursleys'," Harry pressed him.**

**"They must be bad if you prefer this place," said Sirius gloomily.**

**"Hurry up, you two, or there won't be any food left," Mrs. Weasley called.**

**Sirius heaved another great sigh, cast a dark look at the tapestry, then he and Harry went to join the others.**

"And on that charming note, I think we'll stop for dinner." Harry smiled.

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><p>Review please x<p> 


	63. Chapter 63

Chapter 63 - Dinner in the Hospital Wing.

20, August, 1998.

"Kreacher!" Harry called. There was a soft 'Pop!' and the Elf appeared at the end of the bed, he was holding a smaller elf, it looked like it was very young.

"Master Harry?! Are you hurt?! Why are you in the Hospital Wing?" the elf asked worriedly.

"Kreacher calm down, I'm fine. It was a PTSD relapse, I along with Ron and Hermione forgot to take the potion for it." Harry explained.

"Bad Master Harry, you need to take your potion or Miss Nurse will keep you here and you have to drink yucky potions." he croaked, looking stern.

"I know, she stuck me to the bed." he mumbled.

"That was me actually." Andy smirked.

Kreacher turned to look at her and bowed, "Very good Mistress Andy, you can teach my Master to behave and take his potions like a good boy so he doesn't get sick." he smiled up at her.

"I'll do that Kreacher, you know I won't let him get as bad as he did last time." she smiled back. "I'm guessing your helping Winky with the kids?"

"Yes. Winky told Kreacher she needed a rest so Kreacher took Bippy and Dinky took Bono and Dobby Jr so Winky could go for a nap."

"That was very nice of you Kreacher." Harry praised as the young Elf-let looked around curiously. Kreacher beamed, "Do you think you and a few other elves can bring a bit of dinner up?"

Before Kreacher could respond there was another 'Pop' and Winky appeared, "There yous is Kreacher, was Bippy any troubles?"

"Bippy was a very good Elflet for Kreacher today." he said handing the younger elf to her before turning back to Harry, "Yes Master Harry, Kreacher will get help and we can bring dinner up. Do you need anything else?"

"Not right now Kreacher, thank you." Harry smiled.

The two elves disappeared with twin 'Crack's!'.

"Did he just scold you?" Regulus asked, blinking in surprise.

"I told him he could say whatever he wanted to, to me at least." Harry smiled fondly, "So he'll scold me if he feels I need it. As long as he doesn't mind doing it and it's not overly insulting then I really dont have a problem with it."

"I'll be sure to get him to keep reminding you to take your potion then." Andy chuckled, "He seems keen to keep you out of here and St Mungo's."

"And he'll probably remind those three too." Minerva mused.

"Or he'll make sure we're there when he tell's Harry." Ginny smirked.

"I still cant beleive he's changed so much." Sirius said after a minute. "He seems... Happy."

"He is happy. House-elves are like humans in some ways." Hermione explained, "They can feel the same emotions as us, they can be miserable if their surroundings are horrible. It doesn't take a lot to make them happy, just kindness, a nice place to work and lot's of people to care for."

"Most of them settle for kindness and a nice place to work and rest in." Draco said, "Our's had a free selection of where they slept when they first came to us and they've been treated nicely by Mother and I." he shrugged. "As long as there's plenty work they're happy. Before you say anything Hermione, we offered them days off and sick leave, they didn't want it but if one of them is sick we order them to rest."

"I wasn't going to say anything, but that's good." she smiled.

There was a short pause.

"So what did you do to Grimmauld?" Regulus asked.

"Cleaned and re-decorated it." Harry answered.

"The house is fit for living in now." Ginny nodded.

"We all needed something to work on, to keep us busy." Ron added.

"So we got a few people and transformed the house." Hermione smiled, "It was Harry, Ron, Ginny, Draco, Astoria, Neville, Luna and I who did it."

"We all needed something to take our minds off things so we cleaned the house and re-decorated." Neville shrugged.

"Put new furniture in." Luna said.

"Painted the walls." Ginny smiled, "That was fun. We all got splattered with paint and a few times we ended up having a paint fight."

"It was fun." Draco nodded. "We also replaced the floors and lights."

"That must've took you ages with just the eight of you." Lily commented.

"About... Two month's? Maybe less." Harry shrugged. "We had Kreacher's help too and Draco's two Elves for cleaning up the dust and everything."

"We started on the 1st of June and we finished on the 1st August, just before you lot came back." Astoria added. "So just under two months since we didn't use everyday and I wasn't there until the second month."

"That sounds impossible." Molly said, "I thought you gave up because it was too messy?"

"We had a few tricks up our sleeves." Neville grinned.

"Mainly determination and someone who has experience with very dark objects." Luna said. "We managed to recycle almost everything, transfiguring some stuff or just giving it a good scrub. Not even a Knut was spent on it and the house still looks good."

"And as well as Grimmauld they managed to remove every dark object from the manner too." Cissy mused.

"We like being busy." Draco shrugged, "And it helped tire all of us out."

"Why is that a good thing? Do you like being tired?" Dudley asked.

"Yes, the more tired we are, the less chance of nightmares." Ginny explained.

"Especially in my case, being immune to Dreamless Sleep is generally a bad, very annoying thing." Harry huffed, Teddy stirred on his chest and he looked down to see two deep blue eyes looking at him worriedly. "Hello sleepy-head."

"Unca Har." the boy breathed looking around at everyone. "Wh're?"

"We're in the Hospital Wing." Harry told him, "Remember? I'm stuck to the bed so do you want to go to your Dad for me?"

"Yes." Teddy reached for Remus, who took him.

"Jeez, I forgot how heavy he can be when he's asleep." Harry breathed, sitting up a little more before the sticking charm stopped him.

Andy waved her wand, "As long as you don't get up you're now unstuck, so are you Ron."

"Thank you." both men said, stretching out.

"Much better now we don't have to sit still." Ron smiled.

"And we promise not to get up." Harry added, "I have the suspicion that if we tried we'd fall anyway."

"How'd you know?" Andy smirked, "You're right, none of you are strong enough yet, it'll be like your muscles are jelly until tomorrow night at the earliest, small side effect of the potion we had to give you to stop the relapse being worse. You won't be able to walk or stand until tomorrow either."

There was a series of 'Pop's!' and a few house-elves, including Kreacher, appeared with plates of food for everyone and a few pitchers of pumpkin juice, as well as cutlery and goblets for them all.

"Thank you." Hermione smiled, everyone also thanked the elves who blushed and popped away with squeaked 'Your welcome's' on their way out, only Kreacher stayed.

"Master Harry must only call Kreacher or one of the others when yous is done." he said before he bowed and left with a 'Pop!'.

"I'm getting even closer to finding a stronger potion for PTSD." Draco commented after a few minutes of hearing nothing but cutlery scraping plates and chewing. "It may even get rid of it all together." he added.

"It would be good if it did get rid of it. It's just inconvenient." Harry pouted.

"You just don't like being stuck in bed all day." Ginny pointed out.

"You usually don't like it either." Molly frowned.

Ginny shrugged, "I don't mind it this time. And besides, I have a feeling the few days after we're out of here will be really busy."

"How?" Harry frowned, "I know I'm speeding up the memories a lot but it'll take at least another few days, if not another week, to be done with all of them."

"We'll still need to get ready to bring Casper and Jasper home." she pointed out, "So we need to make another trip to Diagon soon and visit them to inform Emily that they'll be coming home soon too."

"And you'll both need to figure out what to tell the public. It wont stay quiet for long if you're seen with two young babies all of the time." Kingsley added, "I'm sure you remember what happened barely 4 weeks after the final battle?"

Harry and Andy grimace.

"Not likely to forget that are we?" Andy pouted. "Ridiculous article..."

"What article?" Lily frowned.

"Um... 4 weeks after the final battle there was a kind of memorial service..." she trailed off.

"Naturally we were there." Harry said gesturing everyone who had been there, "Andy had brought Teddy, it was the second time I had seen him so he was about 3 months old... Basically I took him off Andy so she could have a break and the reporters went crazy..." he hesitated.

"You've seen Teddy copying Harry before." Ginny said making them nod, "Guess what happened." she suggested.

"They accused you of being Teddy's father didn't they?" Remus mused.

"What else do you expect when the three of us disappeared for a year?" Hermione snorted, "They claimed Ginny was his Mum and that Harry really only disappeared because he was hiding from her brothers and Father, at first they didn't know Ron was with us you see."

"Which everyone would know is rubbish." Ginny huffed, "I was here at school and most people knew Dora was pregnant with Teddy thanks to the Death Eater's complaining about Half-Breed's and Blood-Traitors all year."

Dora sighed, "I have a feeling they dragged Mum into this somehow."

"They did." Andy nodded, "They claimed I was helping Harry and Ginny with Teddy, instead of the other way around, because Harry was the known Heir to the House of Black and apparently I owed him a lot of money so I helped with Teddy as re-payment." she growled.

"It was blown out of proportion before I could stop it." Kingsley added.

"So what happened?" James asked.

"Basically we all went mental at the reporters and started having them arrested." Harry shrugged, "They were forced to print that it was all lies and that Teddy is my Godson and Remus and Dora were his parents."

"They backed off quickly when your names were brought up." Hermione told Remus and Dora, "Being Order members helped scare them off..."

"It also helped that you were good friends with most of the DA." Neville mused, "Everyone's terrified of us turning them into a target or dragging their names through the dirt." he smirked, "They don't mess with DA members if they know what's good for them."

"And previously disowned or not, Andy is still a Black." Cissy smiled.

"And no-one messes with an angry Black." Andy grinned, "I reckon they forgot that fact."

"So we decided to remind them... Not so nicely mind you." Ron chuckled.

"It wasn't illegal was it?" Lily asked.

"No, just very very loud and very very scary, for the reporters." Kingsley laughed, "I set up an announcement for the Atrium at the Ministry and allowed Harry the honours of telling them all how disappointed and disgusted he was with the accusations against him and his friends and family."

"He reminded them about me being born a Black too when he summoned Kreacher to get Teddy off of Bill for him." Andy grinned after taking a drink, "Especially because Kreacher glared at the crowd and told them to 'Leave his Mistress Andy alone or the House of Black would curse them all' when he returned holding Teddy."

"People left us alone on the matter after that quickly." Harry smirked, "Seem's a lot of them figured out we really would curse them and the newspapers got it wrong. The article we put in the Quibbler helped too."

Luna smiled, "They know Daddy would only put the truth about you in there and we're glad to help you out with discrediting the other papers and magazines. Help's with publicity for us and helps you stop getting accused of things you didn't do."

"A win-win situation." Alice nodded.

"So it's been busy since we died?" Remus sighed.

"Only for the first month or so." Harry nodded, "Then only when we're in public as ourselves."

"We get a lot of people coming up to us if we're not disguised." Ron nodded, "Or if we're not surrounded by people we know, like the DA."

"It's amusing how quickly random people disappear when we take our wands out too." Hermione mused. "Seem's they're more afraid of us than they act."

"It's a good thing." Harry said, "Not them being scared of us, but that they disappear or leave us alone when we draw our wands."

"It doesn't always work though, mainly only at the Ministry or Hogsmeade." Ron huffed.

"Better than nothing." Dudley pointed out.

"Too true." Arthur nodded, "Just be glad that much works for you."

"I suppose." Ron shrugged.

After 5 minutes everyone had finished and Harry called Kreacher to get the dishes and such along with help.

"Thank you." Harry smiled at the elves as the disappeared, "Kreacher I have a little job for you to do so could you help the other Elves clean up and pop back?" he asked. Kreacher nodded and with a 'Pop!' disappeared.

Harry reached into his robes and pulled out a few bits of parchment, he tied them together with his wand.

Kreacher re-appeared and bowed, "What is it you need Master Harry?"

Harry handed him the tied up parchments, "Can you take these to the Goblin named Clanut for me please?" he whispered to the elf, he nodded and disappeared with a 'Crack!' this time. He noticed he was getting curious looks, "I'll explain later." he smiled, "Let's continue with the memories."

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><p>Review please x<p> 


	64. Chapter 64

Chapter 64 - Fifth Year (Part 4.5)

20, August, 1998.

"We're skipping until my trial." Harry informed them as Remus put Teddy on Ginny's bed, which he'd been trying to climb, the little boy sat and happily played with his stuffed wolf at Ginny's feet. "There's something you need to know though... The trial was moved to earlier that day, and a different place but we weren't told until it had been going on for 5 minutes or so."

"What!" James demanded.

"They, or rather Fudge, moved the trial. I had taken Harry to work with me you see, we were in my office when my co-worker, Perkins, ran in and told us about it." Arthur explained. "It was moved to courtroom 10."

"Isnt that the old courtrooms? The ones that were used for Death Eater trials?" Andy frowned.

"The very same one you're sister was sentenced to Azkaban actually." Harry confirmed. "Anyway we'll go from where I was entering the courtroom."

**Harry gasped; he could not help himself. The large dungeon he had entered was horribly familiar. He had not only seen it before, he had been here before. This was the place he had visited inside Dumbledore's Pensieve, the place where he had watched the Lestranges sentenced to life imprisonment in Azkaban.**

**The walls were made of dark stone, dimly lit by torches. Empty benches rose on either side of him, but ahead, in the highest benches of all, were many shadowy figures. They had been talking in low voices, but as the heavy door swung closed behind Harry an ominous silence fell.**

**A cold male voice rang across the courtroom.**

**"You're late."**

**"Sorry," said Harry nervously "I - I didn't know the time had been changed."**

**"That is not the Wizengamot's fault," said the voice. "An owl was sent to you this morning. Take You're seat."**

**Harry dropped his gaze to the chair in the centre of the room, the arms of which were covered in chains. He had seen those chains spring to life and bind whoever sat between them.**

"If those chains bind Harry, I'll - I'll -" began Lily threateningly.

"Do nothing because they didn't." Harry smiled.

**His footsteps echoed loudly as he walked across the stone floor. When he sat gingerly on the edge of the chair the chains clinked threateningly, but did not bind him.**

**Feeling rather sick, he looked up at the people seated at the bench above.**

**There were about fifty of them, all, as far as he could see, wearing plum-coloured robes with an elaborately worked silver W on the left-hand side of the chest and all staring down their noses at him, some with very austere expressions, others looks of frank curiosity.**

"You were tried in front of the whole Wizengamot?!" Draco asked shocked.

"I'm surprised you're Father never told you, I saw him down there." Harry said. "And yes, I was."

**In the very middle of the front row sat Cornelius Fudge, the Minister for Magic. Fudge was a portly man who often sported a lime-green bowler hat, though today he had dispensed with it; he had dispensed, too, with the indulgent smile he had once worn when he spoke to Harry.**

**A broad, square-jawed witch with very short grey hair sat on Fudge's left; she wore a monocle and looked forbidding. On Fudge's right was another witch, but she was sitting so far back on the bench that her face was in shadow.**

Those who knew it was Umbridge growled.

**"Very well," said Fudge. "The accused being present - finally - let us begin. Are you ready?" he called down the row.**

**"Yes, sir," said an eager voice Harry knew. Ron's brother Percy was sitting at the very end of the front bench. Harry looked at Percy, expecting some sign of recognition from him, but none came. Percy's eyes, behind his horn-rimmed glasses, were fixed on his parchment, a quill poised in his hand.**

"Sorry Harry." Percy said, "More of me being a git, coming right up." he muttered.

**"Disciplinary hearing of the twelfth of August," said Fudge in a ringing voice, and Percy began taking notes at once, "into offences committed under the Decree for the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery and the International Statute of Serecy by Harry James Potter, resident at number four, Privet Drive, Little Whinging, Surrey. Interrogators: Cornelius Oswald Fudge, Minister for Magic; Amelia Susan Bones, Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement; Dolores Jane Umbridge, Senior Undersecretary to the Minister. Court Scribe, Percy Ignatius Weasley - "**

**"Witness for the defence, Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore," said a quiet voice from behind Harry, who turned his head so fast he cricked his neck.**

"Good timing Albus." Remus grinned.

Albus just smiled back.

**Dumbledore was striding serenely across the room wearing long midnight-blue robes and a perfectly calm expression. His long silver beard and hair gleamed in the torchlight as he drew level with Harry and looked up at Fudge through the half-moon spectacles that rested halfway down his very crooked nose.**

**The members of the Wizengamot were muttering. All eyes were now on Dumbledore. Some looked annoyed, others slightly frightened; two elderly witches in the back row, however, raised their hands and waved in welcome.**

**A powerful emotion had risen in Harry's chest at the sight of Dumbledore, a fortified, hopeful feeling rather like that which phoenix song gave him. He wanted to catch Dumbledore's eye, but Dumbledore was not looking his way; he was continuing to look up at the obviously flustered Fudge.**

**"Ah," said Fudge, who looked thoroughly disconcerted. "Dumbledore. Yes. You - er - got our - er - message that the time and - er - place of the hearing had been changed, then?"**

**"I must have missed it," said Dumbledore cheerfully. "However, due to a lucky mistake I arrived at the Ministry three hours early, so no harm done."**

"Three hours is a bit much isnt it?" Petunia asked.

Albus shrugged, "I figured they would try something like that. Neither Harry nor I were in their good books, so to say, at that point."

**"Yes - well - I suppose we'll need another chair - I - Weasley, could you -?"**

**"Not to worry, not to worry," said Dumbledore pleasantly; he took out his wand, gave it a little flick, and a squashy chintz armchair appeared out of nowhere next to Harry.**

**Dumbledore sat down, put the tips of his long fingers together and surveyed Fudge over them with an expression of polite interest. The Wizengamot was still muttering and fidgeting restlessly; only when Fudge spoke again did they settle down.**

**"Yes," said Fudge again, shuffling his notes. "Well, then. So. The charges. Yes."**

**He extricated a piece of parchment from the pile before him, took a deep breath, and read out, "The charges against the accused are as follows:**

**"That he did knowingly, deliberately and in full awareness of the illegality of his actions, having received a previous written warning from the Ministry of Magic on a similar charge, produce a Patronus Charm in a Muggle-inhabited area, in the presence of a Muggle, on the second of August at twenty-three minutes past nine, which constitutes an offence under Paragraph C of the Decree for the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery, 1875, and also under Section 13 of the International Confederation of Warlocks' Statute of Secrecy. You are Harry James Potter, of number four, Privet Drive, Little Whinging, Surrey?" Fudge said, glaring at Harry over the top of his parchment.**

**"Yes," Harry said.**

**"You received an official warning from the Ministry for using illegal magic three years ago, did you not?"**

"It wasn't him." Hermione huffed.

**"Yes, but -"**

**"And yet you conjured a Patronus on the night of the second of August?" said Fudge.**

**"Yes," said Harry, "but -"**

**"Knowing that you are not permitted to use magic outside school while you are under the age of seventeen?"**

"Hey, let Harry finish speaking!" protested Sirius. "Don't interrupt him."

"You really think they'd give me a fair trial?" Harry asked. "After all they'd done?"

"No but they could've at least listened to you." he said.

**"Yes, but -"**

**"Knowing that you were in an area full of Muggles?"**

**"Yes, but -"**

**"Fully aware that you were in close proximity to a Muggle at the time?"**

**"Yes," said Harry angrily, "but I only used it because we were -"**

**The witch with the monocle cut across him in a booming voice.**

**"You produced a fully-fledged Patronus?"**

**"Yes," said Harry, "because -"**

**"A corporeal Patronus?"**

**"A - what?" said Harry.**

**"You're Patronus had a clearly defined form? I mean to say, it was more than vapour or smoke?"**

**"Yes," said Harry, feeling both impatient and slightly desperate, "it's a stag, it's always a stag."**

**"Always?" boomed Madam Bones. "You have produced a Patronus before now?"**

**"Yes," said Harry, "I've been doing it for over a year."**

**"And you are fifteen years old?"**

**"Yes, and -"**

**"You learned this at school?"**

**"Yes, Professor Lupin taught me in my third year, because of the -"**

**"Impressive," said Madam Bones, staring down at him, "a true Patronus at his age... very impressive indeed."**

"Amelia's a hard woman to impress too." Sirius mused.

**Some of the wizards and witches around her were muttering again; a few nodded, but others were frowning and shaking their heads.**

**"It's not a question of how impressive the magic was," said Fudge in a testy voice, "in fact, the more impressive the worse it is, I would have thought, given that the boy did it in plain view of a Muggle!"**

**Those who had been frowning now murmured in agreement, but it was the sight of Percy's sanctimonious little nod that goaded Harry into speech.**

"Knew that would work." Percy grinned.

"You did it on purpose?" Ginny asked, "And here I thought you thought he was mental."

"Mental in a good way." Percy smirked, "I knew Fudge wouldn't give him a chance and if he thought I agreed he'd speak up. I also agreed with Madame Bones, it is quite impressive and... I was curious about what happened too." he admitted.

"Well thank you." Harry smiled, "If I hadn't spoke up I'd probably be expelled."

**"I did it because of the Dementors!" he said loudly, before anyone could interrupt him again.**

**He had expected more muttering, but the silence that fell seemed to be somehow denser than before.**

**"Dementors?" said Madam Bones after a moment, her thick eyebrows rising until her monocle looked in danger of falling out. "What do you mean, boy?"**

**"I mean there were two Dementors down that alleyway and they went for me and my cousin!"**

**"Ah," said Fudge again, smirking unpleasantly as he looked around at the Wizengamot, as though inviting them to share the joke. "Yes. Yes, I thought we'd be hearing something like this."**

**"Dementors in Little Whinging?" Madam Bones said, in a tone of great surprise. "I don't understand -"**

**"Don't you, Amelia?" said Fudge, still smirking. "Let me explain. He's been thinking it through and decided Dementors would make a very nice little cover story, very nice indeed. Muggles can't see Dementors, can they, boy? Highly convenient, highly convenient... so it's just You're word and no witnesses..."**

"Considering I had no idea Muggles couldn't see them until he said that..." Harry muttered. "I'm just glad a few people saw what he was doing."

"And there was a witness, two actually." Dudley noted, "I may not have been able to see them but I felt them, and so did Mrs Figg."

"Even if she couldn't see them either." Harry said nodding.

"She could." Albus said, "Squibs can see Dementors. Mr Filch had to work with them so I knew she could see them too." he explained.

**"I'm not lying!" said Harry loudly, over another outbreak of muttering from the court. "There were two of them, coming from opposite ends of the alley, everything went dark and cold and my cousin felt them and ran for it -"**

**"Enough, enough!" said Fudge, with a very supercilious look on his face. "I'm sorry to interrupt what I'm sure would have been a very well-rehearsed story -"**

"It's not a well-rehearsed story!" protested Cissy. "It really happened."

**Dumbledore cleared his throat. The Wizengamot fell silent again.**

**"We do, in fact, have a witness to the presence of Dementors in that alleyway," he said, "other than Dudley Dursley, I mean."**

**Fudge's plump face seemed to slacken, as though somebody had let air out of it. He stared down at Dumbledore for a moment or two, then, with the appearance of a man pulling himself back together, said, "We haven't got time to listen to more tarradiddles, I'm afraid, Dumbledore. I want this dealt with quickly -"**

"But under the Wizengamot Charter of Rights, the accused has the right to present witnesses!" exclaimed Sirius. "What in Merlin's name are you doing Fudge?"

"Being an idiot as always. It's not about dealing with something, it's about the truth." Kingsley said.

"Which is one of the reasons your the first Minister I've not argued with so far." Harry smirked, "And I certainly dont plan to insult you like I did Scrimgeour and Fudge. Especially since you know what your doing." he added grinning.

"You did have a habit of pointing out exactly what my predecessors did wrong." Kingsley chuckled.

"Rufus wasn't all that bad. He just went about things in the wrong way." Albus sighed.

"And tried to get me working for him." Harry mused, "Being the poster boy for the Ministry isnt something I'd do because he said I had to."

"Or ever." Ginny smirked.

_Actually I have something to discuss with you, Ron and Hermione about that,_ he said mentally,_ later when everyone's gone though._

She nodded discreetly.

**"I may be wrong," said Dumbledore pleasantly, "but I am sure that under the Wizengamot Charter of Rights, the accused has the right to present witnesses for his or her case? Isn't that the policy of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, Madam Bones?" he continued, addressing the witch in the monocle.**

**"True," said Madam Bones. "Perfectly true."**

**"Oh, very well, very well," snapped Fudge. "Where is this person?"**

**"I brought her with me," said Dumbledore. "She's just outside the door. Should I -?"**

**"No - Weasley, you go," Fudge barked at Percy, who got up at once, ran down the stone steps from the judge's balcony and hurried past Dumbledore and Harry without glancing at them.**

**A moment later, Percy returned, followed by Mrs. Figg. She looked scared and more batty than ever. Harry wished she had thought to change out of her carpet slippers.**

"Oh dear," said Lily. "Mrs. Figg should have made herself look more presentable."

"It was a last minute thing, she didn't have time." Albus smiled.

**Dumbledore stood up and gave Mrs. Figg his chair, conjuring a second one for himself.**

**"Full name?" said Fudge loudly, when Mrs. Figg had perched herself nervously on the very edge of her seat.**

**"Arabella Doreen Figg," said Mrs. Figg in her quavery voice.**

**"And who exactly are you?" said Fudge, in a bored and lofty voice.**

**"I'm a resident of Little Whinging, close to where Harry Potter lives," said Mrs. Figg.**

**"We have no record of any witch or wizard living in Little Whinging, other than Harry Potter," said Madam Bones at once. "That situation has always been closely monitored, given... given past events."**

"Another thing I learned." Harry mused, "I had no idea they were watching the neighborhood."

"It was one of the reasons I couldnt contact you via owl or anything like that. I may not have known where you were but an owl would find you easily." Remus explained.

"That and you were being watched too." Albus sighed, "You're aware of the charm they put on you." he added.

"Stupid restrictions." Remus muttered, at the confused looks he added, "They had a charm on me to stop me getting anywhere near Harry until he was 13 or unless I had permission from the Ministry. Not that it mattered considering I didn't know where he was."

"13 is a little specific isn't it?" Hermione asked.

"A little. Basically it was until Harry could make his own decisions reliably." he shrugged.

"Which wouldn't apply to me considering the trouble my decisions got me into." Harry pouted, "At least until my 6th year."

"Some of your decisions saved a lot of lives, like 1st year." Hermione pointed out.

"And 2nd, killing the Basilisk and getting rid of the diary saved a lot of lives, including Ginny's." Ron added, "Saving Ginny saved us all too." he smiled at his little sister, "It would've destroyed all of us if..." he trailed off.

"If he'd been to late." Ginny sighed, "So glad you got there on time." she added to Harry.

"I'm glad about that too." he smiled.

**"I'm a Squib," said Mrs. Figg. "So you wouldn't have me registered, would you?"**

**"A Squib, eh?" said Fudge, eyeing her closely. "We'll be checking that. You'll leave details of You're parentage with my assistant Weasley. Incidentally, can Squibs see Dementors?" he added, looking left and right along the bench.**

**"Yes, we can!" said Mrs. Figg indignantly.**

**Fudge looked back down at her, his eyebrows raised. "Very well," he said aloofly. "What is You're story?"**

**"I had gone out to buy cat food from the corner shop at the end of Wisteria Walk, around about nine o'clock, on the evening of the second of August," gabbled Mrs. Figg at once, as though she had learned what she was saying by heart, "when I heard a disturbance down the alleyway between Magnolia Crescent and Wisteria Walk. On approaching the mouth of the alleyway I saw Dementors running -"**

**"Running?" said Madam Bones sharply. "Dementors don't run, they glide."**

**"That's what I meant to say," said Mrs. Figg quickly, patches of pink appearing in her withered cheeks. "Gliding along the alley towards what looked like two boys."**

**"What did they look like?" said Madam Bones, narrowing her eyes so that the edge of the monocle disappeared into her flesh.**

**"Well, one was very large and the other one rather skinny -"**

**"No, no," said Madam Bones impatiently. "The Dementors... describe them."**

**"Oh," said Mrs. Figg, the pink flush creeping up her neck now. "They were big. Big and wearing cloaks."**

"She didn't actually see them did she?" Amber groaned.

"You saw the memory, she wouldn't have seen them but she would've felt them." Harry shrugged.

**Harry felt a horrible sinking in the pit of his stomach. Whatever Mrs. Figg might say, it sounded to him as though the most she had ever seen was a picture of a Dementor, and a picture could never convey the truth of what these beings were like: the eerie way they moved, hovering inches over the ground; or the rotting smell of them; or that terrible rattling noise they made as they sucked on the surrounding air...**

They all shuddered involuntary.

**In the second row, a dumpy wizard with a large black moustache leaned close to whisper in the ear of his neighbour, a frizzy-haired witch. She smirked and nodded.**

**"Big and wearing cloaks," repeated Madam Bones coolly, while Fudge snorted derisively. "I see. Anything else?"**

**"Yes," said Mrs. Figg. "I felt them. Everything went cold, and this was a very warm summer's night, mark you. And I felt... as though all happiness had gone from the world... and I remembered... dreadful things..."**

**Her voice shook and died.**

**Madam Bones's eyes widened slightly. Harry could see red marks under her eyebrow where the monocle had dug into it.**

**"What did the Dementors do?" she asked, and Harry felt a rush of hope.**

"It looks like Madam Bones believes what happened." Regulus smiled happily.

"She should. Amelia knew all sorts of strange things usually happened to the Potter family." James mused, "Or if not strange, then dangerous and deadly. It's like a curse." he shrugged, "Personally I think we just attract trouble."

**"They went for the boys," said Mrs. Figg, her voice stronger and more confident now, the pink flush ebbing away from her face. "One of them had fallen. The other was backing away, trying to repel the Dementor. That was Harry. He tried twice and produced only silver vapour. On the third attempt, he produced a Patronus, which charged down the first Dementor and then, with his encouragement, chased the second one away from his cousin. And that that is what happened," Mrs. Figg finished, somewhat lamely.**

**Madam Bones looked down at Mrs. Figg in silence. Fudge was not looking at her at all, but fidgeting with his papers. Finally, he raised his eyes and said, rather aggressively, "That's what you saw, is it?"**

**"That is what happened," Mrs. Figg repeated.**

**"Very well," said Fudge. "You may go."**

**Mrs. Figg cast a frightened look from Fudge to Dumbledore, then got up and shuffled off towards the door. Harry heard it thud shut behind her.**

**"Not a very convincing witness," said Fudge loftily.**

**"Oh, I don't know," said Madam Bones, in her booming voice. "She certainly described the effects of a Dementor attack very accurately. And I can't imagine why she would say they were there if they weren't."**

**"But Dementors wandering into a Muggle suburb and just happening to come across a wizard?" snorted Fudge. "The odds on that must be very, very long. Even Bagman wouldn't have bet -"**

"Voldemort must have sent the Dementors." said James.

"He didnt." Hermione said simply.

**"Oh, I don't think any of us believe the Dementors were there by coincidence," said Dumbledore lightly.**

**The witch sitting to the right of Fudge, with her face in shadow, moved slightly but everyone else was quite still and silent.**

"Why do I have the feeling it was something to do with her?" Lily growled.

**"And what is that supposed to mean?" Fudge asked icily.**

**"It means that I think they were ordered there," said Dumbledore.**

**"I think we might have a record of it if someone had ordered a pair of Dementors to go strolling through Little Whanging!" barked Fudge.**

**"Not if the Dementors are taking orders from someone other than the Ministry of Magic these days," said Dumbledore calmly. "I have already given you my views on this matter, Cornelius."**

**"Yes, you have," said Fudge forcefully, "and I have no reason to believe that you're views are anything other than bilge, Dumbledore. The Dementors remain in place in Azkaban and are doing everything we ask them to."**

"Not for long." Draco muttered, "Voldemort was already working on recruiting them."

**"Then," said Dumbledore, quietly but clearly, "we must ask ourselves why somebody within the Ministry ordered a pair of Dementors into that alleyway on the second of August."**

**In the complete silence that greeted these words, the witch to the right of Fudge leaned forwards so that Harry saw her for the first time.**

**He thought she looked just like a large, pale toad. She was rather squat with a broad, flabby face, as little neck as Uncle Vernon and a very wide, slack mouth. Her eyes were large, round and slightly bulging. Even the little black velvet bow perched on top of her short curly hair put him in mind of a large fly she was about to catch in a long sticky tongue.**

They all made faces.

**"The Chair recognises Dolores Jane Umbridge, Senior Undersecretary to the Minister." said Fudge.**

**The witch spoke in a fluttery, girlish, high-pitched voice that took Harry aback; he had been expecting a croak.**

"We had too." said Regulus snickering.

**"I'm sure I must have misunderstood you, Professor Dumbledore," she said, with a simper that left her big, round eyes as cold as ever. "So silly of me. But it sounded for a teensy moment as though you were suggesting that the Ministry of Magic had ordered an attack on this boy!"**

"Why is Umbridge talking like she speaking to a six-year-old?" asked James.

"She always did it." Harry shrugged.

**She gave a silvery laugh that made the hairs on the back of Harry's neck stand up. A few other members of the Wizengamot laughed with her. It could not have been plainer that not one of them was really amused.**

**"If it is true that the Dementors are taking orders only from the Ministry of Magic, and it is also true that two Dementors attacked Harry and his cousin a week ago, then it follows logically that somebody at the Ministry might have ordered the attacks," said Dumbledore politely. "Of course, these particular Dementors may have been outside Ministry control -"**

**"There are no Dementors outside Ministry control!" snapped Fudge, who had turned brick red.**

"Yes there were. At least 10 at that point." Cissy sighed.

**Dumbledore inclined his head in a little bow.**

**"Then undoubtedly the Ministry will be making a full inquiry into why two Dementors were so very far from Azkaban and why they attacked without authorisation."**

**"It is not for you to decide what the Ministry of Magic does or does not do, Dumbledore!" snapped Fudge, now a shade of magenta of which Uncle Vernon would have been proud.**

**"Of course it isn't," said Dumbledore mildly. "I was merely expressing my confidence that this matter will not go uninvestigated."**

**He glanced at Madam Bones, who readjusted her monocle and stared back at him, frowning slightly.**

**"I would remind everybody that the behaviour of these Dementors, if indeed they are not figments of this boy's imagination, is not the subject of this hearing!" said Fudge. "We are here to examine Harry Potter's offences under the Decree for the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery!"**

**"Of course we are," said Dumbledore, "but the presence of Dementors in that alleyway is highly relevant. Clause Seven of the Decree states that magic may be used before Muggles in exceptional circumstances, and as those exceptional circumstances include situations which threaten the life of the wizard or witch him - or herself, or any witches, wizards or Muggles present at the time of the -"**

**"We are familiar with Clause Seven, thank you very much!" snarled Fudge.**

"Then follow your own laws!" Molly snapped.

**"Of course you are," said Dumbledore courteously. "Then we are in agreement that Harrys use of the Patronus Charm in these circumstances falls precisely into the category of excptional circumstances the clause describes?"**

**"If there were Dementors, which I doubt."**

**"You have heard it from an eyewitness," Dumbledore interrupted. "If you still doubt her truthfulness, call her back, question her again. I am sure she would not object."**

**"I - that - not -" blustered Fudge, fiddling with the papers before him. "It's - I want this over with today, Dumbledore!"**

**"But naturally, you would not care how many times you heard from a witness, if the alternative was a serious miscarriage of justice," said Dumbledore.**

**"Serious miscarriage, my hat!" said Fudge at the top of his voice. "Have you ever bothered to tot up the number of cock-and-bull stories this boy has come out with, Dumbledore, while trying to cover up his flagrant misuse of magic out of school? I suppose you've forgotten the Hover Charm he used three years ago -"**

**"That wasn't me, it was a house-elf!" said Harry.**

**"YOU SEE?" roared Fudge, gesturing flamboyantly in Harry's direction. "A house-elf! In a Muggle house! I ask you."**

**"The house-elf in question is currently in the employ of Hogwarts School," said Dumbledore. "I can summon him here in an instant to give evidence if you wish."**

**"I - not - I haven't got time to listen to house-elves! Anyway, that's not the only - he blew up his aunt, for God's sake!" Fudge shouted, banging his fist on the judge's bench and upsetting a bottle of ink.**

"But that was because Harry lost his temper!" Charlie protested. "And you let him off!"

**"And you very kindly did not press charges on that occasion, accepting, I presume, that even the best wizards cannot always control their emotions," said Dumbledore calmly, as Fudge attempted to scrub the ink off his notes.**

**"And I haven't even started on what he gets up to at school -"**

"But the Ministry can't punish students over what they do at school!" Minerva said smugly. "Only the Hogwarts staff can and we'd never expel a student, or students, for saving the school and the wizarding world."

**"But, as the Ministry has no authority to punish Hogwarts students for misdemeanours at school, Harry's behaviour there is not relevant to this hearing," said Dumbledore, as politely as ever, but now with a suggestion of coolness behind his words.**

**"Oho!" said Fudge. "Not our business what he does at school, eh? You think so?"**

**"The Ministry does not have the power to expel Hogwarts students, Cornelius, as I reminded you on the night of the second of August," said Dumbledore. "Nor does it have the right to confiscate wands until charges have been successfully proven; again, as I reminded you on the night of the second of August. In you're admirable haste to ensure that the law is upheld, you appear, inadvertently I am sure, to have overlooked a few laws yourself."**

**"Laws can be changed," said Fudge savagely.**

"Which takes weeks and wouldn't affect any trials or sentences before it had been changed." Kingsley smirked, "He really shouldn't play such dangerous games."

**"Of course they can," said Dumbledore, inclining his head. "And you certainly seem to be making many changes, Cornelius. Why, in the few short weeks since I was asked to leave the Wizengamot, it has already become the practice to hold a full criminal trial to deal with a simple matter of underage magic!"**

**A few of the wizards above them shifted uncomfortably in their seats. Fudge turned a slightly deeper shade of puce. The toadlike witch on his right, however, merely gazed at Dumbledore, her face quite expressionless.**

**"As far as I am aware," Dumbledore continued, "there is no law yet in place that says this court's job is to punish Harry for every bit of magic he has ever performed. He has been charged with a specific offence and he has presented his defence. All he and I can do now is to await you're verdict."**

**Dumbledore put his fingertips together again and said no more. Fudge glared at him, evidently incensed. Harry glanced sideways at Dumbledore, seeking reassurance; he was not at all sure that Dumbledore was right in telling the Wizengamot, in effect, that it was about time they made a decision. Again, however, Dumbledore seemed oblivious to Harry's attempt to catch his eye. He continued to look up at the benches where the entire Wizengamot had fallen into urgent, whispered conversations.**

"You know, I could've done with a little reassurance at that point." Harry said, glaring at Albus's portrait.

"I apologise, but I really did think it was for the best." Albus sighed.

**Harry looked at his feet. His heart, which seemed to have swollen to an unnatural size, was thumping loudly under his ribs.**

**He had expected the hearing to last longer than this. He was not at all sure that he had made a good impression. He had not really said very much. He ought to have explained more fully about the Dementors, about how he had fallen over, about how both he and Dudley had nearly been kissed...**

"Wouldn't have changed much." Sirius sighed, "Fudge would think you were making it up even under Veritaserum." he added bitterly.

**Twice he looked up at Fudge and opened his mouth to speak, but his swollen heart was now constricting his air passages and both times he merely took a deep breath and looked back down at his shoes.**

**Then the whispering stopped. Harry wanted to look up at the judges, but found that it was really much, much easier to examining his laces.**

**"Those in favor of clearing the witness of all charges?" said Madam Bones's booming voice.**

**Harry's head jerked upward. There were hands in the air, many of them... more than half!**

They all burst into spontaneous cheers.

**Breathing very fast, he tried to count, but before he could finish Madam Bones had said, "And those in favor of conviction?"**

**Fudge raised his hand; so did half a dozen others, including the witch on his right and the heavily mustached wizard and the frizzy-haired witch in the second row.**

**Fudge glanced around at them all, looking as though there was something large stuck in his throat, then lowered his own hand. He took two deep breaths and then said, in a voice distorted by suppressed rage, "Very well, very well... cleared of all charges."**

They all cheered again.

**"Excellent," said Dumbledore briskly, spinging to his feet, pulling out his wand, and causing the two chintz armchairs to vanish. "Well, I must be getting along. Good day to you all."**

**And without looking once at Harry, he swept from the dungeon.**

"And that's the end of the memory." Harry smiled.

"Albus why were you ignoring him!?" Lily demanded.

Albus sighed, "I thought it would be safer for there to be distance."

"Safer how?" James asked.

"You know how there's that connection that existed between Voldemort and I?" Harry said, everyone frowned but nodded, "There were times where I got into his head and saw exactly what Voldemort was doing at that moment and it probably went the other way too. At the end of the year Albus explained that he was worried about the connection incase Tom figured out what was happening and used it to spy on the Order, it's part of the reason I was kept in the dark." he explained.

"So you could spy on each other?" Remus frowned, "I thought you just got glimpses when you were asleep."

"It happened when I was awake too." he shook his head, "Occasionally I'd get a ful blown vision, other times it was just how he felt. I suspect it went the other way too."

"Which is why I decided it might be best if Tom didn't know how close Harry was to me." Albus sighed, "It hurt Harry a bit when the accidental 'flashes' happened."

"Hurt when it was on purpose too." Harry added. "I tried purposefully going into his mind a few times and my scar always burned badly after it. Any close contact at all was very painful." he admitted.

"Told you he was doing it on purpose Ron." Hermione huffed.

"I didn't think he would." Ron said defensively, he looked at Harry, "You're an idiot mate."

"You knew that when I jumped on the troll in first year, consequently making my wand go up it's nose." Harry grinned, "And yet here we are."

Everyone laughed a little at that.

"I'll admit I only partly agree with it was stupid to mess with Voldemort's head, I couldn't control it half the time, the few times I could he had his guard down. It allowed me to find out some of his plans or where he was." he added.

"Like the vision you had at... one point... this year." Arthur provided, "Saved my life that one."

"Exactly... Once I got a false vision though." he sighed with a small glance at Sirius, "It cost a lot."

"You know I don't blame you for that right?" Sirius asked. Harry nodded and gave him a 'drop it' look, he reluctantly obeyed.

"What time is it?" Hermione asked.

"8.30pm." George told her.

"Already? It doesn't feel like we've been here long." Ron mused.

"That'll be different tomorrow when it'll feel like forever." Ginny sighed.

"We were over-due for a visit anyway." Harry shrugged, "At least we broke our reccord for not landing in here for more than a few hours."

"How long has it been since you were last in here with an injury or illness?" Dora frowned.

"Not since the end of May." Hermione said, "So at least 3 months, for Harry that is. Ron and I havent been kept in since, um, last year I think, before we went into hiding... Ginny when was the last time you were in here for more than a day?"

"Before Christmas." she said smugly, "Unless you count 5 minute check-up's then I've not been here for more than 6 hours before. You three seem to land yourselves in here a lot."

"Come's with having people trying to kill you and being and all around target for bad guys." Harry mused. "And Quidditch isnt exactly risk free either."

"And yet you ended up in here more times than the whole team put together." George chuckled, "And that's only with Quidditch injuries."

"You cant say it's because Seeker's get targeted more either." Draco said, "I wasn't in here as much as you were, even when it was a Slytherin-Gryffindor match."

"Because we were more focused on getting the Chasers beating up our Chasers and stopping your Beaters hitting our Keeper." Fred commented.

"We also knew Harry could beat you." George added.

"And I won't even argue about that." he shrugged, "No one managed to get to the Snitch when playing against him."

"Except Cedric." Harry pointed out with a sigh.

"You couldn't have stopped the Dementors knocking you out." James reasoned, "And he wanted a re-match. Every Seeker misses the Snitch occasionally anyway, I missed it a time or two when I was in school." he shrugged.

"Mainly from underestimating me." Regulus mused, "No one else could get it against you."

"Except you because as you said, I underestimated you." James nodded.

"I told you not to." Sirius grinned, "And you didn't beleive me."

"Are we really going to sit and discuss Quidditch all night?" Hermione groaned.

"It would be nice, but no. We can watch another memory." Harry smiled. "Let's move on."

* * *

><p>Review please x<p> 


	65. Chapter 65

Chapter 65 - Fifth Year (Part 5)

"We'll start where we left off then I've got something to tell you before we continue so this'll be the last memory for tonight." Harry explained after Minerva had took his memory and put it in the pensieve for him, since he was forbidden to get off the bed.

**Dumbledore's abrupt departure took Harry completely by surprise. He remained sitting where he was in the chained chair, struggling with his feelings of shock and relief. The Wizengamot were all getting to their feet, talking, gathering up their papers and packing them away. Harry stood up. Nobody seemed to be paying him the slightest bit of attention, except the toadlike witch on Fudge's right, who was now gazing down at him instead of at Dumbledore.**

"Why do I have the feeling that she'll be important later on?" asked James.

"I do too." said Lily. "Let's just hope she doesn't turn out to be the DADA teacher or something."

"Um... Don't you remember what I told you about Umbridge?" Harry asked glancing at his left hand significantly.

The returnee's, minus Sirius, Remus and Dora who already knew, groaned.

"Look on the bright side, she inspired those three to start an Army." Draco said nodding at the Golden Trio.

"True. Dumbledore's Army was originally a study group, it became more than that once most of the members decided they wanted to learn how to fight Voldemort." Harry nodded. "It wasn't just Umbridge that inspired us though, it was the Ministry too."

"The Ministry feared Albus was building an Army of students to fight against them." Hermione explained, "We just made that half true. It wasn't Albus, it was Harry, Ron and I. And we weren't ever going to go against the Ministry unless we had no choice." she shrugged. "But we did make a student Army."

"Yeah, as Harry said it was originally a study group for DADA even though it was always called Dumbledore's Army." Ron nodded.

"Who picked the name?" Remus asked, "I never thought to ask before."

"It was me." Ginny smirked, "Mainly to stop Harry agreeing with Cho."

"It worked, I liked your idea better." he told her, "You'll learn the rest later." he added to those who didn't know.

**Ignoring her, he tried to catch Fudge's eye, or Madam Bones's, wanting to ask whether he was free to go, but Fudge seemed quite determined not to notice Harry, and Madam Bones was busy with her briefcase, so he took a few tentative steps towards the exit and, when nobody called him back, broke into a very fast walk.**

**He took the last few steps at a run, wrenched open the door and almost collided with Mr. Weasley, who was standing right outside, looking pale and apprehensive.**

**"Dumbledore didn't say -"**

**"Cleared," Harry said, pulling the door closed behind him, "of all charges!"**

**Beaming, Mr. Weasley seized Harry by the shoulders.**

**"Harry, that's wonderful! Well, of course, they couldn't have found you guilty, not on the evidence, but even so, I can't pretend I wasn't -"**

**But Mr. Weasley broke off, because the courtroom door had just opened again. The Wizengamot were filing out.**

**"Merlin's beard!" exclaimed Mr. Weasley wonderingly, pulling Harry aside to let them all pass. "You were tried by the full court?"**

"You didnt know?" Harry asked Arthur, he shook his head.

**"I think so," said Harry quietly.**

**One or two of the wizards nodded to Harry as they passed and a few, including Madam Bones, said, "Morning, Arthur," to Mr. Weasley, but most averted their eyes. Cornelius Fudge and the toadlike witch were almost the last to leave the dungeon. Fudge acted as though Mr. Weasley and Harry were part of the wall, but again, the witch looked almost appraisingly at Harry as she passed. Last of all to pass was Percy. Like Fudge, he completely ignored his father and Harry; he marched past clutching a large roll of parchment and a handful of spare quills, his back rigid and his nose in the air.**

"I was trying not to show how stupid I thought I was." Percy sighed.

"I'd noticed. You did it when you were younger too whenever you got a question wrong." Arthur told him, "You could've at least acknowledged me."

"Didn't fancy another argument... Or having a mental breakdown in public." he admitted, "I really didn't know what I was doing off on my own for the first few months."

"You should've owled us then." Molly frowned worriedly.

"I tried to, multiple times. They all came back unopened, I don't think Hermes could find you." he said.

"Damn, the wards on Grimmauld." Sirius muttered, "There's an old ward I couldn't get down that repels unknown owls that aren't invited in, except Ministry owls, and I didn't know how to get it down or alter it, I completely forgot." he groaned.

"So that's what happened." Percy frowned, "I know Hermes didn't do it on purpose, he seemed quite upset when he got back to me." he explained.

"You should've told me about it Sirius, I spent quite a while taking down wards for Gringotts." Bill said, "I'd bet I'd be able to remove it."

"Have a look later if you want." Harry shrugged, "You know we worked on the house so we'll be there in a few days anyway so you can see what we did." he added.

Bill nodded and they all turned back to the memory.

**The lines around Mr. Weasley's mouth tightened slightly, but other than this he gave no sign that he had seen his third son.**

**"I'm going to take you straight back so you can tell the others the good news," he said, beckoning Harry forwards as Percy's heels disappeared up the steps to Level Nine. "I'll drop you off on the way to that toilet in Bethnal Green. Come on -"**

**"So, what will you have to do about the toilet?" Harry asked, grinning. Everything suddenly seemed five times funnier than usual. It was starting to sink in: he was cleared, he was going back to Hogwarts.**

**"Oh, its a simple enough anti-jinx," said Mr. Weasley as they mounted the stairs, "but it's not so much having to repair the damage, its more the attitude behind the vandalism, Harry. Muggle-baiting might strike some wizards as funny, but it's an expression of something much deeper and nastier, and I for one -"**

**Mr. Weasley broke off in mid-sentence. They had just reached the ninth-level corridor and Cornelius Fudge was standing a few feet away from them, talking quietly to a tall man with sleek blond hair and a pointed, pale face.**

"Oh great." Draco groaned.

**The second man turned at the sound of their footsteps. He, too, broke off in mid-conversation, his cold grey eyes narrowed and fixed upon Harry's face.**

**"Well, well, well - Patronus Potter," said Lucius Malfoy coolly.**

"Oh!" Lily exclaimed, "I'm tempted to strangle him! He was there in that graveyard, after all!"

"He won't be getting away with anything." Kingsley assured her, "Escaping Azkaban twice earns him a spot in the highest security cells. The only part of the prison guarded by security trolls, wizards and Dementors."

"I thought you'd stopped using dementors?" Charlie frowned.

"I had to put the remaining ones somewhere." he shrugged, "They're only there until I figure out what to do with them."

"Remaining ones?" James asked.

"We managed to round up about 20, the rest found themselves trapped in a room in the DoM and there wasn't enough room for the rest." he explained, "So I need to find somewhere to put them."

**Harry felt winded, as though he had just walked into something solid. He had last seen those cold grey eyes through slits in a Death Eater's hood, and last heard that man's voice jeering in a dark graveyard while Lord Voldemort tortured him. Harry could not believe that Lucius Malfoy dared look him in the face; he could not believe that he was here, in the Ministry of Magic, or that Cornelius Fudge was talking to him, when Harry had told Fudge mere weeks ago that Malfoy was a Death Eater.**

**"The Minister was just telling me about your lucky escape, Potter," drawled Mr. Malfoy. "Quite astonishing, the way you continue to wriggle out of very tight holes - snakelike, in fact."**

"It's not snakelike! A lion can beat a snake any time!" Sirius yelled.

**Mr. Weasley gripped Harry's shoulder in warning.**

**"Yeah," said Harry, "yeah, I'm good at escaping."**

**Lucius Malfoy raised his eyes to Mr. Weasley's face.**

**"And Arthur Weasley too! What are you doing here, Arthur?"**

**"I work here," said Mr Weasley curtly.**

**"Not here, surely?" said Mr. Malfoy, raising his eyebrows and glancing towards the door over Mr. Weasley's shoulder. "I thought you were up on the second floor - don't you do something that involves sneaking Muggle artefacts home and bewitching them?"**

"When we catch him I'll let you punch him." Kingsley told Arthur, "I'm not allowed to because the Minister isn't allowed within touching distance of prisoners. So I'll let you do it... Or I might give the Aurors free reign with their choice of questioning him." he mused.

"Either way is fine with me." Arthur grinned as the others chuckled amusedly.

**"No," Mr. Weasley snapped, his fingers now biting into Harry's shoulder.**

**"What are you doing here, anyway?" Harry asked Lucius Malfoy.**

**"I don't think private matters between myself and the Minister are any concern of yours, Potter," said Malfoy, smoothing the front of his robes. Harry distinctly heard the gentle clinking of what sounded like a full pocket of gold.**

"Bribes!" spat Sirius.

"He was trying to convince Fudge to do something. I'm not sure what but it was probably bad." Cissy sighed.

**"Really, just because you are Dumbledore's favourite boy, you must not expect the same indulgence from the rest of us - shall we go up to your office, then, Minister?"**

**"Certainly," said Fudge, turning his back on Harry and Mr. Weasley. "This way, Lucius."**

**They strode off together, talking in low voices. Mr. Weasley did not let go of Harry's shoulder until they had disappeared into the lift.**

**"Why wasn't he waiting outside Fudge's office if they've got business to do together?" Harry burst out furiously. "What was he doing down here?"**

**"Trying to sneak down to the courtroom, if you ask me," said Mr. Weasley, looking extremely agitated and glancing over his shoulder as though making sure they could not be overheard. "Trying to find out whether you'd been expelled or not. I'll leave a note for Dumbledore when I drop you off, he ought to know Malfoy's been talking to Fudge again."**

**"What private business have they got together, anyway?"**

**"Gold, I expect," said Mr. Weasley angrily. "Malfoy's been giving generously to all sorts of things for years - gets him in with the right people - then he can ask favours - delay laws he doesn't want passed - oh, he's very well-connected, Lucius Malfoy."**

"He doesn't deserve to be so well-connected." Sirius growled angrily.

"Calm down, he's not anymore." Neville smiled.

**The lift arrived; it was empty except for a flock of memos that flapped around Mr. Weasley's head as he pressed the button for the Atrium and the doors clanged shut. He waved them away irritably.**

**"Mr. Weasley," said Harry slowly, "if Fudge is meeting Death Eaters like Malfoy, if he's seeing them alone, how do we know they haven't put the Imperius Curse on him?"**

**"Don't think it hasn't occurred to us, Harry," said Mr. Weasley quietly. "But Dumbledore thinks Fudge is acting of his own accord at the moment -"**

"It still didn't do the Order any good." pointed out Bill.

**"which, as Dumbledore says, is not a lot of comfort. Best not talk about it any more just now, Harry."**

**The doors slid open and they stepped out into the now almost deserted Atrium. Eric the watchwizard was hidden behind his Daily Prophet again. They had walked straight past the golden fountain before Harry remembered.**

**"Wait -" he told Mr. Weasley, and, pulling his moneybag from his pocket, he turned back to the fountain.**

**He looked up into the handsome wizard's face, but close-to Harry thought he looked rather weak and foolish. The witch was wearing a vapid smile like a beauty contestant, and from what Harry knew of goblins and centaurs, they were most unlikely to be caught staring so soppily at humans of any description.**

"Yeah," said Lily. "They wouldn't. That fountain really ought to be changed."

"Te revealing of the new statue is just before Christmas. I already had the old one, which was worse, taken away." Kingsley explained, "I'm changing a lot of things there, I might add an extra department or two in later years but at the moment I estimate it'll be 1 or 2 years from now until everything is completely normal and repaired."

"That long?" Regulus asked in shock.

"Yes, I'll be revising and going over all the current and old laws in the Wizarding world and removing, changing or updating them as necessary." he explained, "Mainly to get rid of the ones made by blood purists like Fudge and Umbridge, they did a lot of damage with some of their laws. Especially concerning magical creatures."

"Like the Werewolf ones." Remus nodded, "Made things impossible for part-humans to live freely. Some of the laws are agreeable but most are overly restricting and have been for century's."

"That's exactly what I thought." Kingsley nodded, "So it's out with the old and in with the new." he grinned.

"And everyone will support that." Arthur smiled, "Well... Maybe not the ones that think the laws are right."

"I'll deal with that when I get to that point." he promised, "If not I'll get Harry to help, they listen to him more than me as it is." he chuckled.

"Which is why you're glad I'll help." Harry smiled, "I can be very persuasive when I need to be."

"You don't have to tell us twice." Ron and Hermione muttered at the same time.

**Only the house-elf's attitude of creeping servility looked convincing. With a grin at the thought of what Hermione would say if she could see the statue of the elf, Harry turned his moneybag upside-down and emptied not just ten Galleons, but the whole contents into the pool.**

**"I knew it!" yelled Ron, punching the air. "You always get away with stuff!"**

**"They were bound to clear you," said Hermione, who had looked positively faint with anxiety when Harry had entered the kitchen and was now holding a shaking hand over her eys, "there was no case against you, none at all."**

**"Everyone seems quite relieved, though, considering you all knew I'd get off," said Harry, smiling.**

"There was always that doubt that you wouldn't." said Ginny, "Fudge is an idiot after all."

**Mrs. Weasley was wiping her face on her apron, and Fred, George and Ginny were doing a kind of war dance to a chant that went: "He got off, he got off, he got off -"**

They all laughed at the twins and Ginny's antics.

**"That's enough! Settle down!" shouted Mr. Weasley, though he too was smiling. "Listen, Sirius, Lucius Malfoy was at the Ministry -"**

**"What?" said Sirius sharply.**

**"He got off, he got off, he got off- "**

**"Be quiet, you three! Yes, we saw him talking to Fudge on Level Nine, then they went up to Fudge's office together. Dumbledore ought to know."**

**"Absolutely," said Sirius. "We'll tell him, don't worry."**

**"Well, I'd better get going, there's a vomiting toilet waiting for me in Bethnal Green. Molly, I'll be late, I'm covering for Tonks, but Kingsley might be dropping in for dinner -"**

**"He got off, he got off, he got off -"**

**"That's enough - Fred - George - Ginny!" said Mrs. Weasley, as Mr. Weasley left the kitchen.**

"I swear that's the first time I've had to tell you three to behave at the same time." Molly sighed.

"Nope, there was the time just before I started school Mum." Ginny smirked, "Remember I was trying to get Fred and George to help me blow something up?"

"Oh, I'd forgotten about that." Molly mused, "What was it again?"

"That old rock in the orchid." George grinned.

"The one blocking the gate to that big empty field out back." Fred added.

"I wanted to go exploring." Ginny sighed, "But you caught us."

"Because that field might be dangerous. There's active magic protecting it." Arthur said, "We don't know for sure but it might have been dangerous and it wasnt worth the risk."

"Really?" Ron asked, "Or are you trying to convince us to leave it alone? I'm quite curious about it now."

"It's true." Bill nodded, "I checked one night after Charlie ran into one of the wards protecting it when we were home a few months after starting our jobs, he just bounced off. It's not dangerous but you cant access it either." he shrugged.

**"Harry, dear, come and sit down, have some lunch, you hardly ate breakfast."**

**Ron and Hermione sat themselves down opposite him, looking happier than they had done since he had first arrived at Grimmauld Place, and Harry's feeling of giddy relief, which had been somewhat dented by his encounter with Lucius Malfoy, swelled again. The gloomy house seemed warmer and more welcoming all of a sudden; even Kreacher looked less ugly as he poked his snoutlike nose into the kitchen to investigate the source of all the noise.**

**"Course, once Dumbledore turned up on your side, there was no way they were going to convict you," said Ron happily, now dishing great mounds of mashed potato on to everyone's plates.**

**"Yeah, he swung it for me," said Harry. He felt it would sound highly ungrateful, not to mention childish, to say, "I wish he'd talked to me, though. Or even looked at me."**

"Sorry Harry." Albus said sighing.

**And as he thought this, the scar on his forehead burned so badly that he clapped his hand to it.**

**"What's up?" said Hermione, looking alarmed.**

**"Scar," Harry mumbled. "But it's nothing - it happens all the time now -"**

"But it's still not good news." said Sirius frowning.

**None of the others had noticed a thing; all of them were now helping themselves to food while gloating over Harry's narrow escape; Fred, George and Ginny were still singing.**

"Doesn't mean we weren't paying attention." Ginny huffed, "I'd noticed actually but I didn't know exactly what happened so I let those two deal with it." she nodded at Ron and Hermione.

**Hermione looked rather anxious, but before she could say anything, Ron had said happily, "I bet Dumbledore turns up this evening, to celebrate with us, you know."**

**"I don't think he'll be able to, Ron," said Mrs. Weasley, setting a huge plate of roast chicken down in front of Harry. "He's really very busy at the moment."**

**"HE GOT OFF, HE GOT OFF, HE GOT OFF-"**

**"SHUT UP!" roared Mrs. Weasley.**

This set everyone off laughing.

"Sorry Mum." Fred grinned.

"You know we cant resist being annoying at every chance we get." George added.

"And it was fun." Ginny nodded, "At that time everyone needed a laugh or something to distract them from the war... Even those of us who didnt get told what we couldnt have guessed." she pouted.

"That was the end of the memory." Harry said before an argument could start.

* * *

><p>Review please x<p> 


	66. Chapter 66

Chapter 66 - Prophecy.

"You'll remember I said I'd tell you the Prophecy before I was told?" Harry asked, those who were there nodded. "Well I was going to leave it until just before we got the train but I think I'll just tell you now."

"Is this Prophecy the reason you had to kill Voldemort?" Petunia asked. "Dumbledore never actually told me what the content was but he told me about it existing and explained what it was." she explained.

"Exactly." he nodded.

"Is it bad?" Dudley asked.

Harry nodded and took a deep breath, "Quite bad yes." he sighed, "Well it's this: 'The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches... born to those who have thrice defied him born as the seventh month dies... and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord know's not... and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives... the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies...'" he finished with his eyes closed.

There was a shocked silence. James, Lily, Sirius, Remus, Alice, Frank, Ron, Hermione and Ginny already knew it so only looked sad and upset. Those who didn't know were trying to come to terms with what they had just been told.

"That's what it said?" Dora asked softly.

"Word for word." Harry confirmed, "I don't think I'll ever forget it to be honest."

"But... What does it mean?" Amber asked confused.

"Basically it means he had to kill Voldemort and only he had the power to do so." James sighed, "At least thats what we interpreted it as."

"Partly right James." Albus nodded gravely, "It could've meant two boys as you know though."

"Who's the other one?" Neville asked.

"That would be you." Frank told him, "We'd escaped Voldemort three times and you're only a few hours older than Harry too. You were born just before 11pm, Harry was born the next day just after 6am."

"The two of you fit the requirement so the six of us had to go into hiding." Alice smiled sadly, "Not that we stayed hidden for long."

"If it could've been either of us how'd you know it was Harry?" Neville asked Albus.

"'The Dark Lord shall mark him as his equal'." Albus quoted.

"And he certainly did that." Harry muttered gesturing his forehead moodily. "Believe me when I say I asked all these questions too."

"How about the 'neither can live while the other survives' part?" Fred questioned.

"Well... That's hard to explain." Harry sighed, "Basically neither of us could truly live while the other did, we were too focused on killing each other. It was always going to be me or him."

"And we're all glad you won." Hermione smiled. "And lived."

"Out of curiosity what was the 'power he knows not'?" Sirius asked.

"Love." Albus smiled, "Riddle couldn't understand love or truly care for anyone except himself. It's a weakness because he refused to acknowledge the power love can give."

"He cared about Nagini." Harry shrugged, "Though that might be something to do with being his familiar and the snake being just as evil as him." he mused. "He also cared about the objects keeping him alive and Nagini was one of them."

"He had more than the one I found?" Regulus asked in shock.

"6 of them." Ron nodded after sharing a look with Harry.

"Ugh." Regulus groaned, "It's a wonder you three survived finding them all."

"We only helped get rid of 4 of them, 1 was destroyed before we knew what they were." Hermione explained, "Another was destroyed by Albus just before we learned about them."

"What exactly is 'them'?" Remus frowned.

"Objects that kept Riddle alive." Harry said shortly, "We wont say exactly what right now, it'll reveal too much and it's still a bit painful for us."

"Objects that kept him... Oh merlin, don't tell me it is what I think it is." Sirius groaned.

"Depends what you think it is." Regulus shrugged, "I already know what they mean."

"Wait." Bill gasped, "You didn't! That's the darkest kind of magic possible!" he looked at his youngest brother, Hermione and Harry in shock.

"We did." Ron nodded, "Why'd you think we couldnt tell the Order?"

"Because you were told not to. Now do you mind explaining what the hell your talking about?" Dora asked irritably.

"You dont want to know." Sirius shuddered, "Bill's right, it's some of the darkest magic in the world."

"I'm sure we can handle it." Molly scowled.

"We cant say." Harry said apologetically, "If you figure it out then we'll admit to it if we know you know." he shrugged.

"How many people actually know?" Regulus asked.

"Um... 7 I think." Hermione shrugged, "It's not common knowledge."

"Like how the prophecy was kept quiet, even now it's not known by anyone outside of this room, except Aberforth." Harry explained.

"Because he wanted to know how you could stand up to him when he was in a bad mood and what you'd been doing. Not even I could do that and I'm his brother." Albus chuckled.

"He wouldn't help us unless we told him." Ron shrugged, "So Harry did and he helped us after a little more persuasion."

Albus sighed, "He's been like that since he was 14, always needing a valid reason before he did something." he cocked his head to the side as though listening to something, "If you'll excuse me. It seems someone's calling on me." he smiled leaving the portrait.

"So you found out about the prophesy when you were 15?" Charlie asked.

"Yeah, the night Sirius died." Harry nodded.

"That's part of the reason why you were so depressed isn't it?" Arthur asked.

"No, the prophecy was big but I didn't start worrying about it until about a month or two after I'd heard it." he explained, "Truthfully I was expecting something like that." he shrugged. "Voldemort was determined to kill me, I found out. All the prophecy did was confirm what I could've guessed and told me a few other things, 'power he knows not' and 'neither can live while the other survives' are two of the things I learned about."

"We'd noticed you never got worked up about it." Ron nodded, "It was like you didnt really know what it meant at times. Like it was just something Professor Binns said."

"I accepted it." he shrugged, keeping his face blank and his voice neutral, "I knew there was a chance I would die but I also believed I could kill Voldemort too, after some time that is."

"Not buying it. You worried about it at one point." Ginny told him, Teddy was cuddled up to her stomach now, looking around while holding his stuffed wolf tightly. "You may have accepted it but you still worried."

"When I was first told, yes, just a little." he admitted, "I was 15 and just told I had to kill the darkest wizard on the planet before he killed me, naturally I worried a little about how I could possibly do it. I'd thought about it a lot while I was at Privet Drive and realised it didn't matter how old I was or that I thought I couldn't at that time, it was still going to happen eventually and I couldn't change that."

"Because of Voldemort's ignorance." Lily sighed, "He didn't even know all of the prophesy and he still came after us."

"We cant change that either." Alice told her, "What we can do is be glad that old Voldy is gone and we've been avenged and helped by our son's." she smiled at Neville proudly.

Neville smiled back, "We'd help any of you any time at all." he said.

"And be glad to do it." Harry added, "Us helping you helps us too, you know."

"Good." James nodded, "Although you may be in trouble if you give us any more mini-heart attacks." he frowned.

"We cant help it." Ron protested, "It's not our fault we end up in dangerous or terrifying situations."

"He has a point." Harry mused, "As you know, I don't look for trouble, it finds me."

"Same goes for the rest of us." Hermione added, "Even when we're separated one of us always get's in trouble."

"It started at random times, maybe once or twice every year and it just started getting more and more often as the war got worse." Ginny sighed.

"Blame Voldemort for that one." Neville suggested, "It really is his fault after all."

"And he's dead so it's totally safe to blame him." Dora grinned, "And easier."

"Or blame the loyal Death Eater's." Regulus smirked, "They are probably a big part of the trouble you got into anyway."

"Valid points." Harry smirked, "I think we'll do that. You all reacted better than I thought you would to the prophesy." he commented.

"We knew it was probably something like that." Bill shrugged.

"Yeah mate, there had to be a reason for Voldemort trying to off you himself." Fred nodded.

"It couldn't have just been coincidence he attacked you and your parents all those years ago." George reasoned.

"If anything Voldemort had a high awareness for self preservation." Draco added, "He wouldn't attempt to kill you after what happened the first time if he didnt have a reason."

"Well he was stupid to try it again." Harry chuckled, "Hence I'm here alive and he's a pile of non-existent ashes."

"He should've learned you cant mess with a Potter when he went after my parents." James commented, "From what I heard he was weakened quite a bit. When he went after my parents at Potter manor, he'd had to use a lot of power to get the wards down and they were quite powerful." he sighed, "The only reason they lost is because they were outnumbered."

"Yeah, there was at least 20 Death Eaters and Voldemort himself there." Regulus nodded, "I would've warned you if I'd known about that attack before it happened."

"Oh really? I'm sorry Reg, but I find that a little hard to beleive." Sirius told him.

"We may not have been on the best terms but I was grateful they took care of you Siri, they treated you like their own son, better than we were ever treated by our parents." he explained.

"And ours." Cissy said and Andy nodded, "The whole lot of them didn't care about anything other than trying to make sure we ended up as the 'perfect purebloods'." she made a face.

"You have a point." Sirius nodded, "I'm glad I left."

"Same here." Andy smiled, "I fear we would've gave in to the madness if we'd stayed."

"Bad thing, very bad." Regulus muttered, "Been there, done that, regret it, never going there again."

"All the best people are a little bit mad." Harry smiled widely, "Not always in a bad way." he added nodding to the portrait where Albus had been.

"Yes, and according to the majority of magical Britain, us three are more than a little mad." Hermione snorted.

"Couldn't be anything to do with breaking into Gringotts and riding a dragon to get out again could it?" Bill inquired smirking.

"Probably." Ron shrugged, "Seem's almost normal for us."

"Nah, normal's getting passed the whole Ministry without getting caught or noticed until about an hour after entering." Harry grinned, "We did that too." he added to the confused looks.

"You broke into the Ministry?" Dora asked.

"Um... Yes?" Hermione tried, "We had to get something and the Ministry wasnt very co-operative with us at that time so we broke in. We'll explain later." she added.

"It is an incredibly long story." Harry agreed, "And involves you lot having to understand more than we want to give away at the moment."

"About that, is there a reason you don't want to give much away?" Remus asked.

The Golden Trio exchanged looks.

"We've done a lot, some of it's still quite painful for us to re-live." Harry said finally, "If we told you there's a chance you'd go into shock or not beleive us. Even if some of you know some of it there's still a chance you wouldn't understand and we want all of you to understand exactly what we've been through."

"Not all of it's bad but there's still a few memories that give us nightmares." Hermione admitted, "Even stuff from years ago comes back to haunt us sometimes."

"It is a little hard to re-live everything, but we can handle it." Ron smiled, "Or at least we'll try to without ending up in here." he gestured the Hospital Wing in general.

"Or St Mungo's." Harry put in, "Poppy is great but even somethings are beyond her."

"Like some type's of mind magic." Andy nodded, "Which is why I'll be helping her with you three, and Ginny too, from now on."

"What?" Percy asked confused.

"Oops, forgot to mention it." Ginny mumbled, "I've got PTSD now."

All of them looked shocked, the Golden Trio having not heard her when she was told.

"How?" Harry asked.

"Developed it." she shrugged, "Right Andy?"

"Pretty much. It seem's to have been developing for a while so it was only a matter of time before it showed itself." she sighed, "The odd thing is you never showed any of the normal signs."

"What are the normal signs?" Fred asked curiously.

"Usually a person who has it or is getting it snaps at people and is generally over stressed or anxious about something." Draco told him, "I'm working on the cure but I don't know what else to try, I have the feeling I'm missing something..." he muttered before his eyes went wide, he whispered something to Astoria, "I'll be back in a bit." he got up and ran out the Hospital Wing.

"Where's he going? I've never seen him like that before." Cissy asked Astoria.

"To ask Severus about something." she replied smiling, "If I'm not mistaken he's just figured something out to do with the potion."

"He has been waiting for a breakthrough." Neville mused.

They all broke into separate conversations and 20 minutes later Draco returned smiling widely.

"I've got it figured out. I was missing two ingredients, Moonshine and Firewhiskey."

"Alcohol in potions?" Charlie asked curiously.

"Just a little, the Firewhiskey helps the mind relax and Moonshine, mixed with other ingredients, removes thing's that shouldn't be in the body. In the case of PTSD, once the potion is completed, it should hopefully remove the unstable emotional reactions which are what causes a relapse - generally with the magical version the condition stays for the lifetime of the affected person and tiny little things can set it off as can neglect of potions, which has obviously happened with those three." he explained, gesturing the Golden Trio.

"You know, the Muggle version is much easier to get rid of." Andy mused, "It's just with the magical version the magic of the affected person keeps a hold of the PTSD and lodges it in the mind permanently, with Muggle's it can be treated and cured but those medicines don't work on magical's." she stated, "It's trickier to remove the magical version of PTSD, but we have more effective treatments for the symptoms than Muggle's do." she muttered.

"Kind of a mixed thing then?" Amber inquired, "Muggle's can get rid of it completely but magical's can treat the symptoms better?"

Draco nodded, "That's why I've been working on a way to either remove the unstable emotional reactions or remove it completely. I'll start the potion tonight and it should be done by tomorrow morning after it's 10 hour brewing time, ready for testing on tomorrow afternoon and ready to be tried tomorrow night."

"Excelent." Ginny grinned.

"It'll be excellent if he doesn't blow up the cauldron again." Cissy mused.

"I didnt mean to do that. I was interrupted - rather loudly - and spilled more powdered fire crab claw into the potion than I was supposed to." Draco huffed.

"Powdered fire crab claw? I've never heard of a potion that has that in it." Lily frowned.

"It was in the making of a potion I was trying to create." Draco shrugged, "The one that returned Sirius's memories that were taken by the Dementors. It balanced two ingredients that were dangerous alone and allowed me to achieve my goal."

"Cool." Sirius grinned.

"How did you get so good at potions?" Frank asked curiously.

"When your Godfather was the youngest potions master in Britain it's hard not to be." Draco shrugged, "I've been brewing potions since I was 5 when Uncle Sev started teaching me the basics and when I started Hogwarts I used to brew potions through the summer too. He made sure I didn't show off though, I knew most of the first and second year potions by the time I was 10 but Uncle Sev told me to make some small mistakes so I wouldn't be showing off."

"Why'd he do that?" James frowned.

"No idea. Probably so I didn't get over-confidant and blow up the school or something, it's different in a class too. You have to be conscious of other people so I made mistakes due to distractions and the likes anyway."

"You've always been easy to distract." Cissy smirked, "When you were a toddler and trying to get into places you shouldn't all your Father or I had to do was give you something shiny or colourful and you'd sit for hours playing with it."

"That explains the bunch of shiny stones I found under my bed." he grinned, as the others laughed, "I'd wondered where they came from."

"Harry was hard to distract, consider yourself lucky." Lily told Cissy.

"Actually it was only you and Prongs that found it hard to distract him." Sirius pointed out, "Remus and I had no problem getting him away from somewhere he wasn't supposed to be."

"They're right Lils." James grumbled, he looked at Harry, "You always ignored us if those two were there."

Harry frowned, "What did I do if Pettigrew was there?" he asked curiously.

"Mainly watched him or ignored him. If he went to pick you up you'd squirm until one of us took you or he put you down again." Remus frowned, "We didn't know why but you never ever liked him, even when you were just a few days old and just out of hospital, you just screamed if he was holding you."

"Pity I didn't make him deaf." Harry smirked.

"Exactly what I was thinking." Sirius said cheerfully, he looked at the Weasley children and Neville, "You lot wouldn't go near Pettigrew either, no matter that you saw us so rarely you obviously dont remember seeing us." he shrugged.

"One example of why we should've listened to Bill and Charlie." Arthur muttered, "They came to us one night when he and Remus dropped Harry off with us since we used to watch all the kids of Order members, we weren't full members at that time, and told us he seemed off."

"We didn't know what to make of it." Molly added, "So we just left it."

"I remember that." Bill nodded, "You said he was upset because you'd all been told about someone's death... Can't remember much more before or after that." he shrugged.

"I can't remember it at all." Charlie added.

"You were only 7, Bill was only 9." Arthur told him, "And a lot has happened since then and we did keep you away from the gist of what was going on with the war anyway."

"I only remember snippets." Bill nodded, "Not a lot but a few bits."

"You two spent most of your time keeping an eye on the twins for us." Molly chuckled, "And Ron when he was born."

"We figured it would be good practice for when you started your own families." Arthur grinned.

"I'll agree with that." Charlie smirked, "5 younger siblings and not much chance of forgetting how to take care of them as babies."

"Quite annoying." Ginny huffed.

"Yeah you got to know all of our baby stories -"

"- and we didn't get to know yours unless Mum or Dad told us."

"Same with Perce." Ron added, "It was always when you three were at Hogwarts though."

"Brilliant." Percy grumbled.

Molly checked her watch, "It's getting late, we should head home and to bed." she said.

Everyone nodded and said their goodbye's to the four bed ridden teens with promises to be back the next morning. Minerva, however, stayed until the others were gone.

"I just wanted to tell you about something." she told them at their curious looks, "I've discussed it with the other teachers and I'll talk with the other returning teens soon." she added.

"What is it?" Harry inquired.

"We were thinking about how your status's will effect the younger students and how that could mean trouble all around."

"Status's?" Ron asked.

"Your fame and the fact you are Lycan's." she clarified, "People still don't know how to react to it and we're worried the younger students might be scared if they don't understand."

Hermione frowned, "That's true but there's not a lot we can do about that is there?"

"Not a lot." she agreed, "But we'll figure something out later. Now as for your fame, we have a solution that should keep you all happy." she smiled.

"We're listening." Ginny leaned forwards, interested in what was going to be said.

"We, the staff that is, have decided it might be best if you four, and the other teens, go into a dorm seperate from your houses. Only if you agree that is." she added, "Draco is quite unpopular amoung his housemates, as is Astoria, her sister and Blaise Zabini."

"Being the only Slytherin's who stayed to fight, that would tend to happen." Harry nodded.

"So we were going to put them in a separate dorm away from their house for their safety." she explained, "With you all being so famous and popular we fear you might not get a moment to yourselves." she sighed.

"Not ideal for N.E.W.T year." Ginny mused.

"Exactly." Minerva nodded, "I just want to know your opinions on the matter before anything is decided, we're not forcing you into it."

The four teens thought for a moment.

"Where would the new dorm be?" Harry asked.

"That is one thing we'd need to figure out." she admitted, "The Head dorms are only two rooms and they'll be getting used anyway and so will the 7th year dorms of all houses."

"Who are the Head's going to be this year?" Hermione asked.

"I'm still waiting on people confirming whether they're coming back this year or not. It would've been two of you but student teacher is a step up and will keep you busy enough, especially with your own studies." she smiled.

"Fair enough." Ron shrugged, "I take it we'd be sharing with the others returning to school?"

"The one's with fame which is basically all of last years 6th years." she nodded, "Neville, Luna, Astoria, Daphne, Blaise, Regulus is returning too so he'll be staying where Draco does, and you four obviously." she smiled.

"It sound's like it's for the best." Ginny shrugged, "It would give us somewhere to escape to as well."

"It'll be good to have a place to hide even if it'll be odd not going to Gryffindor tower." Hermione agreed, "Boys?"

"I'm with you." Ron shrugged, "It'll be weird but we can always get used to it."

"Four votes for it." Harry smiled, "I definitely agree."

Minerva smiled, "Good to know, I'll work on finding a place for all of you. I know of a few but I don't know their conditions." she shrugged, "I'll check tonight or tomorrow morning and I'll tell the elves to bring your breakfast's up. Goodnight." she smiled.

"Goodnight." they all said as she left.

Poppy came out to check them all, "Your all still satble anyway." she said when she'd done, "Harry since you're here do you want to try another type of potion to see if it'll help you sleep better?"

"I suppose." he shrugged.

"How often have your nightmares been?" she asked.

"Every few nights." he told her, "There's been less since the returnee's returned." he added.

"The last one?"

"Um..." Harry looked up, avoiding eye contact with the other three teens, "Last night."

"I thought it was a few night's ago?" Ron inquired, "I never heard you last night."

Harry mumbled something under his breath.

"Harry!" Ginny groaned, Ron and Hermione looked just as confused as Poppy, "He silenced himself." she growled.

"Just because I have nightmares it doesn't mean the rest of the house has to lose sleep or worry." Harry defended himself.

"Ginny, 'Mione don't get mad at him." Ron sighed as the two witches looked about to explode, "I've done it a few times, I know you two have too, just let it drop."

The two reluctantly nodded.

Poppy walked over to a cabinet and pulled out a vial with a pure yellow liquid in it and a big spoon.

"How about the rest of you? Has Dreamless Sleep been working?"

"A little. Sometimes it will others it wont." Hermione shrugged.

"It's not worked as many times as it has though, it fails more often." Ginny explained, "Ron?"

"Same for me." he nodded.

"Right, all of you take a full spoonful. This is powerful stuff so no more than that and it'll make you sleepy instantly, don't fight it." she warned, she summoned three more spoons and one by one the teens took the potion in turns. Within seconds they were all fast asleep.

* * *

><p>Review please x<p> 


	67. Chapter 67

Chapter 67 - Nightmares

21, August, Saturday, 1998.

Ginny was the first to wake up the next morning and she didn't like what she saw, all three of the Golden Trio were thrashing around in their beds with looks of pain and fear on their faces.

"Poppy! Poppy!" she yelled urgently as the three started screaming.

Poppy came running out of her office, eyes wide as she saw the three teens.

"I dont understand, the potion should've worked. Try to wake Harry." she shouted over the Trio's yells, she went over to Ron and Hermione's side and set about trying to wake her patients up.

Suddenly the doors to the Hospital wing flew open and James, Lily, Molly and Arthur ran in.

"Help!" Ginny pleaded, she couldn't get up no matter how much she wanted to, her legs just wouldn't hold her weight.

James and Lily went to Harry's side as Ron sat up gasping for breath and drenched in sweat.

"No! No! I wont!" Hermione screamed thrashing about knocking Poppy away with an arm. The nurse stood further back watching helplessly.

"'Mione! Wake up!" he shouted, "You're safe!"

"No! No! It wasn't us!" she continued screaming.

Molly went to her side as Arthur helped Ron to his feet and over to her, knowing his son could help her more than Molly or himself.

Ron grabbed her arm and she calmed instantly, "Wake up 'Mione, come on, you're safe here." he soothed as she opened her eyes slowly.

Harry screamed louder and when they tried to his parents couldn't get anywhere near him because of an invisible barrier.

"Harry!" Ginny yelled, James looked on helplessly as his son thrashed so much he fell out of the bed, and still didn't wake up.

Lily went to Ginny, "If anyone can get to him it'll be you." she said helping the younger woman out of bed and to where Harry was lying.

"No! I'll kill him! Argh a Basilisk! Got to save them!" he screamed.

Ginny quickly grabbed his head as he almost smashed it on the floor, he still didn't calm down.

"Harry! Harry mate get up! It's not real!" Ron yelled over.

"Come back to us Harry." Hermione shouted.

"Can't! Not - Strong - enough!" he panted as things began to levitate and the windows broke as a coldness similar to a Dementors surrounded the room.

"You can hear us. Come back, come on Harry." Ginny pleaded grabbing his hand.

Finally he gasped and sat right up, panting and completely soaked with sweat and the room went still and warm again.

"What the hell happened?" he panted.

"Nightmares." Hermione said shakily, "Very realistic."

"Yeah." Ron nodded, Molly and Arthur were comforting the two on Hermione's bed.

Ginny was helped back to her feet by Lily as James helped Harry up and sat him down on his bed. Lily sat Ginny next to him and the two leaned on each other, Harry breathing heavily.

"Somehow that potion made things worse." Poppy muttered, clearly confused, "It should've stopped any nightmares or dreams."

"Apparently it didn't work." Lily frowned, putting a comforting hand on Ginny's shoulder, "Whatever it was."

"How come you're here so early?" Ron asked tiredly as he and Hermione leaned against each other too.

"I had a vision while I was doing a meditation exercise this morning." James shrugged, "It usually doesn't happen but it did today, I saw we'd be needed, not why though."

"Vision?" Harry frowned as though trying to remember something, his breathing had calmed down.

"Ravenclaw gift." Lily reminded him.

"Oh yeah." he smiled sheepishly, "Forgot about that."

"I still need to teach you how to do it but it can wait until after the memories, it requires a fair amount of concentration and if your worried about our reaction to something or thinking about what to show us next then I doubt you'd be able to do it." James told him, he nodded in understanding.

"The other's are still at the Burrow finishing the clean-up from breakfast and trying to control Jinx and Jex, we think they're upset about you four not returning with us last night, they didn't come near any of us all night or morning once we got them home." Arthur explained.

"I think Remus explained to them and kept them in with him, Teddy and Dora." Molly mused.

"They'll listen to him." Ginny smiled tiredly, "Even if none of you can understand him like us I think Remus will be able to more, and he's the oldest, except us two, in terms of time being a Lycan."

"With him being a ex-werewolf too, he could understand Padfoot well enough even when he wasnt furry himself." James smirked.

"Hold on." Harry frowned tilting his head as though listening to something, "Hmm... The other's are apparently being annoyed to death by the cubs." he grinned, "According to Bill anyway."

"That's what I heard too." Ginny giggled. Ron and Hermione laughed as well nodding that they'd heard it as well. "I think they want something." she commented.

"I'll see if I can figure it out." Harry said, he closed his eyes in concentration.

_Hello?_

_Hi Harry, nice to know this link works this far away,_ Luna's voice drifted to him.

_Mind telling us what's up with the cubs?_ Ginny asked.

_They're restless and won't behave when we ask them to,_ Neville grumbled.

_They behaved a little for Moony but they won't listen anymore,_ Astoria commented.

Harry repeated this out loud for the parents and Poppy who was checking them over one at a time starting with Ron.

"I think they miss you." Molly smiled.

"Who exactly are Jinx and Jex?" Poppy asked.

"The only members of our Pack you haven't met yet." Hermione smiled, "They were found here at the castle."

"People?"

"No they're Guardian wolves." Harry explained, "They're still only a month old and their parents were killed and their not old enough to look after themselves so we've adopted them into our Pack until they're either old enough to fend for themselves, want to leave, or bonded to the humans they were born to protect and guide. We call them the 'cubs' even though technically they're pups." he shrugged.

"Oh I've heard about them. Quite rare to find them as pups though." Poppy commented, "Usually people keep quiet if they're bonded to a Guardian wolf, and it's normally only adult wolves that bond with a human. From what I've read it's even stranger to find more than one Guardian wolf at a time." she shrugged.

Ginny looked at Harry, "Why do odd things always happen to us?"

"Because we're us and nothing can be normal for more than 3 weeks?" he guessed.

Ron and Hermione laughed, "We'll second you on that one." Ron smirked.

"It's like a law that we don't get to be normal." Hermione mused.

"Or certain people like playing about with us." Harry muttered looking up at the sky through the window.

"I'm going to go with it's both." James shrugged, "From what we've seen in the memories so far no one should've been able to do half the things you've done and stay sane."

"Good point." Arthur nodded.

"We certainly didn't know about most of the things you've done and had happened to you." Molly added, looking between them, "It's a wonder your still alive, never mind sane."

"I think I speak for all of us when I say there's been a few close calls with our sanities." Hermione admitted, Ron, Harry and Ginny nodded their agreements.

"We wouldn't be in here with PTSD relapses, and development for Ginny, if we were completely alright." Ron shrugged.

"Your all mentally stable the only one of you who's been at risk of 'losing their minds', so to speak, is Harry... and Ron to some extent." Poppy told them, "And that was years ago."

"When?" Ron frowned.

"I have the feeling you two don't know everything yet." Poppy said to James and Lily, they shook their heads, "I won't say right now then."

"Was it before our 5th year?" Harry asked.

"No, during it." she said, "I didn't tell you for a reason." she admitted, "The worst thing would be for you to think you were crazy or well on the way there, the last thing any of us needed was for you to be stuck in St Mungo's because of something I told you."

"That would be bad." Ginny nodded, "On to more cheerful topics, when are the others getting here?" she asked the four parents.

Arthur checked his watch, "In about 20 minutes, Minerva wanted to talk to some of them. There wasn't much left to clean up, so they'll probably be arriving now or talking with Minerva."

"Ah. That'll give us enough time to get cleaned up a little." Harry noted.

"Good plan. James, Arthur do you mind helping the boys?" Poppy asked, "And Lily and Molly if you'll help the girls there's two washrooms in the back so you'll have to take turns."

"I know where they are." James nodded, he put his arm under Harry's shoulders, "Come on, up you get."

Harry rolled his eyes but allowed his Father to help him anyway as Ron did the same with Arthur and they headed into a room at the very back of the hospital wing.

Poppy went back into her office leaving the four women alone.

"Care to explain what actually happened?" Molly asked.

"I woke up and those three were thrashing about." Ginny shrugged, "As soon as I started shouting on Poppy they started screaming."

"Just nightmares." Hermione mumbled, "Nothing to worry about, they'll go away eventually."

"Isn't there anything you can take to help get rid of them?" Lily frowned.

"Nothing's strong enough. Poppy gave us the strongest potion she had for it last night and they still broke through." she shook her head.

"Except with me." Ginny added, "I woke up normally."

"I'd noticed something." Molly said, "As soon as you touched Harry he calmed down quite a bit. Same thing when Ron touched Hermione."

The two teens frowned, "It's happened before." Hermione admitted.

"It's skin-to-skin contact." Ginny nodded, "Like how it's only me that can wake Harry up when he's like that. Ron's the same with Hermione."

"It's always been like that." Hermione mused, "When Harry was sick only Ginny could calm him down." she explained.

"Harry thinks it might be something to do with the soul bonds." Ginny put in, "He's listening in while protesting about being treated like an old man by James." she giggled.

"Of course." Lily laughed, "James did that whenever Sirius or Remus had to help him after he was injured, never once protested if I helped him after we were married though. Then again we spent most of our time in that house at Godric's Hollow." she muttered bitterly, "I don't think we'll go back there, I hated it just as much as he did."

"You have the choice now." Molly reminded her, "And you're welcome to stay with us until you have it figured out."

"Thank you Molly." she smiled gratefully.

"It's no problem, as soon as the boy's get ready to head back to work and these four are back here the house will be pretty empty." she sighed, "I plan on keeping Fred and George home for as long as I can though."

"You know they won't Mum." Ginny shrugged, "They'll want to re-open the store again, Charlie's been looking into getting a house nearby, Bill and Fleur have Shell Cottage, Ron and I will be here and Percy..."

"Is staying with us at home." Arthur said as he helped Ron back through, Ron in clean pajamas, "He told me last night that he's moving back to the Burrow until he can handle himself better than he has been." he sat Ron down on a clean bed, "All of the bedsheets will need changed, so just sit there for now." he told his son.

"Don't really have a choice when I can't walk on my own." Ron shrugged.

"True enough." Molly smiled, "I suppose we could just say 'Stay'. Maybe your canine side will listen." she said mischievously.

"Funny." he rolled his eyes.

"Works with Sirius." James commented as he and Harry came through, "Tell him to 'sit' and he'll 'sit' instantly."

"It was quite amusing." Lily grinned, "Especially when Harry figured it out when he was a toddler." she chuckled.

"What'd I do?" Harry inquired, he was also in clean pajamas.

"You followed him about and shouted a command at him randomly whether it be 'sit', 'stay', 'lie down' or once it was even 'roll over'." James smirked, "He was in dog form most of the time when he was playing with you." he added, "Remus done it occasionally, human of course, but yelling 'sit' usually made him and Padfoot both do it instantly." he chuckled.

"Very amusing." Lily nodded, "Come on, the others will be here soon." she and Molly helped Hermione and Ginny into the wash rooms.

James sat Harry down on a clean bed and waved his wand at the four bed's the teens had been in all night, causing them to strip themselves and then summoned fresh sheets and flicked his wand at the bed's again causing the fresh sheets to replace the old ones.

"And Mum used to make us do it by hand." Ron muttered.

"It was a good learning experience for you." Arthur shrugged, helping him over and into the now clean bed, "Trying to show you that you didn't have to use your wand for everything."

"That's exactly what my Mum did with me." James mused, "Tried to at least, I could usually bribe Lanky to do it for me and it only took her 2 minutes."

"I used to have to do it by hand all the time." Harry shrugged, "Dudley's too occasionally. I think some things are better done the Muggle way."

"Like getting cleaned up in the morning." James nodded, "Or summoning your glasses."

"I figured that out myself on my 17th." Harry mused, "After poking myself in the eye. Glad I don't need them anymore."

"Makes you less recognisable." Ron nodded, "And stops you poking yourself in the eye trying to summon them in the morning."

"I've done that before." James winced, "Not a very nice thing to do when you first wake up."

"I'll agree with you on that." Arthur muttered, thinking of his reading glasses.

Harry tilted his head to the side, "The others are on their way down, with a surprise according to Remus." he told them as the women re-joined them.

"I'll bet it's the cubs." Ginny mused as her mother put her on his bed at her request.

"Probably." Harry agreed, he held her hand as she rested her head on his shoulder, Ron and Hermione mirroring them on Ron's bed.

There was two barks before the doors burst open and Padfoot skidded into the room before running and hiding behind James.

"What the-" James muttered as an annoyed looking Dora ran in.

"I'll get you for that Sirius!" she growled.

Padfoot whimpered.

"What'd he do?" Arthur asked.

"Decided to make a comment on something I did when I was younger." she huffed, "And he wasn't supposed to tell my Mum about it."

Padfoot changed back into Sirius, "You started it!" he protested.

"Did not!"

"Did too!"

"Did not!"

"Yes you did Dora." Regulus said as he walked in carrying Teddy with Andy and Moony behind him, Moony was carrying Jinx by the scruff of his neck.

Moony put Jinx down and changed back into Remus, "She didn't, it was Padfoot who started it."

"Can we just go with they both started it?" Andy asked tiredly.

"Deal." Dora and Sirius said at the same time.

"I'm still going to get revenge though." Dora warned him.

"Fine." he shrugged as the others walked in.

Snowstorm was carrying Jex and had Astoria on his back, he put the pup down and lay down slowly to allow Astoria to climb down.

Jinx and Jex immediately ran over to Harry's bed and James lifted them up since they were too small to jump.

"Miss us?" Harry asked.

"We didn't know where you were and they kept mis-understanding us." Jex whined, cuddling up to Ginny as Jinx did the same with Harry. "And we couldn't understand a lot of what they said."

"Even as wolves they couldn't understand us properly and we were worried about you." Jinx nodded. "We knew something had happened, the other two-legs smell like here."

"We're fine, just a little mistake with out potions." Harry assured them.

Snowstorm changed back into Draco, "The potion for the PTSD is being checked by Slughorn right now." he told them. "And those two didn't want to be carried." he added nodding at the cubs.

"But it was quicker and we were going to come down as wolves anyway." Remus added.

"Fair enough, they said you kept misunderstanding them." Ginny told them, "And they didnt understand a lot of what you told them either."

"Good thing we brought them then." Draco mused, "How're you feeling now?" he asked his fiancée.

"A little better." she shrugged, noticing the confused looks she added, "Morning sickness."

Hermione looked around, "Where's Bill and Fleur?"

"They're staying home today, Fleur's not feeling great and she's going to Floo her parents later to find out when they plan on coming over to help out with her pregnancy." Charlie told them.

"I can sympathise. I actually considered staying in bed today but that's not very productive." Astoria smiled.

"And you didn't want to listen to me either." Draco muttered.

"I would've hexed you if you'd argued." she shrugged, "I don't like doing nothing all day."

"I'll keep that in mind." he mused.

"Good boy, your learning." she patted his head like he was a dog.

"It's been known to happen occasionally." he drawled before sticking his tongue out childishly, making the others laugh. "So are we continuing today?" he asked, clearly trying to change the subject.

"I'll allow it after they've had their potions." Poppy said coming out of her office.

The four teens groaned when they saw the 20 vials levitating on a tray behind her.

Poppy just chuckled and handed 5 to each of them, "Drink them all and you can continue, I'll be in my office and remember not to get up." she warned.

"We can't get up ourselves." Ginny pointed out, "Already tried that, twice."

"Trying to escape?" Fred grinned.

"Nope." Hermione shook her head, "It was only Ginny and Ron who tried to get up..." she trailed off.

"Why?" George asked.

"Nightmares." Ron told him blushing, "The three of us, Ginny was trying to stop Harry cracking his head off the floor while I was calming Hermione down."

"Hence why we ran here." James said, "We figured they could use some help after I saw it in a vision. You wouldn't like to have cracked your head on the floor by the way Harry, you would have fractured your skull twice and had a bad concussion, meaning an extra week in here. That was the only thing I could tell for sure."

"Good thing Ginny stopped me doing that then." he sighed absently scratching behind the now asleep Jinx's ears.

At Poppy's reminder the four teens quickly downed their potions, grimacing at the taste.

"Why do they always taste horrible." Ron mimed throwing up.

"You wouldn't know they were healing potions if they tasted good." Andy smirked, "It's a law and allows healers the satisfaction of watching their patients reactions. Especially if the patient is fussy or very annoying."

Poppy chuckled, "These four aren't so bad when they're not trying to escape. I'll be in my office." she said, taking the empty potions vials into her office with her.

"Have you eaten yet?" Remus asked.

"Not hungry." the four muttered.

"It's one of the potions. You wont be hungry for an hour or so, it's just an after effect." Andy told them.

"Oh well... Let's just get started." Harry shrugged.

* * *

><p>Review please x<p> 


	68. Chapter 68

Chapter 68 - Fifth Year (Part 5.5)

21, August, 1998.

"Where are we starting?" Ron asked after Minerva had put the memory in the pensieve for Harry.

"With us getting the booklist." Harry answered, _You'll get to see my real reaction to you becoming a prefect and the reason behind my mood all night, _he added silently over the pack bond, _You may not like it._

"Alright." Ron shrugged, answering both at the same time as the memory started.

**On the very last day of the holidays Harry was sweeping up Hedwig's owl droppings from the top of the wardrobe when Ron entered their bedroom carrying a couple of envelopes.**

**"Booklists have arrived," he said, throwing one of the envelopes up to Harry, who was standing on a chair. "About time, I thought they'd forgotten, they usually come much earlier than this -"**

**Harry swept the last of the droppings into a rubbish bag and threw the bag over Ron's head into the wastepaper basket in the corner, which swallowed it and belched loudly. He then opened his letter. It contained two pieces of parchment: one the usual reminder that term started on the first of September; the other telling him which books he would need for the coming year.**

**"Only two new ones," he said, reading the list, The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 5, by Miranda Goshawk, and Defensive Magical Theory, by Wilbert Slinkhard."**

"Theory?" asked Lily, frowning. "It looks like the new Defense Against Dark Arts teacher won't be teaching very much in the way of practical stuff."

"Which is why the DA was started." Hermione smiled.

**Crack.**

**Fred and George Apparated right beside Harry. He was so used to them doing this by now that he didn't even fall off his chair.**

**"We were just wondering who set the Slinkhard book," said Fred conversationally.**

**"Because it means Dumbledore's found a new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher," said George.**

**"And about time too," said Fred.**

**"What d'you mean?" Harry asked, jumping down beside them.**

**"Well, we overheard Mum and Dad talking on the Extendable Ears a few weeks back," Fred told Harry, "and from what they were saying, Dumbledore was having real trouble finding anyone to do the job this year."**

"It was quite difficult." Albus commented, making them all jump and spin to see him standing in the same portrait as he had stood in the night before, "I apologise, I didnt mean to startle you."

"It's fine, just announce yourself next time." Minerva told him.

**"Not surprising, is it, when you look at what's happened to the last four?" said George.**

**"One sacked, one dead, one's memory removed and one locked in a trunk for nine months," said Harry, counting them off on his fingers. "Yeah, I see what you mean."**

**"What's up with you, Ron?" asked Fred.**

**Ron did not answer. Harry looked round. Ron was standing very still with his mouth slightly open, gaping at his letter from Hogwarts.**

"You look shocked." Frank commented.

"You'd be shocked too. Just wait and see why." Ron shrugged.

**"What's the matter?" said Fred impatiently, moving around Ron to look over his shoulder at the parchment.**

**Fred's mouth fell open, too.**

**"Prefect?" he said, staring incredulously at the letter. "Prefect?"**

"I thought Harry would've of got it." Ron admitted.

"So did we all." Hermione nodded.

James looked slightly horrified, "The son of a Marauder become a prefect? The very idea is outrageous!"

"Well you were Head Boy, so you can't talk, Prongs." Sirius snorted.

"And Remus was a prefect, and he's a Marauder." Lily added.

"But - but - that's different!" James protested, "And Remus is the good one, so of course he was going to get the badge!"

Remus gave a wry smile. "And because Albus probably hoped I'd be able to control you two, which I failed miserably at doing. And might I remind you that you and Padfoot teased me quite a bit after you found out I was made prefect, Prongs?"

"Details." Sirius waved the comment aside.

**George leapt forwards, seized the envelope in Ron's other hand and turned it upside-down. Harry saw something scarlet and gold fall into George's palm.**

**"No way," said George in a hushed voice.**

**"There's been a mistake," said Fred, snatching the letter out of Ron's grasp and holding it up to the light as though checking for a watermark. "No one in their right mind would make Ron a prefect."**

"That's not true." Albus said softly, "I knew exactly what I was doing."

"Which was...?" Ron asked.

"Giving you a confidence boost and making sure Harry didn't have anything else to worry about." he replied as though it was obvious.

"That makes sense I suppose." Lily nodded.

**The twins' heads turned in unison and both of them stared at Harry.**

**"We thought you were a cert!" said Fred, in a tone that suggested Harry had tricked them in some way.**

**"We thought Dumbledore was bound to pick you!" said George indignantly.**

**"Winning the Triwizard and everything!" said Fred.**

**"I suppose all the mad stuff must've counted against him," said George to Fred.**

**"Yeah," said Fred slowly. "Yeah, you've caused too much trouble, mate. Well, at least one of you's got their priorities right."**

**He strode over to Harry and clapped him on the back while giving Ron a scathing look.**

**"Prefect - ickle Ronnie the Prefect."**

**"Ohh, Mum's going to be revolting," groaned George, thrusting the prefect badge back at Ron as though it might contaminate him.**

**Ron, who still had not said a word, took the badge, stared at it for a moment, then held it out to Harry as though asking mutely for confirmation that it was genuine. Harry took it. A large 'P' was superimposed on the Gryffindor lion. He had seen a badge just like this on Percy's chest on his very first day at Hogwarts.**

"My badge was silver." Percy said. "So shouldn't you not recognize Ron's badge?"

"I thought it was like it. I knew it wasn't the same but it was still recognisable." Harry shrugged.

"Fair enough." he shrugged.

**The door banged open. Hermione came tearing into the room, her cheeks flushed and her hair flying. There was an envelope in her hand.**

**"Did you - did you get -?"**

**She spotted the badge in Harry's hand and let out a shriek.**

**"I knew it!" she said excitedly, brandishing her letter. "Me too, Harry, me too!"**

**"No," said Harry quickly, pushing the badge back into Ron's hand. "It's Ron, not me."**

**"It - what? I -"**

**"Ron's prefect, not me," Harry said.**

**"Ron?" said Hermione, her jaw dropping. "But - are you sure? I mean -"**

"I was quite shocked." Hermione admitted.

"You all were." Ron shrugged.

**She turned red as Ron looked round at her with a defiant expression on his face.**

**"It's my name on the letter," he said.**

**"I -" said Hermione, looking thoroughly bewildered. "I - well - wow! Well done, Ron! That's really -"**

**"Unexpected," said George, nodding.**

**"No," said Hermione, blushing harder than ever, "no it's not - Ron's done loads of - he's really- "**

**The door behind her opened a little wider and Mrs. Weasley backed into the room carrying a pile of freshly laundered robes.**

**"Ginny said the booklists had come at last," she said, glancing around at all the envelopes as she made her way over to the bed and started sorting the robes into two piles. "If you give them to me I'll take them over to Diagon Alley this afternoon and get your books while you're packing. Ron, I'll have to get you more pyjamas, these are at least six inches too short, I can't believe how fast you're growing - what colour would you like?"**

**"Get him red and gold to match his badge," said George, smirking.**

"You stuck him in?" Charlie asked the twins.

"Best to get it over with." Fred muttered back.

**"Match his what?" said Mrs. Weasley absently, rolling up a pair of maroon socks and placing them on Ron's pile.**

**"His badge," said Fred, with the air of getting the worst over quickly. "His lovely shiny new prefect's badge."**

They all chuckled over this.

**Fred's words took a moment to penetrate Mrs. Weasley's preoccupation with pyjamas.**

**"His - but - Ron, you're not -?"**

**Ron held up his badge.**

**Mrs. Weasley let out a shriek just like Hermione's.**

**"I don't believe it! I don't believe it! Oh, Ron, how wonderful! A prefect! That's everyone in the family!"**

"What about Fred and George?" demanded Sirius. "Oh, and Ginny?"

"They didn't want to be prefects." Molly shrugged.

"You have a point." Ginny grinned, "No way would I want to deal with all that responsibility."

"We never cared for the position either." the twins added.

**"What are Fred and I, next-door neighbours?" said George indignantly, as his mother pushed him aside and flung her arms around her youngest son.**

They chuckled over George's reply.

**"Wait until your father hears! Ron, I'm so proud of you, what wonderful news, you could end up Head Boy just like Bill and Percy, it's the first step!"**

"As long as you don't be a prat about it like me." Percy mused.

"That's impossible." Ron smirked, "Considering I had Harry to make sure I didnt forget to have fun, Hermione to help with the duties and Ginny to hex me whenever I was a prat, I'd say it was impossible."

"Glad we could help." Ginny chuckled.

**"Oh, what a thing to happen in the middle of all this worry, I'm just thrilled, oh, Ronnie -"**

**Fred and George were both making loud retching noises behind her back but Mrs. Weasley did not notice; arms tight around Ron's neck, she was kissing him all over his face, which had turned a brighter scarlet than his badge.**

They laughed over Mrs. Weasley's fussing over Ron.

**"Mum don't - Mum, get a grip -" he muttered, trying to push her away.**

**She let go of him and said breathlessly, 'Well, what will it be? We gave Percy an owl, but you've already got one, of course."**

**"W-what do you mean?" said Ron, looking as though he did not dare believe his ears.**

**"You've got to have a reward for this!" said Mrs. Weasley fondly. "How about a nice new set of dress robes?"**

**"We've already bought him some," said Fred sourly, who looked as though he sincerely regretted this generosity.**

**"Or a new cauldron, Charlies old one's rusting through, or a new rat, you always liked Scabbers -"**

"No rats!" everyone yelled.

**"Mum," said Ron hopefully, "can I have a new broom?"**

**Mrs. Weasley's face fell slightly; broomsticks were expensive.**

**"Not a really good one!" Ron hastened to add. "Just - just a new one for a change -"**

**Mrs. Weasley hesitated, then smiled.**

**"Of course you can - well, I'd better get going if I've got a broom to buy too. I'll see you all later - little Ronnie, a prefect! And don't forget to pack your trunks - a prefect - oh, I'm all of a dither!"**

They all chuckled again.

**She gave Ron yet another kiss on the cheek, sniffed loudly, and bustled from the room.**

**Fred and George exchanged looks.**

**"You don't mind if we don't kiss you, do you, Ron?" said Fred in a falsely anxious voice.**

**"We could curtsey, if you like," said George.**

"You weren't going to leave him alone were you?" Sirius laughed.

"Of course not." they grinned.

"Brilliant." James smirked.

"James and Sirius acted exactly like that." huffed Remus. "They were there when my Mum found out I was made prefect. She was very proud of me and after she had left the room, they began acting like that."

"It was necessary." James shrugged.

"How?"

"A Marauder prefect. Come on Moony, it was funny." Sirius told him.

**"Oh, shut up," said Ron, scowling at them.**

"I told you guys to shut up as well." Remus commented.

"And I asked if you would put us in detention if we didn't." Sirius remembered, "Then you threw up your hands and said, 'Will you at least try to behave sometimes?'"

"And we replied with 'Depends how boring things are'." James grinned.

"You knew them well enough to know they wouldn't listen." Lily sighed.

Remus shrugged, "They didn't listen to you either."

"They didn't listen to anyone." Minerva frowned.

"Not true, we listened to the DADA teacher, depending on who it was, and Albus." James pointed out, "Occasionally you too Minnie." he added smirking.

**"Or what?" said Fred, an evil grin spreading across his face. "Going to put us in detention?"**

**"I'd love to see him try," sniggered George.**

**"He could if you don't watch out!" said Hermione angrily.**

**Fred and George burst out laughing, and Ron muttered, "Drop it, Hermione."**

**"We're going to have to watch our step, George," said Fred, pretending to tremble, "with these two on our case -"**

**"Yeah, it looks like our law-breaking days are finally over," said George, shaking his head.**

**And with another loud crack, the twins Disapparated.**

**"Those two!" said Hermione furiously, staring up at the ceiling, through which they could now hear Fred and George roaring with laughter in the room upstairs. "Don't pay any attention to them, Ron, they're only jealous!"**

"Believe what you will Hermione, I don't think they were jealous." Regulus smiled.

**"I don't think they are," said Ron doubtfully, also looking up at the ceiling. "They've always said only prats become prefects"**

"Oh really?" Charlie said, "I think I'll tell Bill you said that and he'll help me prove you wrong later."

The twins gulped, "Now, now, Charles. We were only 17, we've learned our lesson already." George said.

"Yeah, we don't think that anymore. Just that Percy was a prat about it. And Draco." Fred added.

"I'm still telling Bill." Charlie stated.

**"- still," he added on a happier note, "they've never had new brooms! I wish I could go with Mum and choose - she'll never be able to afford a Nimbus, but there's the new Cleansweep out, that'd be great - yeah, I think I'll go and tell her I like the Cleansweep, just so she knows."**

**He dashed from the room, leaving Harry and Hermione alone.**

**For some reason, Harry found he did not want to look at Hermione.**

"I noticed that." Hermione huffed.

"Sorry, you wont like what's coming up much either." Harry sighed.

**He turned to his bed, picked up the pile of clean robes Mrs. Weasley had laid on it and crossed the room to his trunk.**

**"Harry?" said Hermione tentatively.**

**"Well done, Hermione," said Harry, so heartily it did not sound like his voice at all, and, still not looking at her, "brilliant. Prefect. Great."**

**"Thanks," said Hermione. "Erm - Harry - could I borrow Hedwig so I can tell Mum and Dad? They'll be really pleased - I mean prefect is something they can understand."**

**"Yeah, no problem," said Harry, still in the horrible hearty voice that did not belong to him. "Take her!"**

**He leaned over his trunk, laid the robes on the bottom of it and pretended to be rummaging for something while Hermione crossed to the wardrobe and called Hedwig down. A few moments passed; Harry heard the door close but remained bent double, listening; the only sounds he could hear were the blank picture on the wall sniggering again and the wastepaper basket in the corner coughing up the owl droppings.**

**He straightened up and looked behind him. Hermione had left and Hedwig had gone. Harry hurried across the room, closed the door, then returned slowly to his bed and sank on to it, gazing unseeingly at the foot of the wardrobe.**

**He had forgotten completely about prefects being chosen in the fifth year. He had been too anxious about the possibility of being expelled to spare a thought for the fact that badges must be winging their way towards certain people. But if he had remembered - if he had thought about it - what would he have expected?**

**Not this, said a small and truthful voice inside his head.**

**Harry screwed up his face and buried it in his hands. He could not lie to himself; if he had known the prefect badge was on its way, he would have expected it to come to him, not Ron. Did this make him as arrogant as Draco Malfoy? Did he think himself superior to everyone else? Did he really believe he was better than Ron?**

**No, said the small voice defiantly.**

**Was that true? Harry wondered, anxiously probing his own feelings.**

Hermione's eyes widened, _Harry, what if it was partly the connection between you and Voldemort? You may have been getting some of his feelings too._

_Didnt think of that,_ he replied with a frown,_ it could've been, I don't know._

**I'm better at Quidditch, said the voice. But I'm not better at anything else.**

**That was definitely true, Harry thought; he was no better than Ron in lessons.**

"Except in Defense." said Ron.

"He was better than most of the 7th years though, pretty hard to beat." Ginny pointed out, the twins nodded in agreement.

Harry just chuckled, "It's my best subject, like how no one can beat Neville in Herbology."

Neville grinned, "Everyone has to be good at something, even if it takes a while to find out what they're best at."

**But what about outside lessons? What about those adventures he, Ron and Hermione had had together since starting at Hogwarts, often risking much worse than expulsion?**

**Well, Ron and Hermione were with me most of the time, said the voice in Harry's head.**

**Not all the time, though, Harry argued with himself. They didn't fight Quirrell with me. They didn't take on Riddle and the Basilisk. They didn't get rid of all those Dementors the night Sirius escaped. They weren't in that graveyard with me, the night Voldemort returned - And the same feeling of ill-usage that had overwhelmed him on the night he had arrived rose again. I've definitely done more, Harry thought indignantly. I've done more than either of them!**

"You can't be mad at Hermione being prefect, are you Harry?" asked Remus. "There's always been a female prefect with a male, and Hermione's the logical choice among the fifth year girls in Gryffindor."

"No..." Harry hesitated, "It... may have been partial leak-over from Voldemorts feelings, through that stupid connection." he explained, "Remember I'd get random bursts of emotions as well as the visions. I didn't start recognising which emotions were whose or what they were until my 6th year."

Everyone suddenly looked understanding.

Hermione shuddered suddenly, "Imagine Lavender or Parvati being a prefect, we were the only Gryffindor girls in our year."

"We all agree you were the best choice." Ron said quickly, "I don't think we'd survive if one of the gossip girls were prefects."

"We might have survived if it was Parvati." Ginny said, "Padma could keep her from getting distracted."

**But maybe, said the small voice fairly, maybe Dumbledore doesn't choose prefects because they've got themselves into a load of dangerous situations - maybe he chooses them for other reasons - Ron must have something you don't -**

**Harry opened his eyes and stared through his fingers at the wardrobe's clawed feet, remembering what Fred had said: "No one in their right mind would make Ron a prefect -"**

**Harry gave a small snort of laughter. A second later he felt sickened with himself.**

Harry frowned, "Definitely not something I'd think on my own." he commented.

"It'll be leak-over then." Albus frowned, "I didn't know it had started that quickly."

**Ron had not asked Dumbledore to give him the prefect badge. This was not Ron's fault. Was he, Harry, Ron's best friend in the world, going to sulk because he didn't have a badge, laugh with the twins behind Ron's back, ruin this for Ron when, for the first time, he had beaten Harry at something?**

**At this point Harry heard Ron's footsteps on the stairs again. He stood up, straightened his glasses, and hitched a grin on to his face as Ron bounded back through the door.**

**"Just caught her!" he said happily. "She says she'll get the Cleansweep if she can."**

**"Cool," Harry said, and he was relieved to hear that his voice had stopped sounding hearty. "Listen - Ron - well done, mate."**

**The smile faded off Ron's face.**

**"I never thought it would be me!" he said, shaking his head. "I thought it would be you!"**

**"Nah, I've caused too much trouble," Harry said, echoing Fred.**

**"Yeah," said Ron, "yeah, I suppose - well, we'd better get our trunks packed, hadn't we?"**

**It was odd how widely their possessions seemed to have scattered themselves since they had arrived. It took them most of the afternoon to retrieve their books and belongings from all over the house and stow them back inside their school trunks. Harry noticed that Ron kept moving his prefect's badge around, first placing it on his bedside table, then putting it into his jeans pocket, then taking it out and lying it on his folded robes, as though to see the effect of the red on the black.**

"I was trying to find a place to put it without losing it." Ron shrugged.

**Only when Fred and George dropped in and offered to attach it to his forehead with a Permanent Sticking Charm did he wrap it tenderly in his maroon socks and lock it in his trunk.**

**Mrs. Weasley returned from Diagon Alley around six o'clock, laden with books and carrying a long package wrapped in thick brown paper that Ron took from her with a moan of longing.**

**"Never mind unwrapping it now, people are arriving for dinner, I want you all downstairs," she said, but the moment she was out of sight Ron ripped off the paper in a frenzy and examined every inch of his new broom, an ecstatic expression on his face.**

**Down in the basement Mrs. Weasley had hung a scarlet banner over the heavily laden dinner table, which read:**

**CONGRATULATIONS RON AND HERMIONE NEW PREFECTS**

**She looked in a better mood than Harry had seen her all holiday.**

"It was the best news I'd had in a while." Molly smiled.

**"I thought we'd have a little party, not a sit-down dinner," she told Harry, Ron, Hermione, Fred, George and Ginny as they entered the room. "Your father and Bill are on their way, Ron. I've sent them both owls and they're thrilled," she added, beaming.**

**Fred rolled his eyes.**

**Sirius, Lupin, Tonks, and Kingsley Shacklebolt were already there and Mad-Eye Moody stumped in shortly after Harry had got himself a Butterbeer.**

**"Oh, Alastor, I am glad you're here," said Mrs. Weasley brightly, as Mad-Eye shrugged off his travelling cloak. "We've been wanting to ask you for ages - could you have a look in the writing desk in the drawing room and tell us what's inside it? We haven't wanted to open it just in case it's something really nasty."**

**"No problem, Molly -"**

**Moody's electric-blue eye swivelled upwards and stared fixedly through the ceiling of the kitchen.**

"It really was disgusting when he did that." Alice commented.

**"Drawing room -" he growled, as the pupil contracted. "Desk in the corner? Yeah, I see it - yeah, it's a Boggart - want me to go up and get rid of it, Molly?"**

**"No, no, I'll do it myself later," beamed Mrs. Weasley, "you have your drink. We're having a little bit of a celebration, actually -" She gestured at the scarlet banner. "Fourth prefect in the family!" she said fondly, ruffling Ron's hair.**

**"Prefect, eh?" growled Moody, his normal eye on Ron and his magical eye swivelling around to gaze into the side of his head. Harry had the very uncomfortable feeling it was looking at him and moved away towards Sirius and Lupin.**

"He was watching you." Sirius grinned, "You could normally tell with Mad-Eye."

**"Well, congratulations," said Moody, still glaring at Ron with his normal eye, "authority figures always attract trouble, but I suppose Dumbledore thinks you can withstand most major jinxes or he wouldn't have appointed you -"**

"Trust Moody to look at it that way." Dora snorted.

**Ron looked rather startled at this view of the matter but was saved the trouble of responding by the arrival of his father and oldest brother. Mrs. Weasley was in such a good mood she did not even complain that they had brought Mundungus with them; he was wearing a long overcoat that seemed oddly lumpy in unlikely places and declined the offer to remove it and put it with Moody's travelling cloak.**

"More illegal or stolen things, no doubt." Arthur mused.

**"Well, I think a toast is in order," said Mr. Weasley, when everyone had a drink. He raised his goblet. "To Ron and Hermione, the new Gryffindor prefects!"**

**Ron and Hermione beamed as everyone drank to them, and then applauded.**

**"I was never a prefect myself," said Tonks brightly from behind Harry as everybody moved towards the table to help themselves to food. Her hair was tomato red and waist-length today; she looked like Ginny's older sister. "My Head of House said I lacked certain necessary qualities."**

"I'm not surprised," Sirius mused, "Andy was something of a rebel and troublemaker herself, though she did avoid being caught and was made prefect."

"What is it with you and revealing things away today?" Cissy asked him as Andy glared at him.

"I have no idea actually." he frowned, the twins snickered and he rounded on them, "What did you do?"

"Nothing." George shrugged.

"What would make you think we'd try and prank a Marauder?" Fred inquired.

Sirius looked at them suspiciously while they just looked amused.

"If you didn't do anything you're acting quite happy about something." James pointed out.

"If we looked innocent no one would beleive us. No one ever believes us anyway -"

"- But we didn't do anything this time." Fred finished. "We don't have a product that makes people reveal things their not supposed to or wouldn't normally -"

"- We're not making one either. Too much trouble from customers, we wouldn't want them upset with us." George shrugged.

"They have a point." Remus smiled, "Something like that would be way too risky."

"Somehow I can't imagine you as a troublemaker." Dora mused, looking at her Mother, who chuckled.

"I was just a little. And most of that 'troublemaking' was because I was defying my parents. I believe the majority of the times I got in trouble at school was Bella or one of the other Slytherin's starting arguments and fights with me." she shrugged, "Mostly because they didn't like the way I behaved or who I talked to."

"Our parents bribed their parents to get them to spy on you." Cissy told her, "They didn't trust you at all."

Andy chuckled, "I thought that."

**"Like what?" said Ginny, who was choosing a baked potato.**

**"Like the ability to behave myself," said Tonks.**

"Pomona did say you weren't as bad as Sirius was." Minerva told Dora.

"I was able to find very efficient ways to hide." she shrugged, "Simply making myself look like another student worked brilliantly if she was looking for me in a crowd."

"So that's what you did." Andy commented, "I'd wondered how you never got caught as much as I thought you would."

"Wasn't exactly going to tell you was I?" Dora asked her Mother rhetorically.

**Ginny laughed; Hermione looked as though she did not know whether to smile or not and compromised by taking an extra large gulp of Butterbeer and choking on it.**

**"What about you, Sirius?" Ginny asked, thumping Hermione on the back.**

**Sirius, who was right beside Harry, let out his usual bark-like laugh.**

**"No one would have made me a prefect, I spent too much time in detention with James. Lupin was the good boy, he got the badge."**

**"I think Dumbledore might have hoped I would be able to exercise some control over my best friends," said Lupin. "I need scarcely say that I failed dismally."**

**Harry's mood suddenly lifted. His father had not been a prefect either. All at once the party seemed much more enjoyable; he loaded up his plate, feeling doubly fond of everyone in the room.**

"It's a good thing I didn't make prefect then," said James. "Harry's not so disappointed at not making prefect since I didn't."

"I think it was more along the lines of I was subconsciously thinking about what you and Mum's reactions would be like." Harry admitted.

"Which is why it's a good thing we mentioned it." Remus nodded, "We would've eventually anyway."

**Ron was rhapsodising about his new broom to anybody who would listen.**

**"- nought to seventy in ten seconds, not bad, is it? When you think the Comet Two Ninety's only nought to sixty and that's with a decent tailwind according to Which Broomstick?"**

**Hermione was talking very earnestly to Lupin about her view of elf rights.**

**"I mean, it's the same kind of nonsense as werewolf segregation, isn't it?"**

"You did have a point," Remus told Hermione, "But unlike Werewolves, House-Elves actually like being enslaved. Except for Dobby, and even he preferred work. He just wanted a decent master or mistress to work for and some wages."

**"It all stems from this horrible thing wizards have of thinking they're superior to other creatures -"**

"Not all of them." Albus smiled.

**Mrs. Weasley and Bill were having their usual argument about Bill's hair.**

**"- getting really out of hand, and you're so good-looking, it would look much better shorter, wouldn't it, Harry?"**

**"Oh - I dunno -" said Harry, slightly alarmed at being asked his opinion; he slid away from them in the direction of Fred and George, who were huddled in a corner with Mundungus.**

"Doing trade with him," Lily said disapprovingly, shaking her head.

"He was helping us out." Fred shrugged.

"With what?" Molly asked with narrowed eyes.

"Umm... We needed something for our Skiving Snackboxes." George said.

"What?" Arthur asked.

"Venomous Tentacula seeds." Fred admitted.

"It's not illegal, just non-tradeable." Dora told them, "You seem like your waiting to be arrested." she smirked, "Which isn't possible since you have a permit and I'm not an Auror anymore."

"How'd you know we have a permit?" George frowned.

"It's in the ministry files. I saw yours just before I quit." she shrugged, "Everyone in the Order had files, the known members anyway. Not to mention Kingsley said it a few days ago when you explained about the mixes you were trying to get for pets."

"Oh yeah..." Fred muttered.

"Boys, you should've went with a more reliable supplier. Mundungus was dodgy, he had a reputation of disguising some of his stuff to make it sell better." Molly scolded the twins.

"We weren't allowed to leave the house without you or Dad, what else were we supposed to do? Invite a salesman over?" Fred asked sarcastically.

"They have a point Molly." Arthur sighed, "I trust you get your stock from more reliable people now?"

"Yeah, Lee's cousin." George nodded, "Completely safe and reliable."

"Oh, I think I've heard of him." Dora said, "Kieran Jordan isn't it? Kingsley had to check him out a few years ago, just a routine spot-check and the dude figured it would be good to disguise one of his items into a stick when it was really a rare type of stone. Claimed it was so people didn't steal it."

"He's weird that way but still more reliable than Dung." Fred shrugged.

Molly still looked disapproving but Arthur shook his head and she dropped it.

**Mundungus stopped talking when he saw Harry, but Fred winked and beckoned Harry closer.**

**"It's OK," he told Mundungus, "we can trust Harry, he's our financial backer."**

**"Look what Dung's got us," said George, holding out his hand to Harry. It was full of what looked like shrivelled black pods. A faint rattling noise was coming from them, even though they were completely stationary.**

**"Venomous Tentacula seeds," said George. "We need them for the Skiving Snackboxes but they're a Class C Non-Tradeable Substance so we've been having a bit of trouble getting hold of them."**

"That's one plant I haven't got at home." Neville mused, "Not the easiest to look after, but still manageable."

"You said that when we kept getting attacked by it in Herbology." Harry told him, "I swear that plant hates everyone except you."

"It doesn't attack Neville at all." Luna explained to the others, "It's only done it once."

"And that was my own fault for almost getting rid of the wrong stem while trimming it." Neville shrugged, "That one likes me." he grinned.

**"Ten Galleons the lot, then, Dung?" said Fred.**

**"Wiv all the trouble I went to to get 'em?" said Mundungus, his saggy, bloodshot eyes stretching even wider. "I'm sorry, lads, but I'm not taking a Knut under twenty."**

**"Dung likes his little joke," Fred said to Harry.**

**"Yeah, his best one so far has been six Sickles for a bag of Knarl quills," said George.**

**"Be careful," Harry warned them quietly.**

**"What?" said Fred. "Mum's busy cooing over Prefect Ron, we're OK."**

**"But Moody could have his eye on you," Harry pointed out.**

**Mundungus looked nervously over his shoulder.**

**"Good point, that," he grunted. "All right, lads, ten it is, if you'll take 'em quick."**

"Great plan for that one Harry." George grinned.

"Wasn't a plan. Mad-Eye was actually watching me, I saw him out the corner of my eye." Harry smirked, "If he could see me he could see Dung."

**"Cheers, Harry!" said Fred delightedly, when Mundungus had emptied his pockets into the twins' outstretched hands and scuttled off towards the food. "We'd better get these upstairs -"**

**Harry watched them go, feeling slightly uneasy. It had just occurred to him that Mr. and Mrs. Weasley would want to know how Fred and George were financing their joke shop busiess when, as was inevitable, they finally found out about it. Giving the twins his Triwizard winnings had seemed a simple thing to do at the time, but what if it led to another family row and a Percy-like estrangement?**

"Unlikley. I was just being stupid." Percy muttered.

**Would Mrs. Weasley still feel that Harry was as good as her son if she found out he had made it possible for Fred and George to start a career she thought quite unsuitable?**

"Nothing would change." Molly smiled.

**Standing where the twins had left him, with nothing but a guilty weight in the pit of his stomach for company, Harry caught the sound of his own name. Kingsley Shacklebolt's deep voice was audible even over the surrounding chatter.**

**"... why Dumbledore didn't make Potter a prefect?" said Kingsley.**

**"He'll have had his reasons," replied Lupin.**

**"But it would've shown confidence in him. It's what I'd've done," persisted Kingsley, "specially with the Daily Prophet having a go at him every few days -"**

**Harry did not look round; he did not want Lupin or Kingsley to know he had heard.**

"I knew you had." Remus smirked, "The give away was that you froze."

"Oop's." Harry winced.

**Though not remotely hungry, he followed Mundungus back towards the table. His pleasure in the party had evaporated as quickly as it had come; he wished he were upstairs in bed.**

**Mad-Eye Moody was sniffing at a chicken-leg with what remained of his nose; evidently he could not detect any trace of poison, because he then tore a strip off it with his teeth.**

**"- the handles made of Spanish oak with anti-jinx varnish and in-built vibration control -" Ron was saying to Tonks.**

**Mrs. Weasley yawned widely.**

**"Well, I think I'll sort out that Boggart before I turn in - Arthur, I don't want this lot up too late, all right? Night, Harry, dear."**

**She left the kitchen. Harry set down his plate and wondered whether he could follow her without attracting attention.**

**"You all right, Potter?" grunted Moody.**

**"Yeah, fine," lied Harry.**

**Moody took a swig from his hipflask, his electric-blue eye staring sideways at Harry.**

**"Come here, I've got something that might interest you," he said.**

**From an inner pocket of his robes Moody pulled a very tattered, old wizarding photograph.**

**"Original Order of the Phoenix," growled Moody.**

"That's not going to improve your mood is it?" Sirius asked Harry.

"Not at all." he sighed, "Especially not when it was sprung on me like that."

"Why wouldn't it?" Alice frowned.

"He told me what happened to most of the members and I knew about you and Frank beforehand." he explained, "Everyone in that picture looked so happy and untroubled it was very depressing finding out what happened to them."

"That would kill anyone's mood." Frank nodded, "Mad-Eye must've genuinely thought you'd like it."

"He only did things like that when he thought it would help." Dora agreed.

**"Found it last night when I was looking for my spare Invisibility Cloak, seeing as Podmore hasn't had the manners to return my best one... thought people might like to see it."**

**Harry took the photograph. A small crowd of people, some waving at him, others lifting their glasses, looked back up at him.**

**"There's me," said Moody, unnecessarily pointing at himself. The Moody in the picture was unmistakeable, though his hair was slightly less grey and his nose was intact. "And there's Dumbledore beside me, Dedalus Diggle on the other side - that's Marlene McKinnon, she was killed two weeks after this was taken, they got her whole family."**

"Poor Marly." Lily and Alice sighed.

"She was our dorm mate." Alice explained, "Quite a good friend when you got past her twisted sense of humor."

"And the constant teasing." Lily smiled sadly.

**"That's Frank and Alice Longbottom -"**

"That really won't help." Remus sighed.

"Not when you knew exactly what happened to us." Frank agreed, wincing slightly.

**Harry's stomach, already uncomfortable, clenched as he looked at Alice Longbottom; he knew her round, friendly face very well, even though he had never met her, because she was the image of her son, Neville.**

"You look young." Neville commented.

"We were only 20, I believe." Alice shrugged, "When was that one taken again?"

"The December after Harry and Neville were born." Lily reminded her, "They were with Molly taking a nap right then."

"All the kids except Bill, Charlie, Percy and the twins were." Molly smiled, "If I remember right they were trying to blow something up."

"Probably." Fred shrugged.

**"- poor devils," growled Moody. "Better dead than what happened to them - and that's Emmeline Vance, you've met her, and that there's Lupin, obviously - Benjy Fenwick, he copped it too, we only ever found bits of him -"**

"Benjy Fenwick was a fun guy." Frank smiled, "One of my dorm mates, at order meetings he and I would sometimes play guitar to keep people amused."

**"shift aside there," he added, poking the picture, and the little photographic people edged sideways, so that those who were partially obscured could move to the front.**

**"That's Edgar Bones - brother of Amelia Bones, they got him and his family, too, he was a great wizard - Sturgis Podmore, blimey, he looks young - Caradoc Dearborn, vanished six months after this, we never found his body - Hagrid, of course, looks exactly the same as ever - Elphias Doge, you've met him, I'd forgotten he used to wear that stupid hat - Gideon Prewett, it took five Death Eaters to kill him and his brother Fabian, they fought like heroes"**

"They really did." Molly sighed, Arthur put his arm around her comfortingly.

**"- budge along, budge along -"**

**The little people in the photograph jostled among themselves and those hidden right at the back appeared at the forefront of the picture.**

**"That's Dumbledore's brother Aberforth, only time I ever met him, strange bloke - that's Dorcas Meadowes, Voldemort killed her personally - Sirius, when he still had short hair - and - there you go, thought that would interest you!"**

**Harry's heart turned over. His mother and father were beaming up at him, sitting on either side of a small, watery-eyed man whom Harry recognised at once as Wormtail, the one who had betrayed his parents' whereabouts to Voldemort and so helped to bring about their deaths.**

Everyone flinched at the reminder.

**"Eh?" said Moody.**

**Harry looked up into Moody's heavily scarred and pitted face. Evidently Moody was under the impression he had just given Harry a bit of a treat.**

**"Yeah," said Harry, once again attempting to grin. "Er... listen, I've just remembered, I haven't packed my -"**

**He was spared the trouble of inventing an object he had not packed. Sirius had just said, "What's that you've got there, Mad-Eye?" and Moody had turned towards him. Harry crossed the kitchen, slipped through the door and up the stairs before anyone could call him back.**

"Thanks for the save." Harry told Sirius.

"Anytime, I could tell it was upsetting you." Sirius smiled sadly, "I told him not to show you it. I was going to do that, preferably not in a room full of people. And I would've asked you if you'd wanted to see it beforehand."

"He sprung it on us too." Remus nodded, "We didn't know he had it until he handed it to me. Talk about a shock." he shook his head.

**He did not know why it had been such a shock; he had seen pictures of his parents before, after all, and he had met Wormtail but to have them sprung on him like that, when he was least expecting it - no one would like that, he thought angrily -**

**And then, to see them surrounded by all those other happy faces - Benjy Eenwick, who had been found in bits, and Gideon Prewett, who had died like a hero, and the Longbottoms, who had been tortured into madness - all waving happily out of the photograph forever more, not knowing that they were doomed - well, Moody might find that interesting - he, Harry, found it disturbing - Harry tiptoed up the stairs in the hall past the stuffed elf-heads, glad to be on his own again, but as he approached the first landing he heard noises. Someone was sobbing in the drawing room.**

"You don't mind if I show this do you?" Harry asked Molly.

"Not at all, it might explain to the boys and Ginny why I acted like I did." she replied.

**"Hello?" Harry said.**

**There was no answer but the sobbing continued. He climbed the remaining stairs two at a time, walked across the landing and opened the drawing-room door.**

**Someone was cowering against the dark wall, her wand in her hand, her whole body shaking with sobs. Sprawled on the dusty old carpet in a patch of moonlight, clearly dead, was Ron.**

"What!" they all gasped in shock, except Molly and Harry.

"Boggart." Molly said.

"Oh."

**All the air seemed to vanish from Harry's lungs; he felt as though he were falling through the floor; his brain turned icy cold - Ron dead, no, it couldn't be - But wait a moment, it couldn't be - Ron was downstairs - "Mrs Weasley?" Harry croaked.**

**"R - r - riddikulus!" Mrs. Weasley sobbed, pointing her shaking wand at Ron's body.**

**Crack.**

**Ron's body turned into Bill's, spread-eagled on his back, his eyes wide open and empty. Mrs. Weasley sobbed harder than ever.**

**"R - riddikulus!" she sobbed again.**

**Crack.**

**Mr. Weasley's body replaced Bill's, his glasses askew, a trickle of blood running down his face.**

All the women were crying silently and the men all looked pale. The Weasley's eyes were wide.

**"No!" Mrs. Weasley moaned. "No - riddikulus! Riddikulus! RIDDlKULUS!"**

**Crack. Dead twins. Crack. Dead Percy. Crack. Dead Harry -**

**"Mrs. Weasley, just get out of here!" shouted Harry, staring down at his own dead body on the floor. "Let someone else -"**

**"What's going on?"**

**Lupin had come running into the room, closely followed by Sirius, with Moody stumping along behind them.**

"Thank goodness," said Lily, wiping her eyes. "They will take care of things."

"Of course we will. Mad-Eye was watching Harry, that's how we knew what happened." Remus explained.

**Lupin looked from Mrs. Weasley to the dead Harry on the floor and seemed to understand in an instant. Pulling out his own wand, he said, very firmly and clearly: "Riddikulus!"**

**Harry's body vanished. A silvery orb hung in the air over the spot where it had lain. Lupin waved his wand once more and the orb vanished in a puff of smoke.**

**"Oh - oh - oh!" gulped Mrs. Weasley, and she broke into a storm of crying, her face in her hands.**

Charlie looked at his mother, "That's why you were so protective? You were scared one or more of us would die?"

Molly nodded weakly, "I'd already lost my brothers in the first war, I didn't want to lose one of my children."

"But it happened anyway." Fred grumbled, "I was stupid for not ducking during that explosion."

"We've all done stupid things." Regulus assured him, "Take the Mark on my arm for an example." he twitched his left arm to show he meant the Dark Mark.

"Or me getting distracted during a duel, allowing my own evil cousin to kill me." Sirius muttered.

**"Molly," said Lupin bleakly, walking over to her. "Molly don't..."**

**Next second, she was sobbing her heart out on Lupin's shoulder.**

**"Molly, it was just a Boggart," he said soothingly, patting her on the head, "just a stupid Boggart -"**

**"I see them d - d - dead all the time!" Mrs. Weasley moaned into his shoulder. "All the t - t - time! I d - d - dream about it -"**

**Sirius was staring at the patch of carpet where the Boggart, pretending to be Harry's body, had lain. Moody was looking at Harry, who avoided his gaze. He had a funny feeling Moody's magical eye had followed him all the way out of the kitchen.**

"It did." said Sirius.

**"D-d - don't tell Arthur," Mrs. Weasley was gulping now, mopping her eyes frantically with her cuffs. "I d - d - don't want him to know - being silly -"**

"You know I wouldn't think that Molly." Arthur frowned, "You should've told me."

"Maybe." she shrugged.

**Lupin handed her a handkerchief and she blew her nose.**

**"Harry, I'm so sorry. What must you think of me?" she said shakily. "Not even able to get rid of a Boggart -"**

**"Don't be stupid," said Harry, trying to smile.**

**"I'm just - s - so worried," she said, tears spilling out of her eyes again. "Half the f-f-family's in the Order, it'll b-b-be a miracle if we all come through this - and P-P-Percy's not talking to us - what if something d-d-dreadful happens and we've never in - in - made it up with him? And what's going to happen if Arthur and I get killed, who's g-g-going to look after Ron and Ginny?"**

"You don't think we'd let them be left to fend for themselves." Albus said, "The Order would've helped as much as possible if needed, thankfully it wasn't needed but the point still stands."

"Yeah, we wouldn't've been alone Mum, depressed yes, alone no." Ginny smiled sadly.

**"Molly that's enough;" said Lupin firmly. "This isn't like last time. The Order are better prepared, we've got a head start, we know what Voldemort's up to -"**

**Mrs. Weasley gave a little squeak of fright at the sound of the name.**

**"Oh, Molly, come on, it's about time you got used to hearing his name - look, I can't promise no one's going to get hurt, nobody can promise that, but we're much better off than we were last time. You weren't in the Order then, you don't understand. Last time we were outnumbered twenty to one by the Death Eaters and they were picking us off one by one -"**

They all flinched.

**Harry thought of the photograph again, of his parents' beaming faces. He knew Moody was still watching him.**

**"Don't worry about Percy," said Sirius abruptly. "He'll come round. It's only a matter of time before Voldemort moves into the open; once he does, the whole Ministry's going to be begging us to forgive them. And I'm not sure I'll be accepting their apology," he added bitterly.**

"Not everyone in the Ministry could think Voldemort couldn't return or think that he hadn't even if they thought it was possible." said Lily, frowning at Sirius.

"Most did think he hadn't though." Percy muttered bitterly, "Myself included."

**"And as for who's going to look after Ron and Ginny if you and Arthur died," said Lupin, smiling slightly, "what do you think we'd do, let them starve?"**

**Mrs. Weasley smiled tremulously.**

**"Being silly," she muttered again, mopping her eyes.**

**But Harry, closing his bedroom door behind him some ten minutes later, could not think Mrs. Weasley silly. He could still see his parents beaming up at him from the tattered old photograph, unaware that their lives, like so many of those around them, were drawing to a close. The image of the Boggart posing as the corpse of each member of Mrs. Weasley's family in turn kept flashing before his eyes.**

They all shuddered.

**Without warning, the scar on his forehead seared with pain again and his stomach churned horribly.**

**"Cut it out," he said firmly, rubbing the scar as the pain receded.**

**"First sigh of madness, talking to your own head," said a sly voice from the empty picture on the wall.**

"Oh shut up, Phineas." snapped Sirius, Regulus, Cissy and Andy.

**Harry ignored it. He felt older than he had ever felt in his life and it seemed extraordinary to him that barely an hour ago he had been worried about a joke shop and who had got a prefect's badge.**

"That's the end of the memory. Minerva you've been awfully quiet, something wrong?" Harry asked worriedly.

"Nothing, just thinking about something." she smiled. "I won't say what until I've run it past Kingsley though."

"Fair enough. Where is he this morning anyway?" Ginny inquired.

"At the Ministry doing something." Percy shrugged, "He didn't say what he's doing."

"Probably paperwork." Harry mused, "He seems to get a lot of it."

"Comes with running the Ministry." Kingsley said as he walked in, "Good morning, and your right Harry, it was paperwork." he added.

"Good morning." they all replied as he sat down.

"On a scale from one to 10 how annoyed are you all feeling right now?" Kingsley asked the four bed-bound teens hesitantly.

"Not very." Hermione shrugged after getting the other's answers silently. "Why?" she asked suspiciously.

"Some annoying news I'm afraid." he sighed, he took out a copy of the Daily Prophet morning edition and handed it to Harry.

"'LYCAN OR DANGEROUS BEAST; can we really trust these beings?'." he read out.

"Turn the page."

"What! 'HARRY POTTER AND FRIENDS GOING DARK. Is our saviour going dark and dangerous and taking his friends along for the ride?'" he growled, "What the hell! Can't they control themselves?!" he demanded.

"I didn't know they'd printed it until the damage was done." Kingsley sighed, "Apparently because people don't know a lot about Lycan's they're getting branded as dark, even though you're not..."

"I notice they don't say who wrote the articles." Ginny frowned looking at the paper.

"Meaning no one can be arrested for it. We've got Skeeter already though, she's denying everything but is being kept in for questioning anyway." Kingsley explained, "I've managed to shut down the Daily Prophet offices until further notice too, they're not allowed to print anything or even get stories until I lift the temporary block on the offices." he added.

Neville frowned and pulled a Galleon out of his pocket and looked at it closely for a minute, "It was Smith." he said, "Seamus and Dean bumped into him and he was boasting about it."

"I hate him. I officially hate him." Harry growled.

"Smith?" Lily asked.

"Zacharias Smith, Hufflepuff a year or two up from us." Hermione supplied, "And a complete git, he abandoned the DA in the end, he's been kicked out already."

"Send a message to them getting them to hand Smith in, his Fathers the manager of the Prophet. I'm sure he won't be happy his son's ruining business." Kingsley smiled predatorily.

"How'd you know it was him?" James frowned.

"Contact Galleons." Neville explained, "Hermione's idea."

"It was so we could communicate with the DA for meeting times and send messages without getting caught or overheard." Luna nodded, "Quite clever."

"Especially since none of the Death Eater's could figure out how you were communicating last year and thankfully didn't ask me." Draco smirked.

"Now the coins are used to send news and updates to each other." Ginny smiled, "A lot of us don't see each other through the holidays and such and it's nice to have a way to communicate quicker than owls."

"There's a better explanation later on in the memories, we weren't even going to tell you that much... I dont know what we're going to do about this though." Harry sighed.

"Ignore it until we're out of here." Ron shrugged, "Not much else we can do."

"I'll get Daddy to run a story full of information about Lycan's, it'll clear up a lot of the fears." Luna said, "Nothing personal mind you, just some information about how we always keep our minds unless it's full moon but even then we have more control than Werewolves and are friendly towards humans."

"We should've made that clear when we first told people about them, I can feel another press conferance coming soon." Harry sighed, "But that's a great idea Luna, we can put pictures of a few of us around people, maybe even do a public walk in our wolf forms." he mused.

"That might just scare people more." Lily pointed out.

"We'll think of something." he shrugged, "For now let's continue."

* * *

><p>Review please x<p> 


	69. Chapter 69

Chapter 69 - Fifth Year (Part 6)

21, August, 1998.

"This is the next morning and the train." Harry smiled.

**Harry had a troubled nights sleep. His parents wove in and out of his dreams, never speaking; Mrs. Weasley sobbed over Kreacher's dead body, watched by Ron and Hermione who were wearing crowns, and yet again Harry found himself walking down a corridor ending in a locked door. He awoke abruptly with his scar prickling to find Ron already dressed and talking to him.**

**"... better hurry up, Mum's going ballistic, she says we're going to miss the train."**

**There was a lot of commotion in the house. From what he heard as he dressed at top speed, Harry gathered that Fred and George had bewitched their trunks to fly downstairs to save the bother of carrying them, with the result that they had hurtled straight into Ginny and knocked her down two flights of stairs into the hall;**

"Were you alright?" Alice asked.

"I was fine." Ginny smiled, "These two werent when we got to the school though." she added nodding at the twins.

"Yeah, she hexed us for that. Sorry again Gin." Fred said sheepishly.

"Sorry again Gin." George added.

**Mrs. Black and Mrs. Weasley were both screaming at the top of their voices.**

**"- COULD HAVE DONE HER A SERIOUS INJURY, YOU IDIOTS -"**

**"- FILTHY HALF-BREEDS, BESMIRCHING THE HOUSE OF MY FATHERS -"**

"She never shuts up does she?" Regulus groaned.

"Of course not." Sirius growled.

**Hermione came hurrying into the room looking flustered, just as Harry was putting on his trainers. Hedwig was swaying on her shoulder, and she was carrying a squirming Crookshanks in her arms.**

**"Mum and Dad just sent Hedwig back." The owl fluttered obligingly over and perched on top of her cage. "Are you ready yet?"**

**"Nearly. Is Ginny all right?" Harry asked, shoving on his glasses.**

**"Mrs. Weasley's patched her up," said Hermione. "But now Mad-Eye's complaining that we can't leave unless Sturgis Podmore's here, otherwise the guard will be one short."**

The Order members at that time and the teens winced, remembering why Surgis wasnt there.

**"Guard?" said Harry. "We have to go to King's Cross with a guard?"**

**"You have to go to King's Cross with a guard," Hermione corrected him.**

**"Why?" said Harry irritably. "I thought Voldemort was supposed to be lying low, or are you telling me he's going to jump out from behind a dustbin to try and do me in?"**

"Well, that's unlikely to happen," said James. "But Moody probably just wants to be on the safe side."

"Actually it was my idea." Remus smiled, "I wanted to see them off so I told Albus I thought Harry needed a guard."

"But Mad-Eye overheard you and made sure he was there and said there should be more than 3 adults. I was going to go along to help anyway." Dora shrugged.

"So Mad-Eye blew it out of proportion?" Frank guessed.

"He wanted the whole Guard there." Minerva mused, "But that would be to obvious so he changed his mind and settled for three of the Guard as well as Molly."

"And me." Sirius grinned.

"You weren't supposed to go." Remus reminded him.

"And? I'd been going crazy stuck in that house, it was worth it." he shrugged.

**"I don't know, it's just what Mad-Eye says," said Hermione distractedly, looking at her watch, "but if we don't leave soon we're definitely going to miss the train..."**

**"WILL YOU LOT GET DOWN HERE NOW, PLEASE!" Mrs. Weasley bellowed and Hermione jumped as though scalded and hurried out of the room. Harry seized Hedwig, stuffed her unceremoniously into her cage, and set off downstairs after Hermione, dragging his trunk.**

**Mrs. Black's portrait was howling with rage but nobody was bothering to close the curtains over her; all the noise in the hall was bound to rouse her again, anyway.**

"I'd say the portrait is worse than the real thing." Cissy said in disbelief.

"About the same actually. You never had to live with her." Sirius muttered.

"It's about the same in regards to her reaction whenever she saw you wearing your school robes." Regulus told his brother.

"Yeah, there's that." he rolled his eyes.

**"Harry, you're to come with me and Tonks," shouted Mrs. Weasley over the repeated screeches of "MUDBLOODS! SCUM! CREATURES OF DIRT!" - "Leave your trunk and your owl, Alastor's going to deal with the luggage... oh, for heaven's sake, Sirius, Dumbledore said no!"**

**A bear-like black dog had appeared at Harry's side as he was clambering over the various trunks cluttering the hall to get to Mrs. Weasley.**

**"Oh honestly..." said Mrs. Weasley despairingly. "Well, on your own head be it!"**

**She wrenched open the front door and stepped out into the weak September sunlight. Harry and the dog followed her. The door slammed behind them and Mrs. Black's screeches were cut off instantly.**

**"Where's Tonks?" Harry said, looking round as they went down the stone steps of number twelve, which vanished the moment they reached the pavement.**

**"She's waiting for us just up here," said Mrs. Weasley stiffly, averting her eyes from the lolloping black dog beside Harry.**

"What's the big deal to Sirius being there?" Amber asked. "He's in his Animagus form."

"Yes but by that time the Death Eaters all knew about him thanks to Pettigrew." Draco told them, "Even I knew and I wasnt Marked yet. Your lucky by the way, I recognised you from the descriptions, I could've easily revealed you." he told Sirius.

"Yes, either of us could have." Cissy nodded, "It was me dropping him off that time, Lucius was at a Death Eater meeting." she made a face, "So I saw you too."

"Oop's, didn't think of that." Sirius winced.

"I wouldn't worry about that. We were probably the only two who could recognise you from a spoken description except Bella and Lucius." she frowned, "Did you mention that sighting to them? Or rather anyone at all?" she asked Draco.

He shook his head, "Only to you."

She nodded, "And it wasn't likely that I'd reveal you, Sirius, even if you didn't know that at the time."

Sirius sighed, "I still should've considered that."

**An old woman greeted them on the corner. She had tightly curled grey hair and wore a purple hat shaped like a pork pie.**

**"Wotcher, Harry," she said, winking. "Better hurry up, hadn't we, Molly?" she added, checking her watch.**

**"I know, I know," moaned Mrs. Weasley, lengthening her stride, "but Mad-Eye wanted to wait for Sturgis... if only Arthur could have got us cars from the Ministry again... but Fudge won't let him borrow so much as an empty ink bottle these days... how Muggles can stand travelling without magic."**

**But the great black dog gave a joyful bark and gambolled around them, snapping at pigeons and chasing its own tail.**

They all had a good laugh over this, even Sirius.

**Harry couldn't help laughing. Sirius had been trapped inside for a very long time. Mrs. Weasley pursed her lips in an almost Aunt Petunia-ish way.**

**It took them twenty minutes to reach King's Cross on foot and nothing more eventful happened during that time than Sirius scaring a couple of cats for Harry's entertainment. Once inside the station they lingered casually beside the barrier between platforms nine and ten until the coast was clear, then each of them leaned against it in turn and fell easily through on to Platform nine and three-quarters, where the Hogwarts Express stood belching sooty steam over a platform packed with departing students and their families. Harry inhaled the familiar smell and felt his spirits soar... he was really going back...**

**"I hope the others make it in time," said Mrs. Weasley anxiously, staring behind her at the wrought-iron arch spanning the platform, through which new arrivals would come.**

**"Nice dog, Harry!" called a tall boy with dreadlocks.**

**"Thanks, Lee," said Harry, grinning, as Sirius wagged his tail frantically.**

"The odd thing is I can't control the tail half the time." Sirius chuckled, "It's more of an automatic response to hearing something good or nice."

**"Oh good," said Mrs. Weasley, sounding relieved, "here's Alastor with the luggage, look..."**

**A porter's cap pulled low over his mismatched eyes, Moody came limping through the archway pushing a trolley loaded with their trunks.**

**"All OK," he muttered to Mrs. Weasley and Tonks, "don't think we were followed..."**

**Seconds later, Mr. Weasley emerged on to the platform with Ron and Hermione. They had almost unloaded Moody's luggage trolley when Fred, George and Ginny turned up with Lupin.**

**"No trouble?" growled Moody.**

**"Nothing," said Lupin.**

**"I'll still be reporting Sturgis to Dumbledore," said Moody, "that's the second time he's not turned up in a week. Getting as unreliable as Mundungus."**

**"Well, look after yourselves," said Lupin, shaking hands all round. He reached Harry last and gave him a clap on the shoulder. "You too, Harry. Be careful."**

**"Yeah, keep your head down and your eyes peeled," said Moody, shaking Harry's hand too. "And don't forget, all of you - careful what you put in writing. If in doubt, don't put it in a letter at all."**

**"It's been great meeting all of you," said Tonks, hugging Hermione and Ginny. "We'll see you soon, I expect."**

**A warning whistle sounded; the students still on the platform started hurrying on to the train.**

**"Quick, quick," said Mrs. Weasley distractedly, hugging them at random and catching Harry twice. "Write... be good... if you've forgotten anything we'll send it on... on to the train, now, hurry..."**

**For one brief moment, the great black dog reared on to its hind legs and placed its front paws on Harry's shoulders, but Mrs. Weasley shoved Harry away towards the train door, hissing, "For heaven's sake, act more like a dog, Sirius!"**

"Aww, why couldn't I give Harry a doggy hug?" protested Sirius, "I've seen proper dogs do that too!" he huffed.

"It's true Molly. I couldn't say anything on the platform but proper dogs that love their owners do actually do that. If anyone had asked Harry could've said Padfoot was trained to do it." Remus said.

"And isn't it a bad thing you said his real name? What if someone had heard?" Draco added.

Molly winced, "Maybe I shouldn't have..."

**"See you!" Harry called out of the open window as the train began to move, while Ron, Hermione and Ginny waved beside him. The figures of Tonks, Lupin, Moody and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley shrank rapidly but the black dog was bounding alongside the window, wagging its tail; blurred people on the platform were laughing to see it chasing the train, then they rounded a bend, and Sirius was gone.**

**"He shouldn't have come with us," said Hermione in a worried voice.**

**"Oh, lighten up," said Ron, "he hasn't seen daylight for months, poor bloke."**

**"Well," said Fred, clapping his hands together, "can't stand around chatting all day, we've got business to discuss with Lee. See you later," and he and George disappeared down the corridor to the right.**

**The train was gathering still more speed, so that the houses outside the window flashed past, and they swayed where they stood.**

**"Shall we go and find a compartment, then?" Harry asked.**

**Ron and Hermione exchanged looks.**

**"Er," said Ron.**

**"We're - well - Ron and I are supposed to go into the prefect carriage," Hermione said awkwardly.**

**Ron wasn't looking at Harry; he seemed to have become intensely interested in the fingernails on his left hand.**

"I'd forgotten." Ron admitted.

"So did I." Harry chuckled.

**"Oh," said Harry. "Right. Fine."**

**"I don't think we'll have to stay there all journey," said Hermione quickly. "Our letters said we just get instructions from the Head Boy and Girl and then patrol the corridors from time to time."**

**"Fine," said Harry again. "Well, I - I might see you later, then."**

**"Yeah, definitely," said Ron, casting a shifty, anxious look at Harry. "It's a pain having to go down there, I'd rather - but we have to - I mean, I'm not enjoying it, I'm not Percy," he finished defiantly.**

**"I know you're not," said Harry and he grinned. But as Hermione and Ron dragged their trunks, Crookshanks and a caged Pigwidgeon off towards the engine end of the train, Harry felt an odd sense of loss. He had never travelled on the Hogwarts Express without Ron.**

"That's exactly what I was thinking." Ron mused, "We'd never been on the train and not sat together at any point until then."

**"Come on," Ginny told him, "if we get a move on we'll be able to save them places."**

**"Right," said Harry, picking up Hedwig's cage in one hand and the handle of his trunk in the other. They struggled off down the corridor, peering through the glass-panelled doors into the compartments they passed, which were already full. Harry could not help noticing that a lot of people stared back at him with great interest and that several of them nudged their neighbours and pointed him out. After he had met this behaviour in five consecutive carriages he remembered that the Daily Prophet had been telling its reader all summer what a lying show-off he was. He wondered dully whether the people now staring and whispering believed the stories.**

"Some of them probably do," said Remus. "But I imagine just about everyone in Slytherin believes you."

"Not all of them. Some of them, mainly the people on the fence for the war, didn't know what to think." Astoria told them, "I only knew it was true because of people talking about it at one of those stupid functions during the summer." she admitted.

**In the very last carriage they met Neville Longbottom, Harry's fellow fifth-year Gryffindor, his round face shining with the effort of pulling his trunk along and maintaining a one-handed grip on his struggling toad, Trevor.**

**"Hi, Harry" he panted. "Hi, Ginny... everywhere's full... I can't find a seat..."**

**"What are you talking about?" said Ginny, who had squeezed past Neville to peer into the compartment behind him. "There's room in this one, there's only Loony Lovegood in here -"**

Luna looked at Ginny reproachfully.

"Sorry Luna." she apologised, "That was mean of me."

Luna nodded in acceptance.

**Neville mumbled something about not wanting to disturb anyone.**

**"Don't be silly," said Ginny, laughing, "she's all right."**

**She slid the door open and pulled her trunk inside. Harry and Neville followed.**

**"Hi, Luna," said Ginny, "is it OK if we take these seats?"**

**The girl beside the window looked up. She had straggly, waist-length, dirty-blonde hair, very pale eyebrows and protuberant eyes that gave her a permanently surprised look. Harry knew at once why Neville had chosen to pass this compartment by. The girl gave off an aura of distinct dottiness. Perhaps it was the fact that she had stuck her wand behind her left ear for safekeeping, or that she had chosen to wear a necklace of Butterbeer corks, or that she was reading a magazine upside-down.**

**Her eyes ranged over Neville and came to rest on Harry. She nodded.**

**"Thanks," said Ginny, smiling at her.**

**Harry and Neville stowed the three trunks and Hedwig's cage in the luggage rack and sat down. Luna watched them over her upside-down magazine, which was called The Quibbler.**

"I only ever read Daddy's magazine. I'll be taking over next year, Daddy he said he wants to retire early." Luna smiled. "Though I occasionally read the Prophet."

**She did not seem to need to blink as much as normal humans. She stared and stared at Harry, who had taken the seat opposite her and now wished he hadn't.**

**"Had a good summer, Luna?" Ginny asked.**

**"Yes," said Luna dreamily, without taking her eyes off Harry. "Yes, it was quite enjoyable, you know. You're Harry Potter," she added.**

**"I know I am," said Harry.**

**Neville chuckled. Luna turned her pale eyes on him instead.**

**"And I don't know who you are."**

**"I'm nobody," said Neville hurriedly.**

"No you're not!" snapped Frank, "Alice dear, remind me to have a chat with Mum tonight."

"Of course dear, I might even join in." she answered.

"I feel like I should feel sorry for Gran." Neville mused, "Just leave it, I know I didn't have a lot of confidence. Gran was only doing what she thought would help."

**"No you're not," said Ginny sharply. "Neville Longbottom - Luna Lovegood. Luna's in my year, but in Ravenclaw."**

**"Wit beyond measure is man's greatest treasure," said Luna in a singsong voice.**

"What does that mean?" Dudley asked.

"It's the Ravenclaw motto. It means knowledge is a person's greatest treasure and power." Luna told him, smiling.

**She raised her upside-down magazine high enough to hide her face and fell silent. Harry and Neville looked at each other with their eyebrows raised. Ginny suppressed a giggle.**

**The train rattled onwards, speeding them out into open country. It was an odd, unsettled sort of day; one moment the carriage was full of sunlight and the next they were passing beneath ominously grey clouds.**

**"Guess what I got for my birthday?" said Neville.**

**"Another Remembrall?" said Harry, remembering the marble-like device Neville's grandmother had sent him in an effort to improve his abysmal memory.**

**"No," said Neville. "I could do with one, though, I lost the old one ages ago... no, look at this..."**

**He dug the hand that was not keeping a firm grip on Trevor into his schoolbag and after a little bit of rummaging pulled out what appeared to be a small grey cactus in a pot, except that it was covered with what looked like boils rather than spines.**

**"Mimbulus mimbletonia," he said proudly.**

**Harry stared at the thing. It was pulsating slightly, giving it the rather sinister look of some diseased internal organ.**

**"It's really, really rare," said Neville, beaming. "I don't know it there's one in the greenhouse at Hogwarts, even. I can't wait to show it to Professor Sprout. My Great Uncle Algie got it for me in Assyria. I'm going to see if I can breed from it."**

**Harry knew that Neville's favourite subject was Herbology but for the life of him he could not see what he would want with this stunted little plant.**

**"Does it - er - do anything?" he asked.**

**"Loads of stuff!" said Neville proudly. "It's got an amazing defensive mechanism. Here, hold Trevor for me..."**

"No!" Remus exclaimed, "I remember reading that if you prod it, it sprays Stinksap everywhere!" seeing the other's looks, he added, "Of course, it's not poisonous or anything, but it stinks."

"I wasn't thinking about that at the time." Neville blushed.

**He dumped the toad into Harry's lap and took a quill from his schoolbag. Luna Lovegood's popping eyes appeared over the top of her upside-down magazine again, to watch what Neville was doing. Neville held the Mimbulus mimbletonia up to his eyes, his tongue between his teeth, chose his spot, and gave the plant a sharp prod with the tip of his quill.**

**Liquid squirted from every boil on the plant; thick, stinking, dark green jets of it.**

**They hit the ceiling, the windows, and spattered Luna Lovegood's magazine; Ginny, who had flung her arms up in front of her face just in time, merely looked as though she was wearing a slimy green hat, but Harry, whose hands had been busy preventing Trevor's escape, received a faceful. It smelled like rancid manure.**

"Yuck!" they exclaimed, making faces.

**Neville, whose face and torso were also drenched, shook his head to get the worst out of his eyes.**

**"S - sorry," he gasped. "I haven't tried that before... didn't realise it would be quite so... don't worry, though, Stinksap's not poisonous," he added nervously, as Harry spat a mouthful on to the floor.**

**At that precise moment the door of their compartment slid open.**

**"Oh... hello, Harry," said a nervous voice. "Um... bad time?"**

**Harry wiped the lenses of his glasses with his Trevor-free hand. A very pretty girl with long, shiny black hair was standing in the doorway smiling at him: Cho Chang, the Seeker on the Ravenclaw Quidditch team.**

"Oh no!" Lily exclaimed, biting her lip, though she couldn't help bursting into a fit of giggles. "Harry's crush has to show up!"

The Marauders and twins began laughing hysterically. "He's covered in Stinksap!" chortled James. "Just as Cho Chang walks in!"

"How hilarious!" Sirius gasped, unable to stop his laughter.

Harry had his face hidden in Ginny's hair and when he looked up his face was a little red.

**"Oh... hi," said Harry blankly.**

**"Um..." said Cho. "Well... just thought I'd say hello... bye then."**

**Rather pink in the face, she closed the door and departed. Harry slumped back in his seat and groaned. He would have liked Cho to discover him sitting with a group of very cool people laughing their heads off at a joke he had just told; he would not have chosen to be sitting with Neville and Loony Lovegood, clutching a toad and dripping in Stinksap.**

**"Never mind," said Ginny bracingly. "Look, we can easily get rid of all this." She pulled out her wand. "Scourgify!"**

**The Stinksap vanished.**

**"Sorry," said Neville again, in a small voice.**

**Ron and Hermione did not turn up for nearly an hour, by which time the food trolley had already gone by. Harry, Ginny, and Neville had finished their pumpkin pasties and were busy swapping Chocolate Frog Cards when the compartment door slid open and they walked in, accompanied by Crookshanks and a shrilly hooting Pigwidgeon in his cage.**

**"I'm starving," said Ron, stowing Pigwidgeon next to Hedwig, grabbing a Chocolate Frog from Harry and throwing himself into the seat next to him. He ripped open the wrapper, bit off the frog's head and leaned back with his eyes closed as though he had had a very exhausting morning.**

**"Well, there are two fifth-year prefects from each house," said Hermione, looking thoroughly disgruntled as she took her seat. "Boy and girl from each."**

**"And guess who's a Slytherin prefect?" said Ron, still with his eyes closed.**

**"Malfoy," replied Harry at once, certain his worst fear would be confirmed.**

**"Course," said Ron bitterly, stuffing the rest of the Frog into his mouth and taking another.**

**"And that complete cow Pansy Parkinson," said Hermione viciously. "How she got to be a prefect when she's thicker than a concussed troll..."**

"Well, the only other girl in their year that's a Slytherin is Millicent Bulstrode, and I don't think you'd want her as prefect," said Astoria. "Especially considering that she's built like a female Crabbe and Goyle."

"And probably would've been worse than Pansy." Draco nodded, "Bulstrode got picked on constantly and would've handed out detentions constantly for nothing."

"Bit like what you did then?" Harry accused.

"No I waited until people done something, no matter how small." he flushed.

"Millicent was like that, but she actually wasnt that bad." Astoria added, "It was mostly getting her to relax a bit that was the problem." she shook her head, "Like it is with Daphne, though people never picked on Daphne."

"Well she has got the reputation of 'Ice Queen' at school." Draco mused.

"Yes, thats true." she grinned, "She can be awfully cold if she wants to be, personally I think it's just amusing."

"You would." he told her, "Considering she'd never use that persona on you." she shrugged and put her head on his shoulder.

**"Who are Hufflepuff's?" Harry asked.**

**"Ernie Macmillan and Hannah Abbott," said Ron thickly.**

**"And Anthony Goldstein and Padma Patil for Ravenclaw," said Hermione.**

"What are they like?" Alice asked.

"They're good, all four of them are DA members too." Hermione smiled, "And even though Ernie acts like a pompous prat all the time he's actually a really good friend."

"Hannah's one of the nicest people you could meet but you don't want to have her angry with you." Neville added, "She looks sweet and innocent but she's more than capable of hexing someone into oblivion."

"Same with a lot of the female DA members really." Ron muttered, "I don't fancy annoying them at any rate. Like with the Patil twins, they are quite terrifying when they're dueling."

"I'll second that, never mess with them if you can help it." Harry added, "I don't know much about Anthony as a friend but he seems alright from what I do know."

"He is. He's one of the smartest in his year Ravenclaw, he's good with Runes too." Luna told them, "The only person in his year able to out test him was Hermione actually."

"He did mention that once." Hermione nodded, "I used to talk to him during Runes since those two didn't take the subject."

**"You went to the Yule Ball with Padma Patil," said a vague voice.**

**Everyone turned to look at Luna Lovegood, who was gazing unblinkingly at Ron over the top of The Quibbler. He swallowed his mouthful of Frog.**

**"Yeah, I know I did," he said, looking mildly surprised.**

**"She didn't enjoy it very much," Luna informed him. "She doesn't think you treated her very well, because you wouldn't dance with her. I don't think I'd have minded," she added thoughtfully, "I don't like dancing very much."**

**She retreated behind The Quibbler again. Ron stared at the cover with his mouth hanging open for a few seconds, then looked around at Ginny for some kind of explanation, but Ginny had stuffed her knuckles in her mouth to stop herself giggling. Ron shook his head, bemused, then checked his watch.**

**"We're supposed to patrol the corridors every so often," he told Harry and Neville, "and we can give out punishments if people are misbehaving. I can't wait to get Crabbe and Goyle for something -"**

**"You're not supposed to abuse your position, Ron!" said Hermione sharply.**

**"Yeah, right, because Malfoy won't abuse it at all," said Ron sarcastically.**

**"So you're going to descend to his level?"**

**"No, I'm just going to make sure I get his mates before he gets mine."**

"Good idea." said Sirius, grinning.

"Didnt work though." Draco smirked, "I made sure of that."

**"For heaven's sake, Ron -"**

**"I'll make Goyle do lines, it'll kill him, he hates writing," said Ron happily. He lowered his voice to Goyle's low grunt and, screwing up his face in a look of pained concentration, mimed writing in midair. "I... must... not... look... like... a... baboon's... backside."**

They all laughed, "That would be a good one for Goyle, if he could spell 'look' and 'baboons backside'." Draco said through laughter.

"He couldn't spell 'look'?" Cissy asked incredulously.

"Nope. He thought it was spelled with three o's and two k's." Astoria mused.

"That's quite bad." Andy commented.

"That'll be the inbreeding." Regulus shuddered, "If I remember right the Goyle line went to the extremes when it came to incest."

"Yes, considering Goyle Sr's Grandparents were brother and sister it's not all that surprising him and his son are a bit thick in the head." Cissy said disgustedly, "Crabbe Jr too. His parents had the same Father but different Mothers, but still."

Sirius shuddered, going pale, "I can think of something worse."

"Oh?"

"Yes, oh." he said grimly, "Our parents were cousins." he jerked a finger in Regulus's direction, "When they married our Mother went from Walburga Black to Walburga Black, the relation was that close. Talk about sickening." he mimed throwing up as most of the room looked slightly green.

"They were our first cousins once removed." Regulus made a face, "Rather disturbing thought."

"Overly. And yet they wondered why so many Black's ended up insane." Andy mused, "Too much inbreeding." she shook her head.

"Lucky we didn't end up like that then." Cissy muttered, "Though with how mad Bella was... Well, I suppose it had to affect at least one of us." the other three original Black's nodded in agreement.

**Everyone laughed, but nobody laughed harder than Luna Lovegood. She let out a scream of mirth that caused Hedwig to wake up and flap her wings indignantly and Crookshanks to leap up into the luggage rack, hissing. Luna laughed so hard her magazine slipped out of her grasp, slid down her legs and on to the floor.**

**"That was funny!"**

**Her prominent eyes swam with tears as she gasped for breath, staring at Ron.**

"I know I went a bit overboard but that was one of the funniest things I'd heard since my Mum died." Luna shrugged.

"It's fine Luna, we just thought it was a bit odd at the time." Ron told her.

**Utterly nonplussed, he looked around at the others, who were now laughing at the expression on Ron's face and at the ludicrously prolonged laughter of Luna Lovegood, who was rocking backwards and forwards, clutching her sides.**

**"Are you taking the mickey?" said Ron, frowning at her.**

**"Baboon's... backside!" she choked, holding her ribs.**

**Everyone else was watching Luna laughing, but Harry glancing at the magazine on the floor, noticed something that made him dive for it. Upside-down it had been hard to tell what the picture on the front was, but Harry now realised it was a fairly bad cartoon of Cornelius Fudge; Harry only recognised him because of the lime-green bowler hat. One of Fudge's hands was clenched around a bag of gold; the other hand was throttling a goblin. The cartoon was captioned: How Far Will Fudge Go to Gain Gringotts?**

**Beneath this were listed the titles of other articles inside the magazine.**

**Corruption in the Quidditch League: How the Tornados are Taking Control**

**Secrets of the Ancient Runes Revealed**

**Sirius Black: Villain or Victim?**

"Well, the last article sounds interesting." said Regulus.

"It's the second article. It was hilarious." Sirius chuckled, "Did you read it Harry?"

Harry nodded, grinning.

**"Can I have a look at this?" Harry asked Luna eagerly.**

**She nodded, still gazing at Ron, breathless with laughter.**

**Harry opened the magazine and scanned the index. Until this moment he had completely forgotten the magazine Kingsley had handed Mr. Weasley to give to Sirius, but it must have been this edition of The Quibbler.**

**He found the page, and turned excitedly to the article.**

**This, too, was illustrated by a rather bad cartoon; in fact, Harry would not have known it was supposed to be Sirius if it hadn't been captioned. Sirius was standing on a pile of human bones with his wand out. The headline on the article said:**

**SIRIUS - BLACK AS HE'S PAINTED?**

**Notorious mass murderer or innocent singing sensation?**

**Harry had to read this first sentence several times before he was convinced that he had not misunderstood it. Since when had Sirius been a singing sensation?**

"That's what I thought." Remus grinned, "Tone deaf this one."

Sirius nodded, "Can't sing to save my life."

**For fourteen years Sirius Black has been believed guilty of the mass murder of twelve innocent Muggles and one wizard. Black's audacious escape from Azkaban two years ago has led to the widest manhunt ever conducted by the Ministry of Magic. None of us has ever questioned that he deserves to be recaptured and handed back to the Dementors.**

**BUT DOES HE?**

**Startling new evidence has recently come to light that Sirius Black may not have committed the crimes for which he was sent to Azkaban. In fact, says Doris Purkiss, of 18 Acanthia Way, Little Norton, Black may not even have been present at the killings.**

**"What people don't realise is that Sirius Black is a false name," says Mrs. Purkiss.**

"A false name?" Cissy inquired, "Really? Well Reg looks like you've never known your brother."

Regulus snorted, "Hey Siri, how come you didnt tell me?"

"Oh sod off." he chuckled.

**"The man people believe to be Sirius Black is actually Stubby Boardman, lead singer of popular singing group The Hobgoblins, who retired from public life after being struck on the ear by a turnip at a concert in Little Norton Church Hall nearly fifteen years ago. I recognised him the moment I saw his picture in the paper. Now, Stubby couldn't possibly have committed those crimes, because on the day in question he happened to be enjoying a romantic candlelit dinner with me. I have written to the Minister for Magic and am expecting him to give Stubby, alias Sirius, a full pardon any day now."**

**Harry finished reading and stared at the page in disbelief. Perhaps it was a joke, he thought, perhaps the magazine often printed spoof items. He flicked back a few pages and found the piece on Fudge.**

"It's not a joke Harry. It was Daddy's way of showing he thought Sirius was innocent after he'd looked into the case a little." Luna smiled, she turned to Sirius, "He never really believed you had done what people said you did and decided to put it in that edition to try and get people interested in buying the Quibbler, it wasn't all that popular at that time."

"It put me in a good mood." Sirius shrugged, "And it's good to know not everyone hated me."

**Cornelius Fudge, the Minister for Magic, denied that he had any plans to take over the running of the Wizarding Bank, Gringotts, when he was elected Minister for Magic five years ago. Fudge has always insisted that he wants nothing more than to cooperate peacefully with the guardians of our gold. BUT DOES HE?**

**Sources close to the Minister have recently disclosed that Fudge's dearest ambition is to seize control of the goblin gold supplies and that he will not hesitate to use force if need be.**

"Okay, Fudge is an idiot, but I don't think he'd be willing to offend the Goblins like that." said James.

"He tried it." Kingsley sighed, "That was one of the things I found out while going through files, he actually did try to get control of the Goblins."

**"It wouldn't be the first time, either," said a Ministry insider. "Cornelius 'Goblin-Crusher' Fudge, that's what his friends call him. If you could hear him when he thinks no one's listening, oh, he's always talking about the goblins he's had done in; he's had them drowned, he's had them dropped off buildings, he's had them poisoned, he's had them cooked in pies..."**

"He didn't do those things though." Kingsley mused, "I think he just argued with them and even had a few arrested."

**Harry did not read any further. Fudge might have many faults but Harry found it extremely hard to imagine him ordering goblins to be cooked in pies. He flicked through the rest of the magazine. Pausing every few pages, he read: an accusation that the Tutshill Tornados were winning the Quidditch League by a combination of blackmail, illegal broom-tampering and torture; an interview with a wizard who claimed to have flown to the moon on a Cleansweep Six and brought back a bag of moon frogs to pove it;**

"You can't fly to the moon on a broom. How would you be able to leave the atmosphere? And how would you even be able to breathe?" Lily mused.

"Daddy was running out of ideas." Luna shrugged, "So he sometimes stuck random stories in there, he doesn't do it anymore though, not since I started looking through the articles and such before they're printed now."

"When did you start doing that again Luna?" Ginny frowned, trying to remember.

"Around the time he got out of Azkaban. He kept trying to put dark depressing things in there and that would've lost us readers." she frowned, "Though he's better since he took that potion Draco made, occasionally he will get a bit down and accidentally try to put something inappropriate in there."

"Its to be expected from anyone who's spent any amount of time in Azkaban." Sirius sighed, "I know for the first few weeks once I escaped random dark thoughts would appear from nowhere, no matter what mood I was in. Generally only when I was human though, Padfoot helped a lot." he explained.

Luna nodded, "That's what his healer said when I asked him."

"Xeno's much better now." Neville smiled.

**and an article on ancient runes which at least explained why Luna had been reading The Quibbler upside-down. According to the magazine, if you turned the runes on their heads they revealed a spell to make your enemy's ears turn into kumquats.**

"Does it work?" Regulus asked.

"It does." Luna nodded, "It's complicated to use though because some of the runes had double meanings so the wand movements were tricky to get right."

**In fact, compared to the rest of the articles in The Quibbler, the suggestion that Sirius might really be the lead singer of The Hobgoblins was quite sensible.**

**"Anything good in there?" asked Ron as Harry closed the magazine.**

**"Of course not," said Hermione scathingly, before Harry could answer. "The Quibbler's rubbish, everyone knows that."**

**"Excuse me," said Luna; her voice had suddenly lost its dreamy quality. "My father's the editor."**

**"I - oh," said Hermione, looking embarrassed. "Well... it's got some interesting... I mean, it's quite..."**

**"I'll have it back, thank you," said Luna coldly, and leaning forwards she snatched it out of Harry's hands. Riffling through it to page fifty-seven, she turned it resolutely upside-down again and disappeared behind it, just as the compartment door opened for the third time.**

**Harry looked around; he had expected this, but that did not make the sight of Draco Malfoy smirking at him from between his cronies Crabbe and Goyle any more enjoyable.**

**"What?" he said aggressively, before Malfoy could open his mouth.**

**"Manners, Potter, or I'll have to give you a detention," drawled Malfoy, whose sleek blond hair and pointed chin were just like his fathers. "You see, I, unlike you, have been made a prefect, which means that I, unlike you, have the power to hand out punishments."**

**"Yeah," said Harry, "but you, unlike me, are a git, so get out and leave us alone."**

Everyone laughed a bit at that.

"Good one Harry!" James yelled.

"Shh!" he said as Teddy squirmed in his sleep.

"Oop's." James whispered.

Teddy settled after a moment and went back to sleep.

"No harm done. I suppose I deserved that." Draco said nodding at the memory.

**Ron, Hermione, Ginny and Neville laughed. Malfoy's lip curled.**

**"Tell me, how does it feel being second-best to Weasley, Potter?" he asked.**

**"Shut up, Malfoy," said Hermione sharply.**

**"I seem to have touched a nerve," said Malfoy, smirking. "Well, just watch yourself, Potter, because I'll be dogging your footsteps in case you step out of line."**

**"Get out!" said Hermione, standing up.**

**Sniggering, Malfoy gave Harry a last malicious look and departed, with Crabbe and Goyle lumbering along in his wake. Hermione slammed the compartment door behind them and turned to look at Harry, who knew at once that she, like him, had registered what Malfoy had said and been just as unnerved by it.**

"Good, you understood I knew about Sirius." Draco mused.

**"Chuck us another Frog," said Ron, who had clearly noticed nothing.**

"Oh I noticed, I just didn't show it." Ron said smugly, "We didn't need those two getting suspicious if we acted worried about something Draco said." he nodded at Neville and Luna. "No offence but you two didn't know."

"None taken." Neville assured him.

**Harry could not talk freely in front of Neville and Luna. He exchanged another nervous look with Hermione, then stared out of the window.**

**He had thought Sirius coming with him to the station was a bit of a laugh, but suddenly it seemed reckless, if not downright dangerous... Hermione had been right... Sirius should not have come. What if Mr. Malfoy had noticed the black dog and told Draco? What if he had deduced that the Weasleys, Lupin, Tonks, and Moody knew where Sirius was hiding? Or had Malfoy's use of the word 'dogging' been a coincidence?**

**The weather remained undecided as they travelled further and further north. Rain spattered the windows in a half-hearted way, then the sun put in a feeble appearance before clouds drifted over it once more. When darkness fell and lamps came on inside the carriages, Luna rolled up The Quibbler, put it carefully away in her bag and took to staring at everyone in the compartment instead.**

**Harry was sitting with his forehead pressed against the train window, trying to get a first distant glimpse of Hogwarts, but it was a moonless night and the rain-streaked window was grimy.**

**"We'd better change," said Hermione at last, and all of them opened their trunks with difficulty and pulled on their school robes. She and Ron pinned their prefect badges carefully to their chests. Harry saw Ron checking his reflection in the black window.**

**At last, the train began to slow down and they heard the usual racket up and down it as everybody scrambled to get their luggage and pes assembled, ready to get off. As Ron and Hermione were supposed to supervise all this, they disappeared from the carriage again, leaving Harry and the others to look after Crookshanks and Pigwidgeon.**

**"I'll carry that owl, if you like," said Luna to Harry, reaching out for Pigwidgeon as Neville stowed Trevor carefully in an inside pocket.**

**"Oh - er - thanks," said Harry, handing her the cage and hoisting Hedwig's more securely into his arms.**

**They shuffled out of the compartment feeling the first sting of the night air on their faces as they joined the crowd in the corridor. Slowly, they moved towards the doors. Harry could smell the pine trees that lined the path down to the lake.**

**He stepped down on to the platform and looked around, listening for the familiar call of "firs'-years over 'ere... firs'-years..."**

**But it did not come. Instead, a quite different voice, a brisk female one, was calling out, "First-years line up over here, please! All first-years to me!"**

"Hey, where's Hagrid?" asked Alice. "He should be there."

"Well, Dumbledore sent him on a mission, maybe to try to get the giants on the Order' side." said James. "Maybe Hagrid hasn't returned from it yet."

"He hadn't. And he doesn't for a while." Harry sighed.

**A lantern came swinging towards Harry and by its light he saw the prominent chin and severe haircut of Professor Grubbly-Plank, the witch who had taken over Hagrid's Care of Magical Creatures lessons for a while the previous year.**

**"Where's Hagrid?" he said out loud.**

**"I don't know," said Ginny, "but we'd better get out of the way, we're blocking the door."**

**"Oh, yeah..."**

**Harry and Ginny became separated as they moved off along the platform and out through the station. Jostled by the crowd, Harry squinted through the darkness for a glimpse of Hagrid; he had to be here, Harry had been relying on it - seeing Hagrid again was one of the things he'd been looking forward to most. But there was no sign of him.**

**He can't have left, Harry told himself as he shuffled slowly through a narrow doorway on to the road outside with the rest of the crowd. He's just got a cold or something...**

**He looked around for Ron or Hermione, wanting to know what they thought about the reappearance of Professor Grubbly-Plank, but neither of them was anywhere near him, so he allowed himself to be shunted forwards on to the dark rain-washed road outside Hogsmeade Station.**

**Here stood the hundred or so horseless stagecoaches that always took the students above first year up to the castle. Harry glanced quickly at them, turned away to keep a lookout for Ron and Hermione, then did a double-take.**

**The coaches were no longer horseless. There were creatures standing between the carriage shafts.**

**If he had had to give them a name, he supposed he would have called them horses, though there was something reptilian about them, too. They were completely fleshless, their black coats clinging to their skeletons, of which every bone was visible. Their heads were dragonish, and their pupil-less eyes white and staring. Wings sprouted from each wither - vast, black leathery wings that looked as though they ought to belong to giant bats. Standing still and quiet in the gathering gloom, the creatures looked eerie and sinister. Harry could not understand why the coaches were being pulled by these horrible horses when they were quite capable of moving along by themselves.**

"The thestrals have always been pulling the carriages." said James.

"How come Harry never saw them before then?" Petunia asked.

"They can only be seen by people who've seen death." Lily said sadly.

**"Where's Pig?" said Ron's voice, right behind Harry.**

**"That Luna girl was carrying him," said Harry, turning quickly, eager to consult Ron about Hagrid. "Where d'you reckon -"**

**"- Hagrid is? I dunno," said Ron, sounding worried. "He'd better be OK..."**

**A short distance away, Draco Malfoy, followed by a small gang of cronies including Crabbe, Goyle and Pansy Parkinson, was pushing some timid-looking second-years out of the way so that he and his friends could get a coach to themselves.**

**Seconds later, Hermione emerged panting from the crowd.**

**"Malfoy was being absolutely foul to a first-year back there. I swear I'm going to report him, he's only had his badge three minutes and he's using it to bully people worse than ever..."**

"I just got worse the more the year went on." Draco admitted.

"And you were reported often." Minerva scowled, "I couldn't do anything about it because of Severus claiming we had no proof and that the other houses were lying."

**"where's Crookshanks?"**

**"Ginny's got him," said Harry. "There she is..."**

**Ginny had just emerged from the crowd, clutching a squirming Crookshanks.**

**"Thanks," said Hermione, relieving Ginny of the cat. "Come on, let's get a carriage together before they all fill up..."**

**"I haven't got Pig yet!" Ron said, but Hermione was already heading off towards the nearest unoccupied coach. Harry remained behind with Ron.**

**"What are those things, d'you reckon?" he asked Ron, nodding at the horrible horses as the other students surged past them.**

**"What things?"**

**"Those horse -"**

**Luna appeared holding Pigwidgeon's cage in her arms; the tiny owl was twittering excitedly as usual.**

**"Here you are," she said. "He's a sweet little owl, isn't he?"**

**"Er... yeah... he's all right," said Ron gruffly. "Well, come on then, let's get in... what were you saying, Harry?"**

**"I was saying, what are those horse things?" Harry said, as he, Ron and Luna made for the carriage in which Hermione and Ginny were already sitting.**

**"What horse things?"**

**"The horse things pulling the carriages!" said Harry impatiently. They were, after all, about three feet from the nearest one; it was watching them with empty white eyes. Ron, however, gave Harry a perplexed look.**

**"What are you talking about?"**

**"I'm talking about - look!"**

"It's pointless, Harry, because those thestrals are invisible to Ron." said Lily.

"I didnt know what they were." he shrugged.

**Harry grabbed Ron's arm and wheeled him about so that he was face to face with the winged horse. Ron stared straight at it for a second, then looked back at Harry.**

**"What am I supposed to be looking at?"**

**"At the - there, between the shafts! Harnessed to the coach! It's right there in front -"**

**But as Ron continued to look bemused, a strange thought occurred to Harry.**

**"Can't... can't you see them?"**

"Of course I can't." Ron sighed. "I'd never seen anyone die at that time."

**"See what?"**

**"Can't you see what's pulling the carriages?"**

**Ron looked seriously alarmed now.**

**"Are you feeling all right, Harry?"**

"Yes, Harry's all right!" snapped Remus. "Honestly, don't you know anything about thestrals? They're mentioned in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them!"

"I've never read the whole thing." Ron stated.

"And I didn't think of them until after Hagrid returned and done a lesson on them." Hermione admitted.

**"I... yeah..."**

**Harry felt utterly bewildered. The horse was there in front of him, gleaming solidly in the dim light issuing from the station windows behind them, vapour rising from its nostrils in the chilly night air. Yet, unless Ron was faking - and it was a very feeble joke if he was - Ron could not see it at all.**

**"Shall we get in, then?" said Ron uncertainly, looking at Harry as though worried about him.**

**"Yeah," said Harry. "Yeah, go on..."**

**"It's all right," said a dreamy voice from beside Harry as Ron vanished into the coach's dark interior. "You're not going mad or anything. I can see them, too."**

"So you could see them too?" Alice asked.

Luna nodded.

**"Can you?" said Harry desperately, turning to Luna. He could see the bat-winged horses reflected in her wide silvery eyes.**

**"Oh, yes," said Luna, "I've been able to see them ever since my first day here. They've always pulled the carriages. Don't worry. You're just as sane as I am."**

"Perhaps I should've told you what they were." Luna mused.

**Smiling faintly, she climbed into the musty interior of the carriage after Ron. Not altogether reassured, Harry followed her.**

"And that's the end of the memory." Harry smiled, "We'll do one more before we take a break for lunch."

* * *

><p>Review please x<p> 


	70. Chapter 70

Chapter 70 - Fifth Year (Part 6.5)

21, August, 1998.

"I'm only showing the Sorting Hat's song and a speach." Harry told them.

"The rest is mainly us wondering where Hagrid is anyway." Ron added.

"So here's the hat's song." Hermione smiled as James put the memory in the Penseive for Harry.

**"In times of old when I was new**

**And Hogwarts barely started**

**The founders of our noble school**

**Thought never to be parted:**

**United by a common goal,**

**They had the selfsame yearning,**

**To make the world's best magic school**

**And pass along their learning.**

**'Together we will build and teach!'**

**The four good friends decided**

**And never did they dream that they**

**Might some day be divided,**

**For were there such friends anywhere**

**As Slytherin and Gryffindor?**

"Slytherin and Gryffindor? I thought they hated each other?" Amber frowned.

"Not exactly, Gryffindor and Slytherin were best friends until Slytherin got into the whole blood purity thing according to the History books." Minerva explained.

"Apparently it was Gryffindor who ended up killing Slytherin." James added, "Because people were begging him to do something."

"I was told that Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw asked him to do something to." Luna nodded, "Helena told me a little but she doesn't like talking about it too much."

**Unless it was the second pair**

**Of Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw?**

**So how could it have gone so wrong?**

**How could such friendships fail?**

**Why, I was there and so can tell**

**The whole sad, sorry tale.**

**Said Slytherin, 'We'll teach just those**

**Whose ancestry is purest.'**

**Said Ravenclaw, 'We'll teach those whose**

**Intelligence is surest.'**

**Said Gryffindor, 'We'll teach all those**

**With brave deeds to their name,"**

**Said Hufflepuff, 'I'll teach the lot,**

**And treat them just the same.'**

**These differences caused little strife**

**When first they came to light,**

**For each of the four founders had**

**A house in which they might**

**Take only those they wanted, so,**

**For instance, Slytherin**

**Took only pure-blood wizards**

**Of great cunning, just like him,**

**And only those of sharpest mind**

**Were taught by Ravenclaw**

**While the bravest and the boldest**

**Went to daring Gryffindor.**

**Good Hufflepuff, she took the rest,**

**And taught them all she knew,**

**Thus the houses and their founders**

**Retained friendships firm and true.**

**So Hogwarts worked in harmony**

**For several happy years,**

**But then discord crept among us**

**Feeding on our faults and fears.**

**The houses that, like pillars four,**

**Had once held up our school,**

**Now turned upon each other and,**

**Divided, sought to rule.**

**And for a while it seemed the school**

**Must meet an early end,**

**What with duelling and with fighting**

**And the clash of friend on friend**

**And at last there came a morning**

**When old Slytherin departed**

**And though the fighting then died out**

**He left us quite downhearted.**

"I'd imagine that would've happened." Harry nodded sadly. Ron nodded in agreement, knowing Harry meant when he'd left them a few months ago.

**And never since the founders four**

**Were whittled down to three**

**Have the houses been united**

**As they once were meant to be.**

**And now the Sorting Hat is here**

**And you all know the score:**

**I sort you into houses**

**Because that is what I'm for,**

**But this year I'll go further,**

**Listen closely to my song:**

**Though condemned I am to split you**

**Still I worry that it's wrong,**

**Though I must fulfill my duty**

**And must quarter every year**

**Still I wonder whether Sorting**

**May not bring the end I fear.**

**Oh, know the perils, read the signs,**

**The warning history shows,**

**For our Hogwarts is in danger**

**From external, deadly foes**

**And we must unite inside her**

**Or we'll crumble from within**

**I have told you, I have warned you…**

**Let the Sorting now begin."**

"Well... That was... Different?" Frank guessed.

"And unfortunately we never listened until it was almost too late." Ginny said, "We should've worked towards getting the houses united, instead we ignored the Hat and probably made it worse."

"Until last year when some of the Slytherins and I approached the DA in secret." Astoria nodded, "We all found out how much better it was when all four houses worked against the darkness instead of just three."

"United we stand, divided we fall." Luna said, "That's what I was told growing up. People can always achieve more working together than alone."

Harry nodded, "I know I would have been killed if it weren't for the DA, it helped people make friends with people they otherwise wouldn't have talked to or helped and that's always better than enemies who'd gladly push you off a cliff and watch you hit the bottom."

"The main problem always has been the House rivalries." Minerva mused, "I hope to get rid of them eventually, there not needed and rather stupid. I have a plan to help people realise that."

"What's the plan if you don't mind me asking?" Draco asked.

"To point out it's possible to have friends across all four houses. That it doesn't matter what house they're in." she smiled, "I mean, when you look at it, it's highly possible for Slytherin's and Gryffindor's to get along. Those two are the houses with the lowest tolerance of each other, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff are commonly against the Slytherins too."

"But it's possible for all four to be friends." Draco nodded, "If it were impossible I highly doubt I'd be here today."

"Or feel comfortable around so many Gryffindor's." Cissy agreed.

"The Hogwarts houses are a big part of people but it's not all there is to them." Neville said, "If you look at it from a stereotypical point of view, all Gryffindor's are typically stupid and make rash decisions."

"And yet Hermione's one of the smartest students I've ever taught." Minerva smiled proudly, "A lot of the Gryffindor's are loyal enough to be Hufflepuff's or sneaky enough to be Slytherin's."

"The same applies with all the houses, you do get incredibly brave Slytherin's at times. Look at old Snake-face, he was brave enough to keep coming after me." Harry mused, "Or even though you lot don't know about it, Regulus was incredibly brave when he died, even if you lot don't know exactly how yet."

Regulus blushed and shrunk in his seat a little when they all looked at him, "I was terrified actually."

"You still did it." Hermione shrugged.

"Even I was terrified." Harry added, "And it takes a lot to scare me." he shrugged, "Back to the point, it's possible for all four houses to share traits."

"That's exactly what I'm going to be trying to get the students to realise." Minerva nodded.

"And you'll have all the help you need with it." Harry promised, "Now, let's watch a speech. Oh and I'll warn you it's not a normal speech and is likely going to be so boring it's torture."

**When all the students had finished eating and the noise level in the Hall was starting to creep upwards again, Dumbledore got to his feet once more. Talking ceased immediately as all turned to lace the Headmaster. Harry was feeling pleasantly drowsy now. His four-poster bed was waiting somewhere above, wonderfully warm and soft...**

**"Well, now that we are all digesting another magnificent feast, I beg a few moments of your attention for the usual start-of-term notices," said Dumbledore. "First-years ought to know that the Forest in the grounds is out-of-bounds to students - and a few of our older students ought to know by now, too." (Harry, Ron and Hermione exchanged smirks.) "Mr. Filch, the caretaker, has asked me, for what he tells me is the four-hundred-and-sixty-second time, to remind you all that magic is not permitted in corridors between classes, nor are a number of other things, all of which can be checked on the extensive list now fastened to Mr. Filch's office door."**

"Most of them were banned because of us." Sirius proudly announced.

"If not you then Fred and George." Minerva groaned, "Over 300 between the 5 of you."

"We'll take that as a compliment." the twins said together.

**"We have had two changes in staffing this year. We are very pleased to welcome back Professor Grubbly-Plank, who will be taking Care of Magical Creatures lessons; we are also delighted to introduce Professor Umbridge, our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher."**

**There was a round of polite but fairly unenthusiastic applause, during which Harry, Ron and Hermione exchanged slightly panicked looks; Dumbledore had not said for how long Grubbly-Plank would be teaching. Dumbledore continued, Tryouts for the house Quidditch teams will take place on the -"**

**He broke off, looking enquiringly at Professor Umbridge.**

"Why? What did the toad do?" asked James.

**As she was not much taller standing than sitting, there was a moment when nobody understood why Dumbledore had stopped talking, but then Professor Umbridge cleared her throat, "Hem, hem," and it became clear that she had got to her feet and was intending to make a speech.**

**Dumbledore only looked taken aback for a moment, then he sat down smartly and looked alertly at Professor Umbridge as though he desired nothing better than to listen to her talk.**

"At least he has manners," remarked Lily.

"Why thank you." Albus smiled, "I was honestly curious about what she would say though."

**Other members of staff were not as adept at hiding their surprise. Professor Sprout's eyebrows had disappeared into her flyaway hair and Professor McGonagall's mouth was as thin as Harry had ever seen it.**

"No one interrupts Albus. Ever." Minerva scowled.

**No new teacher had ever interrupted Dumbledore before. Many of the students were smirking; this woman obviously did not know how things were done at Hogwarts.**

"No kidding!" said Sirius.

**"Thank you, Headmaster," Professor Umbridge simpered, "for those kind words of welcome."**

**Her voice was high-pitched, breathy and little-girlish and, again, Harry felt a powerful rush of dislike that he could not explain to himself; all he knew was that he loathed everything about her, from her stupid voice to her fluffy pink cardigan.**

"Everyone agrees." Kingsley muttered.

**She gave another little throat-clearing cough ("hem, hem") and continued.**

**"Well, it is lovely to be back at Hogwarts, I must say!" She smiled, revealing very pointed teeth. "And to see such happy little faces looking up at me!"**

**Harry glanced around. None of the faces he could see looked happy. On the contrary, they all looked rather taken-aback at being addressed as though they were five years old.**

**"I am very much looking forward to getting to know you all and I'm sure we'll be very good friends!"**

**Students exchanged looks at this; some of them were barely concealing grins.**

**"I'll be her friend as long as I don't have to borrow that cardigan," Parvati whispered to Lavender, and both of them lapsed into silent giggles.**

They all laughed a little at this.

**Professor Umbridge cleared her throat again ("hem, hem"), but when she continued, some of the breathiness had vanished from her voice. She sounded much more businesslike and now her words had a dull learned-by-heart sound to them.**

**"The Ministry of Magic has always considered the education of young witches and wizards to be of vital importance. The rare gifts with which you were born may come to nothing if not nurtured and honed by careful instruction. The ancient skills unique to the wizarding community must be passed down the generations lest we lose them for ever. The treasure trove of magical knowledge amassed by our ancestors must be guarded, replenished and polished by those who have been called to the noble profession of teaching."**

**Professor Umbridge paused here and made a little bow to her fellow staff members, none of whom bowed back to her. Professor McGonagall's dark eyebrows had contracted so that she looked positively hawklike, and Harry distinctly saw her exchange a significant glance with Professor Sprout as Umbridge gave another little "hem, hem" and went on with her speech.**

"We both knew what Umbridge was like." Minerva explained, "Fillius hadnt met her before but Pomona remembers having to take points off of her before for saying inappropriate things, occasionally handing out detentions like I did. We knew it was likely she'd pick on both of our houses because of that." she sighed.

"She picked on everyone who didn't wear silver and green." Ron pointed out.

Minerva nodded in recognition, "She did but there wasn't much the staff could do about her, and I checked the detention records." she admitted, "Most of them issued by her was Gryffindor's and Hufflepuff's, usually without a valid reason." she shook her head, "Like Harry's, half of his slips don't even have a reason on them." she informed them.

"She couldn't exactly put 'just for the sake of it' on there, could she?" Harry rolled his eyes, "She hated my guts."

**"Every headmaster and headmistress of Hogwarts has brought something new to the weighty task of governing this historic school, and that is as it should be, for without progress there will be stagnation and decay. There again, progress for progress's sake must be discouraged, for our tried and tested traditions often require no tinkering. A balance, then, between old and new, between permanence and change, between tradition and innovation..."**

**Harry found his attentiveness ebbing, as though his brain was slipping in and out of tune.**

"You're not alone," said the Marauders.

"We were half asleep at that point." Fred winced, "She had one of those voices that just got on your nerves and since the speech was so boring it sent you to sleep at the same time."

**The quiet that always filled the Hall when Dumbledore was speaking was breaking up as students put their heads together, whispering and giggling. Over on the Ravenclaw table Cho Chang was chatting animatedly with her friends. A few seats along from Cho, Luna Lovegood had got out The Quibbler again.**

**Meanwhile, at the Hufflepuff table Ernie Macmillan was one of the few still staring at Professor Umbridge, but he was glassy-eyed and Harry was sure he was only pretending to listen in an attempt to live up to the new prefect's badge gleaming on his chest.**

**Professor Umbridge did not seem to notice the restlessness of her audience. Harry had the impression that a full-scale riot could have broken out under her nose and she would have ploughed on with her speech.**

"Even if Voldemort came through the front doors?" suggested Sirius.

"Probably." the teens all agreed.

**The teachers, however, were still listening very attentively, and Hermione seemed to be drinking in every word Umbridge spoke, though, judging by her expression, they were not at all to her taste.**

**"... because some changes will be for the better, while others will come, in the fullness of time, to be recognised as errors of judgment. Meanwhile, some old habits will be retained, and rightly so, whereas others, outmoded and outworn, must be abandoned. Let us move forward, then, into a new era of openness, effectiveness and accountability, intent on preserving what ought to be preserved, perfecting what needs to be perfected, and pruning wherever we find practices that ought to be prohibited."**

**She sat down.**

"Finally!" everyone sighed in relief.

**Dumbledore clapped. The staff followed his lead, though Harry noticed that several of them brought their hands together only once or twice before stopping.**

**A few students joined in, but most had been taken unawares by the end of the speech, not having listened to more than a few words of it, and before they could start applauding properly, Dumbledore had stood up again.**

**"Thank you very much, Professor Umbridge, that was most illuminating," he said, bowing to her. "Now, as I was saying, Quidditch tryouts will be held…"**

**"Yes, it certainly was illuminating," said Hermione in a low voice.**

"You cannot have enjoyed that!" said James, shocked.

"Of course not!" she snapped.

**"You're not telling me you enjoyed it?" Ron said quietly, turning a glazed face towards Hermione. "That was about the dullest speech I've ever heard, and I grew up with Percy."**

**"I said illuminating, not enjoyable," said Hermione. "It explained a lot."**

"Yes, it did." said Remus thoughtfully.

**"Did it?" said Harry in surprise. "Sounded like a load of waffle to me."**

**"There was some important stuff hidden in the waffle," said Hermione grimly.**

**"Was there?" said Ron blankly.**

**"How about: 'progress for progress's sake must be discouraged'? How about: 'pruning wherever we find practices that ought to be prohibited'?"**

"Oh my!" Lily gasped, she shook her head at the curious looks.

**"Well, what does that mean?" said Ron impatiently.**

**"I'll tell you what it means," said Hermione through gritted teeth. "It means the Ministry's interfering at Hogwarts."**

"No!" those who had not known - or figured it out - groaned.

"Yes, and nothing good ever comes from messing with Hogwarts." Kingsley said grimly, "A lesson learned twice over the course of the war and a mistake I will never make unless Minerva allows it."

"And as long as it's not unreasonable." Minerva pointed out, "You know I'd never agree to everything unless it was really needed."

"Like the placement of Aurors a few years ago?" Dora asked.

"Exactly, it was appropriate at the time." Minerva nodded.

"I'm considering posting some at Kings Cross actually." Kingsley mused, "Just in case the Death Eaters decide to show themselves."

"I was going to suggest that actually." she chuckled, "And on the train incase any students try anything either. Mainly people hexing the Slytherin's for some of their actions last year."

"Do you honestly think they would Minerva?" Albus questioned from behind them, he was still in the empty portrait so the all turned to look at him.

"It's possible. I know a few of them did some horrid things and that might cause fights and arguments." she stated.

"It is possible, I know a lot of people aren't happy with the Slytherin's." Draco nodded, "Add to the fact there will be the most famous people on the train and at school..." he shrugged, "I'm not saying it's definite but someone might try something. I know of a few people who'd want to get revenge on a few of the younger Slytherin's."

"That settles the matter, I'll tell Gawain and he'll decide on the necessary precautions." Kingsley said.

"I still cant beleive the Ministry was actually interfering with Hogwarts though." Lily said after a moment.

"It was rather annoying." Albus nodded, "But I couldn't find a willing Defence teacher, no one wanted the job so Fudge picked Umbridge for the job." he sighed, "I couldn't stop him."

"I suppose it was bound to happen eventually." Remus sighed, "No offence, Albus but you weren't exactly in the Ministry's good books and neither was Harry. They would've wanted someone there to keep an eye on you both constantly."

"I've never thought of it that way... She had it in for both of us from the start." Harry mused.

"I must agree with that." Albus nodded, "She did seem to keep a close eye on you Harry, and she usually made things inconvenient for me."

"She was nothing but an interfering toad." Hermione growled.

"And she'll rot in Azkaban when she's been caught." Kingsley said soothingly, "Dawlish spoke to me before I came here, and Skull had a breakthrough on her case last night. She should be behind bars by next Wednesday, possibly a little later but definately soon."

"Good. In the meantime we can always show you proof of more of her crimes." Harry stated, "But lets have lunch first."

* * *

><p>Well here's a few chapters for you all for now, more will go up later today or at one point tomorrow since I'm currently about half asleep. Sorry for any spellinggrammar mistakes in the chapters just up, I think I got the majority of them though.

Review please x


	71. Chapter 71

Chapter 71 - Fifth Year (Part 7)

21, August, 1998.

After they'd had lunch, courtesy of the House elves, Harry was sitting thinking about what to show next.

_Should I show the thing with Seamus?_ he asked Ron and Hermione silently.

_No, just explain it,_ Hermione told him.

He nodded at her, "I'm going to explain a little." he told the others, "When I got back to Gryffindor tower I discovered I didn't know the password then Neville arrived and told me."

"It was one I'd be able to remember that time." Neville grinned, "Mimbulus mimbletonia."

"That's lucky." Alice noted, he nodded in agreement.

"Anyway, we went in and straight up to the dormitory, where Dean and Seamus were." Harry continued, "I asked how they're summers had been, Dean told me his wasn't bad and Seamus had just been telling him about his..."

"When Harry asked Seamus he didn't reply for a minute or two then told us his Mum didn't want him to go back to Hogwarts." Neville sighed.

"Why?" Remus asked.

"Because of me and Albus." Harry grumbled, "His Mum believed the Prophet and he did too. We argued and... I may have lost my temper and dragged his mother into it..."

"Harry it's not your fault. Seamus was out of line for that, he asked Harry what actually happened." Neville told the rest of the room, "Harry told him to read the Prophet like his mother, Seamus told Harry not to have a go at his mother and Harry told him he'd have a go at anyone who called him a liar."

"That's when I walked in." Ron took over, "I heard them arguing so naturally I asked what was going on. Seamus claimed Harry was having a go at his mother so I told him Harry wouldn't do that." he glared at Harry, who flushed.

"I told Ron what Seamus had said about his mother believing the Prophet after that." Harry mumbled.

"Thats when I got it. I told Seamus he was out of order after he confirmed it and he decided to have a go at me, he called me mad so I decided to remind him I was a prefect. He backed off pretty quickly after I told him I'd give him detention." Ron mused. "I asked if anyone elses parents had a problem with Harry and Dean said, 'My parents are Muggles, mate. They don't know nothing about no deaths at Hogwarts, because I'm not stupid enough to tell them.'" he quoted.

"And obviously Gran and I didn't beleive anything the Prophet said." Neville grinned, "Gran cancelled our subscription and everything. Said if anyone was losing their marbles it was the Ministry."

"Sounds like something Mum would say." Frank chuckled with a nod.

"Um... Is there anything interesting until the first DADA lesson?" Harry asked.

"Yes, Fred and George put up an advertisement and Hermione suggested we tell them to cut it out because we're prefects." Ron grumbled.

"Fat chance." Fred snorted.

"You could tell us to quit it but we wouldn't." George agreed.

"What was the advertisement for?" James asked.

"Test subjects. We needed some students to try our products to make sure they reacted properly to different age groups and both genders." Fred explained.

"We were sure they would but we had to try it." George added, "And before you say anything Minerva it was perfectly safe, it was only stuff from the Skiving snackboxes, we'd been testing them on ourselves for months."

Minerva scowled at them, "Be that as it may it's still against the rules and a shame on the students who fell for it."

"They were willing and we told them exactly what would happen." George stated.

"And we paid them for their trouble." Fred said, "We knew exactly what we were doing."

Minerva huffed but kept quiet.

"Um... We got our timetables the next morning and we found out we had the worst Monday's ever." Ron sighed, "History followed by double potions, divination and double defence."

They all groaned in sympathy.

"There's not much else that's interesting except Snape picking on me again so we'll start from the beginning of lunch." Harry decided. "We'd been making Draught of Peace and I'd forgotten the hellebore so Professor Snape vanished my potion and I got no mark for the day."

"Which really wasn't fair of him." Draco commented, "I'd forgotten the Moonstone when I got distracted for a few moments and mine almost blew up." he shrugged at the looks he was getting, "That's one of the only potions I had trouble with that year, I'd never brewed it before."

"Because I didn't fancy having you blow up the mannor." Cissy said amusedly, "Which had almost happened that summer, twice."

Draco shrugged again, "I was experimenting." he stated, "With healing potions, that was the summer I managed to improve Pain relievers." he grinned.

"And almost blew up the mannor." Cissy rolled her eyes, "All I can say is its a good thing you don't do that as often anymore." he chuckled at that.

"Funnily enough I agree that its a good thing."

They all turned to the pensieve as the memory started.

**"That was really unfair," said Hermione consolingly, sitting down next to Harry and helping herself to shepherd's pie. "Your potion wasn't nearly as bad as Goyle's; when he put it in his flagon the whole thing shattered and set his robes on fire."**

**"Yeah, well," said Harry, glowering at his plate, "since when has Snape ever been fair to me?"**

**Neither of the others answered; all three of them knew that Snape and Harry's mutual enmity had been absolute from the moment Harry had set foot in Hogwarts.**

**"I did think he might be a bit better this year," said Hermione in a disappointed voice. "I mean... you know..." she looked around carefully; there were half a dozen empty seats on either side of them and nobody was passing the table "... now he's in the Order and everything."**

**"Poisonous toadstools don't change their spots," said Ron sagely. "Anyway I've always thought Dumbledore was cracked to trust Snape. Where's the evidence he ever really stopped working for You-Know-Who?"**

"I had evidence." Albus said, "I just didn't share it on Severus' request."

**"I think Dumbledore's probably got plenty of evidence, even if he doesn't share it with you, Ron," snapped Hermione.**

**"Oh, shut up, the pair of you," said Harry heavily, as Ron opened his mouth to argue back. Hermione and Ron both froze, looking angry and offended. "Can't you give it a rest?" said Harry. "You're always having a go at each other, it's driving me mad." And abandoning his shepherd's pie, he swung his schoolbag back over his shoulder and left them sitting there.**

Everyone was looking at Harry in shock. He was staring at the ceiling, completely ignoring them.

**He walked up the marble staircase two steps at a time, past the many students hurrying towards lunch. The anger that had just flared so unexpectedly still blazed inside him, and the vision of Ron and Hermione's shocked faces afforded him a sense of deep satisfaction. Serve them right, he thought, why can't they give it a rest... bickering all the time... it's enough to drive anyone up the wall...**

"I see your point." Ginny told Harry with a smirk. "It was very annoying."

"Hey!" the two protested.

"Oh shut it. We'd considered locking you in a broom cupboard together until you finally admitted you loved each other." Ginny informed them, the two glared over at the snickering couple.

Harry smirked, "We did actually consider that, then decided there was a higher chance you'd trick us into thinking you'd admitted it so we'd let you out then we'd get hexed as soon as you got you're wands back."

"And we'd spend the rest of the term having to avoid you." Ginny grimaced, "Trust us, you got lucky we came to that conclusion."

**He passed the large picture of Sir Cadogan the knight on a landing; Sir Cadogan drew his sword and brandished it fiercely at Harry, who ignored him.**

**"Come back, you scurvy dog! Stand fast and fight!" yelled Sir Cadogan in a muffled voice from behind his visor, but Harry merely walked on and when Sir Cadogan attempted to follow him by running into a neighbouring picture, he was rebuffed by its inhabitant, a large and angry-looking wolfhound.**

**Harry spent the rest of the lunch hour sitting alone underneath the trapdoor at the top of North Tower. Consequently, he was the first to ascend the silver ladder that led to Sybill Trelawney's classroom when the bell rang.**

**After Potions, Divination was Harry's least favourite class, which was due mainly to Professor Trelawney's habit of predicting his premature death every few lessons.**

**A thin woman, heavily draped in shawls and glittering with strings of beads, she always reminded Harry of some kind of insect, with her glasses hugely magnifying her eyes. She was busy putting copies of battered leather****‐****bound books on each of the spindly little tables with which her room was littered when Harry entered the room, but the light cast by the lamps covered by scarves and the low****‐****burning, sickly****‐****scented fire was so dim she appeared not to notice him as he took a seat in the shadows. The rest of the class arrived over the next five minutes. Ron emerged from the trapdoor, looked around carefully, spotted Harry and made directly for him, or as directly as he could while having to wend his way between tables, chairs and overstuffed pouffes.**

**"Hermione and me have stopped arguing," he said, sitting down beside Harry.**

**"Good," grunted Harry.**

**"But Hermione says she thinks it would be nice if you stopped taking out your temper on us," said Ron.**

**"I'm not -"**

"Yes, you are, Harry James Potter." Lily said sternly.

"Sorry but they were doing my head in." he winced, "Remember I'd put up with it for 4 years already. Though I regret snapping now." he admitted.

"It's fine, honestly. We knew you were frustrated and angry, we just didn't like it when you took it out on us." Hermione smiled.

"More than once we've snapped back at you too Harry, don't worry about it mate." Ron assured him, grinning slightly.

**"I'm just passing on the message," said Ron, talking over him. "But I reckon she's right. It's not our fault how Seamus and Snape treat you."**

**"I never said it -"**

**"Good-day," said Professor Trelawney in her usual misty, dreamy voice, and Harry broke off, again feeling both annoyed and slightly ashamed of himself. "And welcome back to Divination. I have, of course, been following your fortunes most carefully over the holidays, and am delighted to see that you have all returned to Hogwarts safely - as, of course, I knew you would. You will find on the tables before you copies of The Dream Oracle, by Inigo Imago. Dream interpretation is a most important means of divining the future and one that may very probably be tested in your OWL. Not, of course, that I believe examination passes or failures are of the remotest importance when it comes to the sacred art of divination. If you have the Seeing Eye, certificates and grades matter very little. However, the Headmaster likes you to sit the examination, so..."**

**Her voice trailed away delicately, leaving them all in no doubt that Professor Trelawney considered her subject above such sordid matters as examinations.**

**"Turn, please, to the introduction and read what Imago has to say on the matter of dream interpretation. Then, divide into pairs. Use The Dream Oracle to interpret each others most recent dreams. Carry on."**

**The one good thing to be said for this lesson was that it was not a double period. By the time they had all finished reading the introduction of the book, they had barely ten minutes left for dream interpretation. At the table next to Harry and Ron, Dean had paired up with Neville, who immediately embarked on a long-winded explanation of a nightmare involving a pair of giant scissors wearing his grandmother's best hat; Harry and Ron merely looked at each other glumly.**

**"I never remember my dreams," said Ron, "you say one."**

**"You must remember one of them," said Harry impatiently.**

**He was not going to share his dreams with anyone. He knew perfectly well what his regular nightmare about a graveyard meant, he did not need Ron or Professor Trelawney or the stupid Dream Oracle to tell him.**

Ron winced, "Didn't think of that." he admitted.

"Ron it doesn't matter." Harry told him, "How were you to know they were still occurring frequently? I certainly never told you."

"Why didnt you tell us though?" Hermione huffed.

"I didnt want to worry you." he shrugged, smiling slightly, "My usual reason for not telling you. It's not like anything could be done about them anyway."

**"Well, I dreamed I was playing Quidditch the other night," said Ron, screwing up his face in an effort to remember. "What d'you reckon that means?"**

**"Probably that you're going to be eaten by a giant marshmallow or something,"**

They all laughed at that.

**said Harry, turning the pages of The Dream Oracle without interest. It was very dull work looking up bits of dreams in the Oracle and Harry was not cheered up when Professor Trelawney set them the task of keping a dream diary for a month as homework. When the bell went, he and Ron led the way back down the ladder, Ron grumbling loudly.**

**"D'you realise how much homework we've got already? Binns set us a foot-and-a-half-long essay on giant wars, Snape wants a foot on the use of moonstones, and now we've got a month's dream diary from Trelawney! Fred and George weren't wrong about OWL year, were they? That Umbridge woman had better not give us any..."**

**When they entered the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom they found Professor Umbridge already seated at the teacher's desk, wearing the fluffy pink cardigan of the night before and the black velvet bow on top of her head. Harry was again reminded forcibly of a large fly perched unwisely on top of an even larger toad.**

**The class was quiet as it entered the room; Professor Umbridge was, as yet, an unknown quantity and nobody knew how strict a disciplinarian she was likely to be.**

**"Well, good afternoon!" she said, when finally the whole class had sat down.**

**A few people mumbled 'good afternoon' in reply.**

**"Tut, tut," said Professor Umbridge. "That won't do, now, will it? I should like you, please, to reply 'Good afternoon, Professor Umbridge'. One more time, please. Good afternoon, class!"**

The Marauders snickered and Lily said in disgust, "They're not five-year olds. So stop talking to them like there were, Umbridge."

**"Good afternoon, Professor Umbridge," they chanted back at her.**

**"There, now," said Professor Umbridge sweetly. "That wasn't too difficult, was it? Wands away and quills out, please."**

**Many of the class exchanged gloomy looks; the order 'wands away' had never yet been followed by a lesson they had found interesting.**

"The fake Moody's lesson on the Unforgivable Curses was interesting." Remus pointed out, "And that wasn't a practical lesson."

"True, the rest were incredibly boring though. Even your theory lessons were more interesting than the rest." Neville smiled.

The other teens who'd been taught by Remus before nodded.

**Harry shoved his wand back inside his bag and pulled out quill, ink and parchment. Professor Umbridge opened her handbag, extracted her own wand, which was an unusually short one, and tapped the blackboard sharply with it; words appeared on the board at once: Defence Against the Dark Arts A Return to Basic Principles**

**"Well now, your teaching in this subject has been rather disrupted and fragmented, hasn't it?" stated Professor Umbridge, turning to face the class with her hands clasped neatly in front of her. "The constant changing of teachers, many of whom do not seem to have followed any Ministry-approved curriculum, has unfortunately resulted in your being far below the standard we would expect to see in your OWL year. You will be pleased to know, however, that these problems are now to be rectified. We will be following a carefully structured, theory-centred, Ministry-approved course of defensive magic this year. Copy down the following, please."**

**She rapped the blackboard again; the first message vanished and was replaced by the 'Course Aims'.**

**. Understanding the principles underlying defensive magic.**

**. Learning to recognise situations in which defensive magic can legally be used.**

**. Placing the use of defensive magic in a context for practical use.**

"Sounds boring," muttered Alice. "Will there be any practical lessons at all?"

"Not until Harry took over." Hermione grinned at ther best friend, who grinned back.

"So glad you talked me into that." he told her.

"We're glad you did too." Fred added.

"Yeah, you were an awesome teacher Harry." George grinned, "We actually learned more defensive magic with you than we did in our whole 7 years, except the year Remus taught that is."

"I've just realised something Gred."

"Yes Forge?"

"Harry got us to learn and pay attention without any effort." he stated, looking surprised.

"Oh yeah." he mused.

"Amazing." Arthur stated, looking at Harry, "You got them to pay attention whilst learning. Even Molly and I had difficulty getting them to do that often."

Harry grinned, "Could be something to do with the fact I stuck with practical stuff and openly stated you cant learn defence from books."

"That would get any student to listen." Fred nodded, grinning.

**For a couple of minutes the room was full of the sound of scratching quills on parchment. When everyone had copied down Professor Umbridge's three course aims she asked, 'Has everybody got a copy of Defensive Magical Theory by Wilbert Slinkhard?'**

**There was a dull murmur of assent throughout the class.**

**"I think we'll try that again," said Professor Umbridge. "When I ask you a question, I should like you to reply, 'Yes, Professor Umbridge', or 'No, Professor Umbridge'. So: has everyone got a copy of Defensive Magical Theory by Wilbert Slinkhard?"**

**"Yes, Professor Umbridge," rang through the room.**

**"Good," said Professor Umbridge. "I should like you to turn to page five and read 'Chapter One, Basics for Beginners'. There will be no need to talk."**

**Professor Umbridge left the blackboard and settled herself in the chair behind the teacher's desk, observing them all closely with those pouchy toad's eyes. Harry turned to page five of his copy of Defensive Magical Theory and started to read.**

**It was desperately dull, quite as bad as listening to Professor Binns.**

**He felt his concentration sliding away from him; he had soon read the same line half a dozen times without taking in more than the first few words. Several silent minutes passed. Next to him, Ron was absent****‐****mindedly turning his quill over and over in his fingers, staring at the same spot on the page. Harry looked right and received a surprise to shake him out of his torpor. Hermione had not even opened her copy of Defensive Magical Theory. She was staring fixedly at Professor Umbridge with her hand in the air.**

"Excuse me?" Frank asked, looking surprised. "When was the last time Hermione ever neglected to read when told or disobeyed a teachers instructions?"

"Binns class in second year." Ron smiled, "When she asked about the Chamber."

**Harry could not remember Hermione ever neglecting to read when instructed to, or indeed resisting the temptation to open any book that came under her nose. He looked at her enquiringly, but she merely shook her head slightly to indicate that she was not about to answer questions, and continued to stare at Professor Umbridge, who was looking just as resolutely in another direction.**

**After several more minutes had passed, however, Harry was not the only one watching Hermione. The chapter they had been instructed to read was so tedious that more and more people were choosing to watch Hermione's mute attempt to catch Professor Umbridge's eye rather than struggle on with 'Basics for Beginners'.**

**When more than half the class were staring at Hermione rather than at their books, Professor Umbridge seemed to decide that she could ignore the situation no longer.**

**"Did you want to ask something about the chapter, dear?" she asked Hermione, as though she had only just noticed her.**

"Yeah right," muttered Regulus.

**"Not about the chapter, no," said Hermione.**

**"Well, we're reading just now," said Professor Umbridge, showing her small pointed teeth. "If you have other queries we can deal with them at the end of class."**

**"I've got a query about your course aims," said Hermione.**

**Professor Umbridge raised her eyebrows.**

**"And your name is?"**

**"Hermione Granger," said Hermione.**

**"Well, Miss Granger, I think the course aims are perfectly clear if you read them through carefully," said Professor Umbridge in a voice of determined sweetness.**

**"Well, I don't," said Hermione bluntly. "There's nothing written up there about using defensive spells."**

**There was a short silence in which many members of the class turned their heads to frown at the three course aims still written on the blackboard.**

**"Using defensive spells?" Professor Umbridge repeated with a little laugh. "Why, I can't imagine any situation arising in my classroom that would require you to use a defensive spell, Miss Granger. You surely aren't expecting to be attacked during class?"**

**"We're not going to use magic?" Ron exclaimed loudly.**

**"Students raise their hands when they wish to speak in my class, Mr.-?"**

**"Weasley," said Ron, thrusting his hand into the air.**

**Professor Umbridge, smiling still more widely, turned her back on him. Harry and Hermione immediately raised their hands too. Professor Umbridge's pouchy eyes lingered on Harry for a moment before she addressed Hermione.**

**"Yes, Miss Granger? You wanted to ask something else?"**

**"Yes," said Hermione. "Surely the whole point of Defence Against the Dark Arts is to practise defensive spells?"**

"Of course it is." Minerva nodded, "Its actually not in the job description because it's rather obvious."

"Ah, but most DADA teachers know that. She wasnt really teacher material." Remus pointed out, "Personally I think students, especially teenage students, learn better and faster if the lessons are interesting and they get to use their wands." he shrugged, "Most others would find the same thing."

Minerva nodded, "I noticed that within my first few years of teaching."

**"Are you a Ministry-trained educational expert, Miss Granger?" asked Professor Umbridge, in her falsely sweet voice.**

**"No, but -"**

**"Well then, I'm afraid you are not qualified to decide what the 'whole point' of any class is. Wizards much older and cleverer than you have devised our new programme of study. You will be learning about defensive spells in a secure, risk-free way -"**

**"What use is that?" said Harry loudly. "If we're going to be attacked, it won't be in a -"**

**"Hand, Mr. Potter!" sang Professor Umbridge.**

**Harry thrust his fist in the air. Again, Professor Umbridge promptly turned away from him,**

"You can't ignore Harry!" James growled angrily.

"She was just trying to annoy me." Harry shook his head, "It was working."

**but now several other people had their hands up, too.**

**"And your name is?" Professor Umbridge said to Dean.**

**"Dean Thomas."**

**"Well, Mr. Thomas?"**

**"Well, it's like Harry said, isn't it?" said Dean. "If we're going to be attacked, it won't be risk free."**

**"I repeat," said Professor Umbridge, smiling in a very irritating fashion at Dean, "do you expect to be attacked during my classes?"**

"No, but what about real life?" Remus demanded, "What about out in the real world, where there's Voldemort and other dark wizards and creatures?"

"Technically she did attack us in class. Reading that book was torture." Harry grumbled.

**"No, but -"**

**Professor Umbridge talked over him. "I do not wish to criticise the way things have been run in this school," she said, an unconvincing smile stretching her wide mouth, "but you have been exposed to some very irresponsible wizards in this class, very irresponsible indeed - not to mention," she gave a nasty little laugh, "extremely dangerous half-breeds."**

"Okay, Lockhart and Quirrell were irresponsible, but you can't talk that way about Moony!" exclaimed James angrily. "He was the best Defense teacher ever!"

"Amen to that!" the others chanted.

**"If you mean Professor Lupin," piped up Dean angrily, "he was the best we ever -"**

"Go Dean!" cheered the twins.

**"Hand, Mr. Thomas! As I was saying - you have been introduced to spells that have been complex, inappropriate to your age group and potentially lethal. You have been frightened into believing that you are likely to meet Dark attacks every other day -"**

**"No we haven't," Hermione said, "we just -"**

**"Your hand is not up, Miss Granger!"**

**Hermione put up her hand. Professor Umbridge turned away from her.**

**"It is my understanding that my predecessor not only performed illegal curses in front of you, he actually performed them on you."**

"Well, he was a maniac." Sirius rolled his eyes, "Though he did teach them many things."

"In a twisted way I'm grateful, if it wasn't for him I probably wouldn't have been able to break Voldemorts Imperius." Harry mused.

**"Well, he turned out to be a maniac, didn't he?" said Dean hotly. "Mind you, we still learned loads."**

**"Your hand is not up, Mr. Thomas!" trilled Professor Umbridge. "Now, it is the view of the Ministry that a theoretical knowledge will be more than sufficient to get you through your examination, which, after all, is what school is all about."**

"And what happens when you get to the practical part in the Defense OWL?" inquired Lily.

**"And your name is?" she added, staring at Parvati, whose hand had just shot up.**

**"Parvati Patil, and isn't there a practical bit in our Defence Against the Dark Arts OWL? Aren't we supposed to show that we can actually do the counter-curses and things?"**

**"As long as you have studied the theory hard enough, there is no reason why you should not be able to perform the spells under carefully controlled examination conditions," said Professor Umbridge dismissively.**

"Without practicing them beforehand?" Dora inquired incredulously.

"Apparently." Hermione snorted, "Like that would've worked."

**"Without ever practising them beforehand?" said Parvati incredulously. "Are you telling us that the first time we'll get to do the spells will be during our exam?"**

**"I repeat, as long as you have studied the theory hard enough -"**

**"And what good's theory going to be in the real world?" said Harry loudly, his fist in the air again.**

**Professor Umbridge looked up.**

**"This is school, Mr. Potter, not the real world," she said softly.**

**"So we're not supposed to be prepared for what's waiting for us out there?"**

**"There is nothing waiting out there, Mr. Potter."**

**"Oh, yeah?" said Harry. His temper, which seemed to have been bubbling just beneath the surface all day, was reaching boiling point.**

**"Who do you imagine wants to attack children like yourselves?" enquired Professor Umbridge in a horribly honeyed voice.**

**"Hmm, let's think..." said Harry in a mock thoughtful voice. "Maybe... Lord Voldemort?"**

**Ron gasped; Lavender Brown uttered a little scream; Neville slipped sideways off his stool. Professor Umbridge, however, did not flinch. She was staring at Harry with a grimly satisfied expression on her face.**

**"Ten points from Gryffindor, Mr. Potter."**

"For telling the truth?" Lily demanded.

**The classroom was silent and still. Everyone was staring at either Umbridge or Harry.**

**"Now, let me make a few things quite plain."**

**Professor Umbridge stood up and leaned towards them, her stubby-fingered hands splayed on her desk.**

**"You have been told that a certain Dark wizard has returned from the dead -"**

**"He wasn't dead," said Harry angrily, "but yeah, he's returned!"**

**"Mr-Potter-you-have-already-lost-your-house-ten-points-do-not-make-matters-worse-for-yourself," said Professor Umbridge in one breath without looking at him. "As I was saying, you have been informed that a certain Dark wizard is at large once again. This is a lie."**

**"It is NOT a lie!" said Harry. "I saw him, I fought him!"**

**"Detention, Mr. Potter!" said Professor Umbridge triumphantly.**

"I really want to hex her." Sirius growled.

"When she's caught you can help with questioning, nothing illegal." Kingsley warned him, "But you can help, considering what she did to you she'll be terrified."

"Good." he grinned manically.

**"Tomorrow evening. Five o'clock. My office. I repeat, this is a lie. The Ministry of Magic guarantees that you are not in danger from any Dark wizard. If you are still worried, by all means come and see me outside class hours. If someone is alarming you with fibs about reborn Dark wizards, I would like to hear about it. I am here to help. I am your friend."**

"Really? I thought she was the enemy?" Harry asked sarcastically.

**"And now, you will kindly continue your reading. Page five, 'Basics for Beginners'."**

**Professor Umbridge sat down behind her desk. Harry, however, stood up. Everyone was staring at him; Seamus looked half-scared, half-fascinated.**

"Harry don't!" the women groaned.

**"Harry, no!" Hermione whispered in a warning voice, tugging at his sleeve, but Harry jerked his arm out of her reach.**

**"So, according to you, Cedric Diggory dropped dead of his own accord, did he?" Harry asked, his voice shaking.**

**There was a collective intake of breath from the class, for none of them, apart from Ron and Hermione, had ever heard Harry talk about what had happened on the night Cedric had died. They stared avidly from Harry to Professor Umbridge, who had raised her eyes and was staring at him without a trace of a fake smile on her face.**

**"Cedric Diggory's death was a tragic accident," she said coldly.**

"It was not!" shouted James. "It was murder!"

**"It was murder," said Harry. He could feel himself shaking. He had hardly spoken to anyone about this, least of all thirty eagerly listening classmates. "Voldemort killed him and you know it."**

**Professor Umbridge's face was quite blank. For a moment, Harry thought she was going to scream at him. Then she said, in her softest, most sweetly girlish voice, "Come here, Mr Potter, dear."**

**He kicked his chair aside, strode around Ron and Hermione and up to the teacher's desk. He could feel the rest of the class holding its breath. He felt so angry he did not care what happened next.**

**Professor Umbridge pulled a small roll of pink parchment out of her handbag, stretched it out on the desk, dipped her quill into a bottle of ink and started scribbling, hunched over so that Harry could not see what she was writing. Nobody spoke. After a minute or so she rolled up the parchment and tapped it with her wand; it sealed itself seamlessly so that he could not open it.**

**"Take this to Professor McGonagall, dear," said Professor Umbridge, holding out the note to him.**

**He took it from her without saying a word, turned on his heel and left the room, not even looking back at Ron and Hermione, slamming the classroom door shut behind him. He walked very fast along the corridor, the note to McGonagall clutched tight in his hand, and turning a corner walked slap into Peeves the poltergeist, a wide-mouthed little man floating on his back in midair, juggling several inkwells.**

**"Why it's Potty Wee Potter!" cackled Peeves, allowing two of the inkwells to fall to the ground where they smashed and spattered the walls with ink; Harry jumped backwards out of the way with a snarl.**

"Now is not the time, Peeves," James muttered tiredly, "This is one time when you're annoying, not funny."

"He's always annoying if he targets you. It's only funny when he did it to someone else." Sirius pointed out.

**"Get out of it, Peeves."**

**"Oooh, Crackpot's feeling cranky," said Peeves, pursuing Harry along the corridor, leering as he zoomed along above him. "What is it this time, my fine Potty friend? Hearing voices? Seeing visions? Speaking in -" Peeves blew a gigantic raspberry "- tongues?"**

**"I said, leave me ALONE!" Harry shouted, running down the nearest flight of stairs, but Peeves merely slid down the banister on his back beside him.**

**"Oh, most think he's barking, the potty wee lad, But some are more kindly and think he's just sad, But Peevesy knows better and says that he's mad -"**

**"SHUT UP!"**

**A door to his left flew open and Professor McGonagall emerged from her office looking grim and slightly harassed.**

**"What on earth are you shouting about, Potter?" she snapped, as Peeves cackled gleefully and zoomed out of sight. "Why aren't you in class?"**

**"I've been sent to see you," said Harry stiffly.**

**"Sent? What do you mean, sent?"**

"Been a while since that happened?" Harry inquired.

"It hadn't happened since they were at school and never during class times." she gestured James and Sirius, who grinned.

**He held out the note from Professor Umbridge. Professor McGonagall took it from him, frowning, slit it open with a tap of her wand, stretched it out and began to read. Her eyes zoomed from side to side behind their square spectacles as she read what Umbridge had written, and with each line they became narrower.**

"You aren't going to shout at him are you?" Lily asked worriedly.

"No." Minerva replied, "Just a little warning about Umbridge." she shrugged.

**"Come in here, Potter."**

**He followed her inside her study. The door closed automatically behind him.**

**"Well?" said Professor McGonagall, rounding on him. "Is this true?"**

**"Is what true?" Harry asked, rather more aggressively than he had intended. "Professor?" he added, in an attempt to sound more polite.**

**"Is it true that you shouted at Professor Umbridge?"**

**"Yes," said Harry.**

**"You called her a liar?"**

**"Yes."**

**"You told her He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is back?"**

**"Yes."**

**Professor McGonagall sat down behind her desk, watching Harry closely. Then she said, "Have a biscuit, Potter."**

"What?" they said at once, looking bewildered.

Minerva chuckled.

**"Have - what?"**

**"Have a biscuit," she repeated impatiently, indicating a tartan tin lying on top of one of the piles of papers on her desk. "And sit down."**

**There had been a previous occasion when Harry, expecting to be caned by Professor McGonagall, had instead been appointed by her to the Gryffindor Quidditch team. He sank into a chair opposite her and helped himself to a Ginger Newt, feeling just as confused and wrong-footed as he had done on that occasion.**

**Professor McGonagall set down Professor Umbridge's note and looked very seriously at Harry.**

**"Potter, you need to be careful."**

**Harry swallowed his mouthful of Ginger Newt and stared at her. Her tone of voice was not at all what he was used to; it was not brisk, crisp and stern; it was low and anxious and somehow much more human than usual.**

Minerva laughed, "Believe it or not, you're teachers are human."

"Most of the time. I mean, technically you are part cat." Remus put in slyly, making the other Marauder's snicker slightly, "And don't bother arguing about myself, I was a Werewolf - technically I was never fully human and got overly hairy once a month so not exactly what you'd call human."

"Rare instances. Most teachers are fully human... Even if they have animalistic traits like I do. And you were more human than most Remus, the most human out of your predecessors at any rate." she smiled kindly, "And a lot more human than those two directly after you."

He smiled but stayed silent, not knowing how to respond.

**"Misbehaviour in Dolores Umbridge's class could cost you much more than house points and a detention."**

**"What do you -?"**

**"Potter, use your common sense," snapped Professor McGonagall, with an abrupt return to her usual manner. "You know where she comes from, you must know to whom she is reporting."**

"She's obviously reporting to Fudge." said Remus.

**The bell rang for the end of the lesson. Overhead and all around came the elephantine sounds of hundreds of students on the move.**

**"It says here she's given you detention every evening this week, starting tomorrow," Professor McGonagall said, looking down at Umbridge's note again.**

"What!" they all exclaimed, except those who'd known already.

**"Every evening this week!" Harry repeated, horrified. "But, Professor, couldn't you -?"**

**"No, I couldn't," said Professor McGonagall flatly.**

"I can't believe you aren't going to do anything!" James protested.

"I couldn't!" Minerva snapped, "I would have if I could."

**"But -"**

**"She is your teacher and has every right to give you detention. You will go to her room at five o'clock tomorrow for the first one. Just remember: tread carefully around Dolores Umbridge."**

**"But I was telling the truth!" said Harry, outraged. "Voldemort is back, you know he is; Professor Dumbledore knows he is -"**

**"For heaven's sake, Potter!" said Professor McGonagall, straightening her glasses angrily (she had winced horribly when he had used Voldemort's name). "Do you really think this is about truth or lies? It's about keeping your head down and your temper under control!"**

**She stood up, nostrils wide and mouth very thin, and Harry stood up, too.**

**"Have another biscuit," she said irritably, thrusting the tin at him.**

**"No, thanks," said Harry coldly.**

**"Don't be ridiculous," she snapped.**

**He took one.**

**"Thanks," he said grudgingly.**

**"Didn't you listen to Dolores Umbridge's speech at the start-of-term feast, Potter?"**

"Not really," said James. "It was very boring."

"And annoying." the twins stated.

**"Yeah," said Harry. "Yeah... she said... progress will be prohibited or... well, it meant that... that the Ministry of Magic is trying to interfere at Hogwarts."**

**Professor McGonagall eyed him closely for a moment, then sniffed, walked around her desk and held open the door for him.**

**"Well, I'm glad you listen to Hermione Granger at any rate," she said, pointing him out of her office.**

"You understood me too well." Harry grinned.

"Of course. I take pride in getting to know my Gryffindor's, being the Head of House meant I had to really pay attention to all of the files about students in order to help them if it was needed." she explained, "I'm only strict through the school year. A tip for teaching is to never show weakness because most students will exploit that weakness." Minerva explained.

"That's what you told me." Remus mused, "And I must say it's definitely true, though I didn't see the point in being too strict."

"Did you even hand out one detention?" Sirius asked curiously.

"A few. Just for students who never done their homework at all, or if I caught anyone bullying." he admitted.

"I know you put both Crabbe and Goyle in detention maybe three times." Draco commented, "Though it doesn't surprise me since they didn't do their homework often. I swear by the time I'd done three essays they'd be halfway through one no matter how much I tried to help them."

"Or how often you messed your own up?" Minerva asked, "I remember reading one of your essays on the spell for turning water into vinegar and bits of it would be about some completely random subject like Astronomy." she chuckled. "It was quite confusing."

"It happened often and I'd never notice." he shrugged, "I only started double checking my essays in 5th year. It was annoying handing in what I thought was a good essay and having the teacher tell me I'd written about something else halfway through."

"It was easier with Professor Slughorn, he used to come to the common room whenever he wasn't busy and sat and helped people who struggled with their homework." Astoria explained.

"Horace did that before he retired too." Albus smiled, "He said it helped him get to know his students and allowed them the chance to get help if it was needed."

"Or find the next person most likely to become famous." Minerva chuckled, "I swear he'd boast like mad about some students, past and present."

"I'd noticed that the first time I met him." Harry nodded, "I'll show it so you can see what I mean, that is if you dont mind Albus."

"Not at all my boy, I have no secrets now." he smiled, "I trust your judgement, if you think everyone can handle it go ahead." he said.

Harry nodded at the double meaning, "Thank you. Now, shall we move on?"

* * *

><p>Review please x<p> 


	72. Chapter 72

Chapter 72 - Fifth Year (Part 7.5)

21, August, 1998.

"We'll continue with the next days CoMC class. I'll ask you not to hex Draco as he's... Um..." Harry trailed off.

"A very big git about Hagrid? Despite him not being there?" Draco suggested.

"What he said." Harry nodded, "Nothing interesting happens before that except another fall out between Ron and Hermione."

"Another one?" James asked amused.

"Over hats for House-Elves no less." Ginny grinned at the blushing two.

"Hermione had learned how to knit and was trying to set the House-Elves free by leaving hats around the common room covered in rubbish so they'd have to pick it up." Harry clarified.

"It wouldn't have worked. Only a House-Elf's master can set them free and the Hogwarts Elves aren't bound to the Headmaster or students, they're bound directly to the school." Minerva told them, "And most of them were so offended the only two that would willingly clean Gryffindor tower was Dobby and Winky since they wore clothes anyway."

"Didnt think of that." Hermione admitted.

"Anyway, this is when we're heading to CoMC." Harry smiled as his mother put the memory in the Pensieve for him, "It's also a lesson for you two." he added to Petunia and Dudley. "Like with the Hippogriff's."

**The day had become cool and breezy, and as they walked down the sloping lawn towards Hagrid's cabin on the edge of the forbidden forest, they felt the occasional drop of rain in their faces. Professor Grubbly-Plank stood waiting for the class, some ten yards from Hagrid's front door, a long trestle table in front of her laden with twigs. As Harry and Ron reached her, a loud shout of laughter sounded behind them, turning, they saw Draco Malfoy striding towards them, surrounded by his usual gang of Slytherin cronies.**

**He had clearly just said something highly amusing, because Crabbe, Goyle, Pansy Parkinson, and the rest continued to snigger heartily as they gathered around the trestle table and, judging by the way they all kept looking over at Harry, he was able to guess the subject of the joke without too much difficulty.**

**"Everyone here?" barked Professor Grubbly-Plank, once all the Slytherins and Gryffindors hadarrived. "Let's start in then. Who can tell me what these things are called?" She indicated the heap of twigs infront of her. Hermione's hand shot into the air. Behind her back, Malfoy did a buck-toothed imitation of her jumping upand down in eagerness to answer a question.**

Hermione glared at Draco.

"Sorry." he winced.

**Pansy Parkinson gave a shriek of laughter that turned almost at once into a scream, as the twigs on the table leapt into the air and revealed themselves to be what looked like tiny pixie-ish creatures made of wood, each with knobbly brown arms and legs, two twig-like fingers at the end of each hand and a funny flat, barklike face in which a pair of beetle-brown eyes glittered.**

**"Oooooh!" said Parvati and Lavender, thoroughly irritating Harry. Anyone would have thought Hagrid had never shown them impressive creatures; admittedly, the flobberworms had been a bit dull, but the salamanders and hippogriffs had been interesting enough,and the Blast-Ended Skrewts perhaps too much so.**

**"Kindly keep your voices down,girls!" said Professor Grubbly-Plank sharply, scattering a handful of what looked like brown rice among the stick-creatures, who immediately fell upon the food. "So, anyone know the names of thesec reatures? Miss Granger?"**

**"Bowtruckles," said Hermione. "They're tree-guardians, usually live in wand-trees."**

**"Five points for Gryffindor," said Professor Grubbly-Plank. "Yes, these are bowtruckles, and as Miss Granger rightly says, they generally live in trees whose wood is of wand quality. Anybody know what they eat?"**

**"Woodlice," said Hermione promptly which explained why what Harry had taken to be grains of brown rice were moving. "But fairy eggs if they can get them."**

**"Good girl, take another five points. So, whenever you need leaves or wood from a tree in which a bowtruckle lodges, it is wise to have a gift of woodlice ready to distract or placate it. They may not look dangerous, but if angered they will try to gouge at human eyes with their fingers, which, as you can see, are very sharp and not at all desirable near the eyeballs. So if you'd like to gather closer, take a few woodlice and a bowtruckle? I have enough here for one between three. You can study them more closely. I want a sketch from each of you with all body parts labelled by the end of the lesson."**

**The class surged forwards around the trestle table. Harry deliberately circled around the back so that he ended upright next to Professor Grubbly-Plank. "Where's Hagrid?" he asked her, while everyone else was choosing bowtruckles.**

**"Never you mind," said Professor Grubbly-Plank repressively, which had been her attitude last time Hagrid had failed to turn up for a class, too. Smirking all over his pointed face, Draco Malfoy leaned across Harry and seized the largest bowtruckle.**

**"Maybe," said Malfoy in an undertone, so that only Harry could hear him, "the stupid great oaf's got himself badly injured."**

**"Maybe you will if you don't shut up," said Harry out of the side of his mouth.**

**"Maybe he's been messing with stuff that's too big for him, if you get my drift." Malfoy walked away, smirking over his shoulder at Harry, who felt suddenly sick. Did Malfoy know something? His father was a Death Eater, after all; what if he had information about Hagrid's fate that had not yet reached the ears of the Order? He hurried back around the table to Ron and Hermione, who were squatting in the grass some distance away and attempting to persuade a bowtruckle to remain still long enough for them to draw it. Harry pulled out parchment and quill, crouched down beside the others and related in a whisper what Malfoy had just said.**

**"Dumbledore would know if something had happened to Hagrid," said Hermione at once. "It's just playing into Malfoy's hands to look worried; it tells him we don't know exactly what's going on. We've got to ignore him, Harry. Here, hold the bowtruckle for a moment, just so I can draw its face?"**

**"Yes," came Malfoy's clear drawl from the group nearest them, "Father was talking to the Minister just a couple of days ago, you know, and it sounds as though the Ministry's really determined to crack down on substandard teaching in this place. So even if that overgrown moron does show up again, he'll probably be sent packing straight away."**

"Draco!" Cissy groaned, "Didn't you remember anything of what I told you before we went to Kings Cross?"

"Um... No?" he guessed, "Oh, wait! Was it about not mentioning Lucius being in contact with the Minister about the goings on at Hogwarts while in earshot of Harry, Ron and Hermione?"

"Exactly!" she growled.

"Oh I remembered it. I just ignored it." he informed his annoyed looking Mother. "You can't have expected me to have listened to you about that." he added, "You knew I would've said something just to annoy or upset them."

"He has a point Cissy, remember whenever Sirius was told not to do something he'd do it anyway? We all did that at one point." Regulus told her, "Even Bella did it a few times. As soon as you tell someone not to do something they'll be even more likely to do it." he shrugged.

**"OUCH!" Harry had gripped the bowtruckle so hard that it had almost snapped, and it had just taken a great retaliatory swipe at his hand with its sharp fingers, leaving two long deep cuts there. Harry dropped it. Crabbe and Goyle, who had already been guffawing at the idea of Hagrid being sacked, laughed still harder as the bowtruckle set off at fullkilt towards the forest, a little moving stick-man soon swallowed up among the tree roots. When the bell echoed distantly over the grounds," Harry rolled up his blood-stained bowtruckle picture and marched off to Herbology with his hand wrapped in Hermione's handkerchief, and Malfoy's derisive laughter still ringing in his ears.**

**"If he calls Hagrid a moron one more time," said Harry through gritted teeth.**

**"Harry, don't go picking a row with Malfoy, don't forget, he's a prefect now, he could make life difficult for you."**

**"Wow, I wonder what it'd be like to have a difficult life?" said Harry sarcastically.**

A few chuckled a little bitterly and the rest looked depressed at the reminder of how difficult it had already been for Harry up to that point, sure there was more difficulties to come.

**Ron laughed, but Hermione frowned. Together, they traipsed across the vegetable patch. The sky still appeared unable to make up its mind whether it wanted to rain or not. "I just wish Hagrid would hurry up and get back, that's all," said Harry in a low voice, as they reached the greenhouses. "And don't say that Grubbly-Plank woman's a better teacher!" he added threateningly.**

**"I wasn't going to," said Hermione calmly.**

**"Because she'll never be as good as Hagrid," said Harry firmly, fully aware that he had just experienced an exemplary Care of Magical Creatures lesson and was thoroughly annoyed about it.**

**The door of the nearest greenhouse opened and some fourth-years spilled out of it, including Ginny. "Hi," she said brightly as she passed.**

**A few seconds later, Luna Lovegood emerged, trailing behind the rest of the class, a smudge of earth on her nose, and her hair tied in a knot on the top of her head. When she saw Harry, her prominent eyes seemed to bulge excitedly and she made a beeline straight for him. Many of his classmates turned curiously to watch.**

**Luna took a great breath and then said, without so much as a preliminary hello, "I believe He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is back and I believe you fought him and escaped from him."**

"I felt you needed to know." Luna smiled, "Sorry if I was a bit short."

"It's fine, you were just being you and you didn't know us very well yet." Harry shrugged.

**"Er, right," said Harry awkwardly. Luna was wearing what looked like a pair of orange radishes for earrings, a fact that Parvati and Lavender seemed to have noticed, as they were both giggling and pointing at her earlobes.**

**"You can laugh," Luna said, her voice rising, apparently under the impression that Parvati and Lavender were laughing at what she had said rather than what she was wearing, "but people used to believe there were no such things as the Blibbering Humdinger or the Crumple-Horned Snorkack!"**

"People still don't beleive it. The Blibbering Humdinger was a fake but the Snorkack's are real." Luna smiled brightly.

"They're not." Hermione muttered.

"Yes they are." James said, "There's a scroll of information on them and quite a few drawings of them in the Potter vault towards the back of it, there might even be a skeleton. It's been a while since I've been near the back of the vault so I can't remember it very well, but there's definitely something there and it's definitely something to do with a Crumple-Horned Snorkack." he shrugged, grinning.

"See Hermione? I told you they were real." Luna's smile turned smug.

**"Well, they were right, weren't they?" said Hermione impatiently. "There aren't any such things as the Blibbering Humdinger or the Crumple-Horned Snorkack." Luna gave her a withering look and flounced away, radishes swinging madly. Parvati and Lavender were not the only ones hooting with laughter now.**

**"D'you mind not offending the only people who believe me?" Harry asked Hermione as they made their wayinto class.**

**"Oh, for heaven's sake, Harry, you can do better than her," said Hermione. "Ginny's told me all about her; apparently, she'll only believe in things as long as there's no proof at all. Well, I wouldn't expect anything else from someone whose father runs The Quibbler."**

"Really? You seem fine with it now." Luna commented.

Hermione went pink, "Sorry Luna, it's just there was never any proof of the things you believed in existing."

"But there is proof if you look close enough." she told the older witch, "Sometimes things don't like to be out in the open but they can be found if you look closer than most people."

**Harry thought of the sinister winged horses he had seen on the night he had arrived and how Luna had said she could see them to. His spirits sank slightly. Had she been lying?**

"Of course not. I dont lie unless I have to." Luna smiled, "Like last year when I was trying to stay out of trouble with the Death Eaters."

"If only I had heard you Harry. I could've told you what the Thestrals were." Neville sighed, "I've been able to see them since I was 10 and Gran had to tell me about them before I left for Hogwarts."

"How -?"

"Grandad." he cut Frank off.

"Ah." was all Frank said.

**But before he could devote much more thought to the matter, Ernie Macmillan had stepped up to him. "I want you to know, Potter," he said in a loud, carrying voice, "that it's not only weirdoes who support you. I personally believe you one hundred percent. My family have always stood firm behind Dumbledore, and so do I."**

"So he believes you now but not when you said you weren't the Heir of Slytherin?" Sirius muttered.

"I think he felt guilty because of the way he treated Harry back then." Ron frowned.

**"Er, thanks very much, Ernie," said Harry, taken aback but pleased. Ernie might be pompous on occasions like this, but Harry was in a mood to deeply appreciate a vote of confidence from somebody who did not have radishes dangling from their ears. Ernie's words had certainly wiped the smile from Lavender Brown's face and as he turned to talk to Ron and Hermione, Harry caught Seamus's expression, which looked both confused and defiant.**

"He was coming to his senses then." Fred grinned.

**To nobody's surprise, Professor Sprout started their lesson by lecturing them about the importance of OWLs. Harry wished all the teachers would stop doing this; he was starting to get an anxious, twisted feeling in his stomach every time he remembered how much homework he had to do, a feeling that worsened dramatically when Professor Sprout gave them yet another essay at the end of class. Tired and smelling strongly of dragon dung, Professor Sprout's preferred type of fertiliser, the Gryffindors trooped back up to the castle an hour and a half later, none of them talking very much; it had been another long day.**

**As Harry was starving, and he had his first detention with Umbridge at five o'clock, he headed straight for dinner without dropping off his bag in Gryffindor tower so that he would bolt something down before facing whatever she had in store for him.**

**He had barely reached the entrance of the Great Hall, however, when a loud and angry voice yelled, "Oi, Potter!"**

**"What now?" he muttered wearily, turning to face Angelina Johnson, who looked as though she was in a towering temper.**

"Yikes, it takes quite a bit to get Angelina to that level." Fred winced.

"Be very afraid." George added, also wincing.

**"I'll tell you what now," she said, marching straight up to him and poking him hard in the chest with her finger. "How come you've landed yourself in detention for five o'clock on Friday?"**

**"What?" said Harry. "Why - oh yeah, Keeper tryouts!"**

**"Now he remembers!" snarled Angelina. "Didn't I tell you I wanted to do a try out with the whole team, and find someone who fitted in with everyone! Didn't I tell you I'd booked the Quidditch pitch specially? And now you've decided you're not going to be there!"**

**"I didn't decide not to be there!" said Harry, stung by the injustice of these words. "I got detention from that Umbridge woman, just because I told her the truth about You-Know-Who."**

**"Well, you can just go straight to her and ask her to let you off on Friday," said Angelina fiercely, "and I don't care how you do it. Tell her You-Know-Who's a figment of your imagination if you like, just make sure you're there."**

"She was more obsessed than Oliver." Harry stated.

"We'll second and third that." the twins muttered.

**She turned on her heel and stormed away. "You know what?" Harry said to Ron and Hermione as they entered the Great Hall. "I think we'd better check with Puddlemere United whether Oliver Wood's been killed during a training session, because Angelina seems to be channelling his spirit."**

**"What d'you reckon are the odds of Umbridge letting you off on Friday?" said Ron sceptically, as they sat down at the Gryffindor table.**

**"Less than zero," said Harry glumly, tipping lamb chops on to his plate and starting to eat. "Better try, though, hadn't I? I'll offer to do two more detentions or something, I dunno?" He swallowed a mouthful of potatoand added, "I hope she doesn't keep me too long this evening. You realise we've got to write three essays, practise Vanishing spells for McGonagall, work out a counter-charm for Flitwick, finish the bowtruckle drawing and start that stupid dream diary for Trelawney?"**

**Ron groaned and for some reason glanced up at the ceiling. "And it looks like it's going to rain."**

**"What's that got to do with our homework?" said Hermione, her eyebrows raised.**

**"Nothing," said Ron at once, his ears reddening.**

"What were you up to?" Charlie asked, "I've only ever seen you react like that when you were up to something."

"You'll see. Harry finds out eventually." Ron shrugged.

**At five to five Harry bade the other two goodbye and set off for Umbridge's office on the third floor. When he knocked on the door she called, "Come in," in a sugary voice. He entered cautiously, looking around. He had known this office under three of its previous occupants. In the days when Gilderoy Lockhart had lived here it had been plastered in beaming portraits of himself.**

**When Lupin had occupied it, it was likely you would meet some fascinating Dark creature in a cage or tank if you came to call. In the impostor Moody's days it had been packed with various instruments and artefacts for the detection of wrongdoing and concealment.**

"There's one thing I just noticed," James said. "How come Moony's called by his last name?"

"It was force of habit." Harry admitted sheepishly, "We all still called him Professor up until last year."

Ron, Hermione and Ginny nodded in confirmation.

"I honestly don't mind it, I answer to anything really as long as it's something to do with my name." Remus grinned.

**Now, however, it looked totally unrecognisable. The surfaces had all been draped in lacy covers and cloths. There were several vases full of dried flowers, each one residing on its own doily,and on one of the walls was a collection of ornamental plates, each decorated with a large Techni-color kitten, wearing a different bow around its neck.**

"She's obsessed with cats? I knew there was more than one reason I hated her." Sirius mused, "Must be the inner dog, I've only ever gotten along with Crookshanks and Tufty."

"Tufty?" Harry asked curiously.

"My cat." Lily explained, "James got him for my Christmas in our 7th year."

"This wouldn't happen to be the same cat I almost ran over on the toy broom Sirius got me for my 1st birthday would it?" Harry asked.

The Marauders and Lily looked shocked, "It was but how -?" Remus started.

"- Do you know that?" Sirius finished.

"I found a letter about it at Grimmauld... As I think I've said before I remember some points from back then." Harry admitted, "Just two or three memories." he added.

"Amazing." James muttered, "Especially since you were so young."

Harry shrugged, "I'll show which memories once we've finished covering last year." he promised.

**These were so foul that Harry stared at them, transfixed, until Professor Umbridge spoke again. "Good evening, M. Potter." Harry started and looked around. He had not noticed her at first because she was wearing a luridly flowered set of robes that blended only too well with the tablecloth on the desk behind her.**

**"Evening, Professor Umbridge," Harry said stiffly.**

**"Well, sit down," she said, pointing towards a small table draped in lace, beside which she had drawn up a straight-backed chair. A piece of blank parchment lay on the table, apparently waiting for him. "Er," said Harry, without moving. "Professor Umbridge, er, before we start, I wanted to ask you for a favour."**

**Her bulging eyes narrowed. "Oh, yes?"**

**"Well, I'm - I'm on the Gryffindor Quidditch team. And I was supposed to be at the tryouts for the new keeper at five o'clock on Friday and I was - was wondering whether I could skip detention that night and do it - do it another night instead?" He knew long before he reached the end of his sentence that it was no good.**

**"Oh, no," said Umbridge, smiling so widely that she looked asthough she had just swallowed a particularly juicy fly. "Oh, no, no, no. This is your punishment for spreading evil, nasty, attention-seeking stories, Mr. Potter, and punishments certainly cannot be adjusted to suit the guilty one's convenience. No, you will come here at five o'clock tomorrow, and the next day, and on Friday too, and you will do your detentions as planned. I think it rather a good thing that you're missing something you really want to do. It ought to reinforce the lesson I'm trying to teach you."**

**Harry felt the blood surge to his head and heard a thumping noise in his ears. So he told evil, nasty, attention-seeking stories, did he? She was watching him with her head slightly to one side, still smiling widely, as though she knew exactly what he was thinking and was waiting to see whether he would start shouting again. With a massive effort, Harry looked away from her, dropped his schoolbag beside the straight-backed chair and sat down.**

**"There," said Umbridge sweetly, "we're getting better at controlling our temper already, aren't we? Now, you're going to be doing some lines for me, Mr. Potter. No, not with your quill," she added, as Harry bent down to open his bag. "You're going to be using a rather special one of mine. Here you are." She handed him a long, thin black quill with an unusually sharp point. "I want you to write, 'I must not tell lies,'" she told him softly.**

"That better not be what I think it is." Frank said looking at the quill.

"Depends what you think it is really." Harry told him.

"Blood Quill." he stated.

Harry gestured the memory with a 'watch and see' expression on his face.

**"How many times?" Harry asked, with a creditable imitation of politeness.**

**"Oh, as long as it takes for the message to sink in," said Umbridge sweetly. "Off you go."**

**She moved over to her desk, sat down and went over a stack of parchment that looked like essays for marking. Harry raised the sharp black quill, then realised what was missing. "You haven't given me any ink," he said.**

**"Oh, you won't need ink," said Professor Umbridge, with the merest suggestion of a laugh in her voice. Harry placed the point of the quill on the paper and wrote: I must not tell lies. He let out a gasp of pain. The words had appeared on the parchment in what appeared to be shining red ink. At the same time, the words had appeared on the back of Harry's right hand, cut into his skin as though traced there by scalpel. Yet even as he stared at the shining cut, the skin healed over again, leaving the place where it had been slightly redder than before cut quite smooth.**

They all groaned, "You had to be right." Alice told Frank, "You just had to."

"Harry how could you not say anything?!" Minerva demanded, "We could've had her arrested for that!"

"It's illegal to have Blood Quills outside of the Ministry building or Gringotts. She would've gotten 5 years in Azkaban for even having one in her rooms. Automatic 10 years for abusing it and another automatic 5 for torturing a student." Kingsley growled, "This is getting added to her file. I swear she'll never get out of Azkaban!"

**Harry looked around at Umbridge. She was watching him, her wide, toad-like mouth stretched in a smile. "Yes?"**

**"Nothing," said Harry quietly. He looked back at the parchment, placed the quill on it once more, wrote 'I must not tell lies,'and felt the searing pain on the back of his hand for a second time; once again, the words had been cut into his skin; once again, they healed over seconds later. And on it went. Again and again Harry wrote the words on the parchment in what he soon came to realise was not ink, but his own blood.**

"Harry! How could you let her get away with it." Ginny groaned.

"I couldn't say anything to her and I wasn't about to go to anyone else! Albus was ignoring me and Minerva wouldn't be able to do anything without proof!" he protested, "I couldn't do much about it."

"Except write to an Auror? You could've easily told Kingsley or I." Dora told him, frowning, "Instead of letting yourself go through the torture of cutting your own hand open!"

"It's done now." was the reply, he was glaring down at his right hand where the scars stood white and slightly raised.

**And, again and again, the words were cut into the back of his hand, healed, and reappeared the next time he set quill to parchment.**

**Darkness fell outside Umbridge's window. Harry did not ask when he would be allowed to stop. He did not even check his watch. He knew she was watching him for signs of weakness and he was not going to show any, not even if he had to sit there all night, cutting open his own hand with this quill**

**"Come here," she said, after what seemed hours. He stood up. His hand was stinging painfully. When he looked down at it, he saw that the cut had healed, but that the skin there was red raw.**

**"Hand," she said. He extended it. She took it in her own. Harry repressed a shudder as she touched him with her thick, stubby fingers on which she wore a number of ugly old rings.**

**"Tut, tut, I don't seem to have made much of an impression yet," she said, smiling. "Well, we'll just have to try again tomorrow evening, won't we? You may go."**

**Harry left her office without a word. The school was quite deserted; it was surely past midnight. He walked slowly up the corridor, then, when he had turned the corner and was sure she would not hear him, broke into a run.**

**He had not had time to practise Vanishing spells, had not written a single dream in his dream diary and had not finished the drawing of the bowtruckle, nor had he written his essays. He skipped breakfast next morning to scribble down couple of made-up dreams for Divination, their first lesson, and was surprised to find dishevelled Ron keeping him company. "How come you didn't do it last night?" Harry asked, as Ron stared wildly around the common room for inspiration. Ron, who had been fast asleep when Harry got back to the dormitory, muttered something about doing other stuff, bent low over his parchment and scrawled a few words.**

**"That'll have to do," he said, slamming the diary shut. "I've said I dreamed I was buying a new pair of shoes, she can't make anything weird out of that, can she?"**

"She'll probably say it means his feet will fall off or something." Lily said, making them all chuckle or giggle and lifting the mood slightly from the depressed state left by the detention.

**They hurried off to North tower together. "How was detention with Umbridge, anyway? What did she make you do?"**

**Harry hesitated for a fraction of a second, then said, "Lines."**

**"That's not too bad, then, eh?" said Ron.**

**"Nope," said Harry.**

"You should've told me mate." Ron said accusingly.

"I had a feeling it would be bad if I did, we didn't need all three of us getting in trouble." Harry shrugged, "It was bad enough with the lecture when you two did find out."

"You were only lectured because you didn't tell us." Hermione pointed out, tone exasperated, "And you weren't listening to us." she pouted.

Harry grinned sheepishly, "Sorry. I honestly didn't know what was going on that year, I was just angry and confused almost constantly, I guess."

**"Hey, I forgot, did she let you off for Friday?"**

**"No," said Harry. Ron groaned sympathetically.**

**It was another bad day for Harry; he was one of the worst in Transfiguration, not having practised Vanishing spells at all. He had to give up his lunch hour to complete the picture of the bowtruckle and, meanwhile, Professors McGonagall, Grubbly-Plank and Sinistra gave them yet more homework, which he had no prospect of finishing that evening because of his second detention with Umbridge.**

**To cap it all, Angelina Johnson tracked him down at dinner again, and on learning that be would not be able to attend Friday's Keeper tryouts, told him she was not at all impressed by his attitude and that she expected players who wished to remain on the team to put training before their other commitments. "I'm in detention!" Harry yelled after her as she stalked away. "D'you think I'd rather be stuck in a room with that old toad or playing Quidditch?"**

**"At least it's only lines," said Hermione consolingly, as Harry sank back onto his bench and looked down at his steak and kidney pie, which he no longer fancied very much. "It's not as if it's a dreadful punishment, really?"**

**Harry opened his mouth, closed it again and nodded. He was not really sure why he was not telling Ron and Hermione exactly what was happening in Umbridge's room: he only knew that he did not want to see their looks of horror; that would make the whole thing seem worse and therefore more difficult to face.**

"Would not!" Hermione huffed, "We might have actually been able to do something about her."

"Yeah, don't know what but it would've been better if you'd told us. Then you might not still have the scars on your hand." Ron sighed.

"What's a few more scars when I'm covered in them anyway?" Harry asked rhetorically, "And I doubt anything would've stopped it scaring with the amount of times I was in detention."

"He has a point." Fred nodded.

"Yeah, we kept quiet when she had us doing it." George admitted, "Our lines were 'We will not cause mischief'."

"But we've not got the marks anymore."

"You should've told us boys, you should also have known what it was you were using and that they were illegal." Arthur said sternly.

"Sorry." the twins muttered, "But we got our revenge." Fred added cheerfully.

"On a massive scale." George smirked, "And she only ever had us in detention for three weeks at most and never more than twice in a row. We took precautions against getting caught, even if it was obvious it was us she couldn't prove it."

Minerva chuckled, "I knew it was them, but they have a valid point, she couldn't prove anything and I certainly wasn't going to stop them driving her mad."

The twins grinned and they all turned back to the memory.

**He also felt dimly that this was between himself and Umbridge, a private battle of wills, and he was not going to give her the satisfaction of hearing that he had complained about it. "I can't believe how much homework we've got," said Ron miserably.**

**"Well, why didn't you do any last night?" Hermione asked him. "Where were you, anyway?"**

**"I was - fancied a walk," said Ron shiftily. Harry had the distinct impression that he was not alone in concealing things at the moment.**

**The second detention was just as bad as the previous one. The skin on the back of Harry's hand became irritated more quickly now and was soon red and inflamed. Harry thought it unlikely that it would keep healing as effectively for long. Soon the cut would remain etched into his hand and Umbridge would, perhaps, be satisfied. He let no gasp of pain escape him, however, and from the moment of entering the room to the moment of his dismissal, again past midnight, he said nothing but 'good evening' and 'goodnight'**

**His homework situation, however, was now desperate, and when he returned to the Gryffindor common room he did not, though exhausted, go to bed, but opened his books and began Snape's moonstone essay. It was half-past two by the time he had finished it. He knew he had done a poor job, but there was no help for it; unless he had something to give in he would be in detention with Snape next. He then dashed off answers to the questions Professor McGonagall had set them, cobbled together something on the proper handling of Bowtruckles for Professor Grubbly-Plank, and staggered up to bed, where he fell fully clothed on top of the covers and fell asleep immediately.**

"You know the staff would've understood Harry, even if you didn't tell us about what you did in detention we all knew she'd keep you up late so you got in more trouble for not doing your homework." Minerva sighed.

"I didnt want to fall behind." he shrugged.

"You would have gotten an extension on time to do the work." she told him, "You wouldn't fall behind, we've made exceptions before."

"Like with me." Remus mused, "I got extensions often around the Full Moon, at least a week longer, and I still didnt fall behind since I usually did it while I was being healed. If Poppy allowed it anyway." he shrugged, "I had to so something when they were in class." he gestured his fellow Marauders.

**Thursday passed in a daze of tiredness. Ron seemed very sleepy too, though Harry could not see why he should be. Harry's third detention passed in the same way as the previous two, except that after two hours the words 'I must not tell lies' did not fade from the back of Harry's hand, but remained scratched there, oozing droplets of blood. The pause in the pointed quill's scratching made Professor Umbridge look up.**

**"Ah," she said softly, moving around her desk to examine his hand herself. "Good. That ought to serve as a reminder to you, oughtn't it? You may leave for tonight."**

**"Do I still have to come back tomorrow?" said Harry picking up his schoolbag with his left hand rather than his smarting right one.**

**"Oh yes," said Professor Umbridge, smiling as widely as before. "Yes, I think we can etch the message a little deeper with another evening's work."**

**Harry had never before considered the possibility that there might be another teacher in the world he hated more than Snape, but as he walked back towards Gryffindor tower he had to admit he had found a strong contender. She's evil, he thought, as he climbed a staircase to the seventh floor, she's an evil, twisted, bad old - "Ron?" He had reached the top of the stairs, turned right and almost walked into Ron, who was lurking behind a statue of Cachlan the Cranky, clutching his broomstick. He gave a great leap of surprise when he saw Harry and attempted to hide his new Cleansweep Eleven behind his back. "What are you doing?"**

**"Er. nothing."**

**"What are you doing?" Harry frowned at him. "Come on, you can tell me! What are you hiding here for?"**

**"I'm - I'm hiding from Fred and George, if you must know," said Ron. "They just went past with a bunch of first-years, I bet they're testing stuff on them again. I mean, they can't do it in the common room now, can they, not with Hermione there."**

They all laughed as the twins nodded.

**He was talking in a very fast, feverish way. "But what have you got your broom for, you haven't been flying, have you?" Harry asked.**

**"I - well - well, OK, I'll tell you, but don't laugh, all right?" Ron said defensively, turning redder with every second. I thought I'd try out for Gryffindor keeper now I've got a decent broom. There. Go on. Laugh."**

"So that's what you were up to!" Charlie smirked.

"Yes." Ron shrugged, "I needed to practice."

**"I'm not laughing," said Harry. Ron blinked. "It's a brilliant idea! It'd be really cool if you got on the team! I've never seen you play Keeper, are you good?"**

**"I'm not bad," said Ron, who looked immensely relieved at Harry's reaction. "Charlie, Fred, and George always made me Keep for them when they were training during the holidays."**

"Good thing we did really." George commented.

"Yeah, or we would've been stuck with what's-his-face." Fred added, wincing.

"Pompous prat." Harry growled, "He kept telling everyone what to do when he wasn't even Captain!"

"Who was the captain?" James asked.

"Me." Harry smirked, "In my 6th year." he added, making James and Lily smile proudly.

**"So you've been practising tonight?"**

**"Every evening since Tuesday just on my own, though. I've been trying to bewitch Quaffles to fly at me, but it hasn't been easy and I don't know how much use it'll be." Ron looked nervous and anxious. "Fred and George are going to laugh themselves stupid when I turn up for the tryouts. They haven't stopped taking the mickey out of me since I got made a prefect."**

"Um... Ron you know we didn't really mean it right?" Fred asked.

"We were just having a laugh and trying to annoy you." George added.

Ron shrugged and didn't say anything.

**"I wish I was going to be there," said Harry bitterly, as they set off together towards the common room.**

**"Yeah, soo - Harry, what's that on the back of your hand?" Harry, who had just scratched his nose with his free right hand, tried to hide it, but had as much success as Ron with his Cleansweep.**

**"It's just a cut, it's nothing, it's -" But Ron had grabbed Harry's forearm and pulled the back of Harry's hand up level with his eyes. There was a pause, during which he stared at the words carved into the skin; then, looking sick, he released Harry. "I thought you said she was just giving you lines?"**

"You knew I'd notice eventually." Ron told Harry, "If not me then Hermione or Ginny would have."

"Or us." Fred added.

"Especially after our first detention with 'it'." George nodded.

**Harry hesitated, but after all, Ron had been honest with him, so he told Ron the truth about the hours he had been spending in Umbridge's office. "The old hag!" Ron said in a revolted whisper as they came to a halt in front of the Fat Lady, who was dozing peacefully with her head against her frame. "She's sick! Go to McGonagall, say something!"**

**"No," said Harry at once. "I'm not giving her the satisfaction of knowing she's got to me."**

"Harry!" Lily exclaimed

"You really are too stubborn for your own good." Regulus stated.

"I've heard that before." Harry said amused, "Constantly."

"Start learning it's true then." Astoria told him.

"I'll consider it." he compromised.

**"Got to you? You can't let her get away with this!"**

**"I don't know how much power McGonagall's got over her," said Harry.**

**"Dumbledore, then, tell Dumbledore!"**

**"No," said Harry flatly.**

**"Why not?"**

**"He's got enough on his mind," said Harry, but that was not the true reason. He was not going to go to Dumbledore for help when Dumbledore had not spoken to him once since June.**

**"Well, I reckon you should," Ron began, but he was interrupted by the Fat Lady, who had been watching them sleepily and now burst out, "Are you going to give me the password or will I have to stay awake all night waiting for you to finish your conversation?"**

"This is that Friday and the last detention of the week." Harry explained, "I left out a bit to speed it up a little."

**At five o'clock that evening he knocked on Professor Umbridge's office door for what he sincerely hoped would be the final time, and was told to enter. The blank parchment lay ready for him on the lace-covered table, the pointed black quill beside it. "You know what to do, Mr. Potter," said Umbridge, smiling sweetly at him.**

**Harry picked up the quill and glanced through the window. If he just shifted his chair an inch or so to the righton the pretext of shifting himself closer to the table, he managed it. He now had a distant view of the Gryffindor Quidditch team soaring up and down the pitch, while half a dozen slack figures stood at the foot of the three high goalposts, apparently waiting their turn to Keep. It was impossible to tell which one was Ron at this distance.**

**I must not tell lies, Harry wrote. The cut on the back of his right hand opened and began to bleed afresh. I must not tell lies The cut dug deeper, stinging and smarting. I must not tell lies. Blood trickled down his wrist.**

Everyone looked upset and angry at this.

**He chanced another glance out of the window. Whoever was defending the goalposts now was doing a very poor job indeed. Katie Bell scored twice in the few seconds Harry dared to watch. Hoping very much that the Keeper wasn't Ron, he dropped his eyes back to the parchment shining with blood. I must not tell lies, I must not tell lies.**

**He looked up whenever he thought he could risk it; when he could hear the scratching of Umbridge's quill or the opening of a desk drawer. The third person to try out was pretty good, the fourth was terrible, the fifth dodged a Bludger exceptionally well but then fumbled an easy save. The sky was darkening, and Harry doubted he would be able to see the sixth and seventh people at all. I must not tell lies. I must not tell lies**

Many of the women were crying silently now and the men all looked decidedly green.

**The parchment was now dotted with drops of blood from the back of his hand, which was searing with pain. When he next looked up, night had fallen and the Quidditch pitch was no longer visible. "Let's see if you've got the message yet, shall we?" said Umbridge's soft voice half an hour later. She moved towards him, stretching out her short ringed fingers for his arm. And when, as she took hold of him to examine the words now cut into his skin, pain seared, not across the back of his hand, but across the scar on his forehead. At the same time, he had a most peculiar sensation somewhere around his midriff.**

"What!" Lily exclaimed, "You dont think she's connected to Voldemort do you?"

"No, I think he felt my pain and was happy about it or something like that." Harry explained, "Voldemorts emotions bled over the link a lot that year, I couldnt really tell what was happening at the time."

**He wrenched his arm out of her grip and leapt to his feet, staring at her. She looked back at him, a smile stretching her wide, slack mouth. "Yes, it hurts, doesn't it?" she said softly. He did not answer. His heart was thumping very hard and fast. Was she talking about his hand or did she know what he had just felt on his forehead?**

**"Well, I think I've made my point, Mr. Potter. You may go." He caught up his schoolbag and left the room as quickly as he could. Stay calm, he told himself, as he sprinted up the stairs. Stay calm, it doesn't necessarily mean what you think it means**

**"Mimbulus mimbletonia!" he gasped at the Fat Lady, who swung forwards once more. A roar of sound greeted him. Ron came running towards him, beaming all over his face and slopping butterbeer down his front from the goblet he was clutching. "Harry, I did it, I'm in, I'm Keeper!"**

They all cheered.

**"What? Oh, brilliant!" said Harry, trying to smile naturally, while his heart continued to race and his hand throbbed and bled.**

**"Have a butterbeer." Ron pressed a bottle on him. "I can't believe it. Where's Hermione gone?"**

**"She's there," said Fred, who was also swigging Butterbeer, and pointed to an armchair by the fire. Hermione was dozing in it, her drink dipping precariously in her hand.**

**"Well, she said she was pleased when I told her," said Ron, looking slightly put out.**

**"Let her sleep," said George hastily. It was a few moments before Harry noticed that several of the first-years gathered around them bore unmistakable signs of recent nosebleeds.**

"Really boys!" Molly snapped, "Couldn't you behave for more than ten minutes?"

"Not at that time, no." they smirked.

"Maybe five minutes unless we were in detention." George mused.

"We had to build it up so we could last hours of behaving well." Fred added, "Even then it's difficult to stay out of trouble."

"You made it look easy when Bill bet you couldn't behave and you proved to him and the rest of us that you could." Percy told them with an arched eyebrow.

"We'd had practice by that point." George shrugged, "And who are we to refuse a bet?"

"Plus we never said we wouldn't set something off the moment we pointed out we behaved as long as we could." Fred smirked, "Bill didn't think of that loophole."

"Even if the net failed." George grumbled, "We'll work on them later." he shrugged.

**"Come here, Ron, and see if Oliver's old robes fit you," called Katie Bell, "we can take off his name and put yours on instead."**

**As Ron moved away, Angelina came striding up to Harry. "Sorry I was a bit short with you earlier, Potter," she said abruptly. "It's stressful, this managing lark, you know, I'm starting to think I was a bit hard on Wood sometimes." She a the rim of her goblet with a slight frown on her face. "Look, I know he's your best mate, but he's not fabulous," she said bluntly. "I think with a bit of training he'll be all right, though. He comes from a family of good Quidditch players. I'm banking on him turning out to have a bit more talent than he showed today, to be honest. Vicky Frobisher and Geoffrey Hooper both flew better this evening, but Hooper's a real whiner, he's always moaning about something or other, and Vicky's involved in all sorts of societies. She admitted herself that if training clashed with her Charms Club she'd put Charms first."**

"Humph!" Ron huffed.

"Relax, Angelina's a perfectionist. And you were the best there, even if your nerves took over a little." Fred told him.

"Of course." George nodded, "You also had the best attitude out of the others, it's the right attitude as well as skill that gets people on the team."

**"Anyway, we're having a practice session at two o'clock tomorrow, so just make sure you're there this time. And do me a favour and help Ron as much as you can, OK?" He nodded, and Angelina strolled back to Alicia Spinnet. Harry moved over to sit next to Hermione, who woke with a jerk as he put down his bag.**

**"Oh, Harry, it's you Good about Ron, isn't it?" she said blearily. "I'm just so - so - so tired," she yawned. "I was up until one o'clock making more hats. They're disappearing like mad!"**

**And sure enough, now that he looked, Harry saw that there w ere woolly hats concealed all around the room where unwary elves might accidentally pick them up. "Great," said Harry distractedly; if he did not tell somebody soon, he would burst. "Listen, Hermione, I was just up in Umbridge's office and she touched my arm"**

**Hermione listened closely. When Harry had finished, she said slowly, "You're worried You-Know-Who's controlling her like he controlled Quirrell?"**

**"Well," said Harry, dropping his voice, "it's a possibility, isn't it?"**

**"I suppose so," said Hermione, though she sounded unconvinced. "But I don't think he can be possessing her the way he possessed Quirrell, I mean, he's properly alive again now, isn't he, he's got his own body, he wouldn't need to share someone else's. He could have her under the Imperius Curse, I suppose."**

"She's evil enough on her own." Remus growled.

**Harry watched Fred, George, and Lee Jordan juggling empty butterbeer bottles for a moment. When Hermione said, "But last year your scar hurt when nobody was touching you, and didn't Dumbledore say it had to do with what You-Know-Who was feeling at the time? I mean, maybe this wasn't anything to do with Umbridge at all, maybe it's just coincidence it happened while you were with her?"**

**"She's evil," said Harry flatly. "Twisted."**

**"She's horrible, yes, but Harry, I think you ought to tell Dumbledore your scar hurt." It was the second time in two days he had been advised to go to Dumbledore and his answer to Hermione was just the game as his answer to Ron. "I'm not bothering him with this. Like you just said, it's not a big deal. It's been hurting on and off all summer. It was just a bit worse tonight, that's all."**

**"Harry, I'm sure Dumbledore would want to be bothered by this."**

"Of course I would. It was always worrying." Albus sighed.

"Sorry but I don't like being ignored." Harry told him, "So I ignored you back."

He chuckled sadly, "I suppose that's fair."

**"Yeah," said Harry, before he could stop himself, "that's the only bit of me Dumbledore cares about, isn't it, my scar?"**

**"Don't say that, it's not true!"**

**"I think I'll write and tell Sirius about it, see what he thinks."**

**"Harry, you can't put something like that in a letter!" aid Hermione, looking alarmed. "Don't you remember, Moody told us to be careful what we put in writing! We just can't guarantee owls aren't being intercepted any more!"**

**"All right, all right, I won't tell him, then!" said Harry irritably. He got to his feet. "I'm going to bed. Tell Ron for me, will you?"**

**"Oh no," said Hermione, looking relieved, "if you're doing that means I can do too, without being rude. I'm absolutely exhausted and I want to make some more hats tomorrow. Listen, you can help me if you like, it's quite fun, I'm getting better, I can do pattern and bobbles and all sorts of things now."**

"You should've told me about the detentions." Hermione sighed.

"You got it out of Ron eventually."

**Harry looked into her face, which was shining with glee, and tried to look as though he was vaguely tempted by this offer. "Er, no, I don't think I will, thanks," he said. "Er - not tomorrow. I've got loads of homework to do." And he traipsed off to the boys' stairs, leaving her looking slightly disappointed.**

"It would've been nice. Because of the detentions we hadn't spent much time together out of class." Hermione explained sadly.

"I know, I'm just not all that interested in knitting." Harry told her.

Before anyone could talk there was a loud 'Crack!' and a male House-Elf dressed in Elf sized deep blue robes appeared with a scroll of parchment in front of Kingsley.

"Mister Minister, Mister Robards asks Gibbon to bring this to yous." the Elf squealed excitedly.

"Thank you Gibbon." Kingsley smiled, accepting the scroll. He opened it and everyone was silent as he read it, "Finally." he grinned, "Gibbon tell Robards I want him to be in my office for 10. And I want the prisoner locked up in one of the holding cells immediately." he said.

"Of course Master Minister." Gibbon bowed before disappearing with a 'Pop!'.

"Prisoner?" Percy asked.

"They've caught Fudge." Kingsley grinned widely, handing the note to Percy who nodded to confirm it, making them all cheer, "About time too, they were waiting on the right time to make their move."

"So they knew where he was?" Sirius asked.

"No, they had suspicions though." he shrugged, "This'll be a fun trial to do."

"I'll agree with you there. Nothing's going to be more fun than watching my old boss stuggle to defend himself when he finds out what we found out about him." Percy mused, "After all, he tried so hard to keep it quiet."

"I think I'll be mean and let him get worked up about his trial for a week or so." Kingsley chuckled, "He can stay in the holding cells."

"I like that plan." Arthur smirked, "He certainly deserves it. Anyway what's next Harry?"

"Um... Give me a minute."

* * *

><p>Review please x<p> 


	73. Chapter 73

Chapter 73 - Fifth Year (Part 8)

21, August, 1998.

After a moment of thought Harry looked at Ron and let his eyes flick to Percy quickly.

Ron nodded.

"We'll be starting on Saturday night, with a letter." Harry said hesitantly.

"From who?" Sirius asked, "I know it wasn't the Order."

"From Percy." Ron muttered.

Percy looked confused, "I didn't have any contact at all with any of you except Dad, and we never spoke to each other then." he stated, "I certainly didn't write any letters."

"To us it looked like you did. When it starts we're sitting doing homework, well, Ron and I are. Hermione had finished her's, wasn't helping us, and was sitting talking to Ginny instead." Harry told them, flicking his wand so the memory started.

**And so they worked on while the sky outside the windows became steadily darker. Slowly, the crowd in the common room began to thin again. At half past eleven, Hermione wandered over to them, yawning.**

**"Nearly done?"**

**"No," said Ron shortly.**

**"Jupiter's biggest moon is Ganymede, not Callisto," she said, pointing over Ron's shoulder at a line in his Astronomy essay, "and it's Io that's got the volcanoes."**

**"Thanks," snarled Ron, scratching out the offending sentences.**

**"Sorry, I only -"**

**"Yeah, well, if you've just come over here to criticise -"**

**"Ron -"**

**"I haven't got time to listen to a sermon, all right, Hermione, I'm up to my neck in it here -"**

**"No - look!"**

**Hermione was pointing to the nearest window. Harry and Ron both looked over. A handsome screech owl was standing on the windowsill, gazing into the room at Ron.**

**"Isn't that Hermes?" said Hermione, sounding amazed.**

"It is." Charlie nodded, looking at Percy confusedly.

Percy looked just as confused, "That's Hermes but... I swear I never sent him anywhere at that time, I only used inter-departmental memos since I didn't write to anyone outside the Ministry."

**"Blimey, it is!" said Ron quietly, throwing down his quill and getting to his feet. "What's Percy writing to me for?"**

**He crossed to the window and opened it; Hermes flew inside, landed on Ron's essay and held out a leg to which a letter was attached. Ron took the letter off it and the owl departed at once, leaving inky footprints across Ron's drawing of the moon Io.**

**"That's definitely Percy's handwriting," said Ron, sinking back into his chair and staring at the words on the outside of the scroll: Ronald Weasley, Gryffindor House, Hogwarts. He looked up at the other two. "What d'you reckon?"**

"I-it wasn't me." Percy said shaking his head, eyes wide, "Ron how could you think that was my handwriting? I'd never put an address like that on a letter to family since Hermes knows you all anyway. I've never wrote with my letters separated either, my handwritings joined."

"He's right. I tried getting him to do it when I was teaching him how to write and he prefered joining up his writing." Molly sighed, "Which means someone who didn't know your writing well tried to copy it."

"I'll get one of the Aurors to question Fudge about it." Kingsley said grimly, "There is a spell that copies handwriting to a certain extent, never exactly, but it's worth trying to find out."

"Come to think of it... I did tell someone they could borrow Hermes, I just cant remember who." Percy frowned. "Let's see what this says."

**"Open it!" said Hermione eagerly, and Harry nodded.**

**Ron unrolled the scroll and began to read. The further down the parchment his eyes travelled, the more pronounced became his scowl.**

**When he had finished reading, he looked disgusted. He thrust the letter at Harry and Hermione, who leaned towards each other to read it together:**

**Dear Ron,**

**I have only just heard (from no less a person than the Minister for Magic himself, who has it from your new teacher, Professor Umbridge) that you have become a Hogwarts prefect.**

"I knew before then." Percy admitted, "I'd heard Dad mention it to Perkins in the lifts."

Arthur smiled, "I did that on purpose you know. I might not have been happy with you then but you still deserved to know."

Percy smiled back.

**I was most pleasantly surprised when I heard this news and must firstly offer my congratulations. I must admit that I have always been afraid that you would take what we might call the 'Fred and George' route, rather than following in my footsteps, so you can imagine my feelings on hearing you have stopped flouting authority and have decided to shoulder some real responsibility.**

"And who said I was completely happy with it?" Ron asked rhetorically.

**But I want to give you more than congratulations, Ron, I want to give you some advice, which is why I am sending this at night rather than by the usual morning post. Hopefully, you will be able to read this away from prying eyes and avoid awkward questions.**

**From something the Minister let slip when telling me you are now a prefect, I gather that you are still seeing a lot of Harry Potter. I must tell you, Ron, that nothing could put you in danger of losing your badge more than continued fraternisation with that boy.**

"I would never say that!" Percy yelled, "Why would I tell someone they must stop talking with one of their best friends!" he demanded.

**Yes, I am sure you are surprised to hear this - no doubt you will say that Potter has always been Dumbledore's favourite - but I feel bound to tell you that Dumbledore may not be in charge at Hogwarts much longer and the people who count have a very different - and probably more accurate - view of Potter's behaviour. I shall say no more here, but if you look at the Daily Prophet tomorrow you will get a good idea of the way the wind is blowing - and see if you can spot yours truly**

"I cannot believe this!" raged Lily. "That's going too far! He knows Harry, he's gone to school with him for three years. He should know better than to think Harry's lying!"

"I..." Percy was cut off by Charlie.

"We know Perce, you were a git. Nothing more to it but if you didn't write it you shouldn't feel guilty about it."

"Trust me Percy, I'll have it checked out." Kingsley assured him.

**Seriously, Ron, you do not want to be tarred with the same brush as Potter, it could be very damaging to your future prospects, and I am talking here about life after school, too. As you must be aware, given that our father escorted him to court, Potter had a disciplinary hearing this summer in front of the whole Wizengamot and he did not come out of it looking too good. He got off on a mere technicality, if you ask me, and many of the people I've spoken to remain convinced of his guilt.**

**It may be that you are afraid to sever ties with Potter - I know that he can be unbalanced and, for all I know, violent - but if you have any worries about this, or have spotted anything else in Potter's behaviour that is troubling you, I urge you to speak to Dolores Umbridge, a truly delightful woman who I know will be only too happy to advise you**

"Delightful woman?" asked Sirius. "Are we talking about the same person?"

"I wouldn't call her delightful... Maybe not even a woman... She always was a hag, I never liked her." Percy admitted.

"You just had to do as she said like we did." Kingsley chuckled, gesturing Dora and himself, "Though you did have to listen to her a fair bit more, we only had to when she was in the Auror department or our boss told us to." he mused.

"Not overly often." Dora muttered, "Though I'm not sure if that's a god thing or not."

"How so?" Remus frowned.

"Well, I'd be willing to bet one of us would've noticed something that would've been good enough to have her checked out by the Auror department." she reasoned, "And from there I'd bet we'd find something good enough to have her removed from Hogwarts and removed from her position."

"No, if we'd done that she'd be more likely to hide her wrong doings and be extra careful not to let anything slip. I doubt we'd find something substantial back then." Kingsley shook his head, "The only valid reason we had for arresting her now is her actions during the time Voldemort ran the Ministry. This though, if you don't mind me sharing what she was doing that is Harry, would have her right at the top of the most wanted list instantly and an almost automatic life sentence too." he stated.

"Feel free to share what she did, just don't mention names." Harry shrugged, "I'd like nothing more than for her to be behind bars permanently."

Kingsley nodded, "I'll tell Skull later, she can add it to Umbridge's file. It's her who's got the case."

**This leads me to my other bit of advice. As I have hinted above, Dumbledore's regime at Hogwarts may soon be over. Your loyalty, Ron, should be not to him, but to the school and the Ministry. I am very sorry to hear that, so far, Professor Umbridge is encountering very little co-operation from staff as she strives to make those necessary changes within Hogwarts that the Ministry so ardently desires (although she should find this easier from next week - again, see the Daily Prophet tomorrow!). I shall say only this - a student who shows himself willing to help Professor Umbridge now may be very well-placed for Head Boyship in a couple of years**

"I'd rather die than help Umbridge." Ron muttered.

**I am sorry that I was unable to see more of you over the summer. It pains me to criticise our parents, but I am afraid I can no longer live under their roof while they remain mixed up with the dangerous crowd around Dumbledore. (If you are writing to Mother at any point, you might tell her that a certain Sturgis Podmore, who is a great friend of Dumbledore's, has recently been sent to Azkaban for trespass at the Ministry. Perhaps that will open their eyes to the kind of petty criminals with whom they are currently rubbing shoulders.) I count myself very lucky to have escaped the stigma of association with such people - the Minister really could not be more gracious to me - and I do hope, Ron, that you will not allow family ties to blind you to the misguided nature of our parents' beliefs and actions, either. I sincerely hope that, in time, they will realise how mistaken they were and I shall, of course, be ready to accept a full apology when that day comes.**

**Please think over what I have said most carefully, particularly the bit about Harry Potter, and congratulations again on becoming prefect.**

**Your brother,**

**Percy**

"Another thing, when writing to family I put Perce, not Percy." Percy said moodily.

"Dont worry about it Perce. All it done was annoy me." Ron soothed him, "And Hermione and Harry too."

"Great."

"It's not as bad as what could've happened." Harry pointed out, "You could've told Umbridge to keep a closer eye on the three of us." he shuddered, "I spent enough time in detention as it was."

**"Well," he said, trying to sound as though he found the whole thing a joke, "if you want to - er - what is it?" - he checked Percy's letter - "Oh yeah - 'sever ties' with me, I swear I won't get violent."**

**"Give it back," said Ron, holding out his hand. "He is -" Ron said jerkily, tearing Percy's letter in half, "the world's -" he tore it into quarters, "biggest -" he tore it into eighths, "git."**

"Yes, but he wouldn't be Percy if he wasnt." Fred grinned.

**He threw the pieces into the fire.**

**"Come on, we've got to get this finished sometime before dawn," he said briskly to Harry, pulling Professor Sinistra's essay back towards him.**

**Hermione was looking at Ron with an odd expression on her face.**

**"Oh, give them here," she said abruptly.**

**"What?" said Ron.**

**"Give them to me, I'll look through them and correct them," she said.**

"You always gave in didnt you?" Alice laughed.

"Of course I did." Hermione grinned, "Who am I to refuse those two help when they need it?"

**"Are you serious? Ah, Hermione, you're a life-saver," said Ron, "what can I -?"**

**"What you can say is, 'We promise we'll never leave our homework this late again,'" she said, holding out both hands for their essays, but she looked slightly amused all the same.**

**"Thanks a million, Hermione," said Harry weakly, passing over his essay and sinking back into his armchair, rubbing his eyes.**

**It was now past midnight and the common room was deserted but for the three of them and Crookshanks. The only sound was that of Hermione's quill scratching out sentences here and there on their essays and the ruffle of pages as she checked various facts in the reference books strewn across the table. Harry was exhausted. He also felt an odd, sick, empty feeling in his stomach that had nothing to do with tiredness and everything to do with the letter now curling blackly in the heart of the fire.**

"Ignore the letter." Arthur suggested.

"We did." Hermione told him, "To an extent, sometimes we couldn't help remembering some of the phrases."

**He knew that half the people inside Hogwarts thought him strange, even mad; he knew that the Daily Prophet had been making snide allusions to him for months, but there was something about seeing it written down like that in Percy's writing, about knowing that Percy was advising Ron to drop him and even to tell tales about him to Umbridge, that made his situation real to him as nothing else had. He had known Percy for four years, had stayed in his house during the summer holidays, shared a tent with him during the Quidditch World Cup, had even been awarded full marks by him in the second task of the Triwizard Tournament last year, yet now, Percy thought him unbalanced and possibly violent.**

Percy shook his head sadly.

**And with a surge of sympathy for his godfather, Harry thought Sirius was probably the only person he knew who could really understand how he felt at the moment, because Sirius was in the same situation. Nearly everyone in the wizarding world thought Sirius a dangerous murderer and a great Voldemort supporter and he had had to live with that knowledge for fourteen years...**

**Harry blinked. He had just seen something in the fire that could not have been there. It had flashed into sight and vanished immediately. No... it could not have been... he had imagined it because he had been thinking about Sirius...**

"What happened?" Lily asked.

"You'll see, I tell those two in a minute." he shrugged.

**"OK, write that down," Hermione said to Ron, pushing his essay and a sheet covered in her own writing back to Ron, "then add this conclusion I've written for you."**

**"Hermione, you are honestly the most wonderful person I've ever met," said Ron weakly, "and if I'm ever rude to you again -"**

**"- I'll know you're back to normal," said Hermione. "Harry, yours is OK except for this bit at the end, I think you must have misheard Professor Sinistra, Europa's covered in ice, not mice - Harry?"**

"Oop's." Harry chuckled, "I must've put the 'm' accidentally, I was half asleep after all."

**Harry had slid off his chair on to his knees and was now crouching on the singed and threadbare hearthrug, gazing into the flames.**

**"Er - Harry?" said Ron uncertainly. "Why are you down there?"**

**"Because I've just seen Sirius's head in the fire," said Harry.**

"Of course you did." Sirius grinned, "I fancied a chat."

**He spoke quite calmly; after all, he had seen Sirius's head in this very fire the previous year and talked to it, too; nevertheless, he could not be sure that he had really seen it this time... it had vanished so quickly...**

**"Sirius's head?' Hermione repeated. "You mean like when he wanted to talk to you during the Triwizard Tournament? But he wouldn't do that now, it would be too - Sirius!" She gasped, gazing at the fire; Ron dropped his quill. There in the middle of the dancing flames sat Sirius's head, long dark hair falling around his grinning face.**

"Padfoot." Remus sighed, "I told you not to."

"And I told you I had to answer his letter before I next saw him somehow." Sirius retorted, "I know it was risky but since I wasnt allowed to leave the house and I wasn't allowed to owl him, I decided that was the only way to contact him."

"I told you that morning the Floo was being watched." Dora frowned at him.

"That wasnt going to stop me." he shrugged, "Not when Harry clearly needed me." he smiled at his Godson, who smiled back.

**"I was starting to think you'd go to bed before everyone else had disappeared," he said. "I've been checking every hour."**

**"You've been popping into the fire every hour?" Harry said, half-laughing.**

**"Just for a few seconds to check if the coast was clear."**

"But what if someone saw you?" asked Lily in concern.

"I was being careful." he shrugged.

**"But what if you'd been seen?" said Hermione anxiously.**

**"Well, I think a girl - first-year, by the look of her - might've got a glimpse of me earlier, but don't worry," Sirius said hastily, as Hermione clapped a hand to her mouth, "I was gone the moment she looked back at me and I'll bet she just thought I was an oddly-shaped log or something."**

"I hope so," said Remus. "You're really taking a big risk, Sirius."

"I was told that, twice. Both Molly and Hermione told me." he explained.

**"But, Sirius, this is taking an awful risk -" Hermione began.**

**"You sound like Molly," said Sirius. "This was the only way I could come up with of answering Harry's letter without resorting to a code - and codes are breakable."**

**At the mention of Harry's letter, Hermione and Ron both turned to stare at him.**

**"You didn't say you'd written to Sirius!" said Hermione accusingly.**

**"I forgot," said Harry, which was perfectly true; his meeting with Cho in the Owlery had driven everything before it out of his mind. "Don't look at me like that, Hermione, there was no way anyone would have got secret information out of it, was there, Sirius?"**

"There wasn't," said Remus. "It was a very good letter."

**"No, it was very good," said Sirius, smiling. "Anyway, we'd better be quick, just in case we're disturbed - your scar."**

**"What about -?" Ron began, but Hermione interrupted him. "We'll tell you afterwards. Go on, Sirius."**

**"Well, I know it can't be fun when it hurts, but we don't think it's anything to really worry about. It kept aching all last year, didn't it?"**

**"Yeah, and Dumbledore said it happened whenever Voldemort was feeling a powerful emotion," said Harry, ignoring, as usual, Ron and Hermione's winces. "So maybe he was just, I dunno, really angry or something the night I had that detention."**

"That's probably what happened," said James reasonably.

"It was." Albus spoke up, "Severus had told me he was upset with his Death Eaters, he had been trying to get the Prophecy without revealing himself but he didnt take into account they wouldn't be able to touch it since it was not made to, or about, them."

**"Well, now he's back it's bound to hurt more often," said Sirius.**

**"So you don't think it had anything to do with Umbridge touching me when I was in detention with her?" Harry asked.**

**"I doubt it," said Sirius. "I know her by reputation and I'm sure she's no Death Eater -"**

"But she's certainly evil and sadistic enough to be one." Remus muttered darkly, glaring at the memory.

**"She's foul enough to be one," said Harry darkly, and Ron and Hermione nodded vigorously in agreement.**

**"Yes, but the world isn't split into good people and Death Eaters," said Sirius with a wry smile. "I know she's a nasty piece of work, though - you should hear Remus talk about her."**

"No you shouldn't, at least not if your underage." Dora smirked at her husband.

"I really hate her." he blushed, "And some of the things you said I doubt anyone would repeat."

"Fair enough." she chuckled, "Sorry but it was rather amusing when you decided to have that rant about her."

"No wonder." he replied, looking sheepish, "I'll admit the wolf side of me fuelled half of that."

"Still amusing Moony." Sirius grinned.

**"Does Lupin know her?" asked Harry quickly, remembering Umbridge's comments about dangerous half-breeds during her first lesson.**

**"No," said Sirius, "but she drafted a bit of anti-werewolf legislation two years ago that makes it almost impossible for him to get a job."**

"Which is why you hate her so much?" James guessed, he looked angry.

"That and it was her who made sure I had the restrictions on me concerning contacting Harry." he growled.

"I can see why you hate her so much." Regulus said grimly.

**Harry remembered how much shabbier Lupin looked these days and his dislike of Umbridge deepened even further.**

**"What's she got against werewolves?" said Hermione angrily.**

"Not a good thing to have the Golden Trio angry with you." Draco shuddered.

"Well, it's never ended well for you at least ferret boy." Ron teased.

Draco rolled his eyes as the others laughed.

**"Scared of them, I expect," said Sirius, smiling at her indignation. "Apparently she loathes part-humans; she campaigned to have merpeople rounded up and tagged last year, too. Imagine wasting your time and energy persecuting merpeople when there are little toerags like Kreacher on the loose."**

They all looked amused except Regulus, Cissy, Hermione and Lily.

"You could've tried harder." Regulus muttered to his brother, "I know we've told you before but it really was unfair the way you treated Kreacher."

"He's alright really." Cissy added, "Especially now he's not alone."

**Ron laughed but Hermione looked upset.**

**"Sirius!" she said reproachfully. "Honestly, if you made a bit of an effort with Kreacher, I'm sure he'd respond. After all, you are the only member of his family he's got left, and Professor Dumbledore said -"**

**"So, what are Umbridge's lessons like?" Sirius interrupted. "Is she training you all to kill half-breeds?"**

**"No," said Harry, ignoring Hermione's affronted look at being cut off in her defence of Kreacher. "She's not letting us use magic at all!"**

**"All we do is read the stupid textbook," said Ron.**

**"Ah, well, that figures," said Sirius. "Our information from inside the Ministry is that Fudge doesn't want you trained in combat."**

"Trained in combat!" exclaimed James incredulously. "Does Fudge think they're forming a wizard army or something?"

"Yes." Minerva told him, "That's exactly what he thought."

"It happened anyway." the twins grinned.

"Yeah, that was one inspiration for Dumbledore's Army." Harry mused.

"Sirius mate, you fuelled the rebellion." Ron smirked, "Or at least gave 'Mione the idea for it."

Hermione nodded, "That was actually what gave me the idea."

"Glad I could help." he chuckled.

**"Trained in combat!" repeated Harry incredulously. "What does he think we're doing here, forming some sort of wizard army?"**

**"That's exactly what he thinks you're doing," said Sirius, "or, rather, that's exactly what he's afraid Dumbledore's doing - forming his own private army, with which he will be able to take on the Ministry of Magic."**

**There was a pause at this, then Ron said, "That's the most stupid thing I've ever heard, including all the stuff that Luna Lovegood comes out with."**

**"So we're being prevented from learning Defence Against the Dark Arts because Fudge is scared we'll use spells against the Ministry?" said Hermione, looking furious.**

**"Yep," said Sirius. "Fudge thinks Dumbledore will stop at nothing to seize power. He's getting more paranoid about Dumbledore by the day. It's a matter of time before he has Dumbledore arrested on some trumped-up charge."**

They all looked very angry. James, Lily, and Sirius in particular looked as if they wanted to blast several large objects into pieces and then murder someone.

**This reminded Harry of Percy's letter.**

**"D'you know if there's going to be anything about Dumbledore in the Daily Prophet tomorrow? Ron's brother Percy reckons there will be -"**

**"I don't know," said Sirius, "I haven't seen anyone from the Order all weekend, they're all busy. It's just been Kreacher and me here."**

**There was a definite note of bitterness in Sirius's voice.**

**"So you haven't had any news about Hagrid, either?"**

**"Ah..." said Sirius, 'well, he was supposed to be back by now, no one's sure what's happened to him.'**

"Oh no!" gasped Lily. "Something terrible must have happened to Hagrid!"

"Not terrible." Neville disagreed, "Depending on how you look at it it's quite a good thing that happened."

"What?" Frank asked.

"Remember we told you about Grawp?" Harry said, "Hagrid's Giant little half-brother?"

"Oh! He was bringing Grawp back? They would've had to have traveled by night and on foot." Regulus realised.

"Right in one." Harry nodded.

**Then, seeing their stricken faces, he added quickly, "But Dumbledore's not worried, so don't you three get yourselves in a state; I'm sure Hagrid's fine."**

**"But if he was supposed to be back by now..." said Hermione in a small, anxious voice.**

**"Madame Maxime was with him, we've been in touch with her and she says they got separated on the journey home - but there's nothing to suggest he's hurt or - well, nothing to suggest he's not perfectly OK."**

**Unconvinced, Harry, Ron and Hermione exchanged worried looks.**

**"Listen, don't go asking too many questions about Hagrid," said Sirius hastily, "it'll just draw even more attention to the fact that he's not back and I know Dumbledore doesn't want that. Hagrid's tough, he'll be OK." And when they did not appear cheered by this, Sirius added, "When's your next Hogsmeade weekend, anyway? I was thinking, we got away with the dog disguise at the station, didn't we? I thought I could -"**

"You will not!" snapped Lily. "It's too dangerous, Sirius!"

"Calm down." Sirius muttered, "Harry and Hermione told me off for the idea."

**"NO!" said Harry and Hermione together, very loudly.**

**"Sirius, didn't you see the Daily Prophet?" said Hermione anxiously.**

**"Oh, that," said Sirius, grinning, "they're always guessing where I am, they haven't really got a clue -"**

**"Yeah, but we think this time they have," said Harry. "Something Malfoy said on the train made us think he knew it was you, and his father was on the platform, Sirius - you know, Lucius Malfoy - so don't come up here, whatever you do. If Malfoy recognises you again -"**

**"All right, all right, I've got the point," said Sirius. He looked most displeased. "Just an idea, thought you might like to get together."**

**"I would, I just don't want you chucked back in Azkaban!" said Harry.**

"Neither would the rest of us!" Remus exclaimed, "Sirius you prat, you would've been Kissed if you'd gotten caught." he growled.

Sirius looked upset.

**There was a pause in which Sirius looked out of the fire at Harry, a crease between his sunken eyes.**

**"You're less like your father than I thought," he said finally, a definite coolness in his voice. "The risk would've been what made it fun for James."**

"Actually, it wouldn't be that fun," said James, frowning at Sirius. "The risk was different from the risk of the stuff we used do. Like the full moon romps with Moony."

"I know. I regret saying it. I'm sorry Harry." Sirius mumbled, looking ashamed of himself.

"It's fine. I know you were desperate to get out of the house. But I really didn't want you to get caught." Harry sighed.

**"Look -"**

**"Well, I'd better get going, I can hear Kreacher coming down the stairs," said Sirius, but Harry was sure he was lying. "I'll write to tell you a time I can make it back into the fire, then, shall I? If you can stand to risk it?"**

**There was a tiny pop, and the place where Sirius's head had been was flickering flame once more.**

"That made me feel awful you know." Harry sighed.

"Us too." Ron and Hermione said.

"Sorry. The imprisonment was getting to me." Sirius admitted, "I was slowly going mad being alone in there."

"Where were you Remus?" Regulus asked.

"Somewhere. I was at one of the Werewolf camps trying to convince them not to join Voldemort." he answered, "It's a heavily protected place, I dont even know where it was really, just somewhere down south." he shrugged. "I popped back to Headquarters every full moon though, I couldn't risk transforming around the others. I was quite lacking when it came to fighting as a Werewolf and I knew not all of them trusted me, they seemed to think I should've been loyal to Greyback, but they were all to scared to say anything to him."

"And you didn't want to risk being killed." Sirius nodded, "So you came to Headquarters and we locked ourselves in a spare room and just played about as Moony and Padfoot."

"You actually transformed at Headquarters?" Fred asked curiously.

Remus nodded, "I was on Wolfsbane so locking the door was only a precaution."

"Despite the potion it is still quite terrifying coming face to face with a fully grown transformed Werewolf." Dora mused.

"I thought that the first time you came in to check on us." Sirius chuckled, "You should've seen your face."

Dora blushed, "Well I had no idea it was the full moon, I thought you'd been hurt with the noise you were making so I decided I'd check, no one else was in the house except Kreacher and he wasn't likely to tell me the truth."

"Instead you almost got pinned to the door before I recognised you." Remus winced.

"It's not your fault and I still love you so stop feeling guilty." she told him. He nodded grudgingly.

"So what's next?" he asked in an obvious attempt to change the subject.

"Well... It's only going to be the basics from now so the first conversation about the DA I think." Harry mused.

* * *

><p>Review please x<p> 


	74. Chapter 74

Chapter 74 - Fifth Year (Part 8.5)

21, August, 1998.

"Is there anything important or interesting from that night until that conversation?" Harry asked the other teens.

"Umbridge was made the High Inquisitor." Neville put in.

"What's that?" Alice asked confused.

"Basically it gave her more power than a teacher but still slightly less than Albus." Minerva huffed, "She insisted on inspecting all the teachers and was able to overrule a teacher's decision on a student's punishment for something she found 'better'." she hissed.

"It also meant she could interfere more, she could pass educational decrees to make things difficult for everyone." Albus nodded gravely.

"She made a decree for the most stupid things ever! Like the one that boys and girls were not allowed within a certain distance of each other." Hermione huffed, "Or that teachers could only talk to students about the subjects they teach and nothing else."

"Which made it a trifle difficult for the Heads of House to help their students if we needed to." Minerva sighed.

"Anything else... Oh, I got another week of detention." Harry groaned, "Because Umbridge said Quirrell was a good teacher according to what he taught..."

"And Harry had to be smart and point out there was the minor drawback of having Voldemort sicking out the back of his head." Ron huffed, "You should've listened to 'Mione mate, she told you not to get involved."

"Ah well... Hey Minerva? Should I show her inspecting you?" he asked smirking.

"Why not. It was incredibly amusing watching her reactions." Minerva smiled.

Harry nodded and got Lily to change the memory for him again.

"To start with I got shouted at by Angelina because I was missing another practice, Minerva came over and took 5 points when she found out I'd lost my temper with Umbridge again and Hermione agreed with Minerva so I wasn't all that happy with her." he explained quickly before flicking his wand at the Pensieve, making the memory start.

**Harry did not speak to Hermione all through Charms, but when they entered Transfiguration he forgot about being cross with her. Professor Umbridge and her clipboard were sitting in a corner and the sight of her drove the memory of breakfast right out of is head.**

**"Excellent," whispered Ron, as they sat down in their usual seats. "Let's see Umbridge get what she deserves."**

They all grinned and watched eagerly.

**Professor McGonagall marched into the room without giving the slightest indication that she knew Professor Umbridge was there.**

**"That will do," she said and silence fell immediately. "Mr. Finnigan, kindly come here and hand back the homework - Miss Brown, please take this box of mice - don't be silly, girl, they won't hurt you - and hand one to each student -"**

**"Hem, hem," said Professor Umbridge, employing the same silly little cough she had used to interrupt Dumbledore on the first night of term. Professor McGonagall ignored her. Seamus handed back Harry's essay; Harry took it without looking at him and saw, to his relief, that he had managed an 'A'.**

"Because of the spelling, otherwise it would have been an 'E', you got a few things mixed up as well." Minerva told him.

"I should've checked the one's they'd already done, I only checked the Astronomy one." Hermione mused.

"Ah well, it's still a pass mark." Harry shrugged.

**"Right then, everyone, listen closely - Dean Thomas, if you do that to the mouse again I shall put you in detention - most of you have now successfully Vanished your snails and even those who were left with a certain amount of shell have got the gist of the spell. Today, we shall be -"**

**"Hem, hem," said Professor Umbridge.**

**"Yes?" said Professor McGonagall, turning round, her eyebrows so close together they seemed to form one long, severe line.**

**"I was just wondering, Professor, whether you received my note telling you of the date and time of your inspec -"**

**"Obviously I received it, or I would have asked you what you are doing in my classroom," said Professor McGonagall, turning her back firmly on Professor Umbridge.**

"I wonder if she thought I was stupid." Minerva mused as the others all grinned at how she handled Umbridge.

**Many of the students exchanged looks of glee. "As I was saying: today, we shall be practising the altogether more difficult Vanishment of mice. Now, the Vanishing Spell -"**

**"Hem, hem."**

**"I wonder," said Professor McGonagall in cold fury, turning on Professor Umbridge, "how you expect to gain an idea of my usual teaching methods if you continue to interrupt me? You see, I do not generally permit people to talk when I am talking."**

They all began laughing.

**Professor Umbridge looked as though she had just been slapped in the face. She did not speak, but straightened the parchment on her clipboard and began scribbling furiously.**

**Looking supremely unconcerned, Professor McGonagall addressed the class once more.**

**"As I was saying: the Vanishing Spell becomes more difficult with the complexity of the animal to be Vanished. The snail, as an invertebrate, does not present much of a challenge; the mouse, as a mammal, offers a much greater one. This is not, therefore, magic you can accomplish with your mind on your dinner. So - you know the incantation, let me see what you can do..."**

**"How she can lecture me about not losing my temper with Umbridge!" Harry muttered to Ron under his breath, but he was grinning - his anger with Professor McGonagall had quite evaporated.**

"I didnt lose my temper." Minerva huffed, "I simply told her the facts, it's not my fault if she didn't like them."

**Professor Umbridge did not follow Professor McGonagall around the class as she had followed Professor Trelawney; perhaps she realised Professor McGonagall would not permit it. She did, however, take many more notes while sitting in her corner, and when Professor McGonagall finally told them all to pack away, she rose with a grim expression on her face.**

**"Well, it's a start," said Ron, holding up a long wriggling mouse-tail and dropping it back into the box Lavender was passing around.**

**As they filed out of the classroom, Harry saw Professor Umbridge approach the teacher's desk; he nudged Ron, who nudged Hermione in turn, and the three of them deliberately fell back to eavesdrop.**

**"How long have you been teaching at Hogwarts?" Professor Umbridge asked.**

**"Thirty-nine years this December," said Professor McGonagall brusquely, snapping her bag shut.**

**Professor Umbridge made a note.**

**"Very well," she said, "you will receive the results of your inspection in ten days' time."**

**"I can hardly wait," said Professor McGonagall, in a coldly indifferent voice, and she strode off towards the door. "Hurry up, you three," she added, sweeping Harry, Ron and Hermione before her.**

"You knew they were there?" Albus asked in surprise, "And never took a single point? Most unlike you Minerva."

Minerva shrugged, "Everyone, students and staff, hated Umbridge. I knew those three had dropped back and decided I'd help them stay out of trouble instead of leaving them to get in trouble."

**Harry could not help giving her a faint smile and could have sworn he received one in return.**

"Darn, I thought you'd missed that." Minerva muttered.

"Nah, we're too observant to miss anything really. At least Harry is." Ron told them.

Harry got his mother to change the memory again, "I'd gotten another nights detention that day from Umbridge since she was inspecting CoMC too and I told her it was Draco's fault he got slashed by a hippogriff." he explained, "This is right after that night's detention."

**It was nearly midnight when Harry left Umbridge's office that night, his hand now bleeding so severely that it was staining the scarf he had wrapped around it.**

"What!" they all exclaimed.

"At that point you really should've gone to a teacher or something." James scowled.

"You'll see my reasoning in a moment."

**He expected the common room to be empty when he returned, but Ron and Hermione had sat up waiting for him. He was pleased to see them, especially as Hermione was disposed to be sympathetic rather than critical.**

**"Here," she said anxiously, pushing a small bowl of yellow liquid towards him, "soak your hand in that, it's a solution of strained and pickled Murtlap tentacles, it should help."**

**Harry placed his bleeding, aching hand into the bowl and experienced a wonderful feeling of relief. Crookshanks curled around his legs, purring loudly, then leapt into his lap and settled down.**

**"Thanks," he said gratefully, scratching behind Crookshanks's ears with his left hand.**

**"I still reckon you should complain about this," said Ron in a low voice.**

**"No," said Harry flatly.**

**"McGonagall would go nuts if she knew -"**

**"Yeah, she probably would," said Harry dully. "And how long do you reckon it'd take Umbridge to pass another decree saying anyone who complains about the High Inquisitor gets sacked immediately?"**

"She would have done it instantly. No matter what I just had to deal with it." Harry sighed.

"You should have told me though. I'm sure I'd think of something to expose he without getting myself in trouble." Minerva told him, "Wards on her room that alert people to anyone being tortured or anyone being in pain... Telling the Aurors on our side and having her investigated..."

"We would've said it was a query from a concerned parent who's student complained often of detentions and said they were like torture." Dora nodded, "And brought Dark Detectors since Blood Quills are classed as Dark and are picked up with Secrecy Sensors."

"You actually put up with her?" Dudley asked, speaking for the first time in a while.

"Didnt have a choice." Harry shrugged.

**Ron opened his mouth to retort but nothing came out and, after a moment, he closed it again, defeated.**

**"She's an awful woman," said Hermione in a small voice. "Awful. You know, I was just saying to Ron when you came in... we've got to do something about her."**

**"I suggested poison," said Ron grimly.**

"So did Severus." Albus said amusedly.

**"No... I mean, something about what a dreadful teacher she is, and how we're not going to learn any Defence from her at all," said Hermione.**

**"Well, what can we do about that?" said Ron, yawning. "'S too late, isn't it? She's got the job, she's here to stay. Fudge'll make sure of that."**

**"Well," said Hermione tentatively. "You know, I was thinking today..." she shot a slightly nervous look at Harry and then plunged on, "I was thinking that - maybe the time's come when we should just - just do it ourselves."**

**"Do what ourselves?" said Harry suspiciously, still floating his hand in the essence of Murtlap tentacles.**

"Why, start an Army of course." Neville grinned.

**"Well - learn Defence Against the Dark Arts ourselves," said Hermione.**

**"Come off it," groaned Ron. "You want us to do extra work? D'you realise Harry and I are behind on homework again and it's only the second week?"**

**"But this is much more important than homework!" said Hermione.**

"I can't beleive you said that." James stated as they all, minus Harry and Ron, stared at the bed-ridden witch in shock.

Hermione smirked at them.

**Harry and Ron goggled at her.**

**"I didn't think there was anything in the universe more important than homework!" said Ron.**

**"Don't be silly, of course there is," said Hermione, and Harry saw, with an ominous feeling, that her face was suddenly alight with the kind of fervour that SPEW usually inspired in her. "It's about preparing ourselves, like Harry said in Umbridge's first lesson, for what's waiting for us out there. It's about making sure we really can defend ourselves. If we don't learn anything for a whole year -"**

**"We can't do much by ourselves," said Ron in a defeated voice. "I mean, all right, we can go and look jinxes up in the library and try and practise them, I suppose -"**

**"No, I agree, we've gone past the stage where we can just learn things out of books," said Hermione. "We need a teacher, a proper one, who can show us how to use the spells and correct us if we're going wrong."**

**"If you're talking about Lupin..." Harry began.**

**"No, no, I'm not talking about Lupin," said Hermione. "He's too busy with the Order and, anyway, the most we could see him is during Hogsmeade weekends and that's not nearly often enough."**

"Add to the fact I wasn't even in the country at that moment..." Remus muttered.

**"Who, then?" said Harry, frowning at her.**

**Hermione heaved a very deep sigh.**

**"Isn't it obvious?" she said. "I'm talking about you, Harry."**

**There was a moment's silence. A light night breeze rattled the windowpanes behind Ron, and the fire guttered.**

**"About me what?" said Harry.**

**"I'm talking about you teaching us Defence Against the Dark Arts."**

**Harry stared at her. Then he turned to Ron, ready to exchange the exasperated looks they sometimes shared when Hermione elaborated on far-fetched schemes like SPEW. To Harry's consternation, however, Ron did not look exasperated.**

**He was frowning slightly, apparently thinking. Then he said, "That's an idea."**

**"What's an idea?" said Harry.**

"I was convinced you two had lost it at that point, or it was a very bad joke." Harry told his best friends.

**"You," said Ron. "Teaching us to do it."**

**"But..."**

**Harry was grinning now, sure the pair of them were pulling his leg.**

**"But I'm not a teacher, I can't -"**

**"Harry, you're the best in the year at Defence Against the Dark Arts," said Hermione.**

**"Me?" said Harry, now grinning more broadly than ever. "No I'm not, you've beaten me in every test -"**

**"Actually, I haven't," said Hermione coolly. "You beat me in our third year - the only year we both sat the test and had a teacher who actually knew the subject. But I'm not talking about test results, Harry. Think what you've done -"**

**"How d'you mean?"**

"Use your brain, Harry!" Lily exclaimed, "You saved the Philosopher's Stone, killed a Basilisk, fought a lot of Dementors, participated in the Triwizard Tournament, and dealt with Voldemort's return and escaped!"

"All those things seem so small though." he commented, "Considering they became normal for me I'm not surprised."

**"You know what, I'm not sure I want someone this stupid teaching me," Ron said to Hermione, smirking slightly. He turned to Harry.**

"You're trying to make him angry aren't you?" George smirked.

"Of course we are." they both answered.

"You're crazy." Neville muttered.

"We know. About time you noticed." Ron grinned.

**"Let's think," he said, pulling a face like Goyle concentrating. "Uh... first year - you saved the Philosopher's Stone from You-Know-Who."**

"You did that too." Ginny pointed out to her brother, "So did Hermione."

"Harry still did more." he shrugged.

**"But that was luck," said Harry, "it wasn't skill -"**

"So what?" Sirius demanded, "You still faced Voldemort and survived. Not many people can say that."

**"Second year," Ron interrupted, "you killed the Basilisk and destroyed Riddle."**

"No one but you can say that Harry." Kingsley told him, "The last Basilisk killed before that was a hatchling about 25 years ago in America. I checked the files."

"25 years?" Arthur frowned.

"They're often hatched, allowed to grow slightly, then killed for potion ingredients." he shrugged, "Those who hatch them have permits for it but the hatchlings have their eyes removed as soon as they hatch." he explained, "It doesn't happen over here and I'd never allow it, just too dangerous."

**"Yeah, but if Fawkes hadn't turned up, I -"**

**"Third year," said Ron, louder still, "you fought off about a hundred Dementors at once -"**

**"You know that was a fluke, if the Time-Turner hadn't -"**

"You still would've been able to do it." Remus smiled. "And most 13 year olds can't produce a corporeal Patronus."

**"Last year,' Ron said, almost shouting now, "you fought off You-Know-Who again -"**

**"Listen to me!" said Harry, almost angrily, because Ron and Hermione were both smirking now. "Just listen to me, all right? It sounds great when you say it like that, but all that stuff was luck - I didn't know what I was doing half the time, I didn't plan any of it, I just did whatever I could think of, and I nearly always had help -"**

"Yes, but you still had to face Voldemort by yourself!" snapped Lily. "Nobody helped you then. The help was only along the way to facing him. Besides, you know what it's like to be facing him. Your friends don't!"

**Ron and Hermione were still smirking and Harry felt his temper rise; he wasn't even sure why he was feeling so angry.**

"And we reached our goal of annoying you so much you started lecturing us." Hermione grinned.

Harry scowled, "That wasnt fair of you."

"It was the only way we could try and convince you to do it." Ron stated, looking totally unconcerned.

**"Don't sit there grinning like you know better than I do, I was there, wasn't I?" he said heatedly. "I know what went on, all right? And I didn't get through any of that because I was brilliant at Defence Against the Dark Arts, I got through it all because - because help came at the right time, or because I guessed right - but I just blundered through it all, I didn't have a clue what I was doing - STOP LAUGHING!"**

**The bowl of Murtlap essence fell to the floor and smashed. He became aware that he was on his feet, though he couldn't remember standing up. Crookshanks streaked away under a sofa. Ron and Hermione's smiles had vanished.**

"We realised we may have annoyed you a bit too much." Hermione admitted sheepishly. "Or that you were taking it the wrong way."

**"You don't know what it's like! You - neither of you - you've never had to face him, have you? You think it's just memorising a bunch of spells and throwing them at him, like you're in class or something? The whole time you're sure you know there's nothing between you and dying except your own - your own brain or guts or whatever - like you can think straight when you know you're about a nanosecond from being murdered, or tortured, or watching your friends die - they've never taught us that in their classes, what it's like to deal with things like that - and you two sit there acting like I'm a clever little boy to be standing here, alive, like Diggory was stupid, like he messed up - you just don't get it, that could just as easily have been me, it would have been if Voldemort hadn't needed me -"**

**"We weren't saying anything like that, mate," said Ron, looking aghast. "We weren't having a go at Diggory, we didn't - you've got the wrong end of the -"**

**He looked helplessly at Hermione, whose face was stricken.**

**"Harry," she said timidly, "don't you see? This... this is exactly why we need you... we need to know what it's r-really like... facing him... facing V-Voldemort."**

"Did you actually say the name?" Molly asked shocked.

"Yes." she shrugged, "I knew Harry would calm down a bit if I did."

"She's right. It did calm me down a bit." Harry mused.

**It was the first time she had ever said Voldemort's name and it was this, more than anything else, that calmed Harry. Still breathing hard, he sank back into his chair, becoming aware as he did so that his hand was throbbing horribly again. He wished he had not smashed the bowl of Murtlap essence.**

**"Well... think about it," said Hermione quietly. "Please?"**

**Harry could not think of anything to say. He was feeling ashamed of his outburst already.**

**He nodded, hardly aware of what he was agreeing to.**

**Hermione stood up.**

**"Well, I'm off to bed," she said, in a voice that was clearly as natural as she could make it. "Erm... night."**

**Ron had got to his feet, too.**

**"Coming?" he said awkwardly to Harry.**

**"Yeah," said Harry. "In... in a minute. I'll just clear this up."**

**He indicated the smashed bowl on the floor. Ron nodded and left.**

**"Reparo," Harry muttered, pointing his wand at the broken pieces of china. They flew back together, good as new, but there was no returning the Murtlap essence to the bowl.**

"There is a spell that allows you to do that," said Alice.

"It's a 7th year spell." Minerva pointed out.

**He was suddenly so tired he was tempted to sink back into his armchair and sleep there, but instead he forced himself to his feet and followed Ron upstairs. His restless night was punctuated once more by dreams of long corridors and locked doors and he awoke next day with his scar pickling again.**

"Not good." Amber sighed.

"It was the usual after dreaming of that corridor. Now, moving on."

* * *

><p>Review please x<p> 


	75. Chapter 75

Just a quick mention that this story won't stick to canon 100% even though most of it will be close to canon there will be differences. Oh and I'm aware I've not mentioned either child, Jinx or Jex as often as I should but when that happens assume they're sleeping (all of them) or staying silent (wolves).

On another note no one said anything about me calling Jinx and Jex 'cubs' or 'pups' so I'm sticking with cubs :-)

Enjoy!

* * *

><p>Chapter 75 - Check ups and Potions.<p>

21, August, 1998.

Before Harry could get anyone to change the memory for him Poppy came out of her office.

"Time to check on you four." she smiled.

Andy looked at the time, "Isn't it a bit early for that yet Poppy?"

"Not really, it's just making sure they're still stable and to make sure the morning potions are still in effect." she explained.

There was a screech and a handsome little tawny owl swooped in through the open window with a note clamped in it's beak and dropped the note in Draco's lap before flying out again.

Draco read the note quickly, his eyes going wide. "I'll be back in a bit." he said jumping to his feet, changing into Snowstorm and running out the ward.

"What the - Where in the world is he going in such a hurry?" Cissy muttered.

"To see Professor Slughorn." Astoria smiled, reading the note - Draco had dropped it, "Seems his potion passed the tests."

"Good. I hope he remembered to bring the list of possible side-effects and ingredients." Poppy commented.

"Right here." Astoria smirked, pulling out two scrolls from her pocket, "I knew he'd forget so I grabbed them before we left this morning." she handed them to Andy, who opened the first and scanned it.

"I honestly dont know how he does it." she shook her head looking amazed as Poppy continued waving her wand over Harry, "There's only one possibly poisonous ingredient and that's the Urchin Spikes and they're countered by the Hellebore and Lippia dulcis petals."

"Lippia dulcis?" Petunia asked.

"It's a muggle herb, it has edible flowers when in full bloom." Neville explained, "It has a few healing properties and has been known to counter poisonous things in the blood stream when eaten, it also reduces drowsiness, dizziness and fatigue to some extent."

Andy looked more and more impressed as she looked down the list, "This is incredible." she stated, "Cissy no matter what he's not getting away with putting it under Severus's name." she informed her sister as Poppy moved on to check Ron, having already done Ginny.

"I agree." Cissy nodded, looking over her shoulder, "I swear I don't know how he can follow half the things he comes up with. This would be way too complicated for me to even attempt."

Andy nodded her agreement and checked the second scroll, "Nice short list of side effects too." she commented.

"What are they?" Harry inquired.

"There's a chance you'll fall asleep taking it because there's a lot of ingredients used in sleeping potions... It takes a few hours to work... Best taken at night before bed... May cause a headache... Small chance of working faster with the advanced healing... Larger chance the one drinking the potion will feel dizzy or disoriented... Medium chance the potion tastes good too." Cissy listed, "It's good he's taken into account the Lycan abilities."

"Considering Polyjuice doesn't work on us I'll say it is a good thing." Ron mused as Poppy twirled her wand around his head once before moving on to Hermione.

"When did you find that out?" Poppy frowned.

"A few days ago." Ginny shrugged, scratching Jex's back as the cub stretched out, having just woken from a nap, "Ron tried it, using James's hair and it didn't work at all, just the blue healing light. Obviously it doesn't agree with Lycan's." she mused.

"That was rather foolish. What if something bad had happened?" Andy asked them.

"We would've sprinted here of course." Ron told her, "We were in the Room of Requirement and it was perfectly fine."

"Still a rather foolish thing to do." Poppy muttered, "Next time you feel like experimenting like that make sure Andy or I are there just in case." she warned.

"Yes Poppy." the Lycan's who were there said.

"Tr-oub-le." Teddy mumbled sleepily from his father's lap, he had just woken up from the sleep he'd fallen into.

"Exactly Teddy, they'll be in trouble." Andy told her Grandson with a smile as he rubbed his sleepy eyes with two chubby fists.

"I see someone's learning some new words." Poppy commented, she had finished checking all four teens and was looking at the list of ingredients Andy handed to her, "We'll you four are stable, but the potions are starting to wear off so you'll need another few just before dinner." she told the bed ridden teens.

"Really?" Ron groaned, "They taste awful."

"You still have to take them." Charlie smirked.

"Doesn't mean we like it." Ginny huffed. "Poppy when can we get up? I think I speak for all of us when I say we're getting a bit sore sitting all day." the Golden Trio nodded their agreement.

Poppy looked thoughtful, "I'll allow you to try it in an hour, as long as you're not standing up too long and you sit back down if you need to. And obviously no leaving the ward." she added sternly.

"Deal." Hermione said instantly as the other three nodded.

"If only you three were as cooperative as now through all of your visits here." Poppy told Harry, Ron and Ginny.

"We don't like being stuck in here." Ginny shrugged.

"And we know it's better to listen to you." Ron added, "Or you'll just stick us to the beds anyway."

"It wasn't me who stuck you there in the first place." she said amusedly.

"It was me, remember?" Andy chuckled.

"In that case that's not fair." Harry told her, "You didn't stick Hermione and Ginny down." he pouted.

"I trust them more." she shrugged, "I seem to remember you trying to jump up the first time you met me and you had just been healed from crashing in the garden."

"Crashed? Like on a broom?" Regulus asked.

"Nope. I'm not saying what just yet, but I didn't intentionally crash and it wasn't a broom I was driving." Harry told them.

"You're just lucky it was Mum and Dad who found you and not Death Eaters." Dora informed him.

"I know that, considering I had Voldemort chasing me at that time. Fighting a man who wants you dead and driving are two things that should never be mixed." he winced.

"Whatever gave you that idea?" James asked sarcastically, "You know we're going to get to the point where it's no longer a surprise when you do things like that."

"You're not at that point already?" Fred asked incredulously.

"We must've reached that point when Harry fought over 100 Dementors at 13." George mused.

"And we've been told or can guess there's more to come." Percy agreed, "Some of us know bit's of it but not all of it."

"Yes, how did you manage to keep most of those things secret?" Molly inquired.

"Um... We don't know." Hermione muttered after a quick silent conversation.

"We're just overly secretive at times." Harry mused, "And if you hadn't seen it and we'd just told you would you have believed us?"

"No." the majority of the room muttered.

"Yes." Sirius and Remus said instead.

"Really?" Lily asked them skeptically.

"Most of it yes." Remus nodded, "Remember I taught them for a year. I know trouble was bound to follow them, Albus told me to keep an eye on them because of the trouble they usually got into but didn't give me details."

"I figured you'd rather hear it from them." Albus shrugged from the empty portrait.

"Hmm... I doubt we would've believed anyone else if they'd told us, Moony." Sirius acknowledged with a nod. "But we'd beleive them if they'd told us."

"We always planned to do something like this." Harry admitted, nodding at the Pensieve, "It's easier than explaining at any rate. It was also time for us to give up the secrecy, even if we didn't consciously think that."

"I agree. It really was time, especially before we come back to school." Hermione nodded.

"Why is that by the way?" Alice frowned, "That you're all returning?"

"Well... Because of the war really..." Neville muttered, "I was in the Room of Requirement for half the year."

"Astoria, Luna and I would've returned for our 7th year anyway." Ginny shrugged.

"You three?" James asked the Golden Trio.

"We... Um..." Ron stuttered.

"Didnt attend school last year." Remus sighed, "You'd be as well as telling them." he told the three.

"You already did that." Harry muttered, "After Albus died it was no longer safer for me to return to school and I had a task to do, naturally Ron and Hermione went with me. It was that task that caused us to be in hiding for about 10 months with no contact with anyone else, Order, DA or otherwise, except on maybe 3 occassions, until May."

"And before you ask, we're not telling you what the task was just yet." Hermione added hastily.

"So this year will be your 7th year?" Frank asked, "Even though all of you are over 18?"

"Exactly." Ron grinned.

"That reminds me. I've got something for you returning students, I sent the others out this morning." Minerva smiled and pulled out a little stack of letters from her pocket, she handed one out to each of the teens returning to school.

When they all opened them they found that years booklists and a surprise.

Inside the envelopes were shield shaped badges with all four house colours striped across them evenly and the letters 'ST' in black in the center of them.

"'ST'?" Sirius asked looking at Regulus's over his shoulder.

"Student Teacher." Minerva smiled, "There's a list of what you can and can't do and consequences if you abuse the powers. The timetables for the student's you'll be teaching are in there too, you'll get yours on the first day of classes, they've been sorted but not written out yet."

"And what will I be teaching?" Regulus asked.

"If there's no objections I'd like you to help Astoria teach Astronomy." she explained.

"I don't have a problem with that, I'll need the help when this one starts really showing it's self." Astoria placed a hand on her, stomach, "I worked it out last night and it'll probably start showing properly within the next week."

"When are you due Astoria?" Poppy asked.

"December." she answered, "Lycan pregnancy's are only 6 months, instead of the usual 9." she explained as the nurse looked confused.

"Didn't we tell you that Poppy?" Ginny asked.

The nurse shook her head.

"It's because the baby or babies develop faster. There's a higher chance of twins and triplets too." Hermione explained all they knew concerning Lycan's and Pregnancies as well as health related things.

They had just finished when Draco walked into the ward again, smiling widely, "Success at last." he announced, "It's 100% safe and guaranteed to work according to Professor Slughorn." he pulled out a large clear flask, it contained a shockingly bright purple potion.

"Woah, what's with the colour?" Ron asked.

"It's just the colour it came out as." he shrugged, still grinning.

"At least it won't get confused with any other potions." Kingsley chuckled.

"Better bright purple than a horrible muddy colour like a sludgy green." Astoria added with a laugh.

Draco shrugged, "I think it's a good thing, I tried to make it as pleasant as possible to drink. It's mostly kids and younger teens that are affected with PTSD currently, and they're the age groups that are most reluctant to take potions half the time. I think it was something like '2 in 3 prisoners of war' will be affected by PTSD that I read when I looked up the specifics, and with this war there was a lot of older people, but unfortunately more of them were our age or younger." he sighed.

"That's the current statistic." Andy nodded, "And it was children and teenagers who were targeted during this war, so they're the most affected at the moment. Typically its any kind of severe trauma that causes PTSD, I'd say the war would be classed as severe trauma." they all nodded in agreement.

"So what's it supposed to taste like?" Hermione asked.

Draco opened the flask, "Smell it and see." he suggested holding it out to her.

She did and gasped at the strength of the smell, "I'd definitely say plum." she said wrinkling her nose, "Merlin that's strong."

"It's the advanced senses." Cissy told her, also sniffing the flask, "I can smell it but it's not overpowering." she explained as Draco screwed the lid back on.

"It smells like plum but I don't know if it tastes like it." he explained, "I dont even know how it smells like that because of the Firewhisky and Moonshine, those are quite strong in smell alone I thought they'd stay dominant, a mix of the two." he frowned, "Slughorn said the same thing, so did Uncle Sev when I asked him what he thought. Though it may be the reaction between the alcohol and one of the ingredients, I did check and there was one or two that reacted, in a positive way, of course. The alcohol balanced the potion."

"You must be the first person in a few decade's who's managed to prove alcohol can be a solution." Poppy said shaking her head exasperatedly. "Or at least part of a solution, I've never come across any potions that require alcohol in them."

"Yes you have." Remus told her, "Wolfsbane has Vodka in it." he reminded her, "And so do most treatments you get for Werewolf inflicted wounds."

"Which was highly amusing when you were in here after the full moon Moony. You were usually half drunk when you first woke up." James snickered.

"And yet Wolfsbane didn't affect him at all." Sirius chuckled.

"I built up the immunity to alcohol." Remus shrugged, "It takes a lot to get me tipsy now."

"It didn't take that much the night James and I got married." Lily commented.

"Sirius spiked my drink with really strong stuff." he protested.

"I did no such thing Moony." Sirius stuck his nose in the air and huffed.

"Yes you did!"

"Did not!"

"Did too!"

"Did no-"

"Cut it out!" James yelled, "Moony he didnt." he said, "He convinced Wormtail to do it."

Poppy rolled her eyes and disappeared into her office.

"Ah." Remus said, "He still had a hand in it."

"Yes, I'll admit that but I didn't actually do it." Sirius shrugged.

"What was it?" Dora asked curiously.

"It was really old wine, I can't remember the name of it but it's really strong." he shrugged.

"Oh, I know what one you mean. One of Father's favourites wasn't it?" Regulus asked.

"No, Uncle Alphard's favourite. He used to get it every Saturday and two glasses had him on his bum, unable to walk. Moony had one glass and he was as drunk as he would've been with 8 Firewhiskey's." he chuckled.

"And somehow we still managed to get back to your flat in one piece." Remus mused, "Any ideas how we did that Paddy?"

"Luck." he shrugged.

"A lot of it by the sound of things." Minerva commented.

"Definatley a lot of it." James chuckled, "I think we've still got the pictures somewhere in the Potter vault."

"I hope not." Sirius muttered.

"And why would that be?" Andy asked amused.

Remus and Sirius both blushed, "Never mind." Remus told her as he passed Teddy to Dora as the boy had been reaching for her.

"There's embarrassing ones isn't there?" George smirked.

The two Marauders didn't reply so everyone took this as confirmation.

"Quite a few stories to go with the pictures too." Lily said mischievously.

"Lily, please don't." Sirius pleaded.

"What? You don't want her to tell everyone about you dancing on the table yelling random things at people?" Alice asked innocently. "Or that you said you could fly to Australia and back in 30 seconds?"

Sirius groaned as everyone laughed.

"Really Siri?" Regulus chuckled, "S'pose it could've been worse. You could've announced the invisible mice in the cellar were wearing pink tu-tu's and going to kill you."

"Shut up." he growled.

"Ooh, touchy are we?" he teased.

"No. You don't know the reason behind why I thought that when we were younger." he sighed.

Regulus frowned, "You actually believed it? I thought you were just drunk on Father's wine again."

"He believed it alright." James nodded grimly, "Took us a few weeks in our 4th year to convince him otherwise." Remus nodded in confirmation.

Sirius put his head in his hands, "When I was 14, Reg was away at Cissy's for the night to help Aunt Druella with something... My Mother stuck me in the cellar because she couldn't be bothered dealing with me..." he sighed, "Reg you didn't know I was in there until James owled you saying I wasn't replying. Dear old Mum had told you I was away with my 'blood traitor friends' already then when you got back you all went over to Spain for a holiday... I was in the cellar

for two weeks with no contact with anyone, only occasional meals brought by the House-Elves and with only wine to drink... With the lack of food and excess of wine I started hallucinating..."

"Eventually we had to come break him out." James nodded.

"He couldn't remember our names." Remus sighed heavily, "He just kept muttering 'the mice in tu-tu's were going to kill him' until we got him out of there."

"Oh..." Regulus said softly.

Sirius looked up, "If it weren't for you saying to James that you thought I was with him already I would've been dead. Especially if you hadn't told him the address. The house had a version of the Fidelius on it." he told them all, "I don't remember much except James's Dad kicking the door to the cellar in and being rushed in here." he gestured the Hospital Wing in general. "Prongs realised I'd have to report them if we went to St Mungo's so he talked his Dad into bringing me here."

"You don't remember telling everyone not to try anything with your parents?" Minerva asked, Sirius looked confused, "Naturally I was called down and asked who did it and you said we couldn't do anything."

"It's true. Nothing would've worked." Cissy sighed, "Comes with being from such a dark family. Since Sirius was the heir it made his parents able to treat him how they wanted to as long as they weren't caught doing it, it was an old law made by a purity supremacist to stop parents getting in trouble for things like that."

"That's true. The only thing that would've stopped them is getting thrown in Azkaban and they would've bribed their way out of that." Regulus sighed, "Sorry Siri, I didn't know they'd done that."

"I knew they were cruel and heartless people but how could they do that!?" Alice muttered looking faintly green.

"Because they were insane?" Sirius muttered bitterly, "Thought it might 'teach me not to be a blood traitor.'" he quoted bitterly, "That's what my Father said when I had to go back the next summer anyway, that was the summer I ran away - they'd tried to do it again, put me in the cellar." he looked at the others in the room, besides his brother and cousins, and they all looked shocked, "I told you they were evil."

"Sirius mate, we didn't doubt it." Fred said honestly, looking a little pale.

"But we didn't think they'd be as bad as that." George said looking just as pale as his twin.

"It's just sick." Molly said, "To do that to their own son." she shook her head in disgust.

"Sirius always did have it worse." Cissy commented, "Occasionally the rest of us would get a slap if we did something wrong."

"I got locked in the basement once." Andy remembered, "Only for a day though and I'm sure that was because Bella told our parents I hexed her or something."

"She told them about you having a friend in Ravenclaw who was muggleborn." Cissy told her, "I tried to talk her out of it but she didn't listen."

"Kind of makes me glad I never met them." Dora mumbled shakily.

"You did once. You were only a baby and I ran into my Mother at Diagon Alley when I needed to go grab a few things. Ted was working so I had you with me." Andy told her.

"Really?" she asked.

Andy nodded, "Surprisingly she didn't insult me or you once. She actually said you were kind of cute and that the uniqueness of your ability was worthy of someone with Black blood and it was a pity I ended up a blood traitor."

"I find it hard to beleive Aunt Druella would say that." Regulus mused.

"She went funny towards the end." Cissy shrugged, "And she was in a good mood that day, I dont know why but she told me about that occasion." she explained.

"So because she was in a good mood she was nice-ish to Aunt Andy?" Draco mused.

"Exactly." Andy nodded.

"Well, you definitely see some strange things occasionally." Ron chuckled.

"Agreed." the Black's all said.

"So this potion is best taken before bed then Draco?" Harry asked.

"Yeah, it'll likely knock you right to sleep so it's best before bed so you dont mess up your days and nights." he explained.

"How long will it keep us asleep for?" Ginny wanted to know.

"At least 4 hours, 5 at the most." he shrugged, "Though you'll probably sleep about 6 or 7 hours anyway, it's a proper type of sleep instead of enchanted because the potions laced with Draught of Peace. I figured that would help fight the headache part of it."

"Good reasoning." Kingsley nodded, "If they're asleep they won't feel it as much."

Draco nodded in agreement to his statement, "That's what I was thinking." he admitted, "No one likes headaches."

"So are we continuing now we've had a break?" Lily asked Harry.

"I suppose so." he shrugged.

"Hold on." Andy said, she got up and went into Poppy's office emerging with four potions vials a few minutes later, "It's this one that makes you not feel hungry, I suggested to Poppy that you take it earlier so you're hungry by dinner time." she explained handing a vial each to the four teens, "She also said you can try getting up just before dinner."

"Oh goodie." Harry said before downing his vial, "That's disgusting." he made a face, so did the others once they'd drank theirs.

Andy conjured glasses and filled them with water for the four and they all thanked her before drinking them gratefully.

"That's one of the nastier tasting ones." she chuckled.

"Still not as bad as Skele-Grow." Harry stated.

"Nothings worse than that." Ron snorted as they all got comfortable to watch more memories.

* * *

><p>Review please x<p> 


	76. Chapter 76

Chapter 76 - Fifth Year (Part 9)

21, August, 1998.

"This is from where we left off, it skips a bit of time though." Harry informed them all, "And I'll be making it skip a bit to speed things up, but I'll warn you first."

They all nodded in acceptance.

**Hermione made no mention of Harry giving Defence Against the Dark Arts lessons for two whole weeks after her original suggestion. Harry's detentions with Umbridge were finally over (he doubted whether the words now etched into the back of his hand would ever fade entirely); Ron had had four more Quidditch practices and not been shouted at during the last two; and all three of them had managed to Vanish their mice in Transfiguration (Hermione had actually progressed to Vanishing kittens), before the subject was broached again, on a wild, blustery evening at the end of September, when the three of them were sitting in the library, looking up potion ingredients for Snape.**

**"I was wondering," Hermione said suddenly, "whether you'd thought any more about Defence Against the Dark Arts, Harry."**

"I don't think anyone could forget with that hag teaching." the twins muttered darkly.

**"Course I have," said Harry grumpily, "can't forget it, can we, with that hag teaching us -"**

The twins grinned at Harry, who chuckled.

**"I meant the idea Ron and I had -" Ron cast her an alarmed, threatening kind of look. She frowned at him, "- Oh, all right, the idea I had, then - about you teaching us."**

**Harry did not answer at once. He pretended to be perusing a page of Asiatic Anti-Venoms, because he did not want to say what was in his mind.**

**He had given the matter a great deal of thought over the past fortnight. Sometimes it seemed an insane idea, just as it had on the night Hermione had proposed it, but at others, he had found himself thinking about the spells that had served him best in his various encounters with Dark creatures and Death Eaters - found himself, in fact, subconsciously planning lessons...**

"I guess a part of you wanted to teach." Amber smiled.

Harry nodded, "I enjoyed teaching them all quite a lot actually."

"You were great at teaching us too." Ginny grinned, "Especially considering the DA was about the size off a full class of people, easily 20+ students."

**"Well," he said slowly, when he could no longer pretend to find Asiatic Anti-Venomsinteresting, "yeah, I - I've thought about it a bit."**

**"And?" said Hermione eagerly.**

**"I dunno," said Harry, playing for time. He looked up at Ron.**

**"I thought it was a good idea from the start," said Ron, who seemed keener to join in this conversation now that he was sure Harry was not going to start shouting again.**

**Harry shifted uncomfortably in his chair.**

**"You did listen to what I said about a load of it being luck, didn't you?"**

"But it's not completely luck." Arthur said, "You're still very good in Defence, Harry."

**"Yes, Harry," said Hermione gently, "but all the same, there's no point pretending that you're not good at Defence Against the Dark Arts, because you are. You were the only person last year who could throw off the Imperius Curse completely, you can produce a Patronus, you can do all sorts of stuff that full-grown wizards can't, Viktor always said -"**

**Ron looked round at her so fast he appeared to crick his neck. Rubbing it, he said, "Yeah? What did Vicky say?"**

**"Ho ho," said Hermione in a bored voice. "He said Harry knew how to do stuff even he didn't, and he was in the final year at Durmstrang."**

"That's quite high praise." Minerva noted.

"It's true though. I'd bet Harry could've faced any student in our year and still knew more than them." George stated.

"He knew more than us at that point when it came to defence." Fred nodded, "Alicia, Angelina and Katie all said the same when we were talking to them about it one night."

**Ron was looking at Hermione suspiciously.**

**"You're not still in contact with him, are you?"**

**"So what if I am?" said Hermione coolly, though her face was a little pink. "I can have a pen-pal if I -"**

**"He didn't only want to be your pen-pal," said Ron accusingly.**

_You and your jelousy,_ Hermione muttered silently to Ron, _I swear that got ridiculous._

_Sorry 'Mione, I couldnt help it,_ he replied, sounding sheepish even in his mind voice.

**Hermione shook her head exasperatedly and, ignoring Ron, who was continuing to watch her, said to Harry, "Well, what do you think? Will you teach us?"**

**"Just you and Ron, yeah?"**

**"Well," said Hermione, looking a mite anxious again. "Well... now, don't fly off the handle again, Harry, please... but I really think you ought to teach anyone who wants to learn. I mean, we're talking about defending ourselves against V- Voldemort. Oh, don't be pathetic, Ron. It doesn't seem fair if we don't offer the chance to other people."**

**Harry considered this for a moment, then said, "Yeah, but I doubt anyone except you two would want to be taught by me. I'm a nutter, remember?"**

**"Well, Ernie Macmillan, Luna Lovegood, Neville, Cho, Dean, and the twins don't think you're a nutter," said Remus. "I'm sure they wouldn't mind being taught by you."**

**"Well, I think you might be surprised how many people would be interested in hearing what you've got to say," said Hermione seriously. "Look," she leaned towards him - Ron, who was still watching her with a frown on his face, leaned forwards to listen too - "you know the first weekend in October's a Hogsmeade weekend? How would it be if we tell anyone who's interested to meet us in the village and we can talk it over?"**

**"Why do we have to do it outside school?" said Ron.**

"Because Umbridge wouldn't like what you're planning to do at all." said James.

"Way to state the obvious Prongs." Sirius teased.

**"Because," said Hermione, returning to the diagram of the Chinese Chomping Cabbage she was copying, "I don't think Umbridge would be very happy if she found out what we were up to."**

**Harry had been looking forward to the weekend trip into Hogsmeade, but there was one thing worrying him. Sirius had maintained a stony silence since he had appeared in the fire at the beginning of September; Harry knew they had made him angry by saying they didn't want him to come - but he still worried from time to time that Sirius might throw caution to the winds and turn up anyway.**

"I wouldnt. I was feeling really guilty about what I'd said and Moony had been back to tell me you were right and I was being stupid by then." Sirius said glumly.

**What were they going to do if the great black dog came bounding up the street towards them in Hogsmeade, perhaps under the nose of Draco Malfoy?**

**"Well, you can't blame him for wanting to get out and about," said Ron, when Harry discussed his fears with him and Hermione. "I mean, he's been on the run for over two years, hasn't he, and I know that can't have been a laugh, but at least he was free, wasn't he? And now he's just shut up all the time with that ghastly elf."**

**Hermione scowled at Ron, but otherwise ignored the slight on Kreacher.**

**"The trouble is," she said to Harry, "until V-Voldemort - oh, for heaven's sake, Ron -"**

"Hermione, you could barely say it yourself." Ginny smiled amusedly.

"Your point? I still didn't flinch." she retorted.

Ron blushed, "I couldn't help it."

**"comes out into the open, and Sirius is going to have to stay hidden, isn't he? I mean, the stupid Ministry isn't going to realize Sirius is innocent until they accept that Dumbledore's been telling the truth about him all along. And once the fools start catching real Death Eaters again, it'll be obvious Sirius isn't one... I mean, he hasn't got the Mark, for one thing."**

**"I don't reckon he'd be stupid enough to turn up," said Ron bracingly. "Dumbledore'd go mad if he did and Sirius listens to Dumbledore even if he doesn't like what he hears."**

"That's another thing." Sirius nodded.

**When Harry continued to look worried, Hermione said, "Listen, Ron and I have been sounding out people who we thought might want to learn some proper Defence Against the Dark Arts, and there are a couple who seem interested. We've told them to meet us in Hogsmeade."**

**"Right," said Harry vaguely, his mind still on Sirius.**

**"Don't worry, Harry," Hermione said quietly. "You've got enough on your plate without Sirius, too."**

**She was quite right; of course, he was barely keeping up with his homework, though he was doing much better now that he was no longer spending every evening in detention with Umbridge. Ron was even further behind with his work than Harry, because while they both had Quidditch practice twice a week, Ron also had his prefect duties. However, Hermione, who was taking more subjects than either of them, had not only finished all her homework but was also finding time to knit more elf clothes. Harry had to admit that she was getting better; it was now almost always possible to distinguish between the hats and the socks.**

"That's... good," said Lily slowly, an eyebrow raised.

"I started using magic to help me get the shapes right." Hermione admitted.

**The morning of the Hogsmeade visit dawned bright but windy. After breakfast they queued up in front of Filch, who matched their names to the long list of students who had permission from their parents or guardian to visit the village. With a slight pang, Harry remembered that if it hadn't been for Sirius, he would not have been going at all.**

"Don't worry about that, Harry." said Sirius, "As I said I realised it would've been stupid and you were right."

**When Harry reached Filch, the caretaker gave a great sniff as though trying to detect a whiff of something from Harry. Then he gave a curt nod that set his jowls aquiver again and Harry walked on, out on to the stone steps and the cold, sunlit day.**

**"Er - why was Filch sniffing you?" asked Ron, as he, Harry and Hermione set off at a brisk pace down the wide drive to the gates.**

**"I suppose he was checking for the smell of Dungbombs," said Harry with a small laugh. "I forgot to tell you..."**

**And he recounted the story of sending his letter to Sirius and Filch bursting in seconds later, demanding to see the letter. To his slight surprise, Hermione found this story highly interesting, much more, indeed, than he did himself.**

**"He said he was tipped off you were ordering Dungbombs? But who tipped him off?"**

**"I dunno," said Harry, shrugging. "Maybe Malfoy, he'd think it was a laugh."**

"Well, I don't see Malfoy getting up early in the morning to do that." said Sirius.

"I got up early every morning, I never sleep past 5.30am." Draco stated, "But it wasn't me who told Filch, how would I know Harry was sending a letter?"

"Why do you get up that early?" Frank asked curiously.

"We both do." Cissy shrugged, "It's something I've always done and Draco seems to have inherited it."

"That's true. Even as a child you always got up at 5.30, no matter how late you were up the night before." Andy mused, "I know that because before I left it was always me you woke up."

Cissy shrugged, "I honestly dont know how I do it sometimes. And I only got you up because I knew Bella would hex me if I tried waking her up, you were the safer option." she chuckled.

Andy shook her head in amusement, "5.30 is not the ideal time to get up, Cissy, though I know what you mean with not waking Bella. She tended to be overly crabby in the morning."

"That's like me with waking up at 6." Molly smiled, "I've only done that since Charlie was born though. Bill used to sleep until around 9 but you insisted on getting up at 7, Charlie." she told him.

"I rarely sleep late. Bill once said I got up just to annoy him." Charlie grinned.

"He said that to me too." Percy nodded, "Fred, George and Ron prefer having a lie in, I only do it occasionally and Ginny usually got up early too."

"Never as early as you two." she told Percy and Charlie.

"Still early though." Arthur told her, "No matter what you were always up before I left for work."

**They walked between the tall stone pillars topped with winged boars and turned left on to the road into the village, the wind whipping their hair into their eyes.**

**"Malfoy?" said Hermione, sceptically. "Well... yes... maybe..."**

"Nope." Draco smirked, "That time it wasnt me."

**And she remained deep in thought all the way into the outskirts of Hogsmeade.**

**"Where are we going, anyway?" Harry asked. "The Three Broomsticks?"**

**"Oh - no," said Hermione, coming out of her reverie, "no, it's always packed and really noisy. I've told the others to meet us in the Hog's Head, that other pub, you know the one; it's not on the main road. I think it's a bit... you know... dodgy... but students don't normally go in there, so I don't think we'll be overheard."**

"But with less people, there's more chance you'll be heard by someone because it's so quiet," said Lily in a worried tone of voice. "A packed and noisy place means that there's less chance of being overheard. I think the Three Broomsticks would be better."

"That's what I told them." Sirius grinned, "Aberforth told Albus and Dung overheard them and told the whole Order, Albus just confirmed it at the next meeting."

**They walked down the main street past Zonko's Wizarding Joke Shop, where they were not surprised to see Fred, George and Lee Jordan, past the post office, from which owls issued at regular intervals, and turned up a side-street at the top of which stood a small inn. A battered wooden sign hung from a rusty bracket over the door, with a picture on it of a wild boar's severed head, leaking blood on to the white cloth around it. The sign creaked in the wind as they approached. All three of them hesitated outside the door.**

**"Well, come on," said Hermione, slightly nervously. Harry led the way inside.**

**It was not at all like the Three Broomsticks, whose large bar gave an impression of gleaming warmth and cleanliness. The Hog's Head bar comprised one small, dingy and very dirty room that smelled strongly of something that might have been goats. The bay windows were so encrusted with grime that very little daylight could permeate the room, which was lit instead with the stubs of candles sitting on rough wooden tables. The floor seemed at first glance to be compressed earth, though as Harry stepped on to it he realized that there was stone beneath what seemed to be the accumulated filth of centuries.**

"No wonder the Hog's Head is considered dodgy," Alice remarked, "If Aberforth is the bartender, why is he so different from his brother?"

"Siblings aren't always alike," Sirius reminded her. "I'm different from Regulus, and Lily's different from Petunia."

"Take us for example." Percy said, gesturing his present brothers and Ginny, "The 7 of us are quite different despite having grown up hearing the same things and such, I don't think any of us have the same habits."

"We dont, traits like being competitive or argumentative yes, but not a lot are the same." Ginny agreed.

"And Aberforth doesn't care much for cleaning." Albus chuckled, "Never has since we were young and yet I got annoyed if things were disorganised and messy."

**Harry remembered Hagrid mentioning this pub in his first year: 'Yeh get a lot o' funny folk in the Hogs Head,' he had said, explaining how he had won a dragon's egg from a hooded stranger there. At the time Harry had wondered why Hagrid had not found it odd that the stranger kept his face hidden throughout their encounter; now he saw that keeping your face hidden was something of a fashion in the Hog's Head. There was a man at the bar whose whole head was wrapped in dirty grey bandages, though he was still managing to gulp endless glasses of some smoking, fiery substance through a slit over his mouth; two figures shrouded in hoods sat at a table in one of the windows;**

**Harry might have thought them Dementors if they had not been talking in strong Yorkshire accents, and in a shadowy corner beside the fireplace sat a witch with a thick, black veil that fell to her toes. They could just see the tip of her nose because it caused the veil to protrude slightly.**

**"I don't know about this, Hermione," Harry muttered, as they crossed to the bar. He was looking particularly at the heavily veiled witch. "Has it occurred to you Umbridge might be under that?"**

"Umbridge wear anything but pink!? Impossible!" the twins exclaimed.

"And that's no witch." Remus chuckled.

"It's Dung." Dora grinned, "He was disguised because Aberforth banned him years ago."

They all laughed at this.

**Hermione cast an appraising eye over the veiled figure. "Umbridge is shorter than that woman," she said quietly. "And anyway, even if Umbridge does come in here there's nothing she can do to stop us, Harry, because I've double- and triple-checked the school rules. We're not out of bounds; I specifically asked Professor Flitwick whether students were allowed to come in the Hog's Head, and he said yes, but he advised me strongly to bring our own glasses. And I've looked up everything I can think of about study groups and homework groups and they're definitely allowed. I just don't think it's a good idea if we parade what were doing."**

"Yeah, because what you're planning to do isn't exactly a study group," James muttered dryly.

**"No," said Harry dryly, "especially as it's not exactly a homework group you're planning, is it?"**

James chuckled at the similarity between the statements.

**The barman sidled towards them out of a back room. He was a grumpy-looking old man with a great deal of long grey hair and beard. He was tall and thin and looked vaguely familiar to Harry.**

"That's how we figured out who he was." James grinned.

"There is a likeness between us." Albus nodded, "No matter how much he wishes there wasn't, he always said it wasn't fair we looked alike even in old age." he mused, lips twitching up a little.

**"What?" he grunted.**

**"Three Butter beers, please," said Hermione. The man reached beneath the counter and pulled up three very dusty, very dirty bottles, which he slammed on the bar. "Six Sickles," he said.**

**"I'll get them," said Harry quickly, passing over the silver. The barman's eyes travelled over Harry, resting for a fraction of a second on his scar. Then he turned away and deposited Harry's money in an ancient wooden till whose drawer slid open automatically to receive it. Harry, Ron and Hermione retreated to the furthest table from the bar and sat down, looking around. The man in the dirty grey bandages rapped the counter with his knuckles and received another smoking drink from the barman.**

**"You know what?" Ron murmured, looking over at the bar with enthusiasm. "We could order anything we liked in here. I bet that bloke would sell us anything, he wouldn't care. I've always wanted to try Firewhisky -"**

"Ron, you're a prefect," said Lily severely. "You can't be drinking when underage."

"Aberforth's not stupid, he knew not to give any Hogwarts students that were clearly underage alcohol like that." Albus said, "I had to warn him about it when I first started teaching and he's never done it once."

**"You - are - a - prefect," snarled Hermione.**

**"Oh," said Ron, the smile fading from his face. "Yeah..."**

**"So, who did you say is supposed to be meeting us?" Harry asked, wrenching open the rusty top of his Butterbeer and taking a swig.**

**"Just a couple of people," Hermione repeated, checking her watch and anxiously towards the door. "I told them to be here about now and I'm sure they all know where it is - oh, look, this might be them now." A thick band of dusty sunlight split the room in two for a moment and then vanished, blocked by the incoming rush of a crowd people. First came Neville with Dean and Lavender, who were closely followed by Parvati and Padma Patil with (Harry's stomach did a back-flip) Cho and one of her usually giggling girlfriends, then (on her own and looking so dreamy she might have walked in by accident) Luna Lovegood; then Katie Bell, Alicia Spinnet and Angelina Johnson, Colin and Dennis Creevey, Ernie Macmillan, Justin Finch-Fletchley, Hannah Abbott, a Hufflepuff girl with a long plait down her back whose name Harry did not know; three Ravenclaw boys he was pretty sure were called Anthony Goldstein, Michael Corner and Terry Boot, Ginny, closely followed by a tall skinny blond boy with an upturned nose whom Harry recognised vaguely as being a member of the Hufflepuff Quidditch team and, bringing up the rear, Fred and George Weasley with their friend Lee Jordan, all three of whom were carrying large paper bags crammed with Zonko's merchandise.**

"You call that a couple of people?" James asked incredulously.

"Yes." Hermione smirked.

**"A couple of people?" said Harry hoarsely to Hermione. "A couple of people?"**

**"Yes, well, the idea seemed quite popular," said Hermione happily. "Ron, do you want to pull up some more chairs?"**

**The barman had frozen in the act of wiping out a glass with a rag so filthy it looked as though it had never been washed. Possibly, he had never seen his pub so full. "Hi," said Fred, reaching the bar first and counting his companions quickly, "could we have... twenty-five Butterbeers, please?"**

"Twenty-five students showed up for this?" asked Sirius in shock.

"Sirius you know how many people were in the DA." Remus told him.

"No I didnt." he argued, "I thought it was about 15 not 25."

"There was about 35-40 members by May." Neville informed them, "When Harry, Ron and Hermione left, Luna, Ginny and I started recruiting again. But the 25 original people were probably still the best fighters."

"Despite the fact 2 people were kicked out I have to agree with that." Ginny nodded.

"Who was kicked out?" Alice asked.

"You'll see. I think we've told you about Zacharias Smith." Harry said, they all nodded.

"He's currently in a holding cell at the Ministry." Kingsley told them, "Getting questioned on why he put that article out."

"Good." Ron muttered, "You'll need to wait and see who the other person is."

**The barman glared at him for a moment, then, throwing down his rag irritably as though he had been interrupted in something very important, he started passing up dusty Butterbeers from under the bar. "Cheers,' said Fred, handing them out. "Cough up, everyone, I haven't got enough gold for all of these..." Harry watched numbly as the large chattering group took their beers from Fred and rummaged in their robes to find coins. He could not imagine what all the people had turned up for until the horrible thought occurred to him that they might be expecting some kind of speech, at which he rounded on Hermione. "What have you been telling people?" he said in a low voice. "What are they expecting?"**

**"I've told you, they just want to hear what you've got to say," said Hermione soothingly; but Harry continued to look at her so furiously that she added quickly, "you don't have to do anything yet, I'll speak to them first."**

**"Hi, Harry," said Neville, beaming and taking a seat opposite him. Harry tried to smile back, but did not speak; his mouth was exceptionally dry. Cho had just smiled at him and sat down on Ron's right. Her friend, who had curly reddish-blonde hair, did not smile, but gave Harry a thoroughly mistrustful look which plainly told him that, given her way, she would not be here at all.**

**In twos and threes the new arrivals settled around Harry, Ron and Hermione, some looking rather excited, others curious, Luna Lovegood gazing dreamily into space.**

**When everybody had pulled up a chair, the chatter died out. Every eye was upon Harry. "Er," said Hermione, her voice slightly higher than usual out of nerves. "Well - er - hi."**

**The group focused its attention on her instead, though eyes continued to dart back regularly to Harry. 'Well... erm... well, you know why you're here. Erm... well, Harry here had the idea, I mean - (Harry had thrown her a sharp look) - I had the idea - that it might be good if people who wanted to study Defence Against the Dark Arts - and I mean, really study it, you know, not the rubbish that Umbridge is doing with us -" (Hermione's voice became suddenly much stronger and more confident) "- because nobody could call that Defence Against the Dark Arts -" ('Hear, hear,' said Anthony Goldstein, and Hermione looked heartened) "- Well, I though it would be good if we, well, took matters into our own hands." She paused, looked sideways at Harry, and went on, "And by that I mean learning how to defend us properly, not just in theory but doing the real spells –"**

**"You want to pass your Defence Against the Dark Arts OWL too, though, I bet?" said Michael Corner, who was watching her closely.**

**"Of course I do," said Hermione at once. "But more than that, I want to be properly trained in defence because... because..." she took a great breath and finished, "because Lord Voldemort is back." The reaction was immediate and predictable. Cho's friend shrieked and slopped Butterbeer down herself; Terry Boot gave a kind of involuntary twitch; Padma Patil shuddered, and Neville gave an odd yelp that he managed to turn into a cough.**

"Nice recovery." Frank chuckled.

Neville blushed, "In my defence I wasn't expecting Hermione to say it, it was a bit of a surprise."

**All of them, however, looked fixedly, even eagerly, at Harry.**

**"Well... that's the plan, anyway," said Hermione. "If you want to join us, we need to decide how we're going to -"**

**"Where's the proof You-Know-Who's back?" said the blond Hufflepuff player in a rather aggressive voice.**

**"Well, Dumbledore believes it -" Hermione began.**

**"You mean, Dumbledore believes him," said the blond boy, nodding at Harry.**

**"Who are you?" said Ron, rather rudely.**

**"Zacharias Smith," said the boy, "and I think we've got the right to know exactly what makes him say You-Know-Who's back."**

**"Look," said Hermione, intervening swiftly, "that's really not what this meeting was supposed to be about -"**

**"It's OK, Hermione," said Harry.**

**It had just dawned on him why there were so many people there. He thought Hermione should have seen this coming. Some of these people-maybe even most of them-had turned up in the hopes of hearing Harry's story firsthand.**

**"What makes me say You-Know-Who's back?" he repeated, looking Zacharias straight in the face. "I saw him. But Dumbledore told the whole school what happened last year, and if you didn't believe him, you won't believe me, and I'm not wasting an afternoon trying to convince anyone."**

**The whole group seemed to have held its breath while Harry spoke. Harry had the impression that even the barman was listening. He was wiping the same glass with the filthy rag, making it steadily dirtier.**

"There's no doubt he was listening." Albus chuckled.

**Zacharias said dismissively, "All Dumbledore told us last year was that Cedric Diggory got killed by You-Know-Who and that you brought Diggory's body back to Hogwarts. He didn't give us details, he didn't tell us exactly how Diggory got murdered, I think we'd all like to know -"**

**"If you've come to hear exactly what it looks like when Voldemort murders someone I can't help you," Harry said. His temper, always so close to the surface these days, was rising again. He did not take his eyes from Zacharias Smith's aggressive face, and was determined not to look at Cho. "I don't want to talk about Cedric Diggory, all right? So if that's what you're here for, you might as well clear out."**

**He cast an angry look in Hermione's direction. This was, he felt, all her fault; she had decided to display him like some sort of freak and of course they had all turned up to see just now wild his story was.**

"That is not true!" Hermione protested, "When we told them they all seemed genuinely interested in learning DADA away from Umbridge."

"Yeah Harry, Smith was just being a git. We were surprised you didn't blow up on him for saying that." Fred admitted with George nodding.

"Blow up on him?" he asked, looking faintly amused.

"Well he had us ticked off, surely he would've been ticking you off too." George reasoned, "You're anger would've made him scared enough to keep quiet... Well, maybe not scared but at least wary." he shrugged.

**But none of them left their seats, not even Zacharias Smith, though he continued to gaze intently at Harry.**

**"So," said Hermione, her voice very high-pitched again. "So... like I was saying... if you want to learn some defence, then we need to work out how we're going to do it, how often we're going to meet and where we're going to -"**

**"Is it true," interrupted the girl with the long plait down her back, looking at Harry, "that you can produce a Patronus?"**

**There was a murmur of interest around the group at this.**

**"Yeah," said Harry slightly defensively.**

**"A corporeal Patronus?"**

**The phrase stirred something in Harry's memory.**

**"Er - you don't know Madam Bones, do you?" he asked.**

**The girl smiled.**

**"She's my auntie," she said. "I'm Susan Bones. She told me about your hearing. So - is it really true? You make a stag Patronus?"**

"That shocked a few of us." Neville mused, "We didn't know you could do that."

**"Yes," said Harry.**

**"Blimey, Harry!" said Lee, looking deeply impressed. "I never knew that!"**

**"Mum told Ron not to spread it around," said Fred, grinning at Harry. "She said you got enough attention as it was."**

**"She's not wrong," mumbled Harry, and a couple of people laughed.**

"I dont know why you bothered telling me Mum, I wouldn't have anyway. To many questions about how and when Harry learned it." Ron explained.

**The veiled witch sitting alone shifted very slightly in her seat.**

**"And did you kill a Basilisk with that sword in Dumbledore's office?" demanded Terry Boot. "That's what one of the portraits on the wall told me when I was in there last year..."**

**"Er - yeah, I did, yeah," said Harry.**

**Justin Finch-Fletchley whistled; the Creevey brothers exchanged awestruck looks and Lavender Brown said "Wow!" softly. Harry was feeling slightly hot around the collar now; he was determinedly looking anywhere but at Cho.**

**"And in our first year," said Neville to the group at large, "he saved that Philological Stone -"**

**"Philosopher's," hissed Hermione.**

**"Yes, that - from You-Know-Who," finished Neville.**

**Hannah Abbotts eyes were as round as Galleons.**

**"And that's not to mention," said Cho (Harry's eyes snapped across to her; she was looking at him, smiling; his stomach did another somersault) "all the tasks he had to get through in the Triwizard Tournament last year - getting past dragons and merpeople and Acromantula and things..."**

**There was a murmur of impressed agreement around the table. Harry's insides were squirming. He was trying to arrange his face so that he did not look too pleased with himself. The fact that Cho had just praised him made it much, much harder for him to say the thing he had sworn to himself he would tell them.**

**"Look," he said, and everyone fell silent at once, "I... I don't want to sound like I'm trying to be modest or anything, but... I had a lot of help with all that stuff..."**

**"Not with the dragon, you didn't," said Michael Corner at once. "That was a seriously cool bit of flying..."**

**"Yeah, well -" said Harry, feeling it would be churlish to disagree.**

**"And nobody helped you get rid of those dementors this summer," said Susan Bones.**

**"No," said Harry, "no, OK, I know I did bits of it without help, but the point I'm trying to make is -"**

**"Are you trying to weasel out of showing us any of this stuff?" said Zacharias Smith.**

**"Here's an idea," said Ron loudly, before Harry could speak, "why don't you shut your mouth?"**

**Perhaps the word 'weasel' had affected Ron particularly strongly. In any case, he was now looking at Zacharias as though he would like nothing better than to thump him. Zacharias flushed.**

"You werent the only one. Smith's a git and a half." George growled.

**"Well, we've all turned up to learn from him and now he's telling us he can't really do any of it," he said.**

**"That's not what he said," snarled Fred.**

**"Would you like us to clean out your ears for you?" enquired Greorge, pulling a long and lethal-looking metal instrument from inside one of the Zonko's bags.**

"What was that by the way?" Ginny asked the twins.

"Metal poker. It helped us making the Portable Swamps, checking the depth without one of us getting stuck in them." Fred explained.

"Same with a few of our other products, a few of them had the habit of grabbing onto us and not letting go." George added.

"Generally anything sinister looking objects we use are actually relatively harmless." Fred grinned, "But pretending otherwise makes people wary."

"And in the case of Smith, anything that got him to shut up for a bit was good in our books." George smirked.

**"Or any part of your body, really, we're not fussy where we stick this," said Fred.**

**"Yes, well," said Hermione hastily, "moving on... the point is, are we agreed we want to take lessons from Harry?"**

**There was a murmur of general agreement. Zacharias folded his arms and said nothing, though perhaps this was because he was too busy keeping an eye on the instrument in Fred's hand.**

**"Right," said Hermione, looking relieved that something had at last been settled. "Well, then, the next question is how often we do it. I really don't think there's any point in meeting less than once a week -"**

**"Hang on," said Angelina, "we need to make sure this doesn't clash with our Quidditch practice."**

**"No," said Cho, "nor with ours."**

**"Nor ours," added Zacharias Smith.**

**"I'm sure we can find a night that suits everyone," said Hermione, slightly impatiently, "but you know, this is rather important, we're talking about learning to defend ourselves against V-Voldemort's Death Eaters -"**

**"Well said!" barked Ernie Macmillan, who Harry had been expecting to speak long before this. "Personally, I think this is really important, possibly more important than anything else we'll do this year, even with our OWLs coming up!"**

**He looked around impressively, as though waiting for people to cry 'Surely not!' When nobody spoke, he went on, "I, personally, am at a loss to see why the Ministry has foisted such a useless teacher on us at this critical period. Obviously, they are in denial about the return of You-Know-Who, but to give us a teacher who is trying to actively prevent us from using defensive spells -"**

**"We think the reason Umbridge doesn't want us trained in Defence Against the Dark Arts," said Hermione, "is that she's got some... some mad idea that Dumbledore could use the students in the school as a kind of private army. She thinks he'd mobilise us against the Ministry."**

**Nearly everybody looked stunned at this news; everybody except Luna Lovegood, who piped up, "Well, that makes sense. After all, Cornelius Fudge has got his own private army."**

**"What?" said Harry, completely thrown by this unexpected piece of information.**

**"Yes, he's got an army of Heliopaths," said Luna solemnly.**

**"No, he hasn't," snapped Hermione.**

**"Yes, he has," said Luna.**

**'What are Heliopaths?" asked Neville, looking blank.**

**"They're spirits of fire," said Luna, her protuberant eyes widening so that she looked madder than ever, "great tall flaming creatures that gallop across the ground burning everything in front of -"**

**"They don't exist, Neville," said Hermione tartly.**

"It's Fiendfyre, isn't it?" James asked.

Luna nodded, "He had an army of people at the Ministry who could use Fiendfyre without any problems controlling it alone, otherwise known as Heliopaths." she explained, she frowned slightly, "I guess I dont always make my meanings plain, I use words not everyone knows or understands, like Heliopaths, without explaining exactly what I mean. I just assume people know what I'm talking about." she mused.

"You've gotten better at explaining." Neville smiled, "It's not your fault if we don't follow what you're talking about at first, it's just the way you are." he kissed her cheek, flushing slightly as the twins wolf-whistled.

**"Oh, yes, they do!" said Luna angrily.**

**"I'm sorry, but where's the proof of that?" snapped Hermione.**

**"There are plenty of eye-witness accounts. Just because you're so narrow-minded you need to have everything shoved under your nose before you -"**

**"Hem, hem," said Ginny, in such a good imitation of Professor Umbridge that several people looked around in alarm and then laughed.**

"You were trying to give us a heart attack." Harry accused his Fiancé.

"No, I was trying to stop Hermione arguing with Luna." she stated, "And it worked."

**"Weren't we trying to decide how often we're going to meet and have defence lessons?"**

**"Yes," said Hermione at once, "yes, we were, you're right, Ginny."**

**"Well, once a week sounds cool," said Lee Jordan.**

**"As long as -" began Angelina.**

**"Yes, yes, we know about the Quidditch," said Hermione in a tense voice. "Well, the other thing to decide is where we're going to meet..."**

**This was rather more difficult; the whole group fell silent.**

**"Library?" suggested Katie Bell after a few moments.**

**"I can't see Madam Pince being too chuffed with us doing jinxes in the library," said Harry.**

**"Maybe an unused classroom?" said Dean.**

**"Yeah," said Ron, "McGonagall might let us have hers, she did when Harry was practising for the Tri-Wizard."**

**But Harry was pretty certain that McGonagall would not be so accommodating this time. For all that Hermione had said about study and homework groups being allowed, he had the distinct feeling that this one might be considered a lot more rebellious.**

"Not to mention it would be too obvious." Minerva pointed out, "It was rare for so many students to form a group with three of the houses taking part. Usually it was only the one's teachers were either running or sponsoring that students from all houses took part." she explained.

"Sponsoring?" James inquired.

She nodded, "Meaning they oversee the group or club but don't actually take part or try and control it. Its common for a teacher to sponsor a club which involves all four houses, to make sure there's no fights between the houses. House rivalries and all that." she shrugged.

**"Right, well, we'll try to find somewhere," said Hermione. "We'll send a message round to everybody when we've got a time and a place for the first meeting."**

**She rummaged in her bag and produced parchment and a quill, then hesitated, rather as though she was steeling herself to say something.**

**"I - I think everybody should write their name down, just so we know who was here. But I also think," she took a deep breath, "that we all ought to agree not to shout about what we're doing. So if you sign, you're agreeing not to tell Umbridge or anybody else what we're up to."**

**Fred reached out for the parchment and cheerfully wrote his signature, but Harry noticed at once that several people looked less than happy at the prospect of putting their names on the list.**

**"Er..." said Zacharias slowly, not taking the parchment that George was trying to pass to him, "well... I'm sure Ernie will tell me when the meeting is."**

**But Ernie was looking rather hesitant about signing, too. Hermione raised her eyebrows at him.**

**"I - well, we are prefects," Ernie burst out. "And if this list was found... well, I mean to say... you said yourself, if Umbridge finds out -"**

**"You just said this group was the most important thing you'd do this year," Harry reminded him.**

**"I - yes,' said Ernie, "yes, I do believe that, it's just -"**

**"Ernie, do you really think I'd leave that list lying around?" said Hermione testily.**

**"No. No, of course not," said Ernie, looking slightly less anxious. "I - yes, of course I'll sign."**

**Nobody raised objections after Ernie, though Harry saw Cho's friend give her a rather reproachful look before adding her own name. When the last person - Zacharias - had signed, Hermione took the parchment back and slipped it carefully into her bag. There was an odd feeling in the group now. It was as though they had just signed some kind of contract.**

**"Well, time's ticking on," said Fred briskly, getting to his feet. "George, Lee and I have got items of a sensitive nature to purchase, we'll be seeing you all later."**

**In twos and threes the rest of the group took their leave, too.**

**Cho made rather a business of fastening the catch on her bag before leaving, her long dark curtain of hair swinging forwards to hide her face, but her friend stood beside her, arms folded, clicking her tongue, so that Cho had little choice but to leave with her. As her friend ushered her through the door, Cho looked back and waved at Harry.**

**"Well, I think that went quite well," said Hermione happily, as she, Harry and Ron walked out of the Hog's Head into the bright sunlight a few moments later. Harry and Ron were clutching their bottles of Butterbeer.**

**"That Zacharias bloke's a wart," said Ron, who was glowering after the figure of Smith, just discernible in the distance.**

**"I don't like him much, either," admitted Hermione, "but he overheard me talking to Ernie and Hannah at the Hufflepuff table and he seemed really interested in coming, so what could I say? But the more people the better really - I mean, Michael Corner and his friends wouldn't have come if he hadn't been going out with Ginny -"**

Harry and Ron growled at the reminder and Harry tightened his arm around Ginny possessively.

"Hermione! I told you not to tell them!" Ginny huffed angrily, "Especially Ron!"

"Oop's." she smirked.

"He would've found out eventually." Fred told her.

"We knew." George shrugged, "Though Ron always was more protective of you." he mused.

Ron blushed, "I couldn't always help it."

Molly and Arthur just watched their daughter glare at Hermione and her brothers amusedly.

**Ron, who had been draining the last few drops from his Butterbeer bottle, gagged and sprayed Butterbeer down his front.**

**"He's WHAT?" spluttered Ron, outraged, his ears now resembling curls of raw beef. "She's going out with - my sister's going - what d'you mean, Michael Corner?"**

**"Well, that's why he and his friends came, I think - well, they're obviously interested in learning defence, but if Ginny hadn't told Michael what was going on -"**

**"When did this - when did she -?"**

**"They met at the Yule Ball and got together at the end of last year," said Hermione composedly. They had turned into the High Street and she paused outside Scrivenshaft's Quill Shop, where there was a handsome display of pheasant feather quills in the window. "Hmm... I could do with a new quill."**

**She turned into the shop. Harry and Ron followed her.**

**"Which one was Michael Corner?" Ron demanded furiously.**

**"The dark one," said Hermione.**

**"I didn't like him," said Ron at once.**

**"Big surprise," said Hermione under her breath.**

**"But," said Ron, following Hermione along a row of quills in copper pots, "I thought Ginny fancied Harry!"**

**Hermione looked at him rather pityingly and shook her head.**

**"Ginny used to fancy Harry, but she gave up on him months ago. Not that she doesn't like you, of course," she added kindly to Harry while she examined a long black and gold quill.**

**Harry, whose head was still full of Cho's parting wave, did not find this subject quite as interesting as Ron, who was positively quivering with indignation, but it did bring something home to him that until now he had not really registered.**

**"So that's why she talks now?" he asked Hermione. "She never used to talk in front of me."**

"You just noticed?" Ginny laughed.

"Of course. I didn't really think about it before, it seemed as though you'd always sat and talked to me without blushing or stuttering or..."

"Generally making a fool of myself, I get it already, you don't have to go down the list." she rolled her eyes, he smirked slightly.

**"Exactly," said Hermione. "Yes, I think I'll have this one..."**

**She went up to the counter and handed over fifteen Sickles and two Knuts, with Ron still breathing down her neck.**

**"Ron," she said severely as she turned and trod on his feet, "this is exactly why Ginny hasn't told you she's seeing Michael, she knew you'd take it badly. So don't harp on about it, for heaven's sake."**

**"What d'you mean? Who's taking anything badly? I'm not going to harp on about anything..." Ron continued to chunter under his breath all the way down the street.**

**Hermione rolled her eyes at Harry and then said in an undertone, while Ron was still muttering imprecations about Michael Corner, "And talking about Michael and Ginny... what about Cho and you?"**

**"What d'you mean?" said Harry quickly.**

**It was as though boiling water was rising rapidly inside him; a burning sensation that was causing his face to smart in the cold - had he been that obvious?**

**"Well," said Hermione, smiling slightly, "she just couldn't keep her eyes off you, could she?"**

"You had to notice." Harry groaned.

"You were the one that took ages to realise it was only a crush." Ginny teased him, "Just like it was with me and Michael, well... I suppose it was more the case of trying to act normally around you. I did like Michael but only as a friend, I only went out with him because I didn't want to hurt his feelings and he knew that. Not that it worked out too great anyway." she shrugged.

He nodded once in acknowledgement, "Fair enough. Besides, we'll both have to put up with people either of us liked. Same goes for Ron and Hermione too."

"We know it's in the past." Ron reminded him, "We'll manage."

Hermione nodded, "And if not someone here will stop us going after and hexing the person. Or will stop us hexing each other."

"Has that happened before?" Alice asked worriedly.

"What? Someone having to stop us hexing each other?" Ginny asked, she nodded, "A few times between Ron and I." she shrugged.

"And it's usually Harry and I who has to stop you." Hermione huffed, she looked at Ron, "I don't think there's been too many times I've been stopped from hexing you when you deserve it." she said thoughtfully.

"Maybe twice." he mused, "And Harry's the one that usually stopped either of us hexing the other."

"Or stopping you arguing about something stupid." Harry agreed. "In terms of having to stop one of us going after someone... I'd say it rarely happens, but it has happened before... Though we can usually control ourselves." he grinned.

"Considering most of the people any of us dated are DA members..." Ginny trailed off.

"Dorm members and people in the same classes as us." Hermione added, "We've learned to get along with the people. Even if it got a bit awkward at times." she shrugged.

"Been there, done that. Multiple times. The teen years are almost always awkward." Frank chuckled.

"Though it is amusing to see students reactions to events at times." Minerva mused, "Some of the things I've heard in the 42 years, almost 43 years, I've been teaching got quite ridiculous. I'll admit sometimes it just got annoying though."

"Especially when it was two students who fought constantly and refused to work together." Remus suggested with a sly look at James and Lily, who blushed.

"Something like that." Minerva nodded with a chuckle.

"I had that with a few of the higher years I taught." Remus nodded, "6th years generally being the worst."

"They are the year that has the most dramatics." she chuckled, "I blame the hormones. 16 year olds tend to make things sound ten times worse than they are, usually involving a relationship or argument of some sort." she mused.

"Cant be nothing as bad as it got with those two." Sirius snorted, nodding at James and Lily.

"Be fair Paddy, we couldn't help it." James huffed, "I was too arrogant for my own good and Lily was trying to teach me that."

"And yet there was only maybe two occasions in one year where you said something and Lily didn't hex you." Alice mused, "And that was only because Marlene or I dragged her away, knowing full well she'd put you in the hospital wing."

"I wouldnt have." Lily pouted.

"You did a few times. Just hex's we couldnt figure out how to get rid of. Padfoot too." Remus reminded her.

"Yeah, but we did deserve that." Sirius shrugged.

"We did." James nodded in agreement.

"People can be foolish at any age." Albus sighed, "I myself made some large mistakes, even in my youth."

"Just show's we're human, right Albus?" Harry grinned.

"Exactly." he smiled back, "How would we learn if not for our own mistakes and those of others?"

"Shall we continue?" Harry suggested, checking his watch, "We've got time for a few more before dinner. It's only half two."

"Feels longer." Amber mused.

* * *

><p>Review please x<p> 


	77. Chapter 77

Chapter 77 - Fifth Year (Part 9.5)

21st August, 1998.

"I'm only going to show a Educational Decree and our reaction to it then we'll skip a little bit." Harry explained, "The memory's already in there." he added, flicking his wand to start the memory.

**BY ORDER OF THE HIGH INQUISITOR OF HOGWARTS**

**All student organisations, societies, teams, groups and clubs are henceforth disbanded.**

**An organisation, society, team, group or club is hereby defined as a regular meeting of three or more students.**

**Permission to reform may be sought from the High Inquisitor (Professor Umbridge).**

**No student organisation, society, team, group or club may exist without the knowledge and approval of the High Inquisitor.**

**Any student found to have formed, or to belong to, an organisation, society, team, group or club that has not been approved by the High Inquisitor will be expelled.**

**The above is in accordance with Educational Decree Number Twenty-four.**

**Signed: Dolores Jane Umbridge, High Inquisitor**

**Harry and Ron read the notice over the heads of some anxious-looking second-years.**

**"Does this mean they're going to shut down the Gobstones Club?" one of them asked his friend.**

**"I reckon you'll be OK with Gobstones," Ron said darkly, making the second-year jump. "I don't think we're going to be as lucky, though, do you?" he asked Harry as the second-years hurried away.**

"No, you won't be as lucky." Regulus sighed.

**Harry was reading the notice through again. The happiness that had filled him since Saturday was gone. His insides were pulsing with rage.**

**"This isn't a coincidence," he said, his hands forming fists. "She knows."**

**"She can't," said Ron at once.**

**"There were people listening in that pub. And let's face it, we don't know how many of the people who turned up we can trust... any of them could have run off and told Umbridge..."**

"Yeah," said James. "You really should have held the meeting at the Three Broomsticks, where there was less chance of you being overheard. Then all you'd have to worry about was if any of the people who turned up were trustworthy or not."

"We didnt think of that. But Sirius told us the same thing." Hermione sighed.

"Well, most of them wouldn't have told." said Remus thoughtfully. "The only ones that we should really worry about is that Zacharias Smith and maybe the Ravenclaw boys and Cho's friend. I don't see the Gryffindor's, the other Hufflepuff's, or other Ravenclaw's reporting it to Umbridge."

"Speaking of the Gryffindors, how did Dennis Creevy get to the meeting?" asked Lily. "I just realized that he would only be a second year."

"I snuck him out." Ginny said cheerfully, "Or rather I distracted Filch for him. He really wanted to go to the meeting and he's small enough to hide in a group of people easily."

Minerva muttered, "I'm officially deaf and blind on the matter. Beside's it happened years ago, no point handing out punishments for it now." she reasoned, "The poor boy has enough to be dealing with, what with Colin..." she sighed.

"We'll need to speak with him soon." Harry mused, "Dennis that is. If he will speak to us anyway."

"Why wouldnt he?" Fred frowned.

Harry shared a look with Ron and Hermione, "We think he blames us for what happened to Colin." Hermione told him, "At Colin's funeral Dennis ignored us when we tried to speak to him."

"But that wasn't your fault!" he exclaimed.

"We know, but Dennis would be looking for someone to blame. Naturally we're the most obvious." Ron sighed, "He'll come around eventually."

**And he had thought they believed him, thought they even admired him...**

**"Zacharias Smith!" said Ron at once, punching a fist into his hand. "Or - I thought that Michael Corner had a really shifty look, too -"**

**"I wonder if Hermione's seen this yet?" Harry said, looking round at the door to the girls' dormitories.**

**"Let's go and tell her," said Ron. He bounded forwards, pulled open the door and set off up the spiral staircase.**

"Bad idea!" the twins laughed.

**He was on the sixth stair when there was a loud, wailing, klaxon-like sound and the steps melted together to make a long, smooth stone slide like a helter-skelter. There was a brief moment when Ron tried to keep running, arms working madly like windmills, then he toppled over backwards and shot down the newly created slide, coming to rest on his back at Harry's feet.**

They all laughed at a blushing Ron.

"I didnt know that would happen." he huffed.

"Should've asked." Hermione giggled, "I would've told you."

**"Er - I don't think we're allowed in the girls' dormitories," said Harry, pulling Ron to his feet and trying not to laugh.**

**Two fourth-year girls came zooming gleefully down the stone slide.**

**"Oooh, who tried to get upstairs?" they giggled happily, leaping to their feet and ogling Harry and Ron.**

**"Me," said Ron, who was still rather dishevelled. "I didn't realise that would happen. It's not fair!" he added to Harry, as the girls headed off for the portrait hole, still giggling madly. "Hermione's allowed in our dormitory, how come we're not allowed -?"**

"It's because the Founders thought girls were more trustworthy than boys." Lily said, smirking.

**"Well, it's an old-fashioned rule," said Hermione, who had just slid neatly on to a rug in front of them and was now getting to her feet, "but it says in Hogwarts, A History, that the founders thought boys were less trustworthy than girls. Anyway, why were you trying to get in there?"**

**"To see you - look at this!" said Ron, dragging her over to the noticeboard.**

**Hermione's eyes slid rapidly down the notice. Her expression became stony.**

**"Someone must have blabbed to her!" Ron said angrily.**

**"They can't have done," said Hermione in a low voice.**

**"You're so naive," said Ron, "you think just because you're all honourable and trustworthy -"**

**"No, they can't have done, because I put a jinx on that piece of parchment we all signed," said Hermione grimly.**

"You should've told them you'd done that." Neville commented, "Just in case. After all, you didn't know if you could trust all of the DA. Not everyone knew everyone else yet."

**"Believe me, if anyone's run off and told Umbridge, we'll know exactly who they are and they will really regret it."**

**"What'll happen to them?" said Ron eagerly.**

**"Well, put it this way," said Hermione, "it'll make Eloise Midgeon's acne look like a couple of cute freckles."**

"Understatement." Draco coughed.

"Severe understatement." Astoria mumbled.

**"Come on, let's get down to breakfast and see what the others think... I wonder whether this has been put up in all the houses?"**

**It was immediately apparent on entering the Great Hall that Umbridge's sign had not only appeared in Gryffindor Tower. There was a peculiar intensity about the chatter and an extra measure of movement in the Hall as people scurried up and down their tables conferring on what they had read. Harry, Ron and Hermione had barely taken their seats when Neville, Dean, Fred, George and Ginny descended upon them.**

**"Did you see it?"**

**"D'you reckon she knows?"**

**"What are we going to do?"**

**They were all looking at Harry. He glanced around to make sure there were no teachers near them.**

**"We're going to do it anyway of course," he said quietly.**

**"Knew you'd say that," said George, beaming and thumping Harry on the arm.**

**"The prefects as well?" said Fred, looking quizzically at Ron and Hermione.**

**"Of course," said Hermione coolly.**

"It was their idea after all." Harry grinned.

**"Here come Ernie and Hannah Abbott," said Ron, looking over his shoulder. "And those Ravenclaw blokes and Smith... and no one looks very spotty."**

**Hermione looked alarmed. "Never mind spots, the idiots can't come over here now, it'll look really suspicious - sit down!" she mouthed to Ernie and Hannah, gesturing frantically to them to rejoin the Hufflepuff table. "Later! We'll - talk - to - you - later!"**

**"I'll tell Michael," said Ginny impatiently, swinging herself off her bench, "the fool, honestly..."**

"Skipping a little. This is when we were in History and after we'd heard the decree involved Quidditch teams form Angelina." Harry explained.

"What!" the Quidditch fans, who hadn't known, yelled.

Jinx and Jex, who had been curled up at Harry and Ginny's feet glanced at them all for the noise.

"Yeah, all the teams had to be given permission to reform." George nodded.

"Slytherin got permission instantly. But Umbridge said she'd have to consider it for the Gryffindor team." Fred added.

"Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff both had to wait about a week for her to decide." Luna commented.

"So anyway, I wasn't in the mood to even attempt to listen in History." Harry sighed, "That's where we'll start."

**Harry did not even attempt to follow what he was saying today; he doodled idly on his parchment, ignoring Hermione's frequent glares and nudges, until a particularly painful poke in the ribs made him look up angrily.**

**"What?"**

**She pointed at the window. Harry looked round. Hedwig was perched on the narrow window ledge, gazing through the thick glass at him, a letter tied to her leg. Harry could not understand it; they had just had breakfast, why on earth hadn't she delivered the letter then, as usual? Many of his classmates were pointing out Hedwig to each other, too.**

**"Oh, I've always loved that owl, she's so beautiful," Harry heard Lavender sigh to Parvati.**

"She really was beautiful." Dora smiled.

"And she knew it." Harry chuckled, "Very intelligent too, she knew exactly what you were saying to her."

"Like when you set her on us." Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Other times too. Like when she wasn't listening to me or refusing to come near me when I had a letter to send all I had to do was tell her if she wasn't up to it I'd just have to ask Ron to borrow Pig or say I'd just borrow a school owl." he grinned, "That got her listening and eager to do her job well rather quickly." he chuckled.

"That's a good point." Ron nodded, grinning.

**He glanced round at Professor Binns who continued to read his notes, serenely unaware that the class's attention was even less focused upon him than usual. Harry slipped quietly off his chair, crouched down and hurried along the row to the window, where he slid the catch and opened it very slowly.**

**He had expected Hedwig to hold out her leg so that he could remove the letter and then fly off to the Owlery but the moment the window was open wide enough she hopped inside, hooting dolefully. He closed the window with an anxious glance at Professor Binns, crouched low again and sped back to his seat with Hedwig on his shoulder. He regained his seat, transferred Hedwig to his lap and made to remove the letter tied to her leg.**

**Only then did he realise that Hedwig's feathers were oddly ruffled; some were bent the wrong way, and she was holding one of her wings at an odd angle.**

"What's wrong with her?" Petunia asked worriedly.

"We think someone tried to intercept her." Harry explained.

**"She's hurt!" Harry whispered, bending his head low over her. Hermione and Ron leaned in closer; Hermione even put down her quill. "Look - there's something wrong with her wing -"**

**Hedwig was quivering; when Harry made to touch the wing she gave a little jump, all her feathers on end as though she was inflating herself, and gazed at him reproachfully.**

**"Professor Binns," said Harry loudly, and everyone in the class turned to look at him. "I'm not feeling well."**

**Professor Binns raised his eyes from his notes, looking amazed, as always, to find the room in front of him full of people.**

**"Not feeling well?" he repeated hazily.**

**"Not at all well," said Harry firmly getting to his feet with Hedwig concealed behind his back. "I think I need to go to the hospital wing."**

**"Yes," said Professor Binns, clearly very much wrong-footed. "Yes... yes, hospital wing... well, off you go, then, Perkins..."**

"Binns called me that once." James commented.

"I don't think he's ever gotten names right." Minerva mused, "He didn't when he was alive either, he was the teacher when I was at school but he was alive then. And just as boring really."

"No one had the heart to convince him he really was dead." Albus sighed, "I certainly didn't want to. He doesn't look like it but when he wants to he can be incredibly stubborn."

"He'll be getting replaced." Minerva shrugged, "I asked Sir Nicholas to convince him he really is dead and Nick agreed, Binns know's he's dead now but he's agreed to stay until I find a replacement. Quite difficult considering hardly anyone ever payed attention, consequently not knowing a lot about History."

"Oh I forgot to tell you Minerva, there's been an offer." Kingsley told her, "It's Charlene Tuffin, she retired from the Auror's about 10 years ago. She's quite good with History so I told her about the situation and she told me to tell you she'd do it if you wanted her to."

"I'll get her details later." Minerva nodded, "Any help getting competent teachers is appreciated, I'm rather relieved I've only got one or two posts to fill." she sighed.

"What's happening with Transfiguration?" Harry inquired.

"I've already got a replacement, a young lad from overseas, coming to take the job. He got his Mastery a few years ago and he's not much older than you, early 20's I believe." she smiled, "You'll need to wait to find out who he is, though."

"He's from overseas?" Hermione frowned, "Can you at least tell us where he's from?"

"I suppose." she smiled, "He's from Bulgaria. That's all I'm saying right now except he doesn't have much of an accent and his English is flawless."

**Once outside the room, Harry returned Hedwig to his shoulder and hurried off up the corridor, pausing to think only when he was out of sight of Binns's door. His first choice of somebody to cure Hedwig would have been Hagrid, of course, but as he had no idea where Hagrid was his only remaining option was to find Professor Grubbly-Plank and hope she would help.**

"Yes, go to her. She'll help." Molly nodded.

**He peered out of a window at the blustery, overcast grounds. There was no sign of her anywhere near Hagrid's cabin; if she was not teaching, she was probably in the staff room. He set off downstairs, Hedwig hooting feebly as she swayed on his shoulder.**

**Two stone gargoyles flanked the staff-room door. As Harry approached, one of them croaked, "You should be in class, Sonny Jim."**

**"This is urgent," said Harry curtly.**

**"Ooooh, urgent, is it?" said the other gargoyle in a high-pitched voice. "Well, that's put us in our place, hasn't it?"**

**Harry knocked. He heard footsteps, then the door opened and he found himself face to face with Professor McGonagall.**

**"You haven't been given another detention!" she said at once, her square spectacles flashing alarmingly.**

**"No, Professor!" said Harry hastily.**

**"Well then, why are you out of class?"**

**"It's urgent, apparently," said the second gargoyle snidely.**

**"I'm looking for Professor Grubbly-Plank," Harry explained. "It's my owl, she's injured."**

**"Injured owl, did you say?" Professor Grubbly-Plank appeared at Professor McGonagall's shoulder, smoking a pipe and holding a copy of the Daily Prophet.**

**"Yes," said Harry, lifting Hedwig carefully off his shoulder, "she turned up after the other post owls and her wing's all funny, look -"**

**Professor Grubbly-Plank stuck her pipe firmly between her teeth and took Hedwig from Harry while Professor McGonagall watched.**

**"Hmm," said Professor Grubbly-Plank, her pipe waggling slightly as she talked. "Looks like something's attacked her. Can't think what would have done it, though. Thestrals will sometimes go for birds, of course, but Hagrid's got the Hogwarts Thestrals well-trained not to touch owls."**

"It wouldn't have been the Thestrals." Luna shook her head, "They really are quite tame."

"They just look a little different." Harry grinned, "Right Luna?"

"Right." she nodded, smiling.

**Harry neither knew nor cared what Thestrals were; he just wanted to know that Hedwig was going to be all right. Professor McGonagall, however, looked sharply at Harry and said, "Do you know how far this owl's travelled, Potter?"**

**"Er," said Harry. "From London, I think."**

**He met her eyes briefly and knew, by the way her eyebrows had joined in the middle, that she understood 'London' to mean 'number twelve, Grimmauld Place'.**

**Professor Grubbly-Plank pulled a monocle out of the inside of her robes and screwed it into her eye, to examine Hedwig's wing closely. "I should be able to sort this out if you leave her with me, Potter," she said, "she shouldn't be flying long distances for a few days, in any case."**

"That's a relief," said Lily. "Hedwig will be fine in a few days and can send letters again."

**"Er - right - thanks," said Harry, just as the bell rang for break.**

**"No problem," said Professor Grubbly-Plank gruffly, turning back into the staff room.**

**"Just a moment, Wilhelmina!" said Professor McGonagall. "Potter's letter!"**

"Good thing you remembered that, but she wouldn't have understood it anyway." Hermione commented.

**"Oh yeah!" said Harry, who had momentarily forgotten the scroll tied to Hedwig's leg. Professor Grubbly-Plank handed it over and then disappeared into the staff room carrying Hedwig, who was staring at Harry as though unable to believe he would give her away like this. Feeling slightly guilty, he turned to go, but Professor McGonagall called him back.**

**"Potter!"**

**"Yes, Professor?"**

**She glanced up and down the corridor; there were students coming from both directions.**

**"Bear in mind," she said quickly and quietly, her eyes on the scroll in his hand, "that channels of communication in and out of Hogwarts may be being watched, won't you?"**

"Heed Minnie's warning, Harry," said James sternly. "We don't want Hedwig attacked again."

"Or anyone to find out he's been in contact with me." Sirius added.

**"I -" said Harry, but the flood of students rolling along the corridor was almost upon him. Professor McGonagall gave him a curt nod and retreated into the staff room, leaving Harry to be swept out into the courtyard with the crowd. He spotted Ron and Hermione already standing in a sheltered corner, their cloak collars turned up against the wind. Harry slit open the scroll as he hurried towards them and found five words in Sirius's handwriting:**

**Today, same time, same place.**

"Well, unless someone knows what it's referring to, nobody can figure out what it means." said Remus.

"Which is why I only put that down." Sirius nodded.

**"Is Hedwig OK?" asked Hermione anxiously, the moment he was within earshot.**

**"Where did you take her?" asked Ron.**

**"To Grubbly-Plank," said Harry. "And I met McGonagall... listen..."**

**And he told them what Professor McGonagall had said. To his surprise, neither of the others looked shocked. On the contrary, they exchanged significant looks.**

**"What?" said Harry, looking from Ron to Hermione and back again.**

**"Well, I was just saying to Ron... what if someone had tried to intercept Hedwig? I mean, she's never been hurt on a flight before, has she?"**

"No, she hasn't." said Lily. "It is likely someone tried to intercept Hedwig."

**"Who's the letter from, anyway?" asked Ron, taking the note from Harry.**

**"Snuffles," said Harry quietly.**

**"'Same time, same place?' Does he mean the fire in the common room?"**

**"Obviously," said Hermione, also reading the note. She looked uneasy. "I just hope nobody else has read this..."**

**"But it was still sealed and everything," said Harry, trying to convince himself as much as her. "And nobody would understand what it meant if they didn't know where we'd spoken to him before, would they?"**

**"I don't know," said Hermione anxiously, hitching her bag back over her shoulder as the bell rang again, "it wouldn't be exactly difficult to reseal the scroll by magic... and if anyone's watching the Floo Network... but I don't really see how we can warn him not to come without that being intercepted, too!"**

"That's the end of that memory, we'll just explain a bit." Harry decided.

"Alright, Umbridge got worse for a start." Ron said, "We found out the Slytherin's got permission to continue playing Quidditch instantly when Draco was boasting about it before potions."

"He made a comment about it not being long till Harry was dragged to St Mungo's and put in a ward for people who's brains had been addled by magic." Hermione scowled.

"We had to grab Neville at that one." Harry nodded.

"I was about to attack him." Neville muttered, "You should've let me."

"Sorry about that by the way, I actually didn't know about your parents." Draco said.

"I didn't think it wise to tell you, I knew you'd just use the information to pick on him." Cissy shrugged, "And I didn't tell you anything about Bella until... Well... You know when." she added.

Draco nodded, "We did have a surprise in potions class that day though."

"What?" James asked.

"Umbridge." Harry told him, "She was inspecting our class. It was hard to decide who I wanted to win more. Snape or Umbridge."

"The majority of the class was on Snape's side." Neville smirked, "Just proves how much people hated Umbridge if we were all silently cheering Snape on."

"Amen to that. Uncle Sev did make himself very unpopular with anyone but the Slytherin's." Draco mused, "I think he did it on purpose."

"Why would he do that though?" Lily frowned.

"Why dont you ask me?" Snape said, shuffling into the picture Albus was in. "You never know, I might actually tell you."

"Alright, why did you make yourself unpopular?" Alice asked, humoring him.

"To keep my cover. I couldn't be seen being anything but unfriendly towards the other houses. I would have been killed immediately if Voldemort suspected I'd gone soft and completely over to the light side." he said slowly, "I could not risk my cover as a spy."

Draco mumbled something incoherent.

"Something on your mind Draco?" he asked, noticing this.

"And it stopped people asking you questions." he said louder.

"I didn't stop you, I just didn't answer." he stated, "And if I remember correctly you weren't talking to me after your 5th year and only started talking to me again at the end of your 6th. Except when you had to, of course." he added, "Though I wont deny it did stop others asking too many questions."

"What's the problem with people asking questions?" Dudley frowned.

"Questions are a spy's downfall." Albus put in, "The more people knew about Severus and his past, the less chance there was of him being able to continue spying for the light."

"I suppose that makes sense." Charlie said slowly, "You still could've been nicer in class." he told Snape.

"True. It wouldn't have applied for Potter though, I could not be seen being nice to him as I think I've explained before."

"You have. Just know I wont be holding it against you even though I did back then." Harry informed him.

Snape nodded curtly and turned to Minerva, "Fillius and Pomona have handed in their timetables for your approval, they're on your desk." he told her, "And Horace said he wont be long with his."

"Thank you Severus." she smiled, "I'll read through them later on."

He nodded once and edged out of the frame again.

"Hey, Minerva? Who's going to be Head of Gryffindor if your Headmistress now?" Regulus asked.

"At the moment I don't know." she admitted, "I was considering asking my Granddaughter if she'd do it. She wouldn't be teaching anything but she might agree to come stay at the castle temporarily to do the Head of House duties until I find someone to take the position permanently. She never attended Hogwarts so she'll need a few days to come to terms with the school and get used to being here. She was home schooled you see."

"I didnt know you had kids, let alone a Granddaughter." James mused.

"I have two son's and a daughter, and five Grandchildren, all of whom are in their late 20's or 30's." she admitted, "I've actually got a Great Grandchild on the way as well."

"Really?" Hermione asked curiously.

Minerva nodded, "They live down in England so I rarely see them but my Granddaughter said she'd come up to visit for a while before school starts."

"It must hurt to not see them much." Molly sighed.

"Just a bit. It's been every two years since they moved down there, with the war however, I've not seen them in at least 4 years." she sighed, looking a bit uncomfortable to be admitting something like that, "But enough of that. What's next Harry?" she asked, clearly changing the subject.

"Oh, right... Well, after potions we went to Divination." he said.

"And Trelawney was in a really bad mood. Turns out Umbridge put her on probation." Ron shook his head.

"That was odd. We'd never seen her act like that before." Neville mused.

"We actually felt sorry for her." Harry nodded, "After that we went to DADA and I managed not to get detention..."

"That must be a first." James snorted.

"... Then when we got back to the common room after dinner that night, Angelina told us Quidditch practice was cancelled because Umbridge hadnt made up her mind wether to let us reform or not." Harry continued as though he never heard James.

"Then while we were sitting doing our homework Fred and George had finished one of their products and were demonstrating it for the students." Hermione added.

"What product?" Sirius asked.

"Puking Pastilles." the twins grinned.

"Which was very distracting with the sound of retching, vomit landing in the bucket and the cheering of the crowd." Harry huffed.

"And I couldn't stop them doing it. There's nothing in the rules saying they couldnt eat the things themselves, just that they couldn't test them on others." Hermione made a face.

"We know." the twins smirked.

"We're not stupid -"

"- We checked beforehand -"

"- So we knew you couldn't do anything about it!" they finished together.

"And I'll just show the chat with Sirius." Harry decided.

**It was a long while before the crowd around the Weasley twins dispersed, then Fred, Lee and George sat up counting their takings even longer, so it was well past midnight when Harry, Ron and Hermione finally had the common room to themselves. At long last, Fred had closed the doorway to the boys' dormitories behind him, rattling his box of Galleons ostentatiously so that Hermione scowled. Harry, who was making very little progress with his Potions essay, decided to give it up for the night. As he put his books away, Ron, who was dozing lightly in an armchair, gave a muffled grunt, awoke, and looked blearily into the fire.**

**"Sirius!" he said.**

"Glad you noticed. I'd been there two minutes already." Sirius chuckled.

"You should've said something." Harry rolled his eyes.

**Harry whipped round. Sirius's untidy dark head was sitting in the fire again.**

**"Hi," he said, grinning.**

**"Hi," chorused Harry, Ron and Hermione, all three kneeling down on the hearthrug. Crookshanks purred loudly and approached the fire, trying, despite the heat, to put his face close to Sirius's.**

"He'd been missing you." Hermione smiled amusedly.

**"How're things?" said Sirius.**

**"Not that good," said Harry, as Hermione pulled Crookshanks back to stop him singeing his whiskers. "The Ministry's forced through another decree, which means we're not allowed to have Quidditch teams -"**

**"Or secret Defence Against the Dark Arts groups?" said Sirius.**

"Told you you were overheard." Remus grinned smugly.

"At the time we didn't know that. That conversation was how we found out." Ron told them.

**There was a short pause.**

**"How did you know about that?" Harry demanded.**

**"You want to choose your meeting places more carefully," said Sirius, grinning still more broadly. "The Hog's Head, I ask you."**

**"Well, it was better than the Three Broomsticks!" said Hermione defensively. "That's always packed with people -"**

**"Which means you'd have been harder to overhear," said Sirius. "You've got a lot to learn, Hermione."**

**"Who overheard us?" Harry demanded.**

**"Mundungus, of course," said Sirius, and when they all looked puzzled he laughed. "He was the witch under the veil."**

**"That was Mundungus?" Harry said, stunned. "What was he doing in the Hog's Head?"**

"Watching you. It was his turn again." Dora chuckled, "It's not that we didnt trust you -"

"- It's that trouble followed me constantly." Harry finished for her, "It was annoying being followed everywhere." he muttered.

"For you're own safety." Remus told him, smiling slightly, "Honestly, you're a magnet for trouble cub."

"I figured that out years ago, funnily enough." he replied, amusement filling him at the fact.

**"What do you think he was doing?" said Sirius impatiently. "Keeping an eye on you, of course."**

**"I'm still being followed?" asked Harry angrily.**

**"Yeah, you are," said Sirius, "and just as well, isn't it, if the first thing you're going to do on your weekend off is organise an illegal defence group."**

**But he looked neither angry nor worried. On the contrary, he was looking at Harry with distinct pride.**

"Of course." said Sirius. "I like what you're doing - or did, depending what time you look at it from."

**"Why was Dung hiding from us?" asked Ron, sounding disappointed. "We'd've liked to've seen him."**

**"He was banned from the Hog's Head twenty years ago," said Sirius, "and that barman's got a long memory. We lost Moody's spare Invisibility Cloak when Sturgis was arrested, so Dung's been dressing as a witch a lot lately... anyway... first of all, Ron - I've sworn to pass on a message from your mother."**

**"Oh yeah?" said Ron, sounding apprehensive.**

"She'll no doubt tell Ron he's not to take part and ask that Harry and Hermione do the same." Frank muttered sourly.

"Something like that." Molly admitted.

**"She says on no account whatsoever are you to take part in an illegal secret Defence Against the Dark Arts group. She says you'll be expelled for sure and your future will be ruined. She says there will be plenty of time to learn how to defend yourself later and that you are too young to be worrying about that right now. She also" (Sirius's eyes turned to the other two) "advises Harry and Hermione not to proceed with the group, though she accepts that she has no authority over either of them and simply begs them to remember that she has their best interests at heart. She would have written all this to you, but if the owl had been intercepted you'd all have been in real trouble, and she can't say it for herself because she's on duty tonight."**

**"On duty doing what?" said Ron quickly.**

**"Never you mind, just stuff for the Order," said Sirius. "So it's fallen to me to be the messenger and make sure you tell her I passed it all on, because I don't think she trusts me to."**

**There was another pause in which Crookshanks, mewing, attempted to paw Sirius's head, and Ron fiddled with a hole in the hearthrug.**

**"So, you want me to say I'm not going to take part in the Defence group?" he muttered finally.**

**"Me? Certainly not!" said Sirius, looking surprised. "I think it's an excellent idea!"**

"Of course you would Padfoot." James laughed.

**"You do?" said Harry, his heart lifting.**

**"Of course I do!" said Sirius. "D'you think your father and I would've lain down and taken orders from an old hag like Umbridge?"**

"We wouldn't." said James flatly, "And we'd make sure Moony didn't either."

"Somehow I don't doubt that." Remus mused.

**"But - last term all you did was tell me to be careful and not take risks -"**

**"Last year, all the evidence was that someone inside Hogwarts was trying to kill you, Harry!" said Sirius impatiently. "This year, we know there's someone outside Hogwarts who'd like to kill us all, so I think learning to defend yourselves properly is a very good idea!"**

**"And if we do get expelled?" Hermione asked, a quizzical look on her face.**

"But the whole thing was your idea, Hermione!" said Charlie.

"I know. To be honest I just wanted to know what Sirius thought, and I was thinking how we'd continue it if we did get expelled." she shrugged.

**"Hermione, this whole thing was your idea!" said Harry, staring at her.**

**"I know it was. I just wondered what Sirius thought," she said, shrugging.**

**"Well, better expelled and able to defend yourselves than sitting safely in school without a clue," said Sirius.**

**"Hear, hear," said Harry and Ron enthusiastically.**

**"So," said Sirius, "how are you organising this group? Where are you meeting?"**

**"Well, that's a bit of a problem now," said Harry. "Dunno where we're going to be able to go."**

**"How about the Shrieking Shack?" suggested Sirius.**

"I guess it could work," said James.

"No it won't, there's too many of them to get away with it." Remus disagreed.

"Yeah, only four of you did that when you were at school, three of you could turn into animals at will, but we're talking about 28 students here." Kingsley added, "Someone would notice them all going towards the tree."

"Especially since we used the invisibility cloak. And that was only you two." Remus explained, "It didn't matter if staff members saw me, and Wormtail was in form so he was too small to spot. It was only James and Sirius that had to hide under the cloak."

"Occasionally only me if Padfoot decided it was dark enough to not be seen." James realised, "Okay, it wouldn't work."

**"Hey, that's an idea!" said Ron excitedly, but Hermione made a sceptical noise and all three of them looked at her, Sirius's head turning in the flames.**

**"Well, Sirius, it's just that there were only four of you meeting in the Shrieking Shack when you were at school," said Hermione, "and all of you could transform into animals and I suppose you could all have squeezed under a single Invisibility Cloak if you'd wanted to. But there are twenty-eight of us and none of us is an Animagus, so we wouldn't need so much an Invisibility Cloak as an Invisibility Marquee -"**

**"Fair point," said Sirius, looking slightly crestfallen. "Well, I'm sure you'll come up with somewhere. There used to be a pretty roomy secret passageway behind that big mirror on the fourth floor, you might have enough space to practise jinxes in there."**

**"Fred and George told me it's blocked," said Harry, shaking his head. "Caved in or something."**

**"Oh..." said Sirius, frowning.**

"Shame we didn't find the Room of Requirement." Sirius muttered.

**"Well, I'll have a think and get back to -" He broke off. His face was suddenly tense, alarmed. He turned sideways, apparently looking into the solid brick wall of the fireplace.**

**"Sirius?" said Harry anxiously.**

**But he had vanished.**

"Where'd you go?" Alice frowned.

"You'll see." he sighed.

**Harry gaped at the flames for a moment, then turned to look at Ron and Hermione.**

**"Why did he -?"**

**Hermione gave a horrified gasp and leapt to her feet, still staring at the fire. A hand had appeared amongst the flames, groping as though to catch hold of something; a stubby, short-fingered hand covered in ugly old-fashioned rings.**

"Oh no," they moaned.

"Umbridge was policing the fireplaces," said Percy dismally.

"I did tell you the communications to the castle were being watched." Minerva told them.

**The three of them ran for it. At the door of the boys' dormitory Harry looked back. Umbridge's hand was still making snatching movements amongst the flames, as though she knew exactly where Sirius's hair had been moments before and was determined to seize it.**

"Yikes, that was close." Sirius mumbled, eyes wide.

"Too close." Harry agreed, "Next one." he announced.

* * *

><p>Review please x<p> 


	78. Chapter 78

Chapter 78 - Fifth Year (Part 10)

21, August, 1998.

"We'll explain a bit more. A lot of the memories are quite long and I want this over with." Harry sighed as Dora put Teddy on his bed, the little boy crawled up and sat happily on his Godfathers lap. "The next day Angelina told us she got permission to reform the Quidditch team and there was a practice that night."

"And it was pouring down with rain." Ron muttered.

"No luck there. Mind you, I used to plan practices in the rain on purpose." James grinned sheepishly.

"I told you he was doing it on purpose." Alice told Frank smugly.

"It was better to practice in all weathers. We didn't get to pick the weather on game days." James pointed out.

"Fair point, even if most of the team wanted to hex you after practice." Frank muttered.

"Nothing new there." Sirius chuckled, "You all wanted to hex both of us constantly for some reason or other anyway."

"Good point. Continue Harry." Alice smirked.

"After the practice my scar flared again and I started realising what it was." he admitted, "The emotions that is. He was angry because something he wanted done wasn't getting done fast enough, in Umbridge's office during that detention he was really happy about something, the night before we came back to Hogwarts he was furious... The thing is I dont know how I knew that, I just kind of said it and realised how true it was."

"It was a little spooky." Ron nodded, "Your eyes were clouded mate, like you were daydreaming, but you still responded to me when I spoke."

"Told you he hadn't poked himself in the eye." George muttered to Fred.

"I didn't disagree with you. I just said Ron could probably handle whatever it was and suggested we try to get rid of the boils." he replied.

"Boils?" Charlie asked.

The twins grimace, "Malfunction with the Fever Fudge." George winced.

"Very large nasty boils appeared in a place we never put on show." Fred added, making a face.

"I dont think we want to know." Molly told Arthur, who nodded his agreement.

"Anyway... I don't know how but from then on I could usually read his emotions." Harry admitted.

"You never told anyone either." Hermione huffed, "You couldn't tell Sirius in case it was intercepted and you wouldn't tell Albus either."

"I already guessed." Albus told her, "I'd warned Harry it might happen after all. I didn't realise it had started that early though."

"I should've told you, no matter how upset I was with you at the time." Harry muttered, "The night after that I was attempting to read a passage for potions but I fell asleep and ended up having a dream about the corridor again until I was woken up by Dobby." he smiled, "He'd been the one taking Hermione's clothes for him and Winky and he told me none of the other house elves would clean the tower so he did it, but he didn't mind doing it because he'd hoped to see me there one night and liked the work." he explained.

"He was also returning Hedwig, fully recovered." Hermione smiled, they all cheered, "Harry asked Dobby if he knew anywhere for the DA to meet, not using the name as it had not been decided yet of course, and Dobby told him exactly where the Room of Requirement was and how to access it."

"Since Angelina thankfully cancelled Quidditch practice the next night we decided to have the meeting then and spent the majority of the day finding and telling the members where to go and when." Ron explained, "Are you showing the meeting mate?"

"Yeah." Harry nodded, Remus was the one who put the memory in for him this time.

**At half past seven Harry, Ron and Hermione left the Gryffindor common room, Harry clutching a certain piece of aged parchment in his hand.**

The Marauders grinned.

**Fifth-years were allowed to be out in the corridors until nine o'clock, but all three of them kept looking around nervously as they made their way along the seventh floor.**

"If you keep that up, it'll just prove to others that you're up to something." James said.

"We didn't pass anyone." Ron shrugged.

"And I was watching the map." Harry added, "We just couldn't help it."

**"Hold it," Harry warned, unfolding the piece of parchment at the top of the last staircase, tapping it with his wand and muttering, "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."**

**A map of Hogwarts appeared on the blank surface of the parchment. Tiny black moving dots, labelled with names, showed where various people were.**

**"Filch is on the second floor," said Harry, holding the map close to his eyes, "and Mrs. Norris is on the fourth."**

**"And Umbridge?" said Hermione anxiously.**

**"In her office," said Harry, pointing. "OK, lets go."**

**They hurried along the corridor to the place Dobby had described to Harry, a stretch of blank wall opposite an enormous tapestry depicting Barnabas the Barmy's foolish attempt to train trolls for the ballet.**

**"OK," said Harry quietly, while a moth-eaten troll paused in his relentless clubbing of the would-be ballet teacher to watch them. "Dobby said to walk past this bit of wall three times, concentrating hard on what we need."**

**They did so, turning sharply at the window just beyond the blank stretch of wall, then at the man-sized vase on its other side. Ron had screwed up his eyes in concentration; Hermione was whispering something under her breath; Harry's fists were clenched as he stared ahead of him.**

**We need somewhere to learn to fight... he thought. Just give us a place to practise... somewhere they can't find us...**

**"Harry!" said Hermione sharply, as they wheeled around after their third walk past.**

**A highly polished door had appeared in the wall. Ron was staring at it, looking slightly wary. Harry reached out, seized the brass handle, pulled open the door and led the way into a spacious room lit with flickering torches like those that illuminated the dungeons eight floors below.**

**The walls were lined with wooden bookcases and instead of chairs there were large silk cushions on the floor. A set of shelves at the far end of the room carried a range of instruments such as Sneakoscopes, Secrecy Sensors and a large, cracked Foe-Glass that Harry was sure had hung, the previous year, in the fake Moody's office.**

"It's the perfect room to practice Defence in." declared Lily.

"That's what we needed." Harry smiled, "So that's what we got."

**"These will be good when we're practising Stunning," said Ron enthusiastically, prodding one of the cushions with his foot.**

**"And just look at these books!" said Hermione excitedly, running a finger along the spines of the large leather-bound tomes. "A Compendium of Common Curses and their Counter-Actions... The Dark Arts Outsmarted... Self-Defensive Spellwork... wow..."**

**She looked around at Harry, her face glowing, and he saw that the presence of hundreds of books had finally convinced Hermione that what they were doing was right.**

"It would." said Ron, sounding amused, "You really do love your books." he told his girlfriend.

**"Harry, this is wonderful, there's everything we need here!"**

**And without further ado she slid Jinxes for the Jinxed from its shelf, sank on to the nearest cushion and began to read.**

**There was a gentle knock on the door. Harry looked round. Ginny, Neville, Lavender, Parvati and Dean had arrived.**

**"Whoa," said Dean, staring around, impressed. "What is this place?"**

**Harry began to explain, but before he had finished more people had arrived and he had to start all over again. By the time eight o'clock arrived, every cushion was occupied. Harry moved across to the door and turned the key protruding from the lock; it clicked in a satisfyingly loud way and everybody fell silent, looking at him. Hermione carefully marked her page of Jinxes for the Jinxed and set the book aside.**

**"Well," said Harry, slightly nervously. "This is the place we've found for practice sessions, and you've - er - obviously found it OK."**

**"It's fantastic!" said Cho, and several people murmured their agreement.**

**"It's bizarre," said Fred, frowning around at it. "We once hid from Filch in here, remember, George? But it was just a broom cupboard then."**

"And yet we never clicked on until that day." George mused.

**"Hey, Harry, what's this stuff?" asked Dean from the rear of the room, indicating the Sneakoscopes and the Foe-Glass.**

**"Dark detectors," said Harry, stepping between the cushions to reach them. "Basically they all show when Dark wizards or enemies are around, but you don't want to rely on them too much, they can be fooled..."**

**He gazed for a moment into the cracked Foe-Glass; shadowy figures were moving around inside it, though none was recognisable.**

**He turned his back on it.**

**"Well, I've been thinking about the sort of stuff we ought to do first and - er -" He noticed a raised hand. "What, Hermione?"**

**"I think we ought to elect a leader," said Hermione.**

**"Harry's leader," said Cho at once, looking at Hermione as though she were mad.**

"I thought it ought to be done officially." Hermione shrugged at the looks she was getting, "It also probably stopped a few people arguing with Harry over doing something."

"Like Smith when it came to working on disarming." Harry nodded with a smile, "He thought it was stupid."

"An embarrassing amount of us couldn't do it properly." Neville sighed.

**Harry's stomach did yet another back-flip.**

Ginny glared at memory Cho.

**"Yes, but I think we ought to vote on it properly," said Hermione, unperturbed. "It makes it formal and it gives him authority. So - everyone who thinks Harry ought to be our leader?"**

**Everybody put up their hand, even Zacharias Smith, though he did it very half-heartedly.**

**"Er - right, thanks," said Harry, who could feel his face burning. "And - what, Hermione?"**

**"I also think we ought to have a name," she said brightly, her hand still in the air. "It would promote a feeling of team spirit and unity, don't you think?"**

**"Can we be the Anti-Umbridge League?" said Angelina hopefully.**

"That's a good name," said Sirius. "They are against her but you wouldnt be able to say it in public."

**"Or the Ministry of Magic are Morons Group?" suggested Fred.**

"The MoMaMG? Bit long I think." Dudley chuckled, shifting his sleeping daughters weight a little.

**"I was thinking," said Hermione, frowning at Fred, "more of a name that didn't tell everyone what we were up to, so we can refer to it safely outside meetings."**

**"The Defence Association?" said Cho. "The DA for short, so nobody knows what we're talking about?"**

**"Yeah, the DA's good," said Ginny. "Only let's make it stand for Dumbledore's Army, because that's the Ministry's worst fear, isn't it?"**

"That does make more sense than Defence Association, that sounds a bit formal but Dumbledores Army is a good idea." Frank commented.

"Not too formal and scared the heck out of the Ministry when we were forced into the open." Ginny grinned.

**There was a good deal of appreciative murmuring and laughter at this.**

**"All in favour of the DA?" said Hermione bossily, kneeling up on her cushion to count. "That's a majority - motion passed!"**

**She pinned the piece of parchment with all of their signatures on it on to the wall and wrote across the top in large letters: DUMBLEDORE'S ARMY.**

**"Right," said Harry, when she had sat down again, "shall we get practising then? I was thinking, the first thing we should do is Expelliarmus, you know, the Disarming Charm. I know it's pretty basic but I've found it really useful -"**

**"Oh, please," said Zacharias Smith, rolling his eyes and folding his arms. "I don't think Expelliarmus is exactly going to help us against You-Know-Who, do you?"**

"He really should learn to shut up." Charlie muttered.

**"I've used it against him," said Harry quietly. "It saved my life in June."**

**Smith opened his mouth stupidly. The rest of the room was very quiet.**

**"But if you think it's beneath you, you can leave," Harry said.**

**Smith did not move. Nor did anybody else.**

**"OK," said Harry, his mouth slightly drier than usual with all these eyes upon him, "I reckon we should all divide into pairs and practise."**

**It felt very odd to be issuing instructions, but not nearly as odd as seeing them followed. Everybody got to their feet at once and divided up. Predictably, Neville was left partnerless.**

"I was still having trouble with my spells." Neville told them.

"Why was that?" Alice frowned.

"I didnt have my own wand and I wasn't all that confident."

"You didn't have your own wand?" Frank asked confused.

"I was using yours, Gran seemed to find it fitting." he explained. "I eventually got my own wand though, I only got it on my 16th birthday."

"Mum should know mine has always been temperamental with other people, hell it didnt even like her that much." Frank muttered, "No wonder your wand work wasn't all that good."

"There was a drastic improvement after he got a new wand." Minerva smiled, "Not just in the wands responses either, I noticed a big confidence boost."

Neville flushed.

"Confidence is a big part of magic, you need to beleive something will work or it wont." Amber nodded, "That's part of why wandless magic is trickier to master, because people often doubt it will work."

"There's that and the fact that the more frustrated you are the less you are concentrating, it takes a lot of concentration, belief and determination to be able to do the simplest spells without a wand." James added. "I know a few transfigurations and charms, I've always found transfiguration easier though and it took me at least 3 years before I got them right every time."

"And it takes a lot of effort too, especially if your out of practice." Amber mused, "Even though I can do a few things wandlessly it was always easier with a wand for me."

"But if anyone wants to learn wandless magic, just say so." James shrugged, "Even if it's just basic stuff like summoning, it could save your life."

"Like if you lose your wand in a duel, you can just summon it back to you. Or summon your opponents wand wandlessly since they wouldn't be expecting that." Draco said thoughtfully, James nodded as they all turned back to the memory.

**"You can practise with me," Harry told him. "Right - on the count of three, then - one, two, three -"**

**The room was suddenly full of shouts of Expelliarmus. Wands flew in all directions; missed spells hit books on shelves and sent them flying into the air. Harry was too quick for Neville, whose wand went spinning out of his hand, hit the ceiling in a shower of sparks and landed with a clatter on top of a bookshelf, from which Harry retrieved it with a Summoning Charm. Glancing around, he thought he had been right to suggest they practise the basics first; there was a lot of shoddy spellwork going on; many people were not succeeding in Disarming their opponents at all, but merely causing them to jump backwards a few paces or wince as their feeble spell whooshed over them.**

"I can't believe that so many of them don't know Disarming," said Sirius, looking incredulous.

"Considering the teachers we had... I mean two decent teachers out of five isn't a good record is it?" Hermione asked rhetorically.

**"Expelliarmus!" said Neville, and Harry, caught unawares, felt his wand fly out of his hand.**

**"I DID IT!" said Neville gleefully. "I've never done it before - I DID IT!"**

**"Good one!" said Harry encouragingly, deciding not to point out that in a real duel Neville's opponent was unlikely to be staring in the opposite direction with his hand held loosely at his side. "Listen, Neville, can you take it in turns to practise with Ron and Hermione for a couple of minutes so I can walk around and see how the rest are doing?"**

**Harry moved off into the middle of the room. Something very odd was happening to Zacharias Smith. Every time he opened his mouth to disarm Anthony Goldstein, his own wand would fly out of his hand, yet Anthony did not seem to be making a sound. Harry did not have to look far to solve the mystery: Fred and George were several feet from Smith and taking it in turns to point their wands at his back.**

They all laughed.

"Really boys. That wasnt nice." Molly chuckled.

"He deserved it." they said, not looking sorry at all.

**"Sorry, Harry," said George hastily, when Harry caught his eye. "Couldn't resist."**

**Harry walked around the other pairs, trying to correct those who were doing the spell wrong. Ginny was teamed with Michael Corner; she was doing very well, whereas Michael was either very bad or unwilling to jinx her.**

"He was unwilling." Ginny muttered, "I swear he thought I was made of glass or something."

**Ernie Macmillan was flourishing his wand unnecessarily, giving his partner time to get in under his guard; the Creevey brothers were enthusiastic but erratic and mainly responsible for all the books leaping off the shelves around them; Luna Lovegood was similarly patchy, occasionally sending Justin Finch-Fletchley's wand spinning out of his hand, at other times merely causing his hair to stand on end.**

"Well, it looks as if most of them need practice," said Remus, shaking his head.

**"OK, stop!" Harry shouted. "Stop! STOP!"**

**I need a whistle, he thought, and immediately spotted one lying on top of the nearest row of books. He caught it up and blew hard. Everyone lowered their wands.**

**"That wasn't bad," said Harry, "but there's definite room for improvement." Zacharias Smith glared at him. "Let's try again."**

**He moved off around the room again, stopping here and there to make suggestions. Slowly, the general performance improved.**

"You really were a great teacher Harry." Luna smiled.

**He avoided going near Cho and her friend for a while, but after walking twice around every other pair in the room felt he could not ignore them any longer.**

**"Oh no," said Cho rather wildly as he approached. "Expelliarmious! I mean, Expellimellius - I - oh, sorry, Marietta!"**

**Her curly-haired friend's sleeve had caught fire; Marietta extinguished it with her own wand and glared at Harry as though it was his fault.**

**"You made me nervous, I was doing all right before then!" Cho told Harry ruefully.**

**"That was quite good," Harry lied, but when she raised her eyebrows he said, "Well, no, it was lousy, but I know you can do it properly, I was watching from over there."**

**She laughed. Her friend Marietta looked at them rather sourly and turned away.**

**"Don't mind her," Cho muttered. "She doesn't really want to be here but I made her come with me. Her parents have forbidden her to do anything that might upset Umbridge. You see - her mum works for the Ministry."**

"That's not good." said Lily. "If Marietta doesn't want to be here, Cho shouldn't have made her."

**"What about your parents?" asked Harry.**

**"Well, they've forbidden me to get on the wrong side of Umbridge, too," said Cho, drawing herself up proudly. "But if they think I'm not going to fight You-Know-Who after what happened to Cedric -"**

"Bringing Cedric up won't help things," said James, wincing.

**She broke off, looking rather confused, and an awkward silence fell between them; Terry Boot's wand went whizzing past Harry's ear and hit Alicia Spinnet hard on the nose.**

**"Well, my dad is very supportive of any anti-Ministry action!" said Luna Lovegood proudly from just behind Harry; evidently she had been eavesdropping on his conversation while Justin Finch-Fletchley attempted to disentangle himself from the robes that had flown up over his head. "He's always saying he'd believe anything of Fudge; I mean, the number of goblins Fudge has had assassinated! And of course he uses the Department of Mysteries to develop terrible poisons, which he secretly feeds to anybody who disagrees with him. And then there's his Umgubular Slashkilter -"**

**"Don't ask," Harry muttered to Cho as she opened her mouth, looking puzzled. She giggled.**

**"Hey, Harry," Hermione called from the other end of the room, "have you checked the time?"**

**He looked down at his watch and was shocked to see it was already ten past nine, which meant they needed to get back to their common rooms immediately or risk being caught and punished by Filch for being out of bounds. He blew his whistle; everybody stopped shouting 'Expelliarmus' and the last couple of wands clattered to the floor.**

**"Well, that was pretty good," said Harry, "but we've overrun, we'd better leave it here. Same time, same place next week?"**

**"Sooner!" said Dean Thomas eagerly and many people nodded in agreement.**

**Angelina, however, said quickly, "The Quidditch season's about to start, we need team practices too!"**

**"Let's say next Wednesday night, then," said Harry, "we can decide on additional meetings then. Come on, we'd better get going."**

**He pulled out the Marauder's Map again and checked it carefully for signs of teachers on the seventh floor. He let them all leave in threes and fours, watching their tiny dots anxiously to see that they returned safely to their dormitories: the Hufflepuffs to the basement corridor that also led to the kitchens; the Ravenclaws to a tower on the west side of the castle, and the Gryffindors along the corridor to the Fat Lady's portrait.**

**"That was really, really good, Harry," said Hermione, when finally it was just her, Harry and Ron who were left.**

**"Yeah, it was!" said Ron enthusiastically, as they slipped out of the door and watched it melt back into stone behind them. "Did you see me disarm Hermione, Harry?"**

**"Only once," said Hermione, stung. "I got you loads more than you got me -"**

"And let's not watch this argument." Harry chuckled, "It lasted all the way to the common room."

Ron and Hermione both blushed as the Marauders and twins snickered.

"So that was the first DA lesson?" Dora asked, rolling her eyes at the snickering men.

"Yep, a really huge success." Neville grinned.

"I must say it seems as though you have a natural talent for teaching, Harry." Albus beamed down at him.

Harry shrugged self-consciously, "I based the lessons off of what I'd seen Remus do." he admitted, tickling Teddy's ribs as he prodded Harry's stomach for attention, making the boy laugh, "It helped everyone was willing to listen to me too."

"I doubt even I could have managed that so well." Remus told him honestly, "And I know what you mean when you thought it was odd watching them do as you said, I thought the same thing the first lesson I taught." he chuckled.

"It really was weird." Harry mused.

"You expected us not to listen?" Neville asked, "Of course we would."

"It's just that no one, not even one person, hesitated and the only one to protest at all to doing disarmers was Smith." he shrugged, "Add to the fact that most people thought I was mad..."

"None of the people in that room thought that. If they did they wouldn't have shown up." Luna pointed out.

"Or if they did they would've realised they were wrong after the first few meetings." Fred grinned.

"After all, you would've blown up someone by then if you were as 'unbalanced' as the Prophet said, Smith being the common target." George smirked.

"He was annoying to the extent I actually wanted to curse him." Harry agreed, "I just got better at controlling my temper."

"At least at times you did." Hermione nodded, "Other times it was highly probable you'd argue with and yell at people."

"People meaning Umbridge and Professor Snape right?" he inquired.

"Nothing new about that though." Ron mused when she nodded, "Both of them were easy to argue with, Umbridge more so than Snape."

"Who'd you say was more dangerous of the two?" Kingsley inquired.

"Umbridge." all the teens said instantly.

"Snape's detentions weren't torture sessions." Neville pointed out, "Umbridge, as you've seen, used that quill."

Molly frowned, "How many of you actually had detentions with that quill?"

"All of the DA." Fred said hesitantly, obviously not wanting to answer, "And... Quite a few other students once she'd almost taken complete control."

"And no one reported it?!" Minerva demanded.

"A lot of students couldnt." Luna sighed, "I think she put charms on the quills to make sure no one could tell anyone."

"She must've, I tried telling Gran at Christmas but I ended up just telling her she had me cleaning bedpans in here. I couldn't tell her about the quill." Neville explained.

"But I told Ron." Harry disagreed.

"True but... I don't think she counted on you telling anyone." James muttered, "Or maybe it was a charm that stopped you telling anyone who could do something about it."

"And it must have worn off by now." Kingsley nodded thoughtfully, "Otherwise we still wouldn't know about it."

"It is possible." Albus sighed, "Though if students had reported it there wasn't much that could be done."

"I think I'll get Fillius, Pomona and Slughorn to ask their students if they'd had detentions with her." Minerva sighed.

"I'll further that and put an article in the Prophet when it's up and running again, telling anyone who had detentions with Umbridge to either contact you or to tell an Auror." Kingsley said, "Students who've left probably had detentions with her too, and at the moment it's not looking like Umbridge is getting out of a life sentence in Azkaban, the high security cells."

"I don't think even that would be good enough for her." Sirius growled, "Evil hag."

"There's the Dementors Kiss, but that'd be a shame on everyone who's dead." Harry mused, "Even if she would go to hell. I actually hate her more than Riddle, and that's saying something."

_We could hand her to the Centaurs again_, Hermione told the teens who knew what had happened before.

They all laughed silently, hiding smiles behind their hands, _But that's cruelty Hermione, _Ginny told her.

_To the Centaurs anyway,_ Draco said.

"What's gotten into you lot?" Lily asked looking at the teens shaking in silent laughter.

"Nothing." Harry assured her, chuckling, "Just a comment Hermione made, we'll tell you later." he promised, he checked his watch, "One more memory before dinner I think."

They all nodded in agreement, some still looking confused at why the teens had been laughing.

* * *

><p>Review please x<p> 


	79. Chapter 79

Chapter 79 - Fifth Year (Part 10.5)

21, August, 1998.

"We'll watch a quick on that explains how we communicated." Harry told them, "Then we'll skip a little."

They all agreed so Harry flicked his wand at the Pensieve.

**Harry felt as though he were carrying some kind of talisman inside his chest over the following two weeks, a glowing secret that supported him through Umbridge's classes and even made it possible for him to smile blandly as he looked into her horrible bulging eyes. He and the DA were resisting her under her very nose, doing the very thing she and the Ministry most feared, and whenever he was supposed to be reading Wilbert Slinkhard's book during her lessons he dwelled instead on satisfying memories of their most recent meetings, remembering how Neville had successfully disarmed Hermione, how Colin Creevey had mastered the Impediment Jinx after three meetings' hard effort, how Parvati Patil had produced such a good Reductor Curse that she had reduced the table carrying all the Sneakoscopes to dust.**

"Well, the students appear to be doing well," said Lily, smiling.

"Except Remus, Harry's the best Defence Against Dark Arts teacher we've ever had." Fred grinned.

"Way better than the fake Moody." George nodded.

**He was finding it almost impossible to fix a regular night of the week for the DA meetings, as they had to accommodate three separate team's Quidditch practices, which were often rearranged due to bad weather conditions; but Harry was not sorry about this; he had a feeling that it was probably better to keep the timing of their meetings unpredictable. If anyone was watching them, it would be hard to make out a pattern.**

"Which is a good thing." Regulus nodded.

"Since it was guaranteed you were being watched." Cissy commented.

**Hermione soon devised a very clever method of communicating the time and date of the next meeting to all the members in case they needed to change it at short notice, because it would look suspicious if people from different Houses were seen crossing the Great Hall to talk to each other too often.**

**She gave each of the members of the DA a fake Galleon (Ron became very excited when he first saw the basket and was convinced she was actually giving out gold).**

**"You see the numerals around the edge of the coins?" Hermione said, holding one up for examination at the end of their fourth meeting. The coin gleamed fat and yellow in the light from the torches. "On real Galleons that's just a serial number referring to the goblin who cast the coin. On these fake coins, though, the numbers will change to reflect the time and date of the next meeting. The coins will grow hot when the date changes, so if you're carrying them in a pocket you'll be able to feel them. We take one each, and when Harry sets the date of the next meeting he'll change the numbers on his coin, and because I've put a Protean Charm on them, they'll all change to mimic his."**

"You could do a Protean charm?" Minerva asked in shock, "That's a NEWT level spell."

"I know." Hermione smiled, "It took me a week to get it right every time, but it was useful." she shrugged.

**A blank silence greeted Hermione's words. She looked around at all the faces upturned to her, rather disconcerted.**

**"Well - I thought it was a good idea," she said uncertainly, "I mean, even if Umbridge asked us to turn out our pockets, there's nothing fishy about carrying a Galleon, is there? But... well, if you don't want to use them -"**

**"You can do a Protean Charm?" said Terry Boot.**

**"Yes," said Hermione.**

**"But that's… that's NEWT standard, that is," he said weakly.**

**"Oh," said Hermione, trying to look modest. "Oh... well... yes, I suppose it is."**

**"How come you're not in Ravenclaw?" he demanded, staring at Hermione with something close to wonder. "With brains like yours?"**

**"Well, the Sorting Hat did seriously consider putting me in Ravenclaw during my Sorting," said Hermione brightly, "but it decided on Gryffindor in the end. So, does that mean we're using the Galleons?"**

**There was a murmur of assent and everybody moved forwards to collect one from the basket. Harry looked sideways at Hermione.**

**"You know what these remind me of?"**

**"No, what's that?"**

**"The Death Eater's scars. Voldemort touches one of them, and all their scars burn, and they know they've got to join him."**

"They are similar..." Draco frowned, "Regulus, do you think the Dark Mark's could have something to do with the Portean charm?"

Regulus frowned, "It might... I suppose it must really, considering they burned when someone was called... But we could be called individually..."

"The coins can be used individually too." Neville told them, "We altered them a little so we could send messages to sole members or a member who'd left school."

"Like us." George nodded.

"We got messages through last year when none of the others did." Fred explained, "In regards to how things were going at the school so we could give feedback to the Order."

"And earlier when Dean sent that message about Smith with that article, I'm willing to bet they'd tried to get Harry, Ginny, Ron or Hermione but didn't get a reply so he messaged Neville and I to make sure." Luna added.

"We really should start carrying ours around with us again." Harry mused. Ron and Hermione nodded.

"I've got mine." Ginny shrugged, she took her coin out of her pajama pocket, "I didn't feel it going off..." she looked closely at the rim of the coin, "Apparently it did though, the message is there." she frowned.

"You might not have felt it." Dora said.

"I didn't really feel mine." Neville admitted, "But I have mine around my neck on a chain so it was against my skin, I only felt it heat up a little, it was luck I noticed it really."

"Must have something to do with the higher body temperature." Luna mused, "We cant really feel them because they were hot to the normal human temperature, not to Lycan temperature."

"We can look into it later." Hermione shrugged.

**"Well... yes," said Hermione quietly, "that is where I got the idea... but you'll notice I decided to engrave the date on bits of metal rather than on our members' skin."**

**"Yeah... I prefer your way," said Harry, grinning, as he slipped his Galleon into his pocket. "I suppose the only danger with these is that we might accidentally spend them."**

"Unlikely." Fred shook his head, "Most members were smart enough to keep them away from their real Galleons. And they weren't exact copies of Galleons anyway, they were lighter in weight and a bit thinner. They'd be classed as fake." he shrugged.

"But at first glance no one would notice." George said, "They made very convincing copies."

"Good, they were supposed to." Hermione smirked. "What's next?"

"Quidditch." Harry told them, making all the fans cheer, "The first match of the year."

**As the first Quidditch match of the season, Gryffindor versus Slytherin, drew nearer, their DA meetings were put on hold because Angelina insisted on almost daily practices.**

"It's not like we could've concentrated during DA meetings anyway." Ron shrugged, "Even the Hufflepuff's and Ravenclaw's were really interested and exited about this match."

"It was the first one in a year." Harry agreed.

**The fact that the Quidditch Cup had not been held for so long added considerably to the interest and excitement surrounding the forthcoming game; the Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs were taking a lively interest in the outcome, for they, of course, would be playing both teams over the coming year; and the Heads of House of the competing teams, though they attempted to disguise it under a decent pretence of sportsmanship, were determined to see their own side victorious. Harry realised how much Professor McGonagall cared about beating Slytherin when she abstained from giving them homework in the week leading up to the match.**

**"I think you've got enough to be getting on with at the moment," she said loftily. Nobody could quite believe their ears until she looked directly at Harry and Ron and said grimly, "I've become accustomed to seeing the Quidditch Cup in my study, boys, and I really don't want to have to hand it over to Professor Snape, so use the extra time to practise, won't you?"**

"I cant beleive you did that." James told Minerva.

She smirked, "Well do beleive it. It happened and Severus had been talking about how he was getting it back that year, I wasnt about to sit and let that happen."

**Snape was no less obviously partisan; he had booked the Quidditch pitch for Slytherin practice so often that the Gryffindors had difficulty getting on it to play. He was also turning a deaf ear to the many reports of Slytherin attempts to hex Gryffindor players in the corridors.**

"He what?!" the Marauders yelled in outrage.

"He always did it." the twins told them.

"Every match Slytherin played in there was often one or two sabotage attempts." Harry nodded grimly, "Remember what you've seen so far." he added.

"It's ridiculous though! Even when we were at school Slughorn would hand out detentions and the likes." Alice grumbled, "And we'd get them unless we were defending ourselves."

**When Alicia Spinnet turned up in the hospital wing with her eyebrows growing so thick and fast they obscured her vision and obstructed her mouth, Snape insisted that she must have attempted a Hair-thickening Charm on herself and refused to listen to the fourteen eye-witnesses who insisted they had seen the Slytherin Keeper, Miles Bletchley, hit her from behind with a jinx while she worked in the library.**

**Harry felt optimistic about Gryffindor's chances; they had, after all, never lost to Malfoy's team.**

"Most of it due to the fact I was too distracted with taunting Harry to look for the Snitch." Draco chuckled.

"I'll have more of a challenge in the future then?" Harry smirked.

"Definately." he grinned.

**Admittedly, Ron was still not performing to Wood's standard, but he was working extremely hard to improve. His greatest weakness was a tendency to lose confidence after he had made a blunder; if he let in one goal he became flustered and was therefore likely to miss more. On the other hand, Harry had seen Ron make some truly spectacular saves when he was on form; during one memorable practice he had hung one-handed from his broom and kicked the Quaffle so hard away from the goal hoop that it soared the length of the pitch and through the centre hoop at the other end; the rest of the team felt this save compared favourably with one made recently by Barry Ryan, the Irish International Keeper, against Poland's top Chaser, Ladislaw Zamojski. Even Fred had said that Ron might yet make him and George proud, and that they were seriously considering admitting he was related to them, something they assured him they had been trying to deny for four years.**

Molly looked at the twins with a raised eyebrow.

"Now Mum, don't look at us like that -" Fred started.

"- We did it with Bill, Percy and Charlie too -" George continued.

"- We didn't do it with Ginny though -"

"- And even when we tried to deny it, it didn't work -"

"- Not with the same second name and family hair to prove our denial false." they finished together.

"And really we were trying to cheer Ron up." Fred added.

Frank was looking between the twins, "Molly how on earth could you put up with them finishing each others sentences like that."

"Practice. My brothers did it occasionally too." she chuckled, "And Fred and George have done it since they could talk."

"They have." Charlie nodded, "It got really annoying."

The twins grinned, "Glad to hear it."

**The only thing really worrying Harry was how much Ron was allowing the tactics of the Slytherin team to upset him before they even got on to the pitch.**

"Can't you just ignore them or come up with a retort?" Remus asked Ron.

"No." he stated, "Not at that time anyway."

**Harry, of course, had endured their snide comments for over four years, so whispers of, "Hey, Potty, I heard Warrington's sworn to knock you off your broom on Saturday", far from chilling his blood, made him laugh.**

**"Warrington's aim's so pathetic I'd be more worried if he was aiming for the person next to me," he retorted, which made Ron and Hermione laugh and wiped the smirk off Pansy Parkinson's face.**

**But Ron had never endured a relentless campaign of insults, jeers and intimidation. When Slytherins, some of them seventh-years and considerably larger than he was, muttered as they passed in the corridors, "Got your bed booked in the hospital wing, Weasley?" he didn't laugh, but turned a delicate shade of green. When Draco Malfoy imitated Ron dropping the Quaffle (which he did whenever they came within sight of each other), Ron's ears glowed red and his hands shook so badly that he was likely to drop whatever he was holding at the time, too.**

"I wanted to punch you." Ron told Draco.

"You should've." he stated.

**October extinguished itself in a rush of howling winds and driving rain and November arrived, cold as frozen iron, with hard frosts every morning and icy draughts that bit at exposed hands and faces. The skies and the ceiling of the Great Hall turned a pale, pearly grey, the mountains around Hogwarts were snow-capped, and the temperature in the castle dropped so low that many students wore their thick protective dragonskin gloves in the corridors between lessons.**

**The morning of the match dawned bright and cold.**

**When Harry awoke he looked round at Ron's bed and saw him sitting bolt upright, his arms around his knees, staring fixedly into space.**

**"You all right?" said Harry.**

**Ron nodded but did not speak. Harry was reminded forcibly of the time Ron had accidentally put a Slug-vomiting Charm on himself; he looked just as pale and sweaty as he had done then, not to mention as reluctant to open his mouth.**

**"You just need some breakfast," Harry said bracingly. "C'mon."**

**The Great Hall was filling up fast when they arrived, the talk louder and the mood more exuberant than usual. As they passed the Slytherin table there was an upsurge of noise. Harry looked round and saw that, in addition to the usual green and silver scarves and hats, every one of them was wearing a silver badge in the shape of what seemed to be a crown. For some reason many of them waved at Ron, laughing uproariously. Harry tried to see what was written on the badges as he walked by, but he was too concerned to get Ron past their table quickly to linger long enough to read them.**

"I would guess that it's something making fun of Gryffindor," Regulus mused, "In particular, Ron, since they're waving at him and laughing."

"Good guess." Neville muttered, "What it was certainly didn't help matters."

**They received a rousing welcome at the Gryffindor table, where everyone was wearing red and gold, but far from raising Ron's spirits the cheers seemed to sap the last of his morale; he collapsed on to the nearest bench looking as though he were facing his final meal.**

**"I must've been mental to do this," he said in a croaky whisper. "Mental"**

**"Don't be thick," said Harry firmly, passing him a choice of cereals, "you're going to be fine. It's normal to be nervous."**

**"I'm rubbish," croaked Ron. "I'm lousy. I can't play to save my life. What was I thinking?"**

"Your nerves are worse than what Padfoots were." James shook his head.

**"Get a grip," said Harry sternly. "Look at that save you made with your foot the other day, even Fred and George said it was brilliant."**

**Ron turned a tortured face to Harry. "That was an accident," he whispered miserably. "I didn't mean to do it - I slipped off my broom when none of you were looking and when I was trying to get back on I kicked the Quaffle by accident."**

"Damn, we didn't even notice." Fred muttered.

"Not to worry, a few more accidents like that and we'd be fine." George mused, "Of course we know the outcome already but that's not important."

**"Well," said Harry, recovering quickly from this unpleasant surprise, "a few more accidents like that and the game's in the bag, isn't it?"**

**Hermione and Ginny sat down opposite them wearing red and gold scarves, gloves and rosettes.**

**"How're you feeling?" Ginny asked Ron, who was now staring into the dregs of milk at the bottom of his empty cereal bowl as though seriously considering attempting to drown himself in them.**

**"He's just nervous," said Harry.**

**"Well, that's a good sign, I never feel you perform as well in exams if you're not a bit nervous," said Hermione heartily.**

"Exams and Quidditch are two different things though." said Alice.

**"Hello," said a vague and dreamy voice from behind them. Harry looked up: Luna Lovegood had drifted over from the Ravenclaw table. Many people were staring at her and a few were openly laughing and pointing; she had managed to procure a hat shaped like a life-size lion's head, which was perched precariously on her head.**

"Supporting Gryffindor?" Frank chuckled.

Luna nodded, "I always did unless Ravenclaw were playing."

**"I'm supporting Gryffindor," said Luna, pointing unnecessarily at her hat. "Look what it does..."**

**She reached up and tapped the hat with her wand. It opened its mouth wide and gave an extremely realistic roar that made everyone in the vicinity jump.**

"That hat was very distracting." Draco muttered.

"For the Slytherin's anyway." Astoria mused, "The Gryffindor's didn't look for the sound when it went off."

"I'm guessing that's what the Slytherin's did?" Dudley asked.

"Most of them, yes." Draco nodded.

**"It's good, isn't it?" said Luna happily. "I wanted to have it chewing up a serpent to represent Slytherin, you know, but there wasn't time. Anyway... good luck, Ronald!"**

**She drifted away. They had not quite recovered from the shock of Luna's hat before Angelina came hurrying towards them, accompanied by Katie and Alicia, whose eyebrows had mercifully been returned to normal by Madam Pomfrey.**

**"When you're ready," she said, "we're going to go straight down to the pitch, check out conditions and change."**

**"We'll be there in a bit," Harry assured her. "Ron's just got to have some breakfast."**

"You actually thought I could eat anymore?" Ron asked incredulously.

"It was worth a try." Hermione told him, "And we'd done it to Harry before his first game. It was only fair to do it to you too."

**It became clear after ten minutes, however, that Ron was not capable of eating anything more and Harry thought it best to get him down to the changing rooms. As they rose from the table, Hermione got up, too, and taking Harry's arm she drew him to one side.**

**"Don't let Ron see what's on those Slytherin badges," she whispered urgently.**

**Harry looked questioningly at her, but she shook her head warningly; Ron had just ambled over to them, looking lost and desperate.**

**"Good luck, Ron," said Hermione, standing on tiptoe and kissing him on the cheek.**

A few raised their eyebrows at Hermione but didn't comment.

**"And you, Harry -"**

**Ron seemed to come to himself slightly as they walked back across the Great Hall. He touched the spot on his face where Hermione had kissed him, looking puzzled, as though he was not quite sure what had just happened. He seemed too distracted to notice much around him, but Harry cast a curious glance at the crown-shaped badges as they passed the Slytherin table, and this time he made out the words etched on to them: Weasley is our King.**

"This can't be good." Regulus muttered, "Definitely not."

**With an unpleasant feeling that this could mean nothing good, he hurried Ron across the Entrance Hall, down the stone steps and out into the icy air.**

**The frosty grass crunched under their feet as they hurried down the sloping lawns towards the stadium. There was no wind at all and the sky was a uniform pearly white, which meant that visibility would be good without the drawback of direct sunlight in the eyes. Harry pointed out these encouraging factors to Ron as they walked, but he was not sure that Ron was listening.**

**Angelina had changed already and was talking to the rest of the team when they entered. Harry and Ron pulled on their robes (Ron attempted to do his up back-to-front for several minutes before Alicia took pity on him and went to help), then sat down to listen to the pre-match talk while the babble of voices outside grew steadily louder as the crowd came pouring out of the castle towards the pitch.**

**"OK, I've only just found out the final line-up for Slytherin," said Angelina, consulting a piece of parchment. "Last year's Beaters, Derrick and Bole, have left, but it looks as though Montague's replaced them with the usual gorillas, rather than anyone who can fly particularly well. They're two blokes called Crabbe and Goyle, I don't know much about them -"**

"Those goons are the Beaters?" Remus demanded.

"They'll be rubbish, then. In flying, at any rate." James stated.

Draco rolled his eyes, "They werent all that bad, a bit shaky and hesitant, but they were better than the alternatives." he shrugged.

**"We do," said Harry and Ron together.**

**"Well, they don't look bright enough to tell one end of a broom from the other," said Angelina, pocketing her parchment, "but then I was always surprised Derrick and Bole managed to find their way on to the pitch without signposts."**

**"Crabbe and Goyle are in the same mould," Harry assured her.**

**They could hear hundreds of footsteps mounting the banked benches of the spectators' stands. Some people were singing, though Harry could not make out the words. He was starting to feel nervous, but he knew his butterflies were as nothing compared to Ron's, who was clutching his stomach and staring straight ahead again, his jaw set and his complexion pale grey.**

"Looks like Ron hasn't gotten over his nerves yet," said James dismally.

**"It's time," said Angelina in a hushed voice, looking at her watch. "C'mon everyone... good luck."**

**The team rose, shouldered their brooms and marched in single file out of the changing room and into the dazzling sunlight. A roar of sound greeted them in which Harry could still hear singing, though the cheers and whistles muffled it.**

**The Slytherin team was standing waiting for them. They, too, were wearing those silver crown-shaped badges. The new Captain, Montague, was built along the same lines as Dudley Dursley, with massive forearms like hairy hams. Behind him lurked Crabbe and Goyle, almost as large, blinking stupidly in the sunlight, swinging their new Beaters' bats. Malfoy stood to one side, the sunlight gleaming on his white-blond head. He caught Harry's eye and smirked, tapping the crown-shaped badge on his chest.**

**"Captains, shake hands," ordered the referee Madam Hooch, as Angelina and Montague reached each other. Harry could tell that Montague was trying to crush Angelina's fingers, though she did not wince. "Mount your brooms..."**

**Madam Hooch placed her whistle in her mouth and blew.**

**The balls were released and the fourteen players shot upwards. Out of the corner of his eye Harry saw Ron streak off towards the goalhoops. Harry zoomed higher, dodging a Bludger, and set off on a wide lap of the pitch, gazing around for a glint of gold; on the other side of the stadium, Draco Malfoy was doing exactly the same.**

**"And it's Johnson - Johnson with the Quaffle, what a player that girl is, I've been saying it for years but she still won't go out with me -"**

They all laughed over Lee Jordan's commentary.

"He had. Since at least our third year." George chuckled.

"I think it's good their finally together now." Fred added.

**"JORDAN!" yelled Professor McGonagall.**

**"- Just a fun fact, Professor, adds a bit of interest - and she's ducked Warrington, she's passed Montague, she's - ouch - been hit from behind by a Bludger from Crabbe... Montague catches the Quaffle, Montague heading back up the pitch and - nice Bludger there from George Weasley, that's a Bludger to the head for Montague, he drops the Quaffle, caught by Katie Bell, Katie Bell of Gryffindor reverse-passes to Alicia Spinnet and Spinnet's away -"**

"I'm glad we told him how to tell us apart." George told Fred quietly.

"Me too. It made things easier when he knew which of us he was talking to or about. Like the commontary's." Fred nodded.

**Lee Jordan's commentary rang through the stadium and Harry listened as hard as he could through the wind whistling in his ears and the din of the crowd, all yelling and booing and singing.**

**"- Dodges Warrington, avoids a Bludger - close call, Alicia - and the crowd are loving this, just listen to them, what's that they're singing?"**

**And as Lee paused to listen, the song rose loud and clears from the sea of green and silver in the Slytherin section of the stands:**

**"Weasley cannot save a thing, He cannot block a single ring, That's why Slytherins all sing: Weasley is our King.**

**Weasley was born in a bin, He always lets the Quaffle in, and Weasley will make sure we win, Weasley is our King."**

"Oh no." groaned Percy, "That's not going to help."

"I'd noticed." Ron muttered.

"It may have been aimed at Ron but it distracted us too." Fred admitted with George nodding solemnly.

"And briefly me." Harry sighed, "Mainly making sure you three wouldn't try anything before I got the Snitch."

**"- And Alicia passes back to Angelina!" Lee shouted, and as Harry swerved, his insides boiling at what he had just heard, he knew Lee was trying to drown out the words of the song. "Come on now, Angelina - looks like she's got just the Keeper to beat! - SHE SHOOTS - SHE - aaaah..."**

**Bletchley, the Slytherin Keeper, had saved the goal; he threw the Quaffle to Warrington who sped off with it, zig-zagging in between Alicia and Katie; the singing from below grew louder and louder as he drew nearer and nearer Ron.**

**"Weasley is our King, Weasley is our King, He always lets the Quaffle in Weasley is our King."**

**Harry could not help himself: abandoning his search for the Snitch, he wheeled around to watch Ron, a lone figure at the far end of the pitch, hovering before the three goalhoops while the massive Warrington pelted towards him.**

**"- And it's Warrington with the Quaffle, Warrington heading for goal, he's out of Bludger range with just the Keeper ahead -"**

**A great swell of song rose from the Slytherin stands below:**

**"Weasley cannot save a thing, He cannot block a single ring..."**

**"- So it's the first test for new Gryffindor Keeper Weasley, brother of Beaters Fred and George, and a promising new talent on the team - come on, Ron!"**

**But the scream of delight came from the Slytherins' end: Ron had dived wildly, his arms wide, and the Quaffle had soared between them straight through Ron's central hoop.**

They all groaned loudly, but didn't say anything about Ron's miss.

**"Slytherin score!" came Lee's voice amid the cheering and booing from the crowds below, "so that's ten-nil to Slytherin - bad luck, Ron."**

**The Slytherins sang even louder:**

**"WEASLEY WAS BORN IN A BIN**

**HE ALWAYS LETS THE QUAFFLE IN..."**

**"- and Gryffindor back in possession and it's Katie Bell tanking up the pitch -" cried Lee valiantly, though the singing was now so deafening that he could hardly make himself heard above it.**

**"WEASLEY WILL MAKE SURE WE WIN**

**WEASLEY IS OUR KING..."**

**"Harry, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" screamed Angelina, soaring past him to keep up with Katie. "GET GOING!"**

**Harry realised he had been stationary in midair for over a minute, watching the progress of the match without sparing a thought for the whereabouts of the Snitch; horrified, he went into a dive and started circling the pitch again, staring around,**

"Yeah, get your mind back on looking for the Snitch, Harry!" Sirius growled.

"Oop's." he winced.

**trying to ignore the chorus now thundering through the stadium:**

**"WEASLEY IS OUR KING, WEASLEY IS OUR KING..."**

**There was no sign of the Snitch anywhere he looked; Malfoy was still circling the stadium just as he was. They passed one another midway around the pitch, going in opposite directions, and Harry heard Malfoy singing loudly:**

**"WEASLEY WAS BORN IN A BIN…"**

"Should've punched him on the way past Harry." Ron told him.

"And get myself in trouble? Or award them a penalty shot?" he asked incredulously, "Your forgetting Umbridge was there and I was more focused on getting the Snitch anyway."

**"- and it's Warrington again," bellowed Lee, "who passes to Pucey, Pucey's off past Spinnet, come on now, Angelina, you can take him - turns out you can't - but nice Bludger from Fred Weasley, I mean, George Weasley, oh, who cares, one of them, anyway, and Warrington drops the Quaffle and Katie Bell - er - drops it, too - so that's Montague with the Quaffle, Slytherin Captain Montague takes the Quaffle and he's off up the pitch, come on now, Gryffindor, block him!"**

**Harry zoomed around the end of the stadium behind the Slytherin goalhoops, willing himself not to look at what was going on at Ron's end. As he sped past the Slytherin Keeper, he heard Bletchley singing along with the crowd below:**

**"WEASLEY CANNOT SAVE A THING..."**

**"- and Pucey's dodged Alicia again and he's heading straight for goal, stop it, Ron!"**

**Harry did not have to look to see what had happened; there was a terrible groan from the Gryffindor end, coupled with fresh screams and applause from the Slytherins.**

**Looking down, Harry saw the pug-faced Pansy Parkinson right at the front of the stands, her back to the pitch as she conducted the Slytherin supporters who were roaring:**

**"THAT'S WHY SLYTHERINS ALL SING WEASLEY IS OUR KING."**

**But twenty-nil was nothing, there was still time for Gryffindor to catch up or catch the Snitch. A few goals and they would be in the lead as usual, Harry assured himself, bobbing and weaving through the other players in pursuit of something shiny that turned out to be Montague's watchstrap.**

**But Ron let in two more goals. There was an edge of panic in Harry's desire to find the Snitch now. If he could just get it soon and finish the game quickly.**

**"Yeah, the only way Gryffindor will win now is if Harry catches the Snitch very soon," said Lily. They all looked worried.**

**"- and Katie Bell of Gryffindor dodges Pucey, ducks Montague, nice swerve, Katie, and she throws to Johnson, Angelina Johnson takes the Quaffle, she's past Warrington, she's heading for goal, come on now, Angelina - GRYFFINDOR SCORE! It's forty-ten, forty-ten to Slytherin and Pucey has the Quaffle -"**

They all cheered. "Gryffindor is starting to catch up!" exclaimed James.

**Harry could hear Luna's ludicrous lion hat roaring amidst the Gryffindor cheers and felt heartened; only thirty points in it, that was nothing, they could pull back easily. Harry ducked a Bludger that Crabbe had sent rocketing in his direction and resumed his frantic scouring of the pitch for the Snitch, keeping one eye on Malfoy in case he showed signs of having spotted it, but Malfoy, like him, was continuing to soar around the stadium, searching fruitlessly...**

**"- Pucey throws to Warrington, Warrington to Montague, Montague back to Pucey -Johnson intervenes, Johnson takes the Quaffle, Johnson to Bell, this looks good - I mean bad - Bells hit by a Bludger from Goyle of Slytherin and it's Pucey in possession -"**

**"WEASLEY WAS BORN IN A BIN**

**HE ALWAYS LETS THE QUAFFLE IN**

**WEASLEY WILL MAKE SURE WE WIN -"**

"Oh, why can't they Slytherin's stop singing that stupid song?" Remus huffed.

"Because it worked to our advantage of distracting their Keeper and Beaters." Draco pointed out, "And unlike anything else we could've done, that wouldn't have Gryffindor awarded penalty shots because it's not against the rules." he stated.

"Unfortunately he's right. None of the teachers could do anything." Minerva sighed.

**But Harry had seen it at last: the tiny fluttering Golden Snitch was hovering feet from the ground at the Slytherin end of the pitch.**

"Finally," said Sirius. "Well, Gryffindor will win the match now, at least."

**He dived... In a matter of seconds, Malfoy was streaking out of the sky on Harry's left, a green and silver blur lying flat on his broom...**

**The Snitch skirted the foot of one of the goalhoops and scooted off towards the other side of the stands; its change of direction suited Malfoy, who was nearer; Harry pulled his Firebolt around, he and Malfoy were now neck and neck...**

**Feet from the ground, Harry lifted his right hand from his broom, stretching towards the Snitch... to his right, Malfoy's arm extended too, was reaching, groping...**

**It was over in two breathless, desperate, windswept seconds - Harry's fingers closed around the tiny, struggling ball - Malfoy's fingernails scrabbled the back of Harry's hand hopelessly - Harry pulled his broom upwards, holding the struggling ball in his hand and the Gryffindor spectators screamed their approval...**

They all cheered happily.

**They were saved, it did not matter that Ron had let in those goals, nobody would remember as long as Gryffindor had won - WHAM.**

**A Bludger hit Harry squarely in the small of the back and he flew forwards off his broom.**

"What!" cried Lily, outraged. "Who hit that Bludger at my son?"

"Crabbe." Astoria made a face.

**Luckily he was only five or six feet above the ground, having dived so low to catch the Snitch, but he was winded all the same as he landed flat on his back on the frozen pitch. He heard Madam Hooch's shrill whistle, an uproar in the stands compounded of catcalls, angry yells and jeering, a thud, then Angelina's frantic voice.**

**"Are you all right?"**

**"Course I am," said Harry grimly, taking her hand and allowing her to pull him to his feet. Madam Hooch was zooming towards one of the Slytherin players above him, though he could not see who it was from this angle.**

**"It was that thug Crabbe," said Angelina angrily, "he whacked the Bludger at you the moment he saw you'd got the Snitch - but we won, Harry, we won!"**

**Harry heard a snort from behind him and turned around, still holding the Snitch tightly in his hand: Draco Malfoy had landed close by. White-faced with fury, he was still managing to sneer.**

"Uh oh. Draco?" Hermione asked.

"Yes?"

"You might want to hide behind something. You do remember what you said right?" Harry asked

Draco frowned, "I don't actually."

"Hide. Your likely to get hexed." Ron told him.

He shrugged and stood up, changed into Snowstorm and stood beside a free bed, ready to dive behind it if needed.

**"Saved Weasley's neck, haven't you?" he said to Harry. "I've never seen a worse Keeper... but then he was born in a bin... did you like my lyrics, Potter?"**

"Nobody except the majority of the Slytherin's liked those stupid lyrics!" snapped Fred.

**Harry didn't answer. He turned away to meet the rest of the team who were now landing one by one, yelling and punching the air in triumph; all except Ron, who had dismounted from his broom over by the goalposts and seemed to be making his way slowly back to the changing rooms alone.**

**"We wanted to write another couple of verses!" Malfoy called, as Katie and Alicia hugged Harry. "But we couldn't find rhymes for fat and ugly - we wanted to sing about his mother, see -"**

Snowstorm coward and whimpered under the furious looks he was getting.

**"Talk about sour grapes," said Angelina, casting Malfoy a disgusted look.**

**"- We couldn't fit in useless loser either - for his father, you know -"**

**Fred and George had realised what Malfoy was talking about. Halfway through shaking Harry's hand, they stiffened, looking round at Malfoy.**

**"Leave it!" said Angelina at once, taking Fred by the arm. "Leave it, Fred, let him yell, he's just sore he lost, the jumped-up little -"**

**"- But you like the Weasleys, don't you, Potter?" said Malfoy, sneering. "Spend holidays there and everything, don't you? Can't see how you stand the stink, but I suppose when you've been dragged up by Muggles, even the Weasleys' hovel smells OK -"**

"The Weasleys don't live in a hovel, and it doesn't stink!" snapped Lily.

The Weasleys present, minus Molly and Arthur who looked a little angry but not overly, were all red faced in anger and glaring at the bed, behind which Snowstorm was now hiding. The others looked mildly annoyed and angry.

**Harry grabbed hold of George. Meanwhile, it was taking the combined efforts of Angelina, Alicia and Katie to stop Fred leaping on Malfoy, who was laughing openly. Harry looked around for Madam Hooch, but she was still berating Crabbe for his illegal Bludger attack.**

"That was a bad idea." George muttered, /Though amusing to know it took the three girls to hold you back/ he told Fred, using their own sign language.

Fred shrugged, /They figured Harry could handle holding you back. They didnt expect him to let go or lose his temper/ he signed back to his twin.

**"Or perhaps," said Malfoy, leering as he backed away, "you can remember what your mother's house stank like, Potter, and Weasleys pigsty reminds you of it -"**

"That is going too far!" shouted James, bolting to his feet and red with rage.

Lily grabbed his arm and pulled him back into his seat, "Ignore it James." she said, "Draco was upset about loosing and would likely say anything to upset the team, especially Harry and the twins." she added when he was about to protest.

Harry was holding onto Ginny, who had been trying to get up and hex Draco.

"Listen to her Ginny." he said nodding at his mother, "Besides, you know what happened." he whispered to her.

She growled at him but stopped trying to get back up.

**Harry was not aware of releasing George, all he knew was that a second later both of them were sprinting towards Malfoy. He had completely forgotten that all the teachers were watching: all he wanted to do was cause Malfoy as much pain as possible; with no time to draw out his wand, he merely drew back the fist clutching the Snitch and sank it as hard as he could into Malfoy's stomach -**

**"Harry! HARRY! GEORGE! NO!"**

**He could hear girls' voices screaming, Malfoy yelling, George swearing, a whistle blowing and the bellowing of the crowd around him, but he did not care. Not until somebody in the vicinity yelled "Impedimenta!" and he was knocked over backwards by the force of the spell, did he abandon the attempt to punch every inch of Malfoy he could reach.**

**"What do you think you're doing?" screamed Madam Hooch, as Harry leapt to his feet. It seemed to have been her who had hit him with the Impediment Jinx; she was holding her whistle in one hand and a wand in the other; her broom lay abandoned several feet away. Malfoy was curled up on the ground, whimpering and moaning, his nose bloody; George was sporting a swollen lip; the three Chasers were still forcibly restraining Fred, and Crabbe was cackling in the background. "I've never seen behaviour like it - back up to the castle, both of you, and straight to your Head of House's office! Go! Now."**

"Minnie will give them a week's detention at the very least." said James, shaking his head.

Minerva kept her face blank as did the others who knew what really happened. The others now much calmer after seeing Draco getting what he deserved.

Snowstorm crept out and slid his head under Astoria's chair, choosing to lie there and watch from behind her.

**Harry and George turned on their heels and marched off the pitch, both panting, neither saying a word to the other. The howling and jeering of the crowd grew fainter and fainter until they reached the Entrance Hall, where they could hear nothing except the sound of their own footsteps. Harry became aware that something was still struggling in his right hand, the knuckles of which he had bruised against Malfoy's jaw. Looking down, he saw the Snitch's silver wings protruding from between his fingers, struggling for release.**

**They had barely reached the door of Professor McGonagall's office when she came marching along the corridor behind them. She was wearing a Gryffindor scarf, but tore it from her throat with shaking hands as she strode towards them, looking livid.**

**"In," she said furiously, pointing to the door. Harry and George entered. She strode around behind her desk and faced them, quivering with rage as she threw the Gryffindor scarf aside on to the floor.**

**"Well?" she said. "I have never seen such a disgraceful exhibition. Two on one! Explain yourselves!"**

**"Malfoy provoked us," said Harry stiffly.**

**"Provoked you?" shouted Professor McGonagall, slamming a fist on to her desk so that her tartan tin slid sideways off it and burst open, littering the floor with Ginger Newts. "He'd just lost, hadn't he? Of course he wanted to provoke you! But what on earth he can have said that justified what you two -"**

**"He insulted my parents," snarled George. "And Harry's mother."**

**"But instead of leaving it to Madam Hooch to sort out, you two decided to give an exhibition of Muggle duelling, did you?" bellowed Professor McGonagall. "Have you any idea what you've -?"**

**"Hem, hem."**

**Harry and George both wheeled round. Dolores Umbridge was standing in the doorway wrapped in a green tweed cloak that greatly enhanced her resemblance to a giant toad, and was smiling in the horrible, sickly, ominous way that Harry had come to associate with imminent misery.**

**"May I help, Professor McGonagall?" asked Professor Umbridge in her most poisonously sweet voice.**

"Oh no, this does not look good." said Lily, shaking her head.

**Blood rushed into Professor McGonagall's face.**

**"Help?" she repeated, in a constricted voice. "What do you mean, help?"**

**Professor Umbridge moved forwards into the office, still smiling her sickly smile. "Why, I thought you might be grateful for a little extra authority."**

"Well, you can shove your authority up your -!" began Sirius.

"Sirius!" interrupted Lily. "Umbridge is horrible but don't swear." she scolded, nodding at Teddy, who was now sitting on the floor in front of Dora - having been lifted down from Harry's bed by Andy when he'd moved to the edge - watching them all curiously. And then nodding at Cecelia, who was doing the same from Dudley's knee.

**Harry would not have been surprised to see sparks fly from Professor McGonagall's nostrils.**

**"You thought wrong," she said, turning her back on Umbridge. "Now, you two had better listen closely. I do not care what provocation Malfoy offered you, I do not care if he insulted every family member you possess, your behaviour was disgusting and I am giving each of you a week's worth of detentions! Do not look at me like that, Potter, you deserve it! And if either of you ever -"**

**"Hem hem."**

**Professor McGonagall closed her eyes as though praying for patience as she turned her face towards Professor Umbridge again.**

**"Yes?"**

**"I think they deserve rather more than detentions," said Umbridge, smiling still more broadly.**

"But since McGonagall is their Head of House, it's what she decides that counts," said James confusedly.

**Professor McGonagall's eyes flew open.**

**"But unfortunately," she said, with an attempt at a reciprocal smile that made her look as though she had lockjaw, "it is what I think that counts, as they are in my House, Dolores."**

**"Well, actually, Minerva," simpered Professor Umbridge, "I think you'll find that what I think does count. Now, where is it? Cornelius just sent it... I mean," she gave a false little laugh as she rummaged in her handbag, "the Minister just sent it... ah yes..."**

**She had pulled out a piece of parchment which she now unfurled, clearing her throat fussily before starting to read what it said.**

**"Hem, hem... 'Educational Decree Number Twenty-five'."**

"Not another one!" said Petunia, groaning. "Is this one going to give her power to overrule Minerva?"

"Exactly." Minerva sighed.

**"Not another one!" exclaimed Professor McGonagall violently.**

**"Well, yes," said Umbridge, still smiling. "As a matter of fact, Minerva, it was you who made me see that we needed a further amendment... you remember how you overrode me, when I was unwilling to allow the Gryffindor Quidditch team to reform? How you took the case to Dumbledore, who insisted that the team be allowed to play? Well, now, I couldn't have that. I contacted the Minister at once, and he quite agreed with me that the High Inquisitor has to have the power to strip pupils of privileges, or she - that is to say, I - would have less authority than common teachers! And you see now, don't you, Minerva, how right I was in attempting to stop the Gryffindor team reforming? Dreadful tempers... anyway, I was reading out our amendment... hem, hem... 'The High Inquisitor will henceforth have supreme authority over all punishments, sanctions and removal of privileges pertaining to the students of Hogwarts, and the power to alter such punishments, sanctions and removals of privileges as may have been ordered by other staff members. Signed, Cornelius Fudge, Minister for Magic, Order of Merlin First Class, etc., etc.'"**

**She rolled up the parchment and put it back into her handbag, still smiling.**

**"So... I really think I will have to ban these two from playing Quidditch ever again," she said, looking from Harry to George and back again.**

"What!?" shouted James, practically spitting in rage. "How dare she!"

"Maybe Albus can overturn it," said Amber. "Surely Headmaster has more power than a High Inquisitor."

"I couldnt." Albus sighed from the wall, reminding everyone he'd been there the whole time, "She had too much power by then. And the ban was only in effect during her time at Hogwarts."

"I'm glad she was only there for a year." Ginny muttered.

"Why is that by the way?" Frank frowned, "It seems impossible for a DADA teacher to stay more than a year, even when we were at school." he added.

"The job's cursed." Remus supplied, "I found out a few years ago, just after I resigned actually." he looked amused, "I find it highly ironic that I took a cursed position when I myself was cursed."

**Harry felt the Snitch fluttering madly in his hand.**

**"Ban us?" he said, and his voice sounded strangely distant. "From playing... ever again?"**

**"Yes, Mr. Potter, I think a lifelong ban ought to do the trick," said Umbridge, her smile widening still further as she watched him struggle to comprehend what she had said. "You and Mr. Weasley here. And I think, to be safe, this young man's twin ought to be stopped, too - if his team-mates had not restrained him, I feel sure he would have attacked young Mr. Malfoy as well."**

"Damn right I would have." Fred muttered.

"But you didnt even do anything!" Regulus protested.

"I would've if the girls hadn't held me back." he shrugged.

**"I will want their broomsticks confiscated, of course; I shall keep them safely in my office, to make sure there is no infringement of my ban. But I am not unreasonable, Professor McGonagall," she continued, turning back to Professor McGonagall who was now standing as still as though carved from ice, staring at her. "The rest of the team can continue playing, I saw no signs of violence from any of them. Well... good afternoon to you."**

**And with a look of the utmost satisfaction, Umbridge left the room, leaving a horrified silence in her wake.**

**"Banned," said Angelina in a hollow voice, late that evening in the common room. "Banned. No Seeker and no Beaters... what on earth are we going to do?"**

"Hold tryouts and get new ones," said Lily. "Though where you're going to find Beaters and a Seeker that's as good as the twins and Harry, I don't know."

"Ginny would've got the Seeker position." Harry told them, smiling proudly at his Fiancée, "She's even beat me a few times."

Ginny nodded in confirmation, "We would've been in trouble for Beaters though."

**It did not feel as though they had won the match at all. Everywhere Harry looked there were disconsolate and angry faces; the team themselves were slumped around the fire, all apart from Ron, who had not been seen since the end of the match.**

**"It's just so unfair," said Alicia numbly. "I mean, what about Crabbe and that Bludger he hit after the whistle had been blown? Has she banned him?"**

**"No," said Ginny miserably; she and Hermione were sitting on either side of Harry. "He just got lines, I heard Montague laughing about it at dinner."**

**"And banning Fred when he didn't even do anything!" said Alicia furiously, pummelling her knee with her fist.**

**"It's not my fault I didn't," said Fred, with a very ugly look on his face, "I would've pounded the little scumbag to a pulp if you three hadn't been holding me back."**

Snowstorm whimpered a little in fear.

Astoria looked down at him, "You would've deserved it you know."

The wolf nodded sadly and stayed lying down under her chair.

**Harry stared miserably at the dark window. Snow was falling. The Snitch he had caught earlier was now zooming around and around the common room; people were watching its progress as though hypnotised and Crookshanks was leaping from chair to chair, trying to catch it.**

**"I'm going to bed," said Angelina, getting slowly to her feet. "Maybe this will all turn out to have been a bad dream... maybe I'll wake up tomorrow and find we haven't played yet..."**

"That's not going to happen," said Sirius. "What a terrible day."

"At least she didn't consider drowning herself like Oliver did a few times." Fred chuckled.

**Alicia and Katie soon followed her. Fred and George sloped off to bed some time later, glowering at everyone they passed, and Ginny went not long after that. Only Harry and Hermione were left beside the fire.**

**"Have you seen Ron?" Hermione asked in a low voice.**

**Harry shook his head.**

**"I think he's avoiding us," said Hermione. "Where do you think he -?"**

"I wasn't avoiding you." Ron assured them, "I took a walk so I could think." he shrugged.

**But at that precise moment, there was a creaking sound behind them as the Fat Lady swung forwards and Ron came clambering through the portrait hole. He was very pale indeed and there was snow in his hair. When he saw Harry and Hermione, he stopped dead in his tracks.**

**"Where have you been?" said Hermione anxiously, springing up.**

**"Walking," Ron mumbled. He was still wearing his Quidditch things.**

**"You look frozen," said Hermione. "Come and sit down!"**

**Ron walked to the fireside and sank into the chair furthest from Harry's, not looking at him. The stolen Snitch zoomed over their heads. "I'm sorry," Ron mumbled, looking at his feet.**

**"What for?" said Harry.**

**"For thinking I can play Quidditch," said Ron. "I'm going to resign first thing tomorrow."**

"You hadn't heard?" Alice guessed.

"Nope." he confirmed, "I didn't even think those two would still be up."

**"If you resign," said Harry testily, "there'll only be three players left on the team." And when Ron looked puzzled, he said, "I've been given a lifetime ban. So've Fred and George."**

**"What?" Ron yelped.**

**Hermione told him the full story; Harry could not bear to tell it again. When she had finished, Ron looked more anguished than ever.**

**"This is all my fault -"**

**"You didn't make me punch Malfoy," said Harry angrily.**

**"- If I wasn't so terrible at Quidditch -"**

"Hold it. Ron you used to play Quidditch with us every holiday." Charlie said, "And you used to be Keeper all the time, you're quite decent from what I've seen, even when you're playing other positions. I don't know where you got the idea your terrible when you're not."

"Yeah, your only problem was confidence." Ginny nodded.

Ron shrugged, not bothering to comment.

**"- It's got nothing to do with that."**

**"- It was that song that wound me up -"**

**"- It would've wound anyone up."**

**Hermione got up and walked to the window, away from the argument, watching the snow swirling down against the pane.**

**"Look, drop it, will you!" Harry burst out. "It's bad enough, without you blaming yourself for everything!"**

**Ron said nothing but sat gazing miserably at the damp hem of his robes. After a while he said in a dull voice, "This is the worst I've ever felt in my life."**

**"Join the club," said Harry bitterly.**

**"Well," said Hermione, her voice trembling slightly. "I can think of one thing that might cheer you both up."**

**"Oh yeah?" said Harry sceptically.**

**"Yeah," said Hermione, turning away from the pitch-black, snow-flecked window, a broad smile spreading across her face. "Hagrid's back."**

They all cheered.

"Finally!" Sirius shouted, "You'll get to hear his story first hand."

Albus chuckled, "Did he even attempt to resist telling you?" he asked the Golden Trio.

"Not as soon as Ron told him I'd tell him about the Dementor attack in the summer. He didn't know about it so he told us in exchange for me telling him." Harry grinned.

"I can't say I'm surprised at that." Minerva mused, "Hagrid always was one for making deals, a story for a story."

"And I didn't say he couldn't tell you, just that he needed to be careful with what he'd been doing." Albus added, "We couldn't risk the other side knowing what we'd been doing."

"Didnt you suggest he tell them Albus? So they wouldn't keep asking about it?" Minerva asked amusedly.

"I did." he confirmed with a nod, "I know Hagrid didn't like hiding things from the three of them so I suggested he tell them."

"That and we'd probably have gotten him to tell us anyway." Hermione smiled, "He'd let something slip and we'd ask about it then he'd decide to just tell us."

"He knew we wouldn't talk about it somewhere we could be overheard." Ron added.

"Harry? Ginny? Can you help us down please?" Jinx asked. He and Jex were peering over the side of the bed.

"In a minute." Harry told them, "Andy can we try and get up now?"

Andy nodded, "I don't see a problem with it, just remember what Poppy said."

The four nodded and immediately swung their legs over the sides of the beds, Harry lifted Jex down and Ginny Jinx before they attempted to stand up.

The four were a little shakey when they first started to stand up, after lying and sitting down for quite sometime it was to be expected, but soon enough all four were on their feet, gaining cheers from the twins and Marauders.

Harry cast them an amused look as he walked around in a circle.

"Much better." Ginny grinned with a stretch, "Merlin I hate staying in bed so long."

"Which is why I convinced Poppy it was better for you to get up for a bit." Andy chuckled, "She wasn't going to until I pointed out you'd be getting stiff sitting down all day, you four are usually active and walking about so it would be bad for you to sit about barely moving at all anyway." she explained as she automatically steadied Hermione, who'd stumbled a little.

"I wonder if she's aware the visitor rules are rubbish." Ron mused, twisting to loosen his back.

"I'll work on that. It's proven that visitors help keep a patients mind off the pain, unless it's a headache or something." Andy mused, "When I was still working at St Mungo's I had to follow the visiting times there but in most cases the family members and friends were there from the start of the time to the end. Though if it was close family members like parents, guardians and older children I allowed them to stay as long as they didn't get in the way of my work."

"And I remember your boss wasn't all that happy about it whenever I had to be with you when I was younger." Dora mused, "Like when Dad was working and neither of you could get time off."

Andy nodded, "That could've been your habit of annoying him with questions."

"He deserved it." she shrugged, "He was a git and a half."

"Cant argue with that." she grinned, "He's was one of the oldest Healer's and thought he knew everything, a bit like Lockhart but his intentions were good and he usually did have it right."

"Unlike Lockhart?" Harry snorted, "I doubt I'll ever forget him removing all the bones in my arm."

"Well having to take Skele-Grow would be something you couldn't forget. It's vial stuff." Draco, who had crawled out from under Astoria's chair and transformed back, made a face, "No matter how much I alter the formula it doesn't speed up and it doesn't taste any better." he grumbled.

"And once it didn't work at all so it's a good thing the Manor's always kept stocked up with healing potions." Cissy commented amusedly.

"Why?" Sirius asked, "No offence but I didn't think you were the type of people to stock up on things like that."

"None taken. And I've always kept the Manner stocked up since the war started." Cissy shrugged, "Living at the Death Eater base with a son who blew up cauldrons every month or so tends to lead to a lot of injuries."

"It wasn't every month." Draco pouted, "It was every three or four months and it was usually distractions like the House-Elves apperating in when I was dealing with tricky potions. Or if I made a mistake and couldnt stop the explosion in time."

"True." Cissy nodded, "Though I'm glad it's less often now."

"You and me both. I didn't particularly enjoy being caught by the blasts." he pouted.

"Especially when Cissy had to call in Astoria or I, obviously only the ones since May." Andy chuckled.

"Yes but you both just laughed at me." he huffed.

"The one when you ended up with bright purple hair was worth laughing at." Astoria pointed out, "And we weren't the only ones laughing at you." she added.

"Bright purple hair?" Regulus asked amusedly.

"I was making a colour changing potion for... Something." he shrugged, "You'll guess what it is later on. Harry decided to send Kreacher to fetch me and he Apparated right into the room I use to make potions, I was adding armadillo bile at the time and too much fell into the cauldron and... well..." he mimed an explosion.

"Kreacher was quick enough to hide behind the counter." Harry chuckled, "So he didn't get hit. And Draco, I didn't tell him to Apparate in there."

"You didn't tell him not to." Ron chuckled, "You knew he was going to."

"He was gone before I could tell him not to." he shrugged, "Why don't we take a break for dinner then we'll continue." he suggested. They all nodded, ignoring the fact that Harry changed the subject.

* * *

><p>Review please x<p> 


	80. Chapter 80

Chapter 80 - Fifth Year (Part 11)

21, August, 1998.

After they'd all eaten, and the four bed ridden teens had wandered about the ward a bit more before sitting down again, Harry frowned.

"Should I just show Hagrid's story?" he asked Ron and Hermione.

"Why not start with our arrival at Hagrid's?" Hermione suggested.

"Just skip us going down and going back up." Ron nodded.

Harry nodded, "I'll do that. From when we got to Hagrid's front door it is then."

**They crunched excitedly through the thickening snow until at last they reached the wooden front door. When Harry raised his fist and knocked three times, a dog started barking frantically inside.**

**"Hagrid, its us!" Harry called through the keyhole.**

**"Shoulda known!" said a gruff voice.**

"Well, of course," said James. "You three are the only ones that are really close to Hagrid and would visit him the instant you discover that he's back."

**They beamed at each other under the Cloak; they could tell by Hagrid's voice that he was pleased. "Bin home three seconds... out the way, Fang... out the way, yeh dozy dog..."**

**The bolt was drawn back, the door creaked open and Hagrid's head appeared in the gap. Hermione screamed.**

"Huh?" Lily muttered confusedly.

"Look at his face when he turns to the light." Harry suggested.

**"Merlin's beard, keep it down!" said Hagrid hastily, staring wildly over their heads. "Under that Cloak, are yeh? Well, get in, get in!"**

**"I'm sorry!" Hermione gasped, as the three of them squeezed past Hagrid into the house and pulled the Cloak off themselves so he could see them. "I just - oh, Hagrid!"**

The women all gasped as memory-Hagrid turned to the light and all the men winced.

**"It's nuthin', it's nuthin'!" said Hagrid hastily, shutting the door behind them and hurrying to close all the curtains, but Hermione continued to gaze up at him in horror.**

**Hagrid's hair was matted with congealed blood and his left eye had been reduced to a puffy slit amid a mass of purple and black bruising. There were many cuts on his face and hands, some of them still bleeding, and he was moving gingerly, which made Harry suspect broken ribs.**

**It was obvious that he had only just got home; a thick black travelling cloak lay over the back of a chair and a haversack large enough to carry several small children leaned against the wall inside the door. Hagrid himself, twice the size of a normal man, was now limping over to the fire and placing a copper kettle over it.**

**"What happened to you?" Harry demanded, while Fang danced around them all, trying to lick their faces.**

"Hagrid was with the Giants." Remus mused, "Some of them must have attacked him."

"Nope." Ron muttered, "Not exactly anyway."

**"Told yeh, nuthin'," said Hagrid firmly. "Want a cuppa?"**

**"Come off it," said Ron, "you're in a right state!"**

**"I'm tellin' yeh, I'm fine," said Hagrid, straightening up and turning to beam at them all, but wincing. "Blimey, it's good ter see yeh three again - had good summers, did yeh?"**

**"Hagrid, you've been attacked!" said Ron.**

**"Fer the las' time, it's nuthin'!" said Hagrid firmly.**

"He really didn't want to tell you how he got injured did he?" Frank asked.

"When you find out what happened you'll get why he didn't want to." Hermione said cheerfully, "It's not overly bad despite our reactions to it back then."

**"Would you say it was nothing if one of us turned up with a pound of mince instead of a face?" Ron demanded.**

**"You ought to go and see Madam Pomfrey, Hagrid," said Hermione anxiously, "some of those cuts look nasty."**

**"I'm dealin' with it, all righ'?" said Hagrid repressively.**

"How?" asked Alice. "It's not like he could heal himself."

"You'd be surprised." Andy chuckled, "He'd seen me already, Poppy never had experience with those types of cuts and I gained the experience through the first war, so Hagrid popped in to see me before returning to Hogwarts and I told him what was the best thing for him to do."

**He walked across to the enormous wooden table that stood in the middle of his cabin and twitched aside a tea towel that had been lying on it. Underneath was a raw, bloody, green-tinged steak slightly larger than the average car tyre.**

"Dragon meat." Charlie mused, "I suppose it is good for most injuries, well the blood is anyway."

**"You're not going to eat that, are you, Hagrid?" said Ron, leaning in for a closer look. "It looks poisonous."**

**"It's s'posed ter look like that, it's dragon meat," Hagrid said. "An' I didn' get it ter eat."**

**He picked up the steak and slapped it over the left side of his face. Greenish blood trickled down into his beard as he gave a soft moan of satisfaction. "Tha's better. It helps with the stingin', yeh know."**

"Yes, but it's not going to heal his face," said James.

"True, but Hagrid's resistant to most healing spells and the potions are slow at working on him due to the Giant blood." Andy shrugged, "It really was the only thing I could suggest for him. At least to reduce the discomfort he would've been in, the dragon blood would've stopped an infection starting as well, that's why it's used in a lot of healing potions." she added.

**"So, are you going to tell us what's happened to you?" Harry asked.**

**"Can't, Harry. Top secret. More'n me job's worth ter tell yeh that."**

"I hadnt gotten around to telling him to tell you yet." Albus chuckled, "I didn't think you'd already have the story though it does explain why he was releived when I told him he could tell you."

**"Did the giants beat you up, Hagrid?" asked Hermione quietly.**

**Hagrid's fingers slipped on the dragon steak and it slid squelchily on to his chest.**

**"Giants?" said Hagrid, catching the steak before it reached his belt and slapping it back over his face, "who said anythin' abou' giants? Who yeh bin talkin' to? Who's told yeh what I've - who's said I've bin - eh?"**

**"We guessed," said Hermione apologetically.**

**"Oh, yeh did, did yeh?" said Hagrid, surveying her sternly with the eye that was not hidden by the steak.**

**"It was kind of... obvious," said Ron. Harry nodded.**

**Hagrid glared at them, then snorted, threw the steak back on to the table and strode over to the kettle, which was now whistling. "Never known kids like you three fer knowin' more'n yeh oughta," he muttered, splashing boiling water into three of his bucket-shaped mugs. "An' I'm not complimentin' yeh, neither. Nosy, some'd call it. Interferin'." But his beard twitched.**

"Obviously Hagrid isn't as annoyed as he sounds." said Sirius, grinning.

"He knew us too well." Harry chuckled.

**"So you have been to look for giants?" said Harry, grinning as he sat down at the table.**

**Hagrid set tea in front of each of them, sat down, picked up his steak again and slapped it back over his face.**

**"Yeah, all righ'," he grunted, "I have."**

**"And you found them?" said Hermione in a hushed voice.**

**"Well, they're not that difficult ter find, ter be honest," said Hagrid. "Pretty big, see."**

**"Where are they?" said Ron.**

**"Mountains," said Hagrid unhelpfully.**

**"So why don't Muggles -?"**

"They do, but their deaths are hushed up," said Remus. "Probably put down as accidents due to avalanches and natural disaster type stuff. Like if a Muggle is attacked and killed by a Werewolf they put it down to an animal attack, anything from bears to wolves." he said grimly, "At least on the Muggle side of things, usually its not even reported in the Magical world unless there's a lot of attacks on a lot of people in close succession."

**"They do," said Hagrid darkly. "On'y their deaths are always put down ter mountaineerin' accidents, aren' they?"**

**He adjusted the steak a little so that it covered the worst of the bruising.**

**"Come on, Hagrid, tell us what you've been up to!" said Ron. "Tell us about being attacked by the giants and Harry can tell you about being attacked by the Dementors -"**

**Hagrid choked in his mug and dropped his steak at the same time; a large quantity of spit, tea and dragon blood was sprayed over the table as Hagrid coughed and spluttered and the steak slid, with a soft splat, on to the floor.**

"Gross!" they all exclaimed, making disgusted faces.

**"Whadda yeh mean, attacked by Dementors?" growled Hagrid.**

**"Didn't you know?" Hermione asked him, wide-eyed.**

**"I don' know anythin' that's bin happenin' since I left. I was on a secret mission, wasn' I, didn' wan' owls followin' me all over the place - ruddy Dementors! Yeh're not serious?"**

**"Yeah, I am, they turned up in Little Whinging and attacked my cousin and me, and then the Ministry of Magic expelled me -"**

**"WHAT?"**

**"- and I had to go to a hearing and everything, but tell us about the giants first."**

**"You were expelled!"**

**"Tell us about your summer and I'll tell you about mine."**

**Hagrid glared at him through his one open eye. Harry looked right back, an expression of innocent determination on his face.**

**"Oh, all righ'," Hagrid said in a resigned voice. He bent down and tugged the dragon steak out of Fang's mouth.**

"He's not going to put the steak back on his face, is he?" asked Remus. "Right after it was in Fang's mouth?"

**"Oh, Hagrid, don't, it's not hygien -" Hermione began, but Hagrid had already slapped the meat back over his swollen eye.**

"Yep, looks like it." said Sirius, wrinkling his nose. "That's disgusting."

"Say's the guy who thought it was fun to wake us up every morning with dog breath." James muttered.

"You were stubborn in the morning." Remus chuckled, "I was usually up before you so he didn't get me as often."

"And the first time when you yelled bloody murder was hilarious." Sirius grinned, "I'm glad I decided to put silencing wards on the dorm."

James glared at him as the others laughed.

**He took another fortifying gulp of tea, then said, "Well, we set off righ' after term ended -"**

**"Madame Maxime went with you, then?" Hermione interjected.**

**"Yeah, tha's righ'," said Hagrid, and a softened expression appeared on the few inches of face that were not obscured by beard or green steak. "Yeah, it was jus' the pair of us. An' I'll tell yeh this, she's not afraid of roughin' it, Olympe. Yeh know, she's a fine, well-dressed woman, an' knowin' where we was goin' I wondered 'ow she'd feel abou' clamberin' over boulders an' sleepin' in caves an' tha', bu' she never complained once."**

**"You knew where you were going?" Harry repeated. "You knew where the giants were?"**

**"Well, Dumbledore knew, an' he told us," said Hagrid.**

**"Are they hidden?" asked Ron. "Is it a secret, where they are?"**

"You three ask a lot of questions." Frank commented.

"We were curious." Harry shrugged, "Get used to it by the way, we asked a lot of questions."

"Still do at times." Hermione mused.

**"Not really." said Hagrid, shaking his shaggy head. "It's jus' that mos' wizards aren' bothered where they are, 's long as it's a good long way away. But where they are is very difficult ter get ter, fer humans anyway, so we needed Dumbledore's instructions. Took us abou' a month ter get there -"**

**"A month?" said Ron, as though he had never heard of a journey lasting such a ridiculously long time. "But - why couldn't you just grab a Portkey or something?"**

"Portkeys have to be authorised, so they're not going to risk having an unauthorised one." said James.

**There was an odd expression in Hagrid's unobscured eye as he surveyed Ron; it was almost pitying. "We're bein' watched, Ron," he said gruffly.**

**"What d'you mean?"**

**"Yeh don' understand," said Hagrid. "The Ministry's keepin' an eye on Dumbledore an' anyone they reckon's in league with 'im, an' -"**

**"We know about that," said Harry quickly keen to hear the rest of Hagrid's story, "we know about the Ministry watching Dumbledore -"**

**"So you couldn't use magic to get there?" asked Ron, looking thunderstruck, "you had to act like Muggles all the way?"**

**"Well, not exactly all the way." said Hagrid cagily. "We jus' had ter be careful, 'cause Olympe an' me, we stick out a bit -"**

"A bit? A bit he says!" Fred exclaimed.

"More than a bit." George muttered.

**Ron made a stifled noise somewhere between a snort and a sniff and hastily took a gulp of tea.**

**"- so we're not hard ter follow. We was pretendin' we was goin' on holiday together, so we got inter France an' we made like we was headin' fer where Olympe's school is, 'cause we knew we was bein' tailed by someone from the Ministry. We had to go slow, 'cause I'm not really s'posed ter use magic an' we knew the Ministry'd be lookin' fer a reason ter run us in. But we managed ter give the berk tailin' us the slip round abou' Dee-John -"**

**"Ooooh, Dijon?" said Hermione excitedly. "I've been there on holiday, did you see -?"**

**She fell silent at the look on Ron's face.**

**"We chanced a bit o' magic after that an' it wasn' a bad journey. Ran inter a couple o' mad trolls on the Polish border an' I had a sligh' disagreement with a vampire in a pub in Minsk, bu' apart from tha' couldn't a bin smoother. An' then we reached the place, an' we started trekkin' up through the mountains, lookin' fer signs of 'em... We had ter lay off the magic once we got near 'em. Partly 'cause they don' like wizards an' we didn' want ter put their backs up too soon, an' partly 'cause Dumbledore had warned us You-Know-Who was bound ter be after the giants an' all. Said it was odds on he'd sent a messenger off ter them already. Told us ter be very careful of drawin' attention ter ourselves as we got nearer in case there was Death Eaters around."**

**Hagrid paused for a long draught of tea.**

**"Go on!" said Harry urgently.**

**"Found 'em," said Hagrid baldly. "Went over a ridge one nigh' an' there they was, spread ou' underneath us. Little fires burnin' below an' huge shadows... it was like watchin' bits o' the mountain movin'."**

"How big are giants exactly?" Petunia inquired, looking curious.

"I read that they're usually around 20 feet tall," Minerva responded, "Some might be a few feet taller."

"Grawp's a runt though, he's only about 16 feet tall." Hermione mused, "You cant tell he's a runt until he's next to another Giant, though."

**"How big are they?" asked Ron in a hushed voice.**

**"Bout twenty feet," said Hagrid casually. "Some o' the bigger ones mighta bin twenty-five."**

**"And how many were there?" asked Harry.**

**"I reckon abou' seventy or eighty," said Hagrid.**

**"Is that all?" said Hermione.**

**"Yep," said Hagrid sadly, "eighty left, an' there was loads once, musta bin a hundred diff'rent tribes from all over the world. Bu' they've bin dyin' out fer ages. Wizards killed a few, o' course, bu' mostly they killed each other, an' now they're dyin' out faster than ever. They're not made ter live bunched up together like tha'. Dumbledore says it's our fault, it was the wizards who forced 'em to go an' made 'em live a good long way from us an' they had no choice bu' ter stick together fer their own protection."**

**"So," said Harry, "you saw them and then what?"**

**"Well, we waited till morning, didn' want ter go sneakin' up on 'em in the dark, fer our own safety," said Hagrid. "Bout three in the mornin' they fell asleep jus' where they was sittin'. We didn' dare sleep. Fer one thing, we wanted ter make sure none of 'em woke up an' came up where we were, an' fer another, the snorin' was unbelievable. Caused an avalanche near mornin'. Anyway, once it was light we wen' down ter see 'em."**

**"Just like that?" said Ron, looking awestruck. "You just walked right into a giant camp?"**

"Well, I'm sure they were told the right way about entering a giant camp," said Sirius.

**"Well, Dumbledore'd told us how ter do it," said Hagrid. "Give the Gurg gifts, show some respect, yeh know."**

"What's the Gurg?" Petunia asked curiously.

"It's the title giants give to their chief." Lily told her.

**"Give the what gifts?" asked Harry.**

**"Oh, the Gurg - means the chief."**

**"How could you tell which one was the Gurg?" asked Ron.**

**Hagrid grunted in amusement. "No problem,' he said. 'He was the biggest, the ugliest an' the laziest. Sittin' there waitin' ter be brought food by the others. Dead goats an' such like. Name o' Karkus. I'd put him at twenty-two, twenty-three feet an' the weight o' a couple o' bull elephants. Skin like rhino hide an' all."**

**"And you just walked up to him?" said Hermione breathlessly.**

**"Well... down ter him, where he was lyin' in the valley. They was in this dip between four pretty high mountains, see, beside a mountain lake, an' Karkus was lyin' by the lake roarin' at the others ter feed him an' his wife. Olympe an' I went down the mountainside -"**

**"But didn't they try and kill you when they saw you?" asked Ron incredulously.**

**"It was def'nitely on some o' their minds," said Hagrid, shrugging, "but we did what Dumbledore told us ter do, which was ter hold our gift up high an' keep our eyes on the Gurg an' ignore the others. So tha's what we did. An' the rest of 'em went quiet an' watched us pass an' we got right up ter Karkus's feet an' we bowed an' put our present down in front o' him."**

"What kind of present would you give a giant?" Lily frowned.

"Well, Giants like magic, except when it's being used against them," Remus mused, "So the gift would probably be along those lines."

"You should see Grawp when he see's someone doing magic." Minerva chuckled fondly, "He goes all quiet and usually lies down on his stomach to watch closer. He really is quite tame for a Giant."

**"What do you give a giant?" asked Ron eagerly. "Food?"**

**"Nah, he can get food all righ' fer himself," said Hagrid. "We took him magic. Giants like magic, jus' don' like us usin' it against 'em. Anyway, that firs' day we gave 'im a branch o' Gubraithian fire."**

**Hermione said, "Wow!" softly, but Harry and Ron both frowned in puzzlement.**

**"A branch of -?"**

**"Everlasting fire," said Hermione irritably, "you ought to know that by now. Professor Flitwick's mentioned it at least twice in class!"**

"Well, obviously we weren't paying attention." said Ron, looking mildly amused.

**"Well, anyway," said Hagrid quickly, intervening before Ron could answer back, "Dumbledore'd bewitched this branch to burn fer evermore, which isn' somethin' any wizard could do, an' so I lies it down in the snow by Karkus's feet and says, 'A gift to the Gurg of the giants from Albus Dumbledore, who sends his respectful greetings'."**

**"And what did Karkus say?" asked Harry eagerly.**

**"Nothin'," said Hagrid. "Didn' speak English."**

"What?!" Dudley exclaimed. "Is Hagrid kidding?"

Remus sighed. "No. Not all Giants can speak English. I'm sure Karkus had the Giants that can speak English translate for him."

"Some of the Giant's spoke French." Albus put in, "So Madam Maxime translated and replied for the two of them."

**"You're kidding!"**

**"Didn' matter," said Hagrid imperturbably, "Dumbledore had warned us tha' migh' happen. Karkus knew enough to yell fer a couple o' giants who knew our lingo an' they translated fer us."**

**"And did he like the present?" asked Ron.**

**"Oh yeah, it went down a storm once they understood what it was," said Hagrid, turning his dragon steak over to press the cooler side to his swollen eye. "Very pleased. So then I said, 'Albus Dumbledore asks the Gurg to speak with his messenger when he returns tomorrow with another gift'."**

**"Why couldn't you speak to them that day?" asked Hermione.**

**"Dumbledore wanted us ter take it very slow," said Hagrid. "Let 'em see we kept our promises. We'll come back tomorrow with another present, an' then we do come back with another present - gives a good impression, see? An' gives them time ter test out the firs' present an' find out it's a good one, an' get 'em eager fer more. In any case, giants like Karkus - overload 'em with information an' they'll kill yeh jus' to simplify things. So we bowed outta the way an' went off an' found ourselves a nice little cave ter spend that night in an' the followin' mornin' we went back an' this time we found Karkus sittin' up waitin' fer us lookin' all eager."**

**"And you talked to him?"**

**"Oh yeah. Firs' we presented him with a nice battle helmet - goblin-made an' indestructible, yeh know - an' then we sat down an' we talked."**

**"What did he say?"**

**"Not much," said Hagrid. "Listened mostly. Bu' there were good signs. He'd heard o' Dumbledore, heard he'd argued against the killin' o' the last giants in Britain. Karkus seemed ter be quite int'rested in what Dumbledore had ter say. An' a few o' the others, 'specially the ones who had some English, they gathered round an' listened too. We were hopeful when we left that day. Promised ter come back next mornin' with another present... Bu' that night it all wen' wrong."**

**"What d'you mean?" said Ron quickly.**

**"Well, like I say, they're not meant ter live together, giants," said Hagrid sadly. "Not in big groups like that. They can' help themselves, they half kill each other every few weeks. The men fight each other an' the women fight each other; the remnants of the old tribes fight each other, an' that's even without squabbles over food an' the best fires an' sleepin' spots. Yeh'd think, seein' as how their whole race is abou' finished, they'd lay off each other, bu'..." Hagrid sighed deeply. "That night a fight broke out, we saw it from the mouth of our cave, lookin' down on the valley. Went on fer hours, yeh wouldn' believe the noise. An' when the sun came up the snow was scarlet an' his head was lyin' at the bottom o' the lake."**

**"Whose head?" gasped Hermione.**

**"Karkus's," said Hagrid heavily. "There was a new Gurg, Golgomath." He sighed deeply. "Well, we hadn' bargained on a new Gurg two days after we'd made friendly contact with the firs' one, an' we had a funny feelin' Golgomath wouldn' be so keen ter listen to us, bu' we had ter try."**

**"You went to speak to him?" asked Ron incredulously. "After you'd watched him rip off another giant's head?"**

**"Course we did," said Hagrid, "we hadn' gone all that way ter give up after two days! We wen' down with the next present we'd meant ter give ter Karkus. I knew it was no go before I'd opened me mouth. He was sitting there wearin' Karkus's helmet, leerin' at us as we got nearer. He's massive, one o' the biggest ones there. Black hair an' matchin' teeth an' a necklace o' bones. Human-lookin' bones, some of 'em. Well, I gave it a go - held out a great roll o' dragon skin - an' said, 'A gift fer the Gurg of the giants -' Nex' thing I knew, I was hangin' upside-down in the air by me feet, two of his mates had grabbed me."**

"Oh no!" gasped Lily, clapping a hand to her mouth. "How in heaven's name did he get out of there?"

"I'm sure Madam Maxime did some magic that allowed them to escape," answered James.

**Hermione clapped her hands to her mouth.**

**"How did you get out of that?" asked Harry.**

**"Wouldn'ta done if Olympe hadn' bin there," said Hagrid. "She pulled out her wand an' did some o' the fastes' spellwork I've ever seen. Ruddy marvellous. Hit the two holdin' me right in the eyes with Conjunctivitus Curses an' they dropped me straightaway - bu' we were in trouble then, 'cause we'd used magic against 'em, an' that's what giants hate abou' wizards. We had ter leg it an' we knew there was no way we was going ter be able ter march inter the camp again."**

"That's terrible," Amber said, "but why did it take Hagrid so long to get home if he was only there for three days?"

"Hermione asked that." Harry supplied.

**"Blimey, Hagrid," said Ron quietly.**

**"So, how come it's taken you so long to get home if you were only there for three days?" asked Hermione.**

**"We didn' leave after three days!" said Hagrid, looking outraged. "Dumbledore was relyin' on us!"**

**"But you've just said there was no way you could go back!"**

**"Not by daylight we couldn', no. We just had ter rethink a bit. Spent a couple o' days lyin' low up in the cave an' watchin'. An' wha' we saw wasn' good."**

**"Did he rip off more heads?" asked Hermione, sounding squeamish.**

**"No," said Hagrid, "I wish he had."**

**"What d'you mean?"**

**"I mean we soon found out he didn' object ter all wizards - just us."**

**"Death Eaters?" said Harry quickly.**

**"Yep," said Hagrid darkly. "Couple of 'em were visitin' him ev'ry day, bringin' gifts ter the Gurg, an' he wasn' dangling them upside-down."**

**"How d'you know they were Death Eaters?" said Ron.**

**"Because I recognised one of 'em," Hagrid growled. "Macnair, remember him? Bloke they sent ter kill Buckbeak? Maniac, he is. Likes killin' as much as Golgomath; no wonder they were gettin' on so well."**

"Great," James muttered dismally. "The Death Eaters convinced the giants to join Voldemort."

"Not all of them." Albus smiled.

**"So Macnairs persuaded the giants to join You-Know-Who?" said Hermione desperately.**

**"Hold yer Hippogriffs, I haven' finished me story yet!" said Hagrid indignantly, who, considering he had not wanted to tell them anything in the first place, now seemed to be rather enjoying himself. "Me an' Olympe talked it over an' we agreed, jus' 'cause the Gurg looked like favourin' You-Know-Who didn' mean all of 'em would. We had ter try an' persuade some o' the others, the ones who hadn' wanted Golgomath as Gurg."**

**"How could you tell which ones they were?" asked Ron.**

**"Well, they were the ones bein' beaten to a pulp, weren' they?" said Hagrid patiently. "The ones with any sense were keepin' outta Golgomath's way, hidin' out in caves roun' the gully jus' like we were. So we decided we'd go pokin' round the caves by night an' see if we couldn' persuade a few o' them."**

"They actually went poking around the caves at night looking for giants?" Regulus sounded amazed.

**"You went poking around dark caves looking for giants?" said Ron, with awed respect in his voice.**

**"Well, it wasn' the giants who worried us most," said Hagrid. "We were more concerned abou' the Death Eaters. Dumbledore had told us before we wen' not ter tangle with 'em if we could avoid it, an' the trouble was they knew we was around - 'spect Golgomath told 'em abou' us. At night, when the giants were sleepin' an' we wanted ter be creepin' inter the caves, Macnair an' the other one were sneakin' round the mountains lookin' fer us. I was hard put to stop Olympe jumpin' out at 'em,' said Hagrid, the corners of his mouth lifting his wild beard, 'she was rarin' ter attack 'em... she's somethin' when she's roused, Olympe... fiery, yeh know... 'spect it's the French in her..."**

**Hagrid gazed misty-eyed into the fire. Harry allowed him thirty seconds of reminiscence before clearing his throat loudly. "So, what happened? Did you ever get near any of the other giants?"**

**"What? Oh... oh, yeah, we did. Yeah, on the third night after Karkus was killed we crept outta the cave we'd bin hidin' in an' headed back down inter the gully, keepin' our eyes skinned fer the Death Eaters. Got inside a few o' the caves, no go - then, in abou' the sixth one, we found three giants hidin'."**

**"Cave must've been cramped," said Ron.**

**"Wasn' room ter swing a Kneazle," said Hagrid.**

**"Didn't they attack you when they saw you?" asked Hermione.**

**"Probably woulda done if they'd bin in any condition," said Hagrid, "but they was badly hurt, all three o' them; Golgomath's lot had beaten 'em unconscious; they'd woken up an' crawled inter the nearest shelter they could find. Anyway, one o' them had a bit of English an' 'e translated fer the others, an' what we had ter say didn' seem ter go down too badly. So we kep' goin' back, visitin' the wounded... I reckon we had abou' six or seven o' them convinced at one poin'."**

**"Six or seven?" said Ron eagerly. "Well that's not bad - are they going to come over here and start fighting You-Know-Who with us?"**

**But Hermione said, "What do you mean 'at one point', Hagrid?"**

**Hagrid looked at her sadly.**

**"Golgomath's lot raided the caves. The ones tha' survived didn' wan' no more ter to do with us after that."**

**"So... so there aren't any giants coming?" said Ron, looking disappointed.**

**"Nope," said Hagrid, heaving a deep sigh as he turned over his steak and applied the cooler side to his face, "but we did wha' we meant ter do, we gave 'em Dumbledore's message an' some o' them heard it an' I spect some o' them'll remember it. Jus' maybe, them that don' want ter stay around Golgomath'll move outta the mountains, an' there's gotta be a chance they'll remember Dumbledore's friendly to 'em... could be they'll come."**

**Snow was filling up the window now. Harry became aware that the knees of his robes were soaked through: Fang was drooling with his head in Harry's lap.**

**"Hagrid?" said Hermione quietly after a while.**

**"Mmm?"**

**"Did you... was there any sign of... did you hear anything about your... your... mother while you were there?"**

**Hagrid's unobscured eye rested upon her and Hermione looked rather scared.**

**"I'm sorry... I... forget it -"**

**"Dead," Hagrid grunted. "Died years ago. They told me."**

"Poor Hagrid." Lily sighed. "Though since his mother took off when he was little, Hagrid probably doesn't remember her much."

"A bit like me with my birth parents then." Remus shook his head, "I have a vague memory of them, but I can't remember them too much. I reckon that's why I started seeing my Aunt and Uncle as my real parents so quickly."

**"Oh... I'm... I'm really sorry," said Hermione in a very small voice. Hagrid shrugged his massive shoulders.**

**"No need," he said shortly. "Can't remember her much. Wasn' a great mother."**

**They were silent again. Hermione glanced nervously at Harry and Ron, plainly wanting them to speak.**

**"But you still haven't explained how you got in this state, Hagrid," Ron said, gesturing towards Hagrid's bloodstained face.**

**"Or why you're back so late," said Harry. "Sirius says Madame Maxime got back ages ago -"**

**"Who attacked you?" said Ron.**

**"I haven' bin attacked!" said Hagrid emphatically. "I -"**

**But the rest of his words were drowned in a sudden outbreak of rapping on the door. Hermione gasped; her mug slipped through her fingers and smashed on the floor; Fang yelped. All four of them stared at the window beside the doorway. The shadow of somebody small and squat rippled across the thin curtain.**

"Umbridge." they all groaned.

**"It's her!" Ron whispered.**

**"Get under here!" Harry said quickly; seizing the Invisibility Cloak, he whirled it over himself and Hermione while Ron tore around the table and dived under the Cloak as well. Huddled together, they backed away into a corner. Fang was barking madly at the door. Hagrid looked thoroughly confused.**

**"Hagrid, hide our mugs!"**

**Hagrid seized Harry and Ron's mugs and shoved them under the cushion in Fang's basket. Fang was now leaping up at the door; Hagrid pushed him out of the way with his foot and pulled it open.**

**Professor Umbridge was standing in the doorway wearing her green tweed cloak and a matching hat with earflaps. Lips pursed, she leaned back so as to see Hagrid's face; she barely reached his navel.**

**"So," she said slowly and loudly, as though speaking to somebody deaf. "You're Hagrid, are you?"**

**Without waiting for an answer she strolled into the room, her bulging eyes rolling in every direction.**

**"Get away," she snapped, waving her handbag at Fang, who had bounded up to her and was attempting to lick her face.**

"Fang has absolutely no sense sometimes," said Sirius. "If I were him I would be growling at her."

**"Er - I don' want ter be rude," said Hagrid, staring at her, "but who the ruddy hell are you?"**

**"My name is Dolores Umbridge."**

**Her eyes were sweeping the cabin. Twice they stared directly into the corner where Harry stood, sandwiched between Ron and Hermione.**

**"Dolores Umbridge?" Hagrid said, sounding thoroughly confused. "I thought you were one o' them Ministry - don' you work with Fudge?"**

**"I was Senior Undersecretary to the Minister, yes," said Umbridge, now pacing around the cabin, taking in every tiny detail within, from the haversack against the wall to the abandoned travelling cloak. "I am now the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher -"**

**"Tha's brave of yeh," said Hagrid, "there's not many'd take tha' job any more."**

**"- and Hogwarts High Inquisitor," said Umbridge, giving no sign that she had heard him.**

**"Wha's that?" said Hagrid, frowning.**

**"Precisely what I was going to ask," said Umbridge, pointing at the broken shards of china on the floor that had been Hermione's mug.**

"How is Hagrid going to explain that?" asked Percy.

"He could just say that he accidentally broke it." James shrugged.

**"Oh," said Hagrid, with a most unhelpful glance towards the corner where Harry, Ron and Hermione stood hidden, "oh, tha' was... was Fang. He broke a mug. So I had ter use this one instead."**

"Well, blaming Fang also works." said Remus. "Though he shouldn't have glanced at that corner. Too suspicious."

**Hagrid pointed to the mug from which he had been drinking, one hand still clamped over the dragon steak pressed to his eye. Umbridge stood facing him now, taking in every detail of his appearance instead of the cabin's.**

**"I heard voices," she said quietly.**

**"I was talkin' ter Fang," said Hagrid stoutly.**

**"And was he talking back to you?"**

**"Well... in a manner o' speakin'," said Hagrid, looking uncomfortable. "I sometimes say Fang's near enough human -"**

**"There are three sets of footprints in the snow leading from the castle doors to your cabin," said Umbridge sleekly.**

"We should've been more careful." Hermione winced.

**Hermione gasped; Harry clapped a hand over her mouth. Luckily, Fang was sniffing loudly around the hem of Professor Umbridge's robes and she did not appear to have heard.**

**"Well, I on'y jus' got back," said Hagrid, waving an enormous hand at the haversack. "Maybe someone came ter call earlier an' I missed 'em."**

**"There are no footsteps leading away from your cabin door."**

**"Well, I... I don' know why that'd be..." said Hagrid, tugging nervously at his beard and again glancing towards the corner where Harry, Ron and Hermione stood, as though asking for help. "Erm..."**

**Umbridge wheeled round and strode the length of the cabin, looking around carefully. She bent and peered under the bed. She opened Hagrid's cupboards. She passed within two inches of where Harry, Ron and Hermione stood pressed against the wall; Harry actually pulled in his stomach as she walked by. After looking carefully inside the enormous cauldron Hagrid used for cooking, she wheeled round again and said, "What has happened to you? How did you sustain those injuries?"**

**Hagrid hastily removed the dragon steak from his face, which in Harry's opinion was a mistake, because the black and purple bruising all around his eye was now clearly visible, not to mention the large amount of fresh and congealed blood on his face. "Oh, I... had a bit of an accident," he said lamely.**

**"What sort of accident?"**

**"I - I tripped."**

**"You tripped," she repeated coolly.**

**"Yeah, tha's right. Over... over a friend's broomstick. I don' fly, meself. Well, look at the size o' me, I don' reckon there's a broomstick that'd hold me. Friend o' mine breeds Abraxan horses, I dunno if you've ever seen 'em, big beasts, winged, yeh know, I've had a bit of a ride on one o' them an' it was -"**

**"Where have you been?" asked Umbridge, cutting coolly through Hagrid's babbling.**

**"Where've I -?"**

**"Been, yes," she said. "Term started two months ago. Another teacher has had to cover your classes. None of your colleagues has been able to give me any information as to your whereabouts. You left no address. Where have you been?"**

**There was a pause in which Hagrid stared at her with his newly uncovered eye. Harry could almost hear his brain working furiously.**

**"I - I've been away for me health," he said.**

**"For your health," repeated Professor Umbridge. Her eyes travelled over Hagrid's discoloured and swollen face; dragon blood dripped gently and silently on to his waistcoat. "I see."**

**"Yeah," said Hagrid, "bit o' - o' fresh air, yeh know -"**

**"Yes, as gamekeeper fresh air must be so difficult to come by," said Umbridge sweetly. The small patch of Hagrid's face that was not black or purple, flushed.**

"This is not good." Neville murmured, "If only Hagrid were a better liar."

**"Well - change o' scene, yeh know -"**

**"Mountain scenery?" said Umbridge swiftly.**

"Oh no, she knows!" Frank gasped, eyes wide, "This is really not good."

**She knows, Harry thought desperately.**

**"Mountains?" Hagrid repeated, clearly thinking fast. "Nope, South o' France fer me. Bit o' sun an'... an' sea."**

**"Really?" said Umbridge. "You don't have much of a tan."**

**"Yeah... well... sensitive skin," said Hagrid, attempting an ingratiating smile. Harry noticed that two of his teeth had been knocked out. Umbridge looked at him coldly; his smile faltered.**

**Then she hoisted her handbag a little higher into the crook of her arm and said, "I shall, of course, be informing the Minister of your late return."**

**"Righ'," said Hagrid, nodding.**

**"You ought to know, too, that as High Inquisitor it is my unfortunate but necessary duty to inspect my fellow teachers. So I daresay we shall meet again soon enough."**

"And since she hates 'half-breeds', what's the bet that she'll purposely put Hagrid on probation." James remarked, "And she'll probably pick the class Harry's in and only ask the Slytherin's about Hagrid's teaching."

The teens all gave him a shocked look.

"How'd you know?" Draco asked incredulously.

"It was a guess." he replied.

**She turned sharply and marched back to the door.**

**"You're inspectin' us?" Hagrid repeated blankly, looking after her.**

**"Oh, yes," said Umbridge softly, looking back at him with her hand on the door handle. "The Ministry is determined to weed out unsatisfactory teachers, Hagrid. Goodnight."**

**She left, closing the door behind her with a snap. Harry made to pull off the Invisibility Cloak but Hermione seized his wrist.**

**"Not yet," she breathed in his ear. "She might not be gone yet."**

**Hagrid seemed to be thinking the same way; he stumped across the room and pulled back the curtain an inch or so.**

**"She's goin' back ter the castle," he said in a low voice. "Blimey... inspectin' people, is she?"**

**"Yeah," said Harry, pulling off the Cloak. "Trelawney's on probation already..."**

**"Um... what sort of thing are you planning to do with us in class, Hagrid?" asked Hermione.**

**"Oh, don' you worry abou' that, I've got a great load o' lessons planned," said Hagrid enthusiastically, scooping up his dragon steak from the table and slapping it over his eye again. "I've bin keepin' a couple o' creatures saved fer yer OWL year; you wait, they're somethin' really special."**

"This does not bode well." Remus mused, "I don't think he's planning to do stuff like Crups and Knarls."

"He wasn't but the stuff he did do was harmless enough." Harry shrugged.

"Like the lesson on Thestrals." Neville nodded, "Only one or two of us could see them but it was interesting hearing about them anyway."

**"Erm... special in what way?" asked Hermione tentatively.**

**"I'm not sayin'," said Hagrid happily. "I don' want ter spoil the surprise."**

**"Look, Hagrid," said Hermione urgently, dropping all pretence, "Professor Umbridge won't be at all happy if you bring anything to class that's too dangerous."**

**"Dangerous?" said Hagrid, looking genially bemused. "Don' be silly, I wouldn' give yeh anythin' dangerous! I mean, all righ', they can look after themselves -"**

**"Hagrid, you've got to pass Umbridge's inspection, and to do that it would really be better if she saw you teaching us how to look after Porlocks, how to tell the difference between Knarls and hedgehogs, stuff like that!" said Hermione earnestly.**

**"But tha's not very interestin', Hermione," said Hagrid. "The stuff I've got's much more impressive. I've bin bringin' 'em on fer years, I reckon I've got the on'y domestic herd in Britain."**

**"Hagrid... please..." said Hermione, a note of real desperation in her voice. "Umbridge is looking for any excuse to get rid of teachers she thinks are too close to Dumbledore. Please, Hagrid, teach us something dull that's bound to come up in our OWL."**

"I don't know if Hagrid will listen to you, Hermione," said Percy, "He seems set in what he wanted and was going to do."

Hermione nodded, "He didn't listen."

**But Hagrid merely yawned widely and cast a one-eyed look of longing towards the vast bed in the corner.**

**"Lis'en, it's bin a long day an' it's late," he said, patting Hermione gently on the shoulder, so that her knees gave way and hit the floor with a thud. "Oh - sorry -" He pulled her back up by the neck of her robes. "Look, don' you go worryin' abou' me, I promise yeh I've got really good stuff planned fer yer lessons now I'm back... now you lot had better get back up to the castle, an' don' forget ter wipe yer footprints out behind yeh!"**

"Well, that's good advice," said Remus. "But Hagrid really needs to listen to Hermione and plan his lessons along the lines of the ones Professor Grubbly-Plank had."

**"I dunno if you got through to him," said Ron a short while later when, having checked that the coast was clear, they walked back up to the castle through the thickening snow, leaving no trace behind them due to the Obliteration Charm Hermione was performing as they went.**

**"Then I'll go back again tomorrow," said Hermione determinedly. "I'll plan his lessons for him if I have to. I don't care if she throws out Trelawney but she's not getting rid of Hagrid!"**

"Damn right! She need's kicked up the -" the twins grinned when their mother cut them off.

"Boys!" she scolded, "We all agree but do you have to swear?!" she demanded. "George you ought to be used to controlling your language around children by now!"

"Force of habit, sorry Mum." Fred smiled sheepishly.

"Yeah, sorry. Your right Mum, I should've remembered there's kids in the room." George added guiltily.

"No harm done." Dudley shrugged, "As far as we know Cecelia's not picking up words yet and Teddy's fallen asleep."

Dora looked down and noticed Teddy had indeed fallen asleep, leaning against Remus's leg.

"I hadn't noticed." she stated, she gently lifted her sleeping son and put his head on her shoulder, Teddy didnt even shift.

"Neither had I." Remus chuckled, "And it's a good thing he sleeps like a log, or I would've been stuck here until he woke up." just then Jinx ran out from under a bed and jumped onto his lap and Jex jumped onto Andy's.

"So that's where you two were." Harry chuckled.

"Where else would we be?" Jex asked rhetorically.

"These two are getting heavier." Andy commented.

Jinx was watching her, "It's because we're getting ready to grow." he stated.

Ginny translated then frowned, "Getting ready to grow?"

"We grow a bit bigger, not full size of course but still a bit bigger, and we get our full powers when we're bonded and we can feel the time for the bond to seal getting closer." Jex explained, Ginny translated again.

"Exactly how big will they be when they're adults?" Hermione inquired.

"About half the size of Harry. Maybe a little less, we're guardians so we can change our size at will anyway." Jinx said, "We're getting better at human speak." he yipped happily as Remus scratched behind his ears.

Harry told the others this.

"So they can be any size. Brilliant." Minerva muttered, "My guess is they'll be coming to Hogwarts with Casper and Jasper when they're old enough. I wont try and stop the cubs but they better be told to behave."

"We'll make sure of it." Harry assured her, "Speaking of which... Kingsley is there anything else we need to do to seal the adoption?"

"There's a few signatures required." Kingsley nodded, he hesitated, "Though I don't know how you're going to react to it..."

"It's a Blood Quill that's needed isn't it?" Ginny asked with an arched eyebrow, he nodded sheepishly, "I'm fine with it."

"What's a few signatures? It's not like you're going to do what Umbridge done." Harry shrugged, glaring down at the scars on his hand, "And there's already scars there, I doubt a signature or two will do much more damage." he sighed.

"Do you want me to bring the forms tomorrow or do you want to wait until your out of here?" Kingsley inquired.

"Tomorrow. The sooner the better really." Ginny replied as Harry nodded.

Kingsley nodded and checked his watch, "I'll go get them sorted now, it's almost time for me to go see Gawain about Fudge anyway, I'll need to see about Smith too." he groaned as he got up, said his goodbyes and left.

"Sucks to be him." Dora chuckled, "I almost feel sorry for him."

"Kingsley's had it worse than it is now." Percy shrugged, "Like right after the war ended he had to deal with getting the Ministry cleaned up at the same time as catching Death Eaters, holding trials for said Death Eaters and a lot of other people. He had to sort out the guilty from the innocent at Azkaban too. It's been chaos the past few months."

"Thing's really are just starting to slow down." Arthur agreed.

"Was the damage worse than what the Order thought?" Remus asked, frowning.

"A lot worse." Molly sighed, "Another thing was finding out people presumed dead showing up just days after their families were told there was no hope of them being alive."

"Mum?" Dora asked, "Isn't there a chance of Dad being alive then?"

"I dont think so dear, he would've been back by now." Andy sighed, "I thought the same thing but it seems impossible after the war has been over for 4 months."

"We didn't see Ted in the afterlife." Sirius commented, "I don't want to get your hopes up but he might still be alive."

"We could ask Death. If anyone would know he would." Harry mused, "Should I?" he asked gesturing the ring on his left hand.

Andy and Dora shared a look before Andy nodded slowly, "Its worth a try." Dora said.

Harry nodded and took the stone off the ring, turning it three times and Death appeared instantly.

"You have a question?" he asked.

Harry nodded, "We were wondering if you could tell us if Ted Tonks is alive or in the afterlife?" he asked politley.

Death paused for a moment in thought, "Ted Tonks?" he repeated.

"Theodore Tonks." Andy said, "Ted's his nickname."

"Theodore Edward Tonks?" Death asked, she nodded, "Oh he's alive, I cant tell you where he is or what state he's in since I dont have access to his file, but he's definitely alive." he stated.

Dora and Andy were shocked.

"Is that all?" Death asked.

Harry nodded and at Death's gesture put the stone back on the ring, making him vanish.

Remus was trying to get his wife's attention, "Dora? Dora?"

She didn't reply but Andy recovered.

"He's alive." she whispered, "He's alive. I cant beleive it. Cissy I thought you said Lucius killed him?"

"I did." she replied just as shocked, "He boasted about it for days on end."

"We need to find him." Dora said, suddenly snapping out of her shock and giving Teddy to Lily as she was shaking.

"Yes but how do we find him?" Draco asked.

Percy's eyes went wide, "Gibbon!" he yelled, there was a 'Crack!' and the House-Elf appeared, "Can you do me a favour?"

"Yes sirs, of course sirs." the elf bowed.

"Go to the DCoMC and gather all the homeless House-Elves there and tell them there's a job for them, I'll brief them in the morning if they go to my office at 7am. Okay?"

"Yes Master Percy. Does yous needs anything else?"

"Not right now Gibbon, and thank you." he smiled.

The Elf bowed again and disappeared.

"That's how we find him." Percy told Andy and Dora, "We get help from House-Elves eager for work. I've talked to a few of them and they're all good at tracking if they have someone's details and a description of their magical signature. Ted used to work for the Ministry right?"

"Yes, in the Magical Broadcasting Unit, he used to present WWW." Andy nodded, "At least co-present it."

"Then I'll find his file and set the House-Elves to work. And before you say anything Hermione it is fair as most of them are getting desperate for some type of work, even if its something like this." he said, Hermione huffed, "And I'll make it an option, they won't have to if they don't want to."

"Some of the Elves here might help." Minerva smiled, "They'll remember him from when he was at school, they tend to be protective over people who went or go to school here."

"Any help would be good." Percy nodded, "I have a feeling it might take a few days though."

"As long as there's something being done about it." Dora smiled, "It'll be good to have Dad back."

"It would." Andy sighed, "Though there'll be a lot to explain."

Remus frowned, "Like Teddy for instance? He didn't know Dora was pregnant at all, did he?"

"Yes he knew she was pregnant but not anything else, it was the night after the two of you told us that he had to leave, perhaps I'll leave that to you two when the time comes to introduce him to his Grandson." she mused, "You can deal with the reaction. Are we continuing anymore tonight Harry?"

Harry checked his watch, "One or two more memories." he decided.

* * *

><p>Review please x<p> 


	81. Chapter 81

Chapter 81 - Fifth Year (Part 11.5)

21, August, 1998.

"This is the next day." Harry smiled, "And I'll be cutting this one short but I'll tell you when."

"And why are you cutting it short?" Ginny asked in a whisper.

"For my own safety." he whispered back to her cheekily as the memory started.

**Hermione ploughed her way back to Hagrid's cabin through two feet of snow on Sunday morning. Harry and Ron wanted to go with her, but their mountain of homework had reached an alarming height again, so they remained grudgingly in the common room, trying to ignore the gleeful shouts drifting up from the grounds outside, where students were enjoying themselves skating on the frozen lake, tobogganing and, worst of all, bewitching snowballs to zoom up to Gryffindor Tower and rap hard on the windows.**

**"****Oi!****"**** bellowed Ron, finally losing patience and sticking his head out of the window, ****"****I am a prefect and if one more snowball hits this****window**** -**** OUCH!"**

**He withdrew his head sharply, his face covered in snow.**

**"It's Fred and George," he said bitterly, slamming the window behind him. "Gits..."**

"You were the one acting like Percy -" George smirked.

"- 'I am a prefect'. Honestly Ron, you should've known better than to say that to us." Fred grinned.

Ron just glared at them.

**Hermione returned from Hagrid's just before lunch, shivering slightly, her robes damp to the knees.**

**"So?" said Ron, looking up when she entered. "Got all his lessons planned for him?"**

**"Well, I tried," she said dully, sinking into a chair beside Harry. She pulled out her wand and gave it a complicated little wave so that hot air streamed out of the tip; she then pointed this at her robes, which began to steam as they dried out. "He wasn't even there when I arrived, I was knocking for at least half an hour. And then he came stumping out of the Forest -"**

They all groaned. "This does not sound good," said Lily. "Anything from the forest, other than unicorns, aren't suitable."

"Thestrals." Remus said pointedly.

"Oh. I suppose they aren't that bad." Regulus mused.

**Harry groaned. The Forbidden Forest was teeming with the kind of creatures most likely to get Hagrid the sack. "What's he keeping in there? Did he say?" he asked.**

**"No," said Hermione miserably. "He says he wants them to be a surprise. I tried to explain about Umbridge, but he just doesn't get it. He kept saying nobody in their right mind would rather study Knarls than Chimaeras - oh, I don't think he's got a Chimaera," she added at the appalled look on Harry and Ron's faces, "but that's not for lack of trying, from what he said about how hard it is to get eggs. I don't know how many times I told him he'd be better off following Grubbly****‐****Plank's plan, I honestly don't think he listened to half of what I said. He's in a bit of a funny mood, you know. He still won't say how he got all those injuries."**

**Hagrid's reappearance at the staff table at breakfast next day was not greeted by enthusiasm from all students. Some, like Fred, George and Lee, roared with delight and sprinted up the aisle between the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff tables to wring Hagrid's enormous hand; others, like Parvati and Lavender, exchanged gloomy looks and shook their heads. Harry knew that many of them preferred Professor Grubbly-Plank's lessons, and the worst of it was that a very small, unbiased part of him knew that they had good reason: Grubbly-Plank's idea of an interesting class was not one where there was a risk that somebody might have their head ripped off.**

"True." said Minerva, "But Hagrid's getting better at choosing what to show his classes."

**It was with a certain amount of apprehension that Harry, Ron and Hermione headed down to Hagrid's on Tuesday, heavily muffled against the cold. Harry was worried, not only about what Hagrid might have decided to teach them, but also about how the rest of the class, particularly Malfoy and his cronies, would behave if Umbridge was watching them.**

**However, the High Inquisitor was nowhere to be seen as they struggled through the snow towards Hagrid, who stood waiting for them on the edge of the Forest. He did not present a reassuring sight; the bruises that had been purple on Saturday night were now tinged with green and yellow and some of his cuts still seemed to be bleeding. Harry could not understand this: had Hagrid perhaps been attacked by some creature whose venom prevented the wounds it inflicted from healing? As though to complete the ominous picture, Hagrid was carrying what looked like half a dead cow over his shoulder.**

"So whatever creature Hagrid is showing eats meat." said Sirius slowly. "I just hope it's not too dangerous."

"You should already know what it is." Harry told them all, "We already told you what he done the first lesson he was back."

When they all looked blank Nevill piped up, "He did Thestrals. Harry told you when he showed him seeing them for the first time."

"Oh yeah..." many muttered.

**"We're workin' in here today!" Hagrid called happily to the approaching students, jerking his head back at the dark trees behind him. "Bit more sheltered! Anyway, they prefer the dark."**

**"What prefers the dark?" Harry heard Malfoy say sharply to Crabbe and Goyle, a trace of panic in his voice. "What did he say prefers the dark - did you hear?"**

**Harry remembered the only other occasion on which Malfoy had entered the Forest before now; he had not been very brave then, either. He smiled to himself; after the Quidditch match anything that caused Malfoy discomfort was all right with him.**

They all chuckled as Draco blushed.

"It's creepy in there!" he said defensively.

**"Ready?" said Hagrid cheerfully, looking around at the class. "Right, well, I've bin savin' a trip inter the Forest fer yer fifth year. Thought we'd go an' see these creatures in their natural habitat. Now, what we're studyin' today is pretty rare, I reckon I'm probably the on'y person in Britain who's managed ter train 'em."**

**"And you're sure they're trained, are you?" said Malfoy, the panic in his voice even more pronounced. "Only it wouldn't be the first time you'd brought wild stuff to class, would it?"**

**The Slytherins murmured agreement and a few Gryffindors looked as though they thought Malfoy had a fair point, too.**

**"Course they're trained," said Hagrid, scowling and hoisting the dead cow a little higher on his shoulder.**

**"So what happened to your face, then?" demanded Malfoy.**

**"Mind yer own business!" said Hagrid, angrily. "Now, if yeh've finished askin' stupid questions, follow me!"**

**He turned and strode straight into the Forest. Nobody seemed much disposed to follow. Harry glanced at Ron and Hermione, who sighed but nodded, and the three of them set off after Hagrid, leading the rest of the class.**

"It always was you three who followed first." Neville commented amusedly.

"No one else in our class would." Hermione shrugged.

"Ginny and I were the only ones in our class too." Luna nodded.

**They walked for about ten minutes until they reached a place where the trees stood so closely together that it was as dark as twilight and there was no snow at all on the ground. With a grunt, Hagrid deposited his half a cow on the ground, stepped back and turned to face his class, most of whom were creeping from tree to tree towards him, peering around nervously as though expecting to be set upon at any moment.**

**"Gather roun', gather roun'," Hagrid encouraged. "Now, they'll be attracted by the smell o' the meat but I'm goin' ter give 'em a call anyway, 'cause they'll like ter know it's me."**

**He turned, shook his shaggy head to get the hair out of his face and gave an odd, shrieking cry that echoed through the dark trees like the call of some monstrous bird. Nobody laughed: most of them looked too scared to make a sound.**

**Hagrid gave the shrieking cry again. A minute passed in which the class continued to peer nervously over their shoulders and around trees for a first glimpse of whatever it was that was coming. And then, as Hagrid shook his hair back for a third time and expanded his enormous chest, Harry nudged Ron and pointed into the black space between two gnarled yew trees.**

**A pair of blank, white, shining eyes were growing larger through the gloom and a moment later the dragonish face, neck and then skeletal body of a great, black, winged horse emerged from the darkness. It surveyed the class for a few seconds, swishing its long black tail, then bowed its head and began to tear flesh from the dead cow with its pointed fangs.**

"It is a bit creepy when you cant see them." Dora mused.

**A great wave of relief broke over Harry. Here at last was proof that he had not imagined these creatures, that they were real: Hagrid knew about them too. He looked eagerly at Ron, but Ron was still staring around into the trees and after a few seconds he whispered, "Why doesn't Hagrid call again?"**

**Most of the rest of the class were wearing expressions as confused and nervously expectant as Ron's and were still gazing everywhere but at the horse standing feet from them. There were only two other people who seemed to be able to see them: a stringy Slytherin boy standing just behind Goyle was watching the horse eating with an expression of great distaste on his face; and Neville, whose eyes were following the swishing progress of the long black tail.**

"The Slytherin is Theodore Nott." Astoria smiled, "He's alright considering his parents are Death Eaters, I think he was disowned for not wanting to join Voldemort."

Draco shook his head, "Not quite. His Mother died when he was younger due to a illness she had, he grew up with his Father, Izar Nott - a loyal Death Eater - and ended up taking the Mark too. He's a good guy though, he was in the same situation as me. He would've been disowned if it weren't for the fact his Father died during the Final Battle."

Cissy nodded, "He's a nice boy, wouldn't really harm anyone unless provoked. He's living alone now, I believe." she directed at Draco.

"He is." he confirmed, "His Grandfather is Theodore Nott Sr, one of the original Death Eaters and also recently deceased - though his was just old age I think - so he's taken up the Nott Lordship and is living alone at Nott manor. I've not heard from him since last month so I don't know much else." he shrugged.

"He's replied saying he wants to come back to school." Minerva added.

Draco looked surprised at that, "He told me in December he wouldnt if he could... Must've changed his mind." he shrugged.

**"Oh, an' here comes another one!" said Hagrid proudly, as a second black horse appeared out of the dark trees, folded its leathery wings closer to its body and dipped its head to gorge on the meat. "Now... put yer hands up, who can see 'em?"**

**Immensely pleased to feel that he was at last going to understand the mystery of these horses, Harry raised his hand. Hagrid nodded at him.**

**"Yeah… yeah, I knew you'd be able ter, Harry," he said seriously. "An' you too, Neville, eh? An' -"**

**"Excuse me," said Malfoy in a sneering voice, "but what exactly are we supposed to be seeing?"**

**For an answer, Hagrid pointed at the cow carcass on the ground. The whole class stared at it for a few seconds, then several people gasped and Parvati squealed. Harry understood why: bits of flesh stripping themselves away from the bones and vanishing into thin air had to look very odd indeed.**

**"What's doing it?" Parvati demanded in a terrified voice, retreating behind the nearest tree. "What's eating it?"**

**"Thestrals," said Hagrid proudly and Hermione gave a soft "Oh!" of comprehension at Harry's shoulder. "Hogwarts has got a whole herd of 'em in here. Now, who knows -?"**

**"But they're really, really unlucky!" interrupted Parvati, looking alarmed. "They're supposed to bring all sorts of horrible misfortune on people who see them. Professor Trelawney told me once -"**

**"No, no, no," said Hagrid, chuckling, "tha's jus' superstition, that is, they aren' unlucky, they're dead clever an' useful! Course, this lot don' get a lot o' work, it's mainly jus' pullin' the school carriages unless Dumbledore's takin' a long journey an' don' want ter Apparate - an' here's another couple, look -"**

**Two more horses came quietly out of the trees, one of them passing very close to Parvati, who shivered and pressed herself closer to the tree, saying, "I think I felt something, I think it's near me!"**

"It's not going to attack you!" Hermione huffed, sounding slightly exasperated.

**"Don' worry, it won' hurt yeh," said Hagrid patiently. "Righ', now, who can tell me why some o' yeh can see 'em an' some can't?"**

**Hermione raised her hand.**

**"Go on then," said Hagrid, beaming at her.**

**"The only people who can see Thestrals," she said, "are people who have seen death."**

**"Tha's exactly right," said Hagrid solemnly, "ten points ter Gryffindor. Now, Thestrals -"**

**"Hem, hem."**

"Oh great, Umbridge has arrived." the twins groaned.

**Professor Umbridge had arrived. She was standing a few feet away from Harry, wearing her green hat and cloak again, her clipboard at the ready. Hagrid, who had never heard Umbridge's fake cough before, was gazing in some concern at the closest Thestral, evidently under the impression that it had made the sound.**

**"Hem, hem."**

**"Oh, hello!" Hagrid said, smiling, having located the source of the noise.**

**"You received the note I sent to your cabin this morning?" said Umbridge, in the same loud, slow voice she had used with him earlier, as though she were addressing somebody both foreign and very slow.**

"Just because Hagrid is half-giant doesn't mean he's slow or foreign!" Charlie snapped.

**"Telling you that I would be inspecting your lesson?"**

**"Oh, yeah," said Hagrid brightly. 'Glad yeh found the place all righ'! Well, as you can see - or, I dunno - can you? We're doin' Thestrals today -"**

**"I'm sorry?" said Professor Umbridge loudly, cupping her hand around her ear and frowning. "What did you say?"**

**Hagrid looked a little confused.**

**"Er - Thestrals!" he said loudly. "Big - er - winged horses, yeh know!"**

**He flapped his gigantic arms hopefully. Professor Umbridge raised her eyebrows at him and muttered as she made a note on her clipboard: "Has... to... resort... to... crude... sign... language."**

"How dare she!" Lily cried, outraged. "I thought she might do something to purposely get Hagrid to fail his inspection, but I never thought she'd do this!"

**"Well... anyway..." said Hagrid, turning back to the class and looking slightly flustered, "erm... what was I sayin'?"**

**"Appears... to... have... poor... short... term... memory," muttered Umbridge, loudly enough for everyone to hear her. Draco Malfoy looked as though Christmas had come a month early; Hermione, on the other hand, had turned scarlet with suppressed rage.**

They all looked angry.

**"Oh, yeah," said Hagrid, throwing an uneasy glance at Umbridge's clipboard, but ploughing on valiantly. "Yeah, I was gonna tell yeh how come we got a herd. Yeah, so, we started off with a male an' five females. This one,' he patted the first horse to have appeared, 'name o' Tenebrus, he's my special favourite, firs' one born here in the Forest -"**

**"Are you aware," Umbridge said loudly, interrupting him, "that the Ministry of Magic has classified Thestrals as 'dangerous'?"**

"They're not." Percy frowned, "Thestrals have never been classed as dangerous since they never attack people unless provoked."

**Harry's heart sank like a stone, but Hagrid merely chuckled.**

**"Thestrals aren' dangerous! All righ', they might take a bite outta yeh if yeh really annoy them -"**

**"Shows... signs... of... pleasure... at... idea... of... violence," muttered Umbridge, scribbling on her clipboard again.**

**"No - come on!" said Hagrid, looking a little anxious now. "I mean, a dog'll bite if yeh bait it, won' it - but Thestrals have jus' got a bad reputation because o' the death thing - people used ter think they were bad omens, didn' they? Jus' didn' understand, did they?"**

**Umbridge did not answer; she finished writing her last note, then looked up at Hagrid and said, again very loudly and slowly, "Please continue teaching as usual. I am going to walk," she mimed walking (Malfoy and Pansy Parkinson were having silent fits of laughter) "among the students" (she pointed around at individual members of the class) "and ask them questions." She pointed at her mouth to indicate talking.**

"Draco." Cissy sighed, "Couldn't you control yourself?"

"Hey, I wasn't the only one laughing, the others were too. Only the Gryffindors didn't laugh." he pointed out, "And no, I couldn't help it. I dont even know why I found it funny." he added, looking confused.

"Because you were a prejudiced git?" Astoria suggested innocently.

He rolled his eyes and nodded slightly, "Let's go with that theory."

**Hagrid stared at her, clearly at a complete loss to understand why she was acting as though he did not understand normal English. Hermione had tears of fury in her eyes now.**

**"You hag, you evil hag!" she whispered, as Umbridge walked towards Pansy Parkinson. "I know what you're doing, you awful, twisted, vicious -"**

"We agree completely, Hermione," muttered Sirius darkly.

**"Erm... anyway," said Hagrid, clearly struggling to regain the flow of his lesson, "so - Thestrals. Yeah. Well, there's loads o' good stuff abou' them..."**

**"Do you find," said Professor Umbridge in a ringing voice to Pansy Parkinson, "that you are able to understand Professor Hagrid when he talks?"**

**Just like Hermione, Pansy had tears in her eyes, but these were tears of laughter; indeed, her answer was almost incoherent because she was trying to suppress her giggles.**

**"No... because... well... it sounds... like grunting a lot of the time."**

"It does not!" Frank exclaimed indignantly. "Sure, Hagrid has an accent, but we can understand him fine!"

**Umbridge scribbled on her clipboard. The few unbruised bits of Hagrid's face flushed, but he tried to act as though he had not heard Pansy's answer.**

**"Er... yeah... good stuff abou' Thestrals. Well, once they're tamed, like this lot, yeh'll never be lost again. 'Mazin' sense o' direction, jus' tell 'em where yeh want ter go -"**

**"Assuming they can understand you, of course," said Malfoy loudly, and Pansy Parkinson collapsed in a fit of renewed giggles. Professor Umbridge smiled indulgently at them and then turned to Neville.**

**"You can see the Thestrals, Longbottom, can you?" she said.**

**Neville nodded.**

**"Who did you see die?" she asked, her tone indifferent.**

"How dare she have the nerve to ask that!" Alice growled.

"I answered her anyway." Neville shrugged.

**"My... my grandad," said Neville.**

**"And what do you think of them?" she said, waving her stubby hand at the horses, who by now had stripped a great deal of the carcass down to bone.**

**"Erm," said Neville nervously, with a glance at Hagrid. "Well, they're... er... OK..."**

**"Students... are... too... intimidated... to... admit... they... are... frightened," muttered Umbridge, making another note on her clipboard.**

"Oh come on! What was I supposed to say about a horse that looks like a skeleton and can only be see when you've seen death?!" Neville growled.

**"No!" said Neville, looking upset. "No, I'm not scared of them!"**

**"It's quite all right," said Umbridge, patting Neville on the shoulder with what she evidently intended to be an understanding smile, though it looked more like a leer to Harry.**

"I thought that too. I was trying to resist the urge to cringe." Neville told them whilst making a face, making them all laugh a bit.

**"Well, Hagrid," she turned to look up at him again, speaking once more in that loud, slow voice, "I think I've got enough to be getting along with. You will receive" (she mimed taking something from the air in front of her) "the results of your inspection" (she pointed at the clipboard) "in ten days' time." She held up ten stubby little fingers, then, her smile wider and more toadlike than ever before beneath her green hat, she bustled from their midst, leaving Malfoy and Pansy Parkinson in fits of laughter, Hermione actually shaking with fury and Neville looking confused and upset.**

**QThat foul, lying, twisting old gargoyle!Q stormed Hermione half an hour later, as they made their way back up to the castle through the channels they had made earlier in the snow. "You see what she's up to? It's her thing about half-breeds all over again - she's trying to make out Hagrid's some kind of dimwitted troll, just because he had a giantess for a mother - and oh, it's not fair, that really wasn't a bad lesson at all - I mean, all right, if it had been Blast****‐****Ended Skrewts again, but Thestrals are fine - in fact, for Hagrid, they're really good!"**

They all nodded in agreement.

**"Umbridge said they're dangerous," said Ron.**

**"Well, it's like Hagrid said, they can look after themselves," said Hermione impatiently, "and I suppose a teacher like Grubbly-Plank wouldn't usually show them to us before NEWT level, but, well, they are very interesting, aren't they? The way some people can see them and some can't! I wish I could."**

**"Do you?" Harry asked her quietly.**

"Sorry, I didn't think before I said that." Hermione winced.

"It's fine." Harry told her, "I knew you'd be curious."

**She looked suddenly horrorstruck.**

**"Oh, Harry - I'm sorry - no, of course I don't - that was a really stupid thing to say."**

**"It's OK," he said quickly, "don't worry."**

**"I'm surprised so many people could see them," said Ron. "Three in a class -"**

**"Yeah, Weasley, we were just wondering," said a malicious voice. Unheard by any of them in the muffling snow, Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle were walking along right behind them. "D'you reckon if you saw someone snuff it you'd be able to see the Quaffle better?"**

**He, Crabbe and Goyle roared with laughter as they pushed past on their way to the castle, then broke into a chorus of 'Weasley is our King'. Ron's ears turned scarlet.**

**"Ignore them, just ignore them," intoned Hermione, pulling out her wand and performing the charm to produce hot air again, so that she could melt them an easier path through the untouched snow between them and the greenhouses.**

**December arrived, bringing with it more snow and a positive avalanche of homework for the fifth-years. Ron and Hermione's prefect duties also became more and more onerous as Christmas approached. They were called upon to supervise the decoration of the castle ('You try putting up tinsel when Peeves has got the other end and is trying to strangle you with it,' said Ron),**

"It was annoying when he did that." Remus muttered.

"Even more annoying when he tied it around your ankles." Lily huffed.

**to watch over first- and second-years spending their break-times inside because of the bitter cold ('And they're cheeky little snot-rags, you know, we definitely weren't that rude when we were in first year,' said Ron) and to patrol the corridors in shifts with Argus Filch, who suspected that the holiday spirit might show itself in an outbreak of wizard duels ('He's got dung for brains, that one,' said Ron furiously).**

"He did that every year." Percy muttered, "Highly annoying."

**They were so busy that Hermione had even stopped knitting elf hats and was fretting that she was down to her last three.**

**"All those poor elves I haven't set free yet, having to stay here over Christmas because there aren't enough hats!"**

**Harry, who had not had the heart to tell her that Dobby was taking everything she made, bent lower over his History of Magic essay. In any case, he did not want to think about Christmas. For the first time in his school career, he very much wanted to spend the holidays away from Hogwarts.**

**Between his Quidditch ban and worry about whether or not Hagrid was going to be put on probation, he felt highly resentful towards the place at the moment. The only thing he really looked forward to were the DA meetings, and they would have to stop over the holidays, as nearly everybody in the DA would be spending the time with their families. Hermione was going skiing with her parents, something that greatly amused Ron, who had never heard of Muggles strapping narrow strips of wood on to their feet to slide down mountains. Ron was going home to The Burrow. Harry endured several days of envy before Ron said, in response to Harry asking him how he was going to get home for Christmas: 'But you're coming too! Didn't I say? Mum wrote and told me to invite you weeks ago!'**

"Thank you Molly." Lily smiled, "It'll do them some good to get out of the castle."

Molly smiled back, "No problem, it's always good having everyone together for the holidays."

**Hermione rolled her eyes, but Harry's spirits soared: the thought of Christmas at The Burrow was truly wonderful, though slightly marred by Harry's guilty feeling that he would not be able to spend the holiday with Sirius. He wondered whether he could possibly persuade Mrs. Weasley to invite his godfather for the festivities. Even though he doubted whether Dumbledore would permit Sirius to leave Grimmauld Place anyway, he could not help but think Mrs. Weasley might not want him; they were so often at loggerheads. Sirius had not contacted Harry at all since his last appearance in the fire, and although Harry knew that with Umbridge on constant watch it would be unwise to attempt to contact him, he did not like to think of Sirius alone in his mother's old house, perhaps pulling a lonely cracker with Kreacher.**

"I very much doubt that Kreacher would want to pull a cracker with me." Sirius muttered, "I would've probably just drank half the wine in the cellar and sleep all day."

"You weren't supposed to be drinking alcohol without someone there at all." Remus frowned.

"I didnt." he rolled his eyes, "I stayed clear of any alcohol. I can't stomach wine anymore anyway, or Mead." he shrugged, "Makes me feel sick."

**Harry arrived early in the Room of Requirement for the last DA meeting before the holidays and was very glad he had, because when the torches burst into flame he saw that Dobby had taken it upon himself to decorate the place for Christmas. He could tell the elf had done it, because nobody else would have strung a hundred golden baubles from the ceiling, each showing a picture of Harry's face and bearing the legend: 'HAVE A VERY HARRY CHRISTMAS!'**

They all burst out laughing at this.

"I think it's a good thing you got it all down before the DA got there mate." Ron laughed.

"I'd never hear the end of it." Harry chuckled.

**Harry had only just managed to get the last of them down before the door creaked open and Luna Lovegood entered, looking as dreamy as usual.**

**"Hello," she said vaguely, looking around at what remained of the decorations. "These are nice, did you put them up?"**

**"No," said Harry, "it was Dobby the house-elf."**

**"Mistletoe," said Luna dreamily, pointing at a large clump of white berries placed almost over Harry's head. He jumped out from under it. "Good thinking," said Luna very seriously. "It's often infested with Nargles."**

"Nargles?" Petunia asked.

"They like hiding in mistletoe and they often hide things your looking for." Luna smiled.

**Harry was saved the necessity of asking what Nargles are by the arrival of Angelina, Katie and Alicia. All three of them were breathless and looked very cold.**

**"Well," said Angelina dully, pulling off her cloak and throwing it into a corner, "we've finally replaced you."**

**"Replaced me?" said Harry blankly.**

**"You and Fred and George," she said impatiently. "We've got another Seeker!"**

**"Who?" said Harry quickly.**

"Me." Ginny grinned smugly.

**"Ginny Weasley," said Katie.**

**Harry gaped at her.**

**"Yeah, I know," said Angelina, pulling out her wand and flexing her arm, "but she's pretty good, actually. Nothing on you, of course," she said, throwing him a very dirty look, "but as we can't have you..."**

"I wonder what Angelina would say if she knew you've beaten me a few times?" Harry chuckled.

"I hadn't at that time." Ginny shrugged, "And I wasn't used to playing Seeker, I was a better Chaser until then. And Angelina knows I've beaten you to the Snitch a few times."

"What did she say about that?" George inquired.

"She said someone had to remind Harry it is possible for him to be out flown." she grinned, "And that it was brilliant that it was a woman who did it."

Harry rolled his eyes.

**Harry bit back the retort he was longing to utter: did she imagine for a second that he did not regret his expulsion from the team a hundred times more than she did?**

**"And what about the Beaters?" he asked, trying to keep his voice even.**

**"Andrew Kirke," said Alicia without enthusiasm, "and Jack Sloper. Neither of them are brilliant, but compared to the rest of the idiots who turned up..."**

**The arrival of Ron, Hermione and Neville brought this depressing discussion to an end, and within five minutes the room was full enough to prevent Harry seeing Angelina's burning, reproachful looks.**

**"OK," he said, calling them all to order. "I thought this evening we should just go over the things we've done so far, because it's the last meeting before the holidays and there's no point starting anything new right before a three-week break -"**

**"We're not doing anything new?" said Zacharias Smith, in a disgruntled whisper loud enough to carry through the room. "If I'd known that, I wouldn't have come."**

**"We're all really sorry Harry didn't tell you, then," said Fred loudly.**

They all laughed as Fred mock bowed.

**Several people sniggered. Harry saw Cho laughing and felt the familiar swooping sensation in his stomach, as though he had missed a step going downstairs.**

**"- we can practise in pairs," said Harry. "We'll start with the Impediment Jinx, for ten minutes, then we can get out the cushions and try Stunning again."**

**They all divided up obediently; Harry partnered Neville as usual. The room was soon full of intermittent cries of "Impedimenta!" People froze for a minute or so, during which their partner would stare aimlessly around the room watching other pairs at work, then would unfreeze and take their turn at the jinx.**

**Neville had improved beyond all recognition.**

**After a while, when Harry had unfrozen three times in a row, he had Neville join Ron and Hermione again so that he could walk around the room and watch the others. When he passed Cho she beamed at him; he resisted the temptation to walk past her several more times.**

Ginny glared at her Fiancé, who cringed.

"C'mon Gin, this was years ago." he whimpered, _And before I lost interest in her and fell for you, you know I love you,_ he added silently.

She nodded once with a huff.

**After ten minutes on the Impediment Jinx, they laid out cushions all over the floor and started practising Stunning again. Space was really too confined to allow them all to work this spell at once; half the group observed the others for a while, then swapped over.**

**Harry felt himself positively swelling with pride as he watched them all. True, Neville did Stun Padma Patil rather than Dean, at whom he had been aiming, but it was a much closer miss than usual, and everybody else had made enormous progress.**

**At the end of an hour, Harry called a halt.**

**"You're getting really good," he said, beaming around at them. "When we get back from the holidays we can start doing some of the big stuff - maybe even Patronuses."**

"And this is where I'm cutting it short." Harry told them, with a nervous glance at Ginny.

"I'm not going to hex you." she sighed, "Though I might not have been able to help it if you'd shown it."

He sighed in relief.

"What happened?" James frowned.

"Harry kissed Cho." Ron told them after a nod from Harry and Ginny.

"Ah." Sirius chuckled, "And you were worried about getting hexed?"

Harry nodded sheepishly, "I was. I'll explain a little bit after it. After I got back to the common room Ron and Hermione questioned me about it." he started, "That led to Hermione explaining Cho's feelings since she was crying all over the place. Leading to a few comments I refuse to mention and we'll skip to just after that conversation. Hermione had been writing a very long letter, just so none of you are confused."

**"Who're you writing the novel to, anyway?" Ron asked Hermione, trying to read the bit of parchment now trailing on the floor. Hermione hitched it up out of sight.**

**"Viktor."**

**"Krum?"**

**"How many other Viktors do we know?"**

**Ron said nothing, but looked disgruntled. They sat in silence for another twenty minutes, Ron finishing his Transfiguration essay with many snorts of impatience and crossings-out, Hermione writing steadily to the very end of the parchment, rolling it up carefully and sealing it, and Harry staring into the fire, wishing more than anything that Sirius's head would appear there and give him some advice about girls. But the fire merely crackled lower and lower, until the red-hot embers crumbled into ash and, looking around, Harry saw that they were, yet again, the last ones in the common room.**

**"Well, night," said Hermione, yawning widely as she set off up the girls' staircase.**

**"What does she see in Krum?" Ron demanded, as he and Harry climbed the boys' stairs.**

"I knew you couldn't stop yourself from commenting." Hermione smirked at Ron.

"Why were you writing to him anyway?" he frowned.

"He kept asking if I'd be interested in a long distance relationship, I just kept telling him I wasn't interested." she shrugged.

**"Well," said Harry, considering the matter, "I s'pose he's older, isn't he... and he's an international Quidditch player..."**

**"Yeah, but apart from that," said Ron, sounding aggravated. "I mean, he's a grouchy git, isn't he?"**

**"Bit grouchy, yeah," said Harry, whose thoughts were still on Cho.**

**They pulled off their robes and put on pyjamas in silence; Dean, Seamus and Neville were already asleep. Harry put his glasses on his bedside table and got into bed but did not pull the hangings closed around his four-poster; instead, he stared at the patch of starry sky visible through the window next to Neville's bed. If he had known, this time last night, that in twenty-four hours' time he would have kissed Cho Chang...**

Ginny growled but didn't say anything.

**"Night," grunted Ron, from somewhere to his right.**

**"Night," said Harry.**

**Maybe next time... if there was a next time... she'd be a bit happier. He ought to have asked her out; she had probably been expecting it and was now really angry with him... or was she lying in bed, still crying about Cedric? He did not know what to think. Hermione's explanation had made it all seem more complicated rather than easier to understand.**

**That's what they should teach us here, he thought, turning over on to his side, how girls' brains work... it'd be more useful than Divination, anyway...**

"But where's the fun in that?" Luna smiled widely, "It's so fun watching boys try and figure us out." the other women nodded in agreement.

**Neville snuffled in his sleep. An owl hooted somewhere out in the night.**

**Harry dreamed he was back in the DA room. Cho was accusing him of luring her there under false pretences; she said he had promised her a hundred and fifty Chocolate Frog Cards if she showed up. Harry protested... Cho shouted, "Cedric gave me loads of Chocolate Frog Cards, look!" And she pulled out fistfuls of Cards from inside her robes and threw them into the air. Then she turned into Hermione, who said, "You did promise her, you know, Harry... I think you'd better give her something else instead... how about your Firebolt?" And Harry was protesting that he could not give Cho his Firebolt, because Umbridge had it, and anyway the whole thing was ridiculous, he'd only come to the DA room to put up some Christmas baubles shaped like Dobby's head...**

"Okay, that dream didn't make much sense," said Sirius.

"You know what's coming." Harry muttered darkly, "Are you going to be alright watching this?" he asked the Weasleys.

They all nodded hesitantly.

"If we're not, we'll leave." Arthur promised.

The one's who didn't know what had happened looked confused but didn't comment.

**The dream changed...**

**His body felt smooth, powerful and flexible. He was gliding between shining metal bars, across dark, cold stone... he was flat against the floor, sliding along on his belly... it was dark, yet he could see objects around him shimmering in strange, vibrant colours... he was turning his head... at first glance the corridor was empty... but no... a man was sitting on the floor ahead, his chin drooping on to his chest, his outline gleaming in the dark...**

**Harry put out his tongue... he tasted the man's scent on the air... he was alive but drowsy... sitting in front of a door at the end of the corridor...**

**Harry longed to bite the man... but he must master the impulse... he had more important work to do...**

**But the man was stirring... a silver Cloak fell from his legs as he jumped to his feet; and Harry saw his vibrant, blurred outline towering above him, saw a wand withdrawn from a belt... he had no choice... he reared high from the floor and struck once, twice, three times, plunging his fangs deeply into the man's flesh, feeling his ribs splinter beneath his jaws, feeling the warm gush of blood...**

The women all screamed and the men gasped, Arthur shuddered.

**The man was yelling in pain... then he fell silent... he slumped backwards against the wall... blood was splattering on to the floor...**

**His forehead hurt terribly… it was aching fit to burst...**

"This dream must involve Voldemort somehow," Regulus said. "Or that snake of his."

"Or both." Harry muttered.

**"Harry! HARRY!"**

**He opened his eyes. Every inch of his body was covered in icy sweat; his bed covers were twisted all around him like a strait-jacket; he felt as though a white-hot poker were being applied to his forehead.**

**"Harry!"**

**Ron was standing over him looking extremely frightened. There were more figures at the foot of Harry's bed. He clutched his head in his hands; the pain was blinding him... he rolled right over and vomited over the edge of the mattress.**

**"He's really ill," said a scared voice. "Should we call someone?"**

**"Harry! Harry!"**

**He had to tell Ron, it was very important that he tell him... taking great gulps of air, Harry pushed himself up in bed, willing himself not to throw up again, the pain half-blinding him.**

**"Your dad," he panted, his chest heaving. "Your dad's... been attacked..."**

They all looked at Arthur who nodded with a wince.

**"What?" said Ron uncomprehendingly.**

**"Your dad! He's been bitten, it's serious, there was blood everywhere..."**

**"I'm going for help," said the same scared voice, and Harry heard footsteps running out of the dormitory.**

**"Harry, mate," said Ron uncertainly, "you... you were just dreaming..."**

**"No!" said Harry furiously; it was crucial that Ron understand. "It wasn't a dream... not an ordinary dream... I was there, I saw it... I did it..."**

"You didnt do anything Harry." Arthur told him, "Except save my life."

**He could hear Seamus and Dean muttering but did not care. The pain in his forehead was subsiding slightly, though he was still sweating and shivering feverishly. He retched again and Ron leapt backwards out of the way.**

**"Harry, you're not well," he said shakily. "Neville's gone for help."**

**"I'm fine!" Harry choked, wiping his mouth on his pyjamas and shaking uncontrollably. "There's nothing wrong with me, it's your dad you've got to worry about - we need to find out where he is - he's bleeding like mad - I was - it was a huge snake."**

**He tried to get out of bed but Ron pushed him back into it; Dean and Seamus were still whispering somewhere nearby. Whether one minute passed or ten, Harry did not know; he simply sat there shaking, feeling the pain recede very slowly from his scar... then there were hurried footsteps coming up the stairs and he heard Neville's voice again.**

**"Over here, Professor."**

**Professor McGonagall came hurrying into the dormitory in her tartan dressing gown, her glasses perched lopsidedly on the bridge of her bony nose.**

**"What is it, Potter? Where does it hurt?"**

**He had never been so pleased to see her; it was a member of the Order of the Phoenix he needed now, not someone fussing over him and prescribing useless potions.**

"Thank Merlin," said James. "Minnie can help."

"I was already on my way to the tower." Minerva admitted, "There's a charm on the dorms that lets me know when someone is upset or hurt and needs help. It had went off about two minutes before I ran into Neville." she explained.

**"It's Ron's dad," he said, sitting up again. "He's been attacked by a snake and it's serious, I saw it happen."**

**"What do you mean, you saw it happen?" said Professor McGonagall, her dark eyebrows contracting.**

**"I don't know... I was asleep and then I was there..."**

**"You mean you dreamed this?"**

**"No!" said Harry angrily; would none of them understand? "I was having a dream at first about something completely different, something stupid... and then this interrupted it. It was real, I didn't imagine it. Mr. Weasley was asleep on the floor and he was attacked by a gigantic snake, there was a load of blood, he collapsed, someone's got to find out where he is..."**

**Professor McGonagall was gazing at him through her lopsided spectacles as though horrified at what she was seeing.**

**"I'm not lying and I'm not mad!" Harry told her, his voice rising to a shout. "I tell you, I saw it happen!"**

**"I believe you, Potter," said Professor McGonagall curtly. "Put on your dressing gown - we're going to see the Headmaster."**

"Good idea." Lily muttered, "What a horrible thing to happen."

"It was partly my fault." Arthur sighed, "I fell asleep when I shouldn't have."

"Arthur you were exhausted, I told you to let Mad-Eye take your shift like he offered." Dora told him, "He might've had more luck against the snake since he wasn't over-worked."

"No one stood a chance against that snake if it decided to use it's venom." Harry said grimly, "It took a lot to kill it."

"What do you mean 'if it decided to use it's venom'?" Remus frowned.

"It could choose." Hermione shrugged, "Harry was bitten by the same snake during our time away but he didnt get poisoned."

Harry nodded, rolling up his pajama sleeve to show them the two marks where Nagini's teeth had peirced his skin.

"I've never heard of a snake that could choose." James frowned.

"Nagini was... Different... She was one of the things that kept Voldemort alive." Ron said slowly.

Regulus shuddered, "Creepy. And unusual."

"And very, very deadly." Albus sighed, "It was rather fortunate Harry saw that vision..."

"Or I'd be dead." Arthur finished for him, "As it was it was touch and go for a while."

"Shall we continue?" Harry suggested, "Then you can see what happened before we finish for the night." they all nodded in agreement.

* * *

><p>Review please x<p> 


	82. Chapter 82

Chapter 82 - Fifth Year (Part 12)

21, August, 1998.

"Where we left off."

**Harry was so relieved she was taking him seriously that he did not hesitate, but jumped out of bed at once, pulled on his dressing gown and pushed his glasses back on to his nose.**

**"****Weasley, you ought to come too,****"**** said Professor McGonagall.**

**They followed Professor McGonagall past the silent figures of Neville, Dean and Seamus, out of the dormitory, down the spiral stairs into the common room, through the portrait hole and off along the Fat Lady's moonlit corridor. Harry felt as though the panic inside him might spill over at any moment; he wanted to run, to yell for Dumbledore; Mr. Weasley was bleeding as they walked along so sedately, and what if those fangs (Harry tried hard not to think 'my fangs') had been poisonous?**

**They passed Mrs. Norris, who turned her lamplike eyes upon them and hissed faintly, but Professor McGonagall said, ****"****Shoo!****"**** Mrs. Norris slunk away into the shadows, and in a few minutes they had reached the stone gargoyle guarding the entrance to Dumbledore's office.**

**"****Fizzing Whizzbee,****"**** said Professor McGonagall.**

**The gargoyle sprang to life and leapt aside; the wall behind it split in two to reveal a stone staircase that was moving continually upwards like a spiral escalator. The three of them stepped on to the moving stairs; the wall closed behind them with a thud and they were moving upwards in tight circles until they reached the highly polished oak door with the brass knocker shaped like a griffin.**

**Though it was now well past midnight there were voices coming from inside the room, a positive babble of them. It sounded as though Dumbledore was entertaining at least a dozen people.**

"Talking to the portraits, I bet." said Remus.

"Quite right." Albus chuckled.

**Professor McGonagall rapped three times with the griffin knocker and the voices ceased abruptly as though someone had switched them all off. The door opened of its own accord and Professor McGonagall led Harry and Ron inside.**

**The room was in half-darkness; the strange silver instruments standing on tables were silent and still rather than whirring and emitting puffs of smoke as they usually did; the portraits of old headmasters and headmistresses covering the walls were all snoozing in their frames.**

"They're pretending." Minerva chuckled, "I swear all the portraits up there are nosey."

"It is rather boring being a portrait you know." Albus told her, "Of course we'd listen in. A portrait really has nothing better to do than listen into all the gossip and stories circling around the school." he chuckled, "Even Phineas does it, though he'd deny that if you asked him."

Cissy chuckled, "Of course he'd deny it."

**Behind the door, a magnificent red and gold bird the size of a swan dozed on its perch with its head under its wing.**

**"****Oh, it's you, Professor McGonagall... and... ah.****"**

**Dumbledore was sitting in a high-backed chair behind his desk; he leaned forward into the pool of candlelight illuminating the papers laid out before him. He was wearing a magnificently embroidered purple and gold dressing gown over a snowy white nightshirt, but seemed wide-awake, his penetrating light blue eyes fixed intently upon Professor McGonagall.**

**"****Professor Dumbledore, Potter has had a... well, a nightmare,****"**** said Professor McGonagall. ****"****He says...****"**

**"****It wasn't a nightmare,****"**** said Harry quickly.**

**Professor McGonagall looked round at Harry, frowning slightly. ****"****Very well, then, Potter, you tell the Headmaster about it.****"**

**"****I... well, I was asleep...****"**** said Harry and, even in his terror and his desperation to make Dumbledore understand, he felt slightly irritated that the Headmaster was not looking at him, but examining his own interlocked fingers. ****"****But it wasn't an ordinary dream... it was real... I saw it happen...****"**** He took a deep breath, ****"****Ron's dad - Mr. Weasley - has been attacked by a giant snake.****"**

**The words seemed to reverberate in the air after he had said them, sounding slightly ridiculous, even comic. There was a pause in which Dumbledore leaned back and stared meditatively at the ceiling. Ron looked from Harry to Dumbledore, white-faced and shocked.**

**"****How did you see this?****"**** Dumbledore asked quietly, still not looking at Harry.**

**"****Well... I don't know,****"**** said Harry, rather angrily - what did it matter? ****"****Inside my head, I suppose -****"**

**"****You misunderstand me,****"**** said Dumbledore, still in the same calm tone. ****"****I mean... can you remember ****-**** er - where you were positioned as you watched this attack happen? Were you perhaps standing beside the victim, or else looking down on the scene from above?****"**

"What kind of question is that?" demanded James.

"I was checking to see whether it was a real vision." Albus explained, "If Harry hadn't been seeing it from the attackers point of view it would have been fake since the connection was between the minds and undoubtedly would always be from Voldemorts point of view if it were real."

Harry nodded, "It always was like that after he got his body back, though he did make a fake vision that was so realistic I fell for it." he sighed, shooting a quick glance at Sirius who nodded in understanding.

**This was such a curious question that Harry gaped at Dumbledore; it was almost as though he knew...**

**"****I was the snake,****"**** he said. ****"****I saw it all from the snake's point of view.****"**

**Nobody else spoke for a moment, then Dumbledore, now looking at Ron who was still whey-faced, asked in a new and sharper voice, ****"****Is Arthur seriously injured?****"**

**"****Yes,****"**** said Harry emphatically - why were they all so slow on the uptake, did they not realise how much a person bled when fangs that long pierced their side? And why could Dumbledore not do him the courtesy of looking at him?**

**But Dumbledore stood up, so quickly it made Harry jump, and addressed one of the old portraits hanging very near the ceiling. ****"****Everard?****"**** he said sharply. ****"****And you too, Dilys!****"**

"What do those two portraits have to do with things?" Amber asked.

"There's a portrait of Everard in the Ministry," Andy explained. "And Dilys was a Healer before becoming Headmistress, so there's a portrait of her in St. Mungo's. So those two can go back and forth between their portraits."

"Just like Phineas with Grimmauld." Regulus nodded.

**A sallow-faced wizard with a short black fringe and an elderly witch with long silver ringlets in the frame beside him, both of whom seemed to have been in the deepest of sleeps, opened their eyes immediately.**

**"****You were listening?****"**** said Dumbledore.**

**The wizard nodded; the witch said, ****"****Naturally.****"**

**"****The man has red hair and glasses,****"**** said Dumbledore. ****"****Everard, you will need to raise the alarm, make sure he is found by the right people ****-"**

**Both nodded and moved sideways out of their frames, but instead of emerging in neighbouring pictures (as usually happened at Hogwarts) neither reappeared. One frame now contained nothing but a backdrop of dark curtain, the other a handsome leather armchair. Harry noticed that many of the other headmasters and mistresses on the walls, though snoring and drooling most convincingly, kept sneaking peeks at him from under their eyelids, and he suddenly understood who had been talking when they had knocked.**

**"Everard and Dilys were two of Hogwarts's most celebrated Heads," Dumbledore said, now sweeping around Harry, Ron and Professor McGonagall to approach the magnificent sleeping bird on his perch beside the door. "Their renown is such that both have portraits hanging in other important wizarding institutions. As they are free to move between their own portraits, they can tell us what may be happening elsewhere..."**

**"But Mr. Weasley could be anywhere!" said Harry.**

**"Please sit down, all three of you," said Dumbledore, as though Harry had not spoken, "Everard and Dilys may not be back for several minutes. Professor McGonagall, if you could draw up extra chairs."**

**Professor McGonagall pulled her wand from the pocket of her dressing gown and waved it; three chairs appeared out of thin air, straight-backed and wooden, quite unlike the comfortable chintz armchairs that Dumbledore had conjured up at Harry's hearing. Harry sat down, watching Dumbledore over his shoulder. Dumbledore was now stroking Fawkes's plumed golden head with one finger. The phoenix awoke immediately. He stretched his beautiful head high and observed Dumbledore through bright, dark eyes.**

**"We will need," Dumbledore said very quietly to the bird, "a warning."**

"Why do they need a warning?" Frank asked.

"Because Umbridge would try to interfere if she knew what was going on." Albus smiled.

**There was a flash of fire and the phoenix had gone.**

**Dumbledore now swooped down upon one of the fragile silver instruments whose function Harry had never known, carried it over to his desk, sat down facing them again and tapped it gently with the tip of his wand.**

**The instrument tinkled into life at once with rhythmic clinking noises. Tiny puffs of pale green smoke issued from the minuscule silver tube at the top. Dumbledore watched the smoke closely, his brow furrowed. After a few seconds, the tiny puffs became a steady stream of smoke that thickened and coiled in the air... a serpent's head grew out of the end of it, opening its mouth wide. Harry wondered whether the instrument was confirming his story: he looked eagerly at Dumbledore for a sign that he was right, but Dumbledore did not look up.**

**"Naturally, naturally," murmured Dumbledore apparently to himself, still observing the stream of smoke without the slightest sign of surprise. "But in essence divided?"**

"Huh?" most asked.

"It was an instrument that shows emotions of a certain person." Albus supplied, "Harry was picking up Voldemorts and it told me so. I was trying to make sure you weren't panicking too much." he told Harry, "And making sure you weren't going to loose your temper."

**Harry could make neither head nor tail of this question. The smoke serpent, however, split itself instantly into two snakes, both coiling and undulating in the dark air. With a look of grim satisfaction, Dumbledore gave the instrument another gentle tap with his wand: the clinking noise slowed and died and the smoke serpents grew faint, became a formless haze and vanished.**

"What did that mean?" Harry inquired.

"That not only were you picking up Voldemorts emotions, you were picking up Nagini's too, meaning he was possessing her." Albus explained, sighing slightly, "It was just for confirmation."

**Dumbledore replaced the instrument on its spindly little table. Harry saw many of the old headmasters in the portraits follow him with their eyes, then, realising that Harry was watching them, hastily pretend to be sleeping again. Harry wanted to ask what the strange silver instrument was for, but before he could do so, there was a shout from the top of the wall to their right; the wizard called Everard had reappeared in his portrait, panting slightly.**

**"Dumbledore!"**

**"What news?" said Dumbledore at once.**

**"I yelled until someone came running," said the wizard, who was mopping his brow on the curtain behind him, "said I'd heard something moving downstairs - they weren't sure whether to believe me but went down to check - you know there are no portraits down there to watch from. Anyway, they carried him up a few minutes later. He doesn't look good, he's covered in blood, I ran along to Elfrida Cragg's portrait to get a good view as they left -"**

**"Good," said Dumbledore as Ron made a convulsive movement. "I take it Dilys will have seen him arrive, then -"**

**And moments later, the silver-ringleted witch had reappeared in her picture, too; she sank, coughing, into her armchair and said, "Yes, they've taken him to St Mungo's, Dumbledore... they carried him past my portrait... he looks bad..."**

"Not the type of thing someone enjoys hearing." Ron muttered.

**"Thank you," said Dumbledore. He looked round at Professor McGonagall. "Minerva, I need you to go and wake the other Weasley children."**

**"Of course..."**

**Professor McGonagall got up and moved swiftly to the door. Harry cast a sideways glance at Ron, who was looking terrified.**

**"And Dumbledore - what about Molly?" said Professor McGonagall, pausing at the door.**

**"That will be a job for Fawkes when he has finished keeping a lookout for anybody approaching," said Dumbledore. "But she may already know... that excellent clock of hers..."**

**Harry knew Dumbledore was referring to the clock that told, not the time, but the whereabouts and conditions of the various Weasley family members, and with a pang he thought that Mr. Weasley's hand must, even now, be pointing at mortal peril. But it was very late. Mrs. Weasley was probably asleep, not watching the clock. Harry felt cold as he remembered Mrs. Weasley's Boggart turning into Mr. Weasley's lifeless body, his glasses askew, blood running down his face... but Mr. Weasley wasn't going to die... he couldn't...**

**Dumbledore was now rummaging in a cupboard behind Harry and Ron. He emerged from it carrying a blackened old kettle, which he placed carefully on his desk. He raised his wand and murmured, "Portus!" For a moment the kettle trembled, glowing with an odd blue light; then it quivered to rest, as solidly black as ever.**

"Your making a Portkey?" Lily asked Albus.

"I wasnt going to have them all stay at the school after that." Albus sighed, "I thought it best to tell them then send them to Grimmauld in case Umbridge showed up."

**Dumbledore marched over to another portrait, this time of a clever-looking wizard with a pointed beard, who had been painted wearing the Slytherin colours of green and silver and was apparently sleeping so deeply that he could not hear Dumbledore's voice when he attempted to rouse him. "Phineas. Phineas."**

Regulus made a face. "I suppose Albus has a message for Sirius that he wants our great-great grandfather to deliver?"

"Of course." Sirius grumbled, "And he couldn't help throwing a few less than friendly hints at me about the company I keep." he looked amused as he said this though, "Led to many amusing arguments, that did."

"Oh? And why would that be?" Andy inquired.

"Because he actually didn't mind whose company I enjoyed." he smirked, "He just pretended otherwise. I know he was pretending because he never said anything he knew would get me truly angry." he grinned.

"That's one way to tell." Regulus nodded, "He'd avoid insulting family if he truly didn't mind their choices, but he would argue about it nonetheless." he mused.

"Phineas was always like that." Andy chuckled, "Even when we were younger, I used to sit and argue with him about liking people the family didn't agree with often."

"That was when you were babysitting and got fed up with us right?" Cissy mused, "You sent us to bed if we were annoying you at night."

"Exactly." she nodded, seemingly amused, "Which happened often, might I add."

They chuckled and turned back to the memory.

**The subjects of the portraits lining the room were no longer pretending to be asleep; they were shifting around in their frames, the better to watch what was happening. When the clever-looking wizard continued to feign sleep, some of them shouted his name, too.**

**"Phineas! Phineas! PHINEAS!"**

**He could not pretend any longer; he gave a theatrical jerk and opened his eyes wide.**

**"Did someone call?"**

**"I need you to visit your other portrait again, Phineas," said Dumbledore. '"I've got another message."**

**"Visit my other portrait?" said Phineas in a reedy voice, giving a long, fake yawn (his eyes travelling around the room and focusing on Harry). "Oh, no, Dumbledore, I am too tired tonight."**

**Something about Phineas's voice was familiar to Harry, where had he heard it before? But before he could think, the portraits on the surrounding walls broke into a storm of protest.**

**"Insubordination, sir!" roared a corpulent, red-nosed wizard, brandishing his fists. "Dereliction of duty!"**

**"We are honour-bound to give service to the present Headmaster of Hogwarts!" cried a frail-looking old wizard whom Harry recognised as Dumbledore's predecessor, Armando Dippet. "Shame on you, Phineas!"**

**"Shall I persuade him, Dumbledore?" called a gimlet-eyed witch, raising an unusually thick wand that looked not unlike a birch rod.**

**"Oh, very well," said the wizard called Phineas, eyeing the wand with mild apprehension, "though he may well have destroyed my picture by now, he's done away with most of the family -"**

**"Sirius knows not to destroy your portrait," said Dumbledore, and Harry realised immediately where he had heard Phineas's voice before: issuing from the apparently empty frame in his bedroom in Grimmauld Place. "You are to give him the message that Arthur Weasley has been gravely injured and that his wife, children and Harry Potter will be arriving at his house shortly. Do you understand?"**

**"Arthur Weasley, injured, wife and children and Harry Potter coming to stay," repeated Phineas in a bored voice. "Yes, yes... very well."**

**He sloped away into the frame of the portrait and disappeared from view at the very moment the study door opened again. Fred, George and Ginny were ushered inside by Professor McGonagall, all three of them looking dishevelled and shocked, still in their night things.**

**"Harry - what's going on?" asked Ginny, who looked frightened. "Professor McGonagall says you saw Dad get hurt -"**

**"Your father has been injured in the course of his work for the Order of the Phoenix," said Dumbledore, before Harry could speak. "He has been taken to St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries. I am sending you back to Sirius's house, which is much more convenient for the hospital than The Burrow. You will meet your mother there."**

**"How're we going?" asked Fred, looking shaken. "Floo powder?"**

**"No," said Dumbledore, "Floo powder is not safe at the moment, the Network is being watched. You will be taking a Portkey." He indicated the old kettle lying innocently on his desk. "We are just waiting for Phineas Nigellus to report back... I want to be sure that the coast is clear before sending you -"**

**There was a flash of flame in the very middle of the office, leaving behind a single golden feather that floated gently to the floor.**

**"It is Fawkes's warning," said Dumbledore, catching the feather as it fell. "Professor Umbridge must know you're out of your beds... Minerva, go and head her off - tell her any story -"**

**Professor McGonagall was gone in a swish of tartan.**

**"He says he'll be delighted," said a bored voice behind Dumbledore; the wizard called Phineas had reappeared in front of his Slytherin banner. "My great-great-grandson has always had an odd taste in house-guests."**

"Odd taste?" Sirius mused, "Ah well. Odd or not everyone's still good company." he grinned.

"You know he probably only said that because it was never Slytherin's you were with most of the time." Regulus told him, "To him anyone who wasn't a Slytherin was odd, even if he didn't mind them." he shrugged.

**"Come here, then," Dumbledore said to Harry and the Weasleys. "And quickly, before anyone else joins us."**

**Harry and the others gathered around Dumbledore's desk.**

**"You have all used a Portkey before?" asked Dumbledore, and they nodded, each reaching out to touch some part of the blackened kettle. "Good. On the count of three, then... one... two..."**

**It happened in a fraction of a second: in the infinitesimal pause before Dumbledore said "three", Harry looked up at him - they were very close together - and Dumbledore's clear blue gaze moved from the Portkey to Harry's face.**

**At once, Harry's scar burned white-hot, as though the old wound had burst open again - and unbidden, unwanted, but terrifyingly strong, there rose within Harry a hatred so powerful he felt, for that instant, he would like nothing better than to strike - to bite - to sink his fangs into the man before him ****-**

**"****... three.****"**

**Harry felt a powerful jerk behind his navel, the ground vanished from beneath his feet, his hand was glued to the kettle; he was banging into the others as they all sped forwards in a swirl of colours and a rush of wind, the kettle pulling them onwards... until his feet hit the ground so hard his knees buckled, the kettle clattered to the ground, and somewhere close at hand a voice said:**

**"****Back again, the blood-traitor brats. Is it true their father's dying?****"**

"If Kreacher's going to act like that, it's not going to help matters." Sirius groused.

"Sirius!" Lily scolded. "Maybe if you were nicer to him, he wouldn't be like that!"

"Yes, yes, I know and I've learned my lesson." he muttered.

**"****OUT!****"**** roared a second voice.**

**Harry scrambled to his feet and looked around; they had arrived in the gloomy basement kitchen of number twelve, Grimmauld Place. The only sources of light were the fire and one guttering candle, which illuminated the remains of a solitary supper. Kreacher was disappearing through the door to the hall, looking back at them malevolently as he hitched up his loincloth; Sirius was hurrying towards them all, looking anxious. He was unshaven and still in his day clothes; there was also a slightly Mundungus-like whiff of stale drink about him.**

Sirius grinned sheepishly, "I'd been having a drink a few hours before that." he admitted.

"Yep, with me." Dora chuckled, "I decided I needed a drink, so I went and had one or two with Sirius since I figured he'd appreciate the company."

"Certainly did." Sirius agreed, "I hated being alone in that house." he cringed, he glanced at Dora, "Thanks for that, by the way, I'd been starting to think people had forgotten about me, none of the Order had been in for about three days before that."

"No problem." she shrugged, "You know I was rather busy or I would've visited more often."

"I know." he smiled, "I'm still grateful."

**"****What's going on?****"**** he said, stretching out a hand to help Ginny up. ****"****Phineas Nigellus said Arthur's been badly injured ****-"**

**"****Ask Harry,****"**** said Fred.**

**"****Yeah, I want to hear this for myself,****"**** said George.**

**The twins and Ginny were staring at him. Kreacher's footsteps had stopped on the stairs outside.**

**"****It was -****"**** Harry began; this was even worse than telling McGonagall and Dumbledore.**

**"****I had a - a kind of - vision...****"**

**And he told them all that he had seen, though he altered the story so that it sounded as though he had watched from the sidelines as the snake attacked, rather than from behind the snake's own eyes. Ron, who was still very white,****gave him a fleeting look, but did not speak. When Harry had finished, Fred, George and Ginny continued to stare at him for a moment. Harry did not know whether he was imagining it or not, but he fancied there was something accusatory in their looks. Well, if they were going to blame him just for seeing the attack, he was glad he had not told them that he had been inside the snake at the time.**

"We weren't ever going to blame you Harry, we were just shocked at the turn of events." George sighed.

"I think it's a good thing you didn't tell us it was from the snakes point of view though." Fred mused, "That would've made it seem worse."

**"****Is Mum here?****"**** said Fred, turning to Sirius.**

**"****She probably doesn't even know what's happened yet,****"**** said Sirius. ****"****The important thing was to get you away before Umbridge could interfere. I expect Dumbledore's letting Molly know now.****"**

**"****We've got to go to St. Mungo's,****"**** said Ginny urgently. She looked around at her brothers; they were of course still in their pyjamas. ****"****Sirius, can you lend us cloaks or anything?****"**

"But you can't just go rushing off to St. Mungo's now!" exclaimed Lily, alarmed. "How will it look when you arrive to see your father when your mother hasn't even been notified by the hospital yet!"

"That's what he told us." Ron nodded at Sirius.

**"****Hang on, you can't go tearing off to St. Mungo's!****"**** said Sirius.**

**"****Course we can go to St. Mungo's if we want,****"**** said Fred, with a mulish expression. ****"****He's our dad!****"**

**"****And how are you going to explain how you knew Arthur was attacked before the hospital even let his wife know?****"**

**"****What does that matter?****"**** said George hotly.**

**"****It matters because we don't want to draw attention to the fact that Harry is having visions of things that are happening hundreds of miles away!****"**** said Sirius angrily. ****"****Have you any idea what the Ministry would make of that information?****"**

**Fred and George looked as though they could not care less what the Ministry made of anything. Ron was still ashen-faced and silent.**

**Ginny said, ****"****Somebody else could have told us... we could have heard it somewhere other than Harry.****"**

"Oh really?" Remus asked sarcastically. "And who was this person that you could have heard it from?"

"The ghost that travels between Hogwarts and St Mungos." Fred grinned.

"There's not a ghost that does that." Minerva pointed out, "There never has been."

"Fine, Trelawney told us." George snickered.

"Boys give up." Arthur chuckled, "There's no winning that argument."

The twins made faces but agreed anyway.

**"****Like who?****"**** said Sirius impatiently. ****"****Listen, your dad's been hurt while on duty for the Order and the circumstances are fishy enough without his children knowing about it seconds after it happened, you could seriously damage the Order's ****-****"**

**"We don't care about the dumb Order!" shouted Fred.**

**"It's our dad dying we're talking about!" yelled George.**

**"Your father knew what he was getting into and he won't thank you for messing things up for the Order!" said Sirius, equally angry. "This is how it is - this is why you're not in the Order - you don't understand - there are things worth dying for!"**

**"Easy for you to say, stuck here!" bellowed Fred. "I don't see you risking your neck!"**

"That was too far." Ginny told her brother.

"I know, sorry Sirius, I was jus -"

"- Upset like any child would be when one of their parents has been attacked. Don't worry about it." Sirius assured him, "I've dealt with worse than that from James when he was locked up in Godrics Hollow." James nodded in confirmation.

"It was still unfair." Fred insisted, "I shouldn't have -"

"- acted the way that was expected of you. You may have been classed as adults but you were relatively sheltered from the war until Voldemort returned. I had just been attacked and I think that's when you realised we might get hurt and some of us might not live through the war." Arthur told his sons, "I'd say your reactions were reasonable, even if your words were harsh."

Fred nodded and fell silent.

**The little colour remaining in Sirius's face drained from it. He looked for a moment as though he would quite like to hit Fred, but when he spoke, it was in a voice of determined calm.**

**"I know it's hard, but we've all got to act as though we don't know anything yet. We've got to stay put, at least until we hear from your mother, all right?"**

**Fred and George still looked mutinous. Ginny, however, took a few steps over to the nearest chair and sank into it. Harry looked at Ron, who made a funny movement somewhere between a nod and a shrug, and they sat down too. The twins glared at Sirius for another minute, then took seats either side of Ginny.**

**"That's right," said Sirius encouragingly, "come on, let's all... let's all have a drink while we're waiting. Accio Butterbeer!"**

**He raised his wand as he spoke and half a dozen bottles came flying towards them out of the pantry, skidded along the table, scattering the debris of Sinus's meal, and stopped neatly in front of the six of them. They all drank, and for a while the only sounds were those of the crackling of the kitchen fire and the soft thud of their bottles on the table.**

**Harry was only drinking to have something to do with his hands. His stomach was full of horrible hot, bubbling guilt. They would not be here if it were not for him; they would all still be asleep in bed. And it was no good telling himself that by raising the alarm he had ensured that Mr. Weasley was found, because there was also the inescapable business of it being he who had attacked Mr. Weasley in the first place.**

"It bothered you that long?" Ginny asked, "I knew it bothered you for a while but I didn't think it had started bugging you then."

Harry shrugged.

**Don't be stupid, you haven't got fangs, he told himself, trying to keep calm, though the hand on his Butterbeer bottle was shaking, you were lying in bed, you weren't attacking anyone...**

**But then, what just happened in Dumbledore's office? he asked himself. I felt like I wanted to attack Dumbledore, too...**

"Yes, what was that?" Minerva frowned.

"Who wanted Albus dead?" Harry asked in reply.

"Oh, it was Voldemort's thoughts and emotions towards him, wasn't it?" Remus asked.

"Right in one." Harry smiled grimly.

**He put the bottle down a little harder than he meant to, and it slopped over on to the table. No one took any notice. Then a burst of fire in midair illuminated the dirty plates in front of them and, as they gave cries of shock, a scroll of parchment fell with a thud on to the table, accompanied by a single golden phoenix tail feather.**

**"Fawkes!" said Sirius at once, snatching up the parchment. "That's not Dumbledore's writing - it must be a message from your mother - here -"**

**He thrust the letter into George's hand, who ripped it open and read aloud: "Dad is still alive. I am setting out for St. Mungo's now. Stay where you are. I will send news as soon as I can. Mum." George looked around the table. "Still alive..." he said slowly. "But that makes it sound..."**

**He did not need to finish the sentence. It sounded to Harry, too, as though Mr. Weasley was hovering somewhere between life and death.**

"I was, it was a very close thing at first." Arthur shuddered.

**Still exceptionally pale, Ron stared at the back of his mother's letter as though it might speak words of comfort to him. Fred pulled the parchment out of George's hands and read it for himself, then looked up at Harry, who felt his hand shaking on his Butterbeer bottle again and clenched it more tightly to stop the trembling.**

**If Harry had ever sat through a longer night than this one, he could not remember it. Sirius suggested once, without any real conviction, that they all go to bed, but the Weasleys' looks of disgust were answer enough. They mostly sat in silence around the table, watching the candle wick sinking lower and lower into liquid wax, occasionally raising a bottle to their lips, speaking only to check the time, to wonder aloud what was happening, and to reassure each other that if there was bad news, they would know straightaway, for Mrs. Weasley must long since have arrived at St. Mungo's.**

**Fred fell into a doze, his head lolling sideways on to his shoulder. Ginny was curled like a cat on her chair, but her eyes were open; Harry could see them reflecting the firelight. Ron was sitting with his head in his hands, whether awake or asleep it was impossible to tell. Harry and Sirius looked at each other every so often, intruders upon the family grief, waiting... waiting...**

"It was better with you there. If you weren't we'd be at each others throats." George sighed.

"And the last thing we needed was to fall out with each other." Fred added, "Besides, you basically are family."

"Yeah, you've all been adopted into the family." Ginny grinned.

**At ten past five in the morning by Ron's watch, the kitchen door swung open and Mrs. Weasley entered the kitchen. She was extremely pale, but when they all turned to look at her, Fred, Ron and Harry half rising from their chairs, she gave a wan smile.**

**"He's going to be all right," she said, her voice weak with tiredness. "He's sleeping. We can all go and see him later. Bill's sitting with him now; he's going to take the morning off work."**

They all cheered, except Arthur who just smiled amusedly.

**Fred fell back into his chair with his hands over his face. George and Ginny got up, walked swiftly over to their mother and hugged her. Ron gave a very shaky laugh and downed the rest of his Butterbeer in one.**

**"Breakfast!" said Sirius loudly and joyfully, jumping to his feet. "Where's that accursed house-elf? Kreacher! KREACHER!"**

**But Kreacher did not answer the summons.**

"That cant be good." Regulus muttered, "The only way he'd be able to resist the summons would be if -"

"- He was with another family member." Andy finished for him.

At a quick look from Harry, Cissy and Draco said nothing.

**"Oh, forget it, then," muttered Sirius, counting the people in front of him. "So, it's breakfast for - let's see - seven... bacon and eggs, I think, and some tea, and toast -"**

**Harry hurried over to the stove to help. He did not want to intrude on the Weasleys' happiness and he dreaded the moment when Mrs. Weasley would ask him to recount his vision. However, he had barely taken plates from the dresser when Mrs. Weasley lifted them out of his hands and pulled him into a hug.**

**"I don't know what would have happened if it hadn't been for you, Harry," she said in a muffled voice. "They might not have found Arthur for hours, and then it would have been too late, but thanks to you he's alive and Dumbledore's been able to think up a good cover story for Arthur being where he was, you've no idea what trouble he would have been in otherwise, look at poor Sturgis..."**

**Harry could hardly bear her gratitude, but fortunately she soon released him to turn to Sirius and thank him for looking after her children through the night.**

**Sirius said he was very pleased to have been able to help, and hoped they would all stay with him as long as Mr. Weasley was in hospital.**

**"Oh, Sirius, I'm so grateful... they think he'll be there a little while and it would be wonderful to be nearer... of course, that might mean we're here for Christmas."**

**"The more the merrier!" said Sirius with such obvious sincerity that Mrs. Weasley beamed at him, threw on an apron and began to help with breakfast.**

**"Sirius," Harry muttered, unable to stand it a moment longer. "Can I have a quick word? Er - now?"**

**He walked into the dark pantry and Sirius followed. Without preamble, Harry told his godfather every detail of the vision he had had, including the fact that he himself had been the snake who had attacked Mr. Weasley.**

**When he paused for breath, Sirius said, "Did you tell Dumbledore this?"**

**"Yes," said Harry impatiently, "but he didn't tell me what it meant. Well, he doesn't tell me anything any more."**

**"I'm sure he would have told you if it was anything to worry about," said Sirius steadily.**

**"But that's not all," said Harry, in a voice only a little above a whisper. "Sirius, I... I think I'm going mad. Back in Dumbledore's office, just before we took the Portkey... for a couple of seconds there I thought I was a snake, I felt like one - my scar really hurt when I was looking at Dumbledore - Sirius, I wanted to attack him!"**

"If you were going mad, I was twice as bad as you already." Sirius chuckled darkly.

**He could only see a sliver of Sirius's face; the rest was in darkness.**

**"It must have been the aftermath of the vision, that's all," said Sirius. "You were still thinking of the dream or whatever it was and -"**

**"It wasn't that," said Harry, shaking his head, "it was like something rose up inside me, like there's a snake inside me."**

**"You need to sleep," said Sirius firmly. "You're going to have breakfast, then go upstairs to bed, and after lunch you can go and see Arthur with the others. You're in shock, Harry; you're blaming yourself for something you only witnessed, and it's lucky you did witness it or Arthur might have died. Just stop worrying."**

**He clapped Harry on the shoulder and left the pantry, leaving Harry standing alone in the dark.**

**Everyone but Harry spent the rest of the morning sleeping. He went up to the bedroom he and Ron had shared over the last few weeks of summer, but while Ron crawled into bed and was asleep within minutes, Harry sat fully clothed, hunched against the cold metal bars of the bedstead, keeping himself deliberately uncomfortable, determined not to fall into a doze, terrified that he might become the serpent again in his sleep and wake to find that he had attacked Ron, or else slithered through the house after one of the others...**

"You didn't become the serpent!" exclaimed Lily. "Harry, you simply saw what happened through the serpent's mind."

"I knew I should've convinced you to take Dreamless Sleep." Sirius muttered.

"It wouldn't work if I had a vision again." Harry told them, "It never worked and now I'm almost completely resistant, it only works maybe 1 out of 10 times now."

**When Ron woke up, Harry pretended to have enjoyed a refreshing nap too. Their trunks arrived from Hogwarts while they were eating lunch, so they could dress as Muggles for the trip to St. Mungo's. Everybody except Harry was riotously happy and talkative as they changed out of their robes into jeans and sweatshirts. When Tonks and Mad-Eye turned up to escort them across London, they greeted them gleefully, laughing at the bowler hat Mad-Eye was wearing at an angle to conceal his magical eye and assuring him, truthfully, that Tonks, whose hair was short and bright pink again, would attract far less attention on the Underground.**

**Tonks was very interested in Harry's vision of the attack on Mr. Weasley, something Harry was not remotely interested in discussing.**

**"There isn't any Seer blood in your family, is there?" she enquired curiously, as they sat side by side on a train rattling towards the heart of the city.**

"A little bit if you count the Ravenclaw blood." James grinned, "But Harry didn't know it."

"Rowena Ravenclaw was a Seer." Luna explained to those who'd looked confused.

James nodded, "Though the gift's been diminished over the centuries. Now you have to be actively looking for something or meditating and it's never certain because things can always change." he smiled slightly.

**"No," said Harry, thinking of Professor Trelawney and feeling insulted.**

"Oop's, sorry Harry, I didnt mean to insult you." Dora said sheepishly.

"I know." he shrugged, "I just didn't like to think about being like Trelawney."

**"No," said Tonks musingly, "no, I suppose it's not really prophecy you're doing, is it? I mean, you're not seeing the future, you're seeing the present... it's odd, isn't it? Useful, though..."**

**Harry didn't answer; fortunately, they got out at the next stop, a station in the very heart of London, and in the bustle of leaving the train he was able to allow Fred and George to get between himself and Tonks, who was leading the way. They all followed her up the escalator, Moody clunking along at the back of the group, his bowler tilted low and one gnarled hand stuck in between the buttons of his coat, clutching his wand. Harry thought he sensed the concealed eye staring hard at him. Trying to avoid any more questions about his dream, he asked Mad-Eye where St. Mungo's was hidden.**

**"Not far from here," grunted Moody as they stepped out into the wintry air on a broad store-lined street packed with Christmas shoppers. He pushed Harry a little ahead of him and stumped along just behind; Harry knew the eye was rolling in all directions under the tilted hat. "Wasn't easy to find a good location for a hospital. Nowhere in Diagon Alley was big enough and we couldn't have it underground like the Ministry - wouldn't be healthy. In the end they managed to get hold of a building up here. Theory was, sick wizards could come and go and just blend in with the crowd."**

"Bit difficult if you've got something that makes you stick out like a sore thumb." Remus mused.

"Like something noisy." Hermione smiled, "There was a wizard in the waiting room with something like that."

**He seized Harry's shoulder to prevent them being separated by a gaggle of shoppers plainly intent on nothing but making it into a nearby shop full of electrical gadgets.**

**"Here we go," said Moody a moment later.**

**They had arrived outside a large, old-fashioned, red-brick department store called Purge & Dowse Ltd. The place had a shabby, miserable air; the window displays consisted of a few chipped dummies with their wigs askew, standing at random and modelling fashions at least ten years out of date. Large signs on all the dusty doors read: 'Closed for Refurbishment'.**

**Harry distinctly heard a large woman laden with plastic shopping bags say to her friend as they passed,**

**"It's never open, that place..."**

**"Right," said Tonks, beckoning them towards a window displaying nothing but a particularly ugly female dummy. Its false eyelashes were hanging off and it was modelling a green nylon pinafore dress. "Everybody ready?"**

**They nodded, clustering around her. Moody gave Harry another shove between the shoulder blades to urge him forward and Tonks leaned close to the glass, looking up at the very ugly dummy, her breath steaming up the glass. "Wotcher," she said, "We're here to see Arthur Weasley."**

**Harry thought how absurd it was for Tonks to expect the dummy to hear her talking so quietly through a sheet of glass, with buses rumbling along behind her and all the racket of a street full of shoppers. Then he reminded himself that dummies couldn't hear anyway. Next second, his mouth opened in shock as the dummy gave a tiny nod and beckoned with its jointed finger, and Tonks had seized Ginny and Mrs. Weasley by the elbows, stepped right through the glass and vanished.**

**Fred, George and Ron stepped after them. Harry glanced around at the jostling crowd; not one of them seemed to have a glance to spare for window displays as ugly as those of Purge & Dowse Ltd; nor did any of them seem to have noticed that six people had just melted into thin air in front of them.**

**"C'mon," growled Moody, giving Harry yet another poke in the back, and together they stepped forward through what felt like a sheet of cool water, emerging quite warm and dry on the other side.**

**There was no sign of the ugly dummy or the space where she had stood. They were in what seemed to be a crowded reception area where rows of witches and wizards sat upon rickety wooden chairs, some looking perfectly normal and perusing out-of-date copies of Witch Weekly, others sporting gruesome disfigurements such as elephant trunks or extra hands sticking out of their chests. The room was scarcely less quiet than the street outside, for many of the patients were making very peculiar noises: a sweaty-faced witch in the centre of the front row, who was fanning herself vigorously with a copy of the Daily Prophet, kept letting off a high-pitched whistle as steam came pouring out of her mouth; a grubby-looking warlock in the corner clanged like a bell every time he moved and, with each clang, his head vibrated horribly so that he had to seize himself by the ears to hold it steady.**

"Hex gone wrong." Andy chuckled, "I had the same things to deal with on a higher scale."

"Higher scale?" Alice asked.

"I was working in the ward you two were on before I retired." she explained, gesturing Alice and Frank, "I worked on your case for quite a few years actually, it was incredibly frustrating. I didn't give up though, I was still working on it after my retirement, at least until St Mungo's decided I wasn't getting anywhere with my reasearch and took me off the case despite me arguing I could keep working on it. Your case was the only one like it and I felt obliged to work on it seeing as it was my sister who caused the damage."

"Ah well, we don't hold that against anyone but her, her husband and brother-in-law. And at least you tried." Frank smiled.

"Yeah, the healer they had was about to give up." Neville muttered angrily.

"So it's a good thing you decided to bite us." Alice soothed him, "I personally thought his face was hilarious when I saw his face."

"Well you did turn and say 'hello, we feel better can we leave?' to him." Frank grinned, "It was rather funny, he did a marvelous impression of a fish."

This set them all off laughing.

"That'll be Healer Young, he always does that when he's been proven wrong." Andy chuckled, "It's not often, but it's hilarious when it does happen."

**Witches and wizards in lime-green robes were walking up and down the rows, asking questions and making notes on clipboards like Umbridge's. Harry noticed the emblem embroidered on their chests: a wand and bone, crossed.**

**"Are they doctors?" he asked Ron quietly.**

**"Doctors?" said Ron, looking startled. "Those Muggle nutters that cut people up? Nah, they're Healers."**

"Doctors don't cut people up." Dudley commented amusedly.

"That's Surgeons. And they only do that to help people." Petunia nodded.

"Like when you broke your leg and had to get that metal rod put in to keep the bone straight while it was healing." Lily mused.

Petunia nodded, "It got taken out when it was finished with it's job."

"A metal rod in your leg?" Fred asked curiously.

Petunia nodded.

"And Muggles call us mad." George muttered.

**"Over here!" called Mrs. Weasley above the renewed clanging of the warlock in the corner, and they followed her to the queue in front of a plump blonde witch seated at a desk marked Enquiries. The wall behind her was covered in notices and posters saying things like: A CLEAN CAULDRON KEEPS POTIONS FROM BECOMING POISONS and ANTIDOTES ARE ANTI-DON'TS UNLESS APPROVED BY A QUALIFIED HEALER. There was also a large portrait of a witch with long silver ringlets which was labelled:**

**Dilys Derwent**

**St. Mungo's Healer**

**1722-1741**

**Headmistress of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry**

**1741-1768**

**Dilys was eyeing the Weasley party closely as though counting them; when Harry caught her eye she gave a tiny wink, walked sideways out of her portrait and vanished.**

"I asked her to notify me when you showed up." Albus told them, "Just to make sure you didn't have any trouble getting there."

**Meanwhile, at the front of the queue, a young wizard was performing an odd on-the-spot jig and trying, in between yelps of pain, to explain his predicament to the witch behind the desk.**

**"It's these - ouch - shoes my brother gave me - ow - they're eating my - OUCH - feet - look at them, there must be some kind of - AARGH - jinx on them and I can't - AAAAARGH - get them off." He hopped from one foot to the other as though dancing on hot coals.**

**"The shoes don't prevent you reading, do they?" said the blonde witch, irritably pointing at a large sign to the left of her desk. "You want Spell Damage, fourth floor. Just like it says on the floor guide. Next!"**

**As the wizard hobbled and pranced sideways out of the way, the Weasley party moved forward a few steps and Harry read the floor guide:**

**ARTEFACT ACCIDENTS... Ground floor**

**Cauldron explosion, wand backfiring, broom crashes, etc.**

**CREATURE-INDUCED INJURIES... First floor**

**Bites, stings, burns, embedded spines, etc.**

**MAGICAL BUGS... Second floor**

**Contagious maladies, e.g. dragon pox, vanishing sickness, scrojungulus, etc.**

**POTION AND PLANT POISONING... Third floor**

**Rashes, regurgitation, uncontrollable 2, etc.**

**SPELL DAMAGE... Fourth floor**

**Unliftable jinxes, hexes, incorrectly applied charms, etc.**

**VISITORS' TEAROOM / HOSPITAL SHOP... Fifth floor**

**IF YOU ARE UNSURE WHERE TO GO, INCAPABLE OF NORMAL SPEECH OR UNABLE TO REMEMBER WHY YOU ARE HERE, OUR WELCOMEWITCH WILL BE PLEASED TO HELP.**

**A very old, stooped wizard with a hearing trumpet had shuffled to the front of the queue now. "I'm here to see Broderick Bode!" he wheezed.**

**"Ward forty-nine, but I'm afraid you're wasting your time," said the witch dismissively. "He's completely addled, you know - still thinks he's a teapot. Next!"**

**A harassed-looking wizard was holding his small daughter tightly by the ankle while she flapped around his head using the immensely large, feathery wings that had sprouted right out through the back of her romper suit.**

"I wonder how that happened," said James.

"Maybe it was accidental magic." Neville shrugged.

**"Fourth floor," said the witch, in a bored voice, without asking, and the man disappeared through the double doors beside the desk, holding his daughter like an oddly shaped balloon. "Next!"**

**Mrs. Weasley moved forward to the desk.**

**"Hello," she said, "my husband, Arthur Weasley, was supposed to be moved to a different ward this morning, could you tell us -?"**

**"Arthur Weasley?" said the witch, running her finger down a long list in front of her. "Yes, first floor, second door on the right, Dai Llewellyn Ward."**

**"Thank you," said Mrs Weasley. "Come on, you lot."**

**They followed her through the double doors and along the narrow corridor beyond, which was lined with more portraits of famous Healers and lit by crystal bubbles full of candles that floated up on the ceiling, looking like giant soapsuds. More witches and wizards in lime-green robes walked in and out of the doors they passed; a foul-smelling yellow gas wafted into the passageway as they passed one door, and every now and then they heard distant wailing. They climbed a flight of stairs and entered the Creature-Induced Injuries corridor, where the second door on the right bore the words: 'Dangerous' Dai Llewellyn Ward: Serious Bites. Underneath this was a card in a brass holder on which had been handwritten: Healer-in-Charge: Hippocrates Smethwyck. Trainee Healer: Augustus Pye.**

**"We'll wait outside, Molly," Tonks said. "Arthur won't want too many visitors at once... it ought to be just the family first."**

**Mad-Eye growled his approval of this idea and set himself with his back against the corridor wall, his magical eye spinning in all directions. Harry drew back, too, but Mrs. Weasley reached out a hand and pushed him through the door, saying, "Don't be silly, Harry, Arthur wants to thank you."**

**The ward was small and rather dingy, as the only window was narrow and set high in the wall facing the door. Most of the light came from more shining crystal bubbles clustered in the middle of the ceiling. The walls were of panelled oak and there was a portrait of a rather vicious-looking wizard on the wall, captioned: Urquhart Rackharrow, 1612****-****1697, Inventor of the Entrail-expelling Curse.**

**There were only three patients. Mr. Weasley was occupying the bed at the far end of the ward beside the tiny window. Harry was pleased and relieved to see that he was propped up on several pillows and reading the Daily Prophet by the solitary ray of sunlight falling on to his bed. He looked up as they walked towards him and, seeing who it was, beamed.**

**"****Hello!****"**** he called, throwing the Prophet aside. ****"****Bill just left, Molly, had to get back to work, but he says he'll drop in on you later.****"**

**"****How are you, Arthur?****"**** asked Mrs. Weasley, bending down to kiss his cheek and looking anxiously into his face. ****"****You're still looking a bit peaky.****"**

**"****I feel absolutely fine,****"**** said Mr. Weasley brightly, holding out his good arm to give Ginny a hug. ****"****If they could only take the bandages off, I'd be fit to go home.****"**

**"****Why can't they take them off, Dad?****"**** asked Fred.**

**"****Well, I start bleeding like mad every time they try,****"**** said Mr. Weasley cheerfully, reaching across for his wand, which lay on his bedside cabinet, and waving it so that six extra chairs appeared at his bedside to seat them all. ****"****It seems there was some rather unusual kind of poison in that snake's fangs that keeps wounds open. They're sure they'll find an antidote, though; they say they've had much worse cases than mine, and in the meantime I just have to keep taking a Blood-Replenishing Potion every hour. But that fellow over there,****"**** he said, dropping his voice and nodding towards the bed opposite in which a man lay looking green and sickly and staring at the ceiling. ****"****Bitten by a werewolf, poor chap. No cure at all.****"**

**"****A werewolf?****"**** whispered Mrs. Weasley, looking alarmed. ****"****Is he safe in a public ward? Shouldn't he be in a private room?****"**

**"****It's two weeks till full moon,****"**** Mr. Weasley reminded her quietly. ****"****They've been talking to him this morning, the Healers, you know, trying to persuade him he'll be able to lead an almost normal life. I said to him - didn't mention names, of course - but I said I knew a werewolf personally, very nice man, who finds the condition quite easy to manage.****"**

"Because I've dealt with transformations since I was 4." Remus said sadly, "Nothing new to me, and at least he'd have Wolfsbane for his first transformation, I didn't try it until I was 35, since I wasnt sure about it and it was only discovered in 1985."

"So you would've been about 25 when it was discovered?" Sirius frowned.

He nodded, "I didn't trust the stuff at first, it wasn't until I started teaching at Hogwarts that I tried it for the first time and found out it actually worked... Even though it tastes horrible."

"What does it taste like?" James inquired.

"Like you've bitten into an orange peel, lemon peel and banana skin at the same time." he grimaced, "The taste really is like you've chewed on them and been forced to swallow. Not nice at all." he cringed.

They all gagged at the thought of the taste.

**"****What did he say?****"**** asked George.**

**"****Said he'd give me another bite if I didn't shut up,****"**** said Mr. Weasley sadly. ****"****And that woman over there,****"**** he indicated the only other occupied bed, which was right beside the door, ****"****won't tell the Healers what bit her, which makes us all think it must have been something she was handling illegally. Whatever it was took a real chunk out of her leg, very nasty smell when they take off the dressings.****"**

**"****So, you going to tell us what happened, Dad?****"**** asked Fred, pulling his chair closer to the bed.**

**"****Well, you already know, don't you?****"**** said Mr. Weasley, with a significant smile at Harry. ****"****It's very simple - I'd had a very long day, dozed off, got sneaked up on and bitten.****"**

**"****Is it in the Prophet, you being attacked?****"**** asked Fred, indicating the newspaper Mr. Weasley had cast aside.**

**"****No, of course not,****"**** said Mr. Weasley, with a slightly bitter smile, ****"****the Ministry wouldn't want everyone to know a dirty great serpent got ****-"**

**"****Arthur!****"**** Mrs. Weasley warned him.**

**"****- got - er - me,****"**** Mr. Weasley said hastily, though Harry was quite sure that was not what he had meant to say.**

"Oop's." Arthur blushed, "That was a bit too close."

**"****So where were you when it happened, Dad?****"**** asked George.**

**"****That's my business,****"**** said Mr. Weasley, though with a small smile. He snatched up the Daily Prophet, shook it open again and said, ****"****I was just reading about Willy Widdershins's arrest when you arrived. You know Willy turned out to be behind those regurgitating toilets back in the summer? One of his jinxes backfired, the toilet exploded and they found him lying unconscious in the wreckage covered from head to foot in -****"**

They all winced, imagining what Willy Widdershins could have been covered in.

**"****When you say you were 'on duty'," Fred interrupted in a low voice, "what were you doing?"**

**"****You heard your father,****"**** whispered Mrs. Weasley, ****"****we are not discussing this here! Go on about Willy Widdershins, Arthur.****"**

**"****Well, don't ask me how, but he actually got off the toilet charge,****"**** said Mr. Weasley grimly. ****"****I can only suppose gold changed hands -****"**

"Probably," said Sirius darkly. "That or information was exchanged for his release."

**"****You were guarding it, weren't you?****"**** said George quietly. ****"****The weapon? The thing You-Know-Who's after?****"**

**"****George, be quiet!****"**** snapped Mrs. Weasley.**

**"****Anyway,****"**** said Mr. Weasley, in a raised voice, ****"****this time Willy's been caught selling biting doorknobs to Muggles and I don't think he'll be able to worm his way out of it because, according to this article, two Muggles have lost fingers and are now in St. Mungo's for emergency bone re-growth and memory modification. Just think of it, Muggles in St. Mungo's! I wonder which ward they're in?****"**

**And he looked eagerly around as though hoping to see a signpost.**

**"****Didn't you say You-Know-Who's got a snake, Harry?****"**** asked Fred, looking at his father for a reaction. ****"****A massive one? You saw it the night he returned, didn't you?****"**

**"****That's enough,****"**** said Mrs. Weasley crossly. ****"****Mad-Eye and Tonks are outside, Arthur, they want to come and see you. And you lot can wait outside,****"**** she added to her children and Harry. ****"****You can come and say goodbye afterwards. Go on.****"**

**They trooped back into the corridor. Mad-Eye and Tonks went in and closed the door of the ward behind them. Fred raised his eyebrows.**

**"****Fine,****"**** he said coolly, rummaging in his pockets, ****"****be like that. Don't tell us anything.****"**

**"****Looking for these?****"**** said George, holding out what looked like a tangle of flesh-coloured string.**

"Mad-Eye told you it was a bad idea to leave them alone." Dora told Molly.

"I didn't think they'd try that." Molly muttered, "Or that they even had any left."

"We made more." the twins grinned.

"And of course we would try it." Ginny told her mother, "You wouldn't tell us so we'd listen in ourselves."

**"****You read my mind,****"**** said Fred, grinning. ****"****Let's see if St. Mungo's puts Imperturbable Charms on its ward doors, shall we?****"**

**He and George disentangled the string and separated five Extendable Ears from each other. Fred and George handed them around. Harry hesitated to take one.**

**"****Go on, Harry, take it! You saved Dad's life. If anyone's got the right to eavesdrop on him, it's you.****"**

**Grinning in spite of himself, Harry took the end of the string and inserted it into his ear as the twins had done.**

**"****OK, go!****"**** Fred whispered.**

**The flesh-coloured strings wriggled like long skinny worms and snaked under the door. At first, Harry could hear nothing, then he jumped as he heard Tonks whispering as clearly as though she were standing right beside him.**

**"****... they searched the whole area but couldn't find the snake anywhere. It just seems to have vanished after it attacked you, Arthur... but You-Know-Who can't have expected a snake to get in, can he?****"**

**"****I reckon he sent it as a lookout,****"**** growled Moody, ****"'****cause he's not had any luck so far, has he? No, I reckon he's trying to get a clearer picture of what he's facing and if Arthur hadn't been there the beast would've had a lot more time to look around. So, Potter says he saw it all happen?****"**

**"****Yes,****"**** said Mrs. Weasley. She sounded rather uneasy. ****"****You know, Dumbledore seems almost to have been waiting for Harry to see something like this.****"**

**"****Yeah, well,****"**** said Moody, ****"****there's something funny about the Potter kid, we all know that.****"**

"I apreciated that." Harry muttered sarcastically.

**"****Dumbledore seemed worried about Harry when I spoke to him this morning,****"**** whispered Mrs. Weasley.**

"Of course. I was always worried." Albus sighed.

**"****Course he's worried,****"**** growled Moody. ****"****The boy's seeing things from inside You-Know-Who's snake. Obviously, Potter doesn't realise what that means, but if You-Know-Who's possessing him ****-"**

"Voldemort can't be possessing my son!" shouted James.

"Not for lack of trying." Harry grumbled, "He tried it once, didn't end too well for him." he smirked, "Talk about a massive headache on his side of things."

**Harry pulled the Extendable Ear out of his own, his heart hammering very fast and heat rushing up his face. He looked around at the others. They were all staring at him, the strings still trailing from their ears, looking suddenly fearful.**

"We were worried after hearing that." Ginny sighed, "We'd be dead if you were possessed though." she shrugged, "I would have noticed as well, having had experience with possession personally." she winced.

Harry put an arm around her in comfort.

"Or we would've noticed if you'd been having trouble remembering things." Ron added.

"Or you would've been acting differently." Hermione nodded, "It would've been hard to miss considering you were hardly ever alone."

"I get the point." Harry chuckled, "I'm fairly sure I'd know anyway, it hurt like hell when Riddle did try and possess me, it hurt both of us but it hurt him more."

Lily, who still had Teddy in her arms, cocked her head to the side, "But you obviously thought you had been possessed." she stated.

Harry nodded grudgingly, "It wasn't until Ginny talked some sense into me that I stopped avoiding everyone."

"I didn't know what happened." Sirius frowned, "Or I would've talked to you too."

"It probably wouldn't have helped." Harry shrugged.

"He was reluctant to talk to me in the first place." Ginny agreed, "It took a minute or two to get him to respond properly to what I was saying."

"And that proves he's more stubborn than most people." Ron muttered.

"Ah, everyone can be stubborn at times. Look at Aberforth, it once took me two years to get him to talk to me over an argument just before I left for Hogwarts." Albus told them, "I was in my third year before he talked to me without our parents there."

"Two years can seem like a long time." Regulus nodded, "I kinda done that with Sirius, but I still talked to him occasionally."

"When the family insanity was catching up with one of us." Sirius nodded, making a face, "Pretty inescapeable that."

"For you and Reg anyway." Cissy chuckled, "Andy and I got lucky and missed out on that particular gene."

"Bella got it though." Andy muttered, "Enough for the two of us as well."

"Wait, a gene?" Percy frowned.

"It's in the genetics. It's more of an illness really." Regulus frowned, "It pops up in most people born in the Black family, like how it popped up in a lot of the old families."

"It's a defect, mostly from inbreeding." Sirius looked disgusted, "Though it can be fought, I'm not kidding when I say these two kept me sane at school." he gestured his fellow Marauders, "That's how you fight it, keep yourself surrounded by friends who understand what it is."

"So it's actually a real gene?" Charlie double checked.

"Yes, I looked into it and I found it." Andy confirmed, "There's no way to remove genes though, your born with them and attempting to remove them is too risky."

"It's probably part of the reason the Black's are considered so dark." Draco frowned, "Mixed with other things that is."

"Ask Phineas next time you see him." Albus suggested.

"He got it too. There's no point, he'd be too proud to admit it anyway." Sirius shrugged.

"He might tell me." Regulus mused, "I used to sit and question him when I was younger and he's always liked me."

"Yes, because you were a suck up." Sirius teased, "Always trying to get on the good side of the adults."

"Better than being on their bad side." Andy shrugged, "You were the only one apart from Alphard and I who was on their bad side constantly."

"True." he replied, "I didn't want to be on their good side if it meant acting like I hated everyone below their standards. They were all insane, end of story." he said firmly, clearly no longer wanting to talk about it.

"So are we continuing tonight or tomorrow?" James asked.

"Tomorrow." Harry decided, "We should finish 5th year tomorrow by noon, there's a few thing's I'm not going to show." he shrugged in response to Ron and Hermiones curious looks.

"Oh, good 'cause there was a lot left." Ron said.

"I know." he yawned, "So how about we try that potion Draco made?"

"Sounds like a plan." Ginny nodded.

* * *

><p>Review please x<p> 


	83. Chapter 83

Chapter 83 - The Potion.

21, August, 1998.

Poppy came out of her office a minute later, "Time for another check." she smiled, she waved her wand over Harry and frowned, "Something's bothering you." she stated, "That's what the scans saying anyway."

"Just something from the memories." he assured her, "It'll go away tomorrow." he promised.

She nodded and ran her wand over Ginny, "Your fine dear."

Once she'd checked Ron and Hermione, who were fine too, she turned to Draco, "Is there anything they cant take with that potion?"

Draco frowned, "Nothing except sleeping potions of any kind, the potion is laced with Draught of Peace you see, it would risk an overdose."

"I'll write that down later." Poppy nodded, "I plan on keeping notes in case it's ever needed to be used here again."

"I'll be making more later." Draco told her, "Professor Slughorn wants to learn how to make it so I'll be showing him when school resumes, the potions will come here along with the updated healing potions for you to use as needed."

"It shall be good to have more efficient healing potions, especially for the students who don't like being stuck here." she chuckled, "Have you four tried getting up yet?"

"Yes." Harry smiled, "We managed to wander about a bit."

"They were a bit wobbly at first Poppy, but Harry's right, they did manage to walk around a bit." Andy told her.

"Good." she smiled, "Draco could you come with me a moment?"

Draco nodded and followed her into her office.

"It's about how much is needed and the best way to take it." Astoria chuckled, "You four aren't going to like it much."

"What is it?" Ron asked nervously.

"You need 500ml each and you have to drink it slowly." she told them, making them make faces of distaste.

"And resist the urge to throw up if it tastes horrible." Draco said as he and Poppy came back out holding four clear glass mugs of the bright purple potion, which was smoking slightly, setting one on each of the four's bedside tables. "I really ought to think of a name for it. Maybe just PTSD Remover for now." he chuckled.

"How about 'Aufero'." Ginny suggested.

"Remover in Latin." James supplied.

"Why not." Draco shrugged, "I've already got a potion with a Latin name, I'll make it a theme. Every potion I create myself must have a Latin name." he grinned.

"You'll need to learn more Latin then." Astoria giggled.

"Hey, I'm not bad at it considering who my teacher was." he pouted.

"Who was your teacher?" Charlie asked.

"Christopher Parkinson, Pansy's Father." he winced, "Awful man."

"I told you you didn't have to take the lessons." Cissy told him.

"I wanted to learn some Latin and couldn't think of an alternative since some of the pronounciations are too difficult to learn from a book." he said defensively.

"That's true." James nodded, "It was my Dad who taught me some of it, the rest I learned from a tutor."

"Good thing too, made the Animagus transformation a bit easier." Sirius commented.

"Is there a lot of Latin involved?" Fred inquired.

"Just for translating the final bit and deciphering the potion. We should have the English version written down somewhere." James mused.

"It's in your vault." Remus told him, "Remember you put it in that big cabinet just after your 17th?"

"Oh yeah. Why'd you ask anyway?" he asked Fred.

The twins shared a look, "We were thinking about going for it." George admitted, "We know our forms already and they seem quite cool."

"What's your forms?" Sirius frowned.

"Red foxes. For both of us." Fred smiled, pulling out his P.C.D and showing them the fox image out lined in red on it.

"It's unusual to get two people with the same forms." Minerva frowned, "Though considering you two are identical twins it would make sense for that to be the same too." she mused.

"That's what we thought." George nodded, "After all, identical twins are copies of each other, we have the exact same DNA."

"If you two want we'll help you with it." James offered, "It'll be easier with a teacher who's done it before."

"Or you think so." Minerva commented, "Since you didn't bother asking for help and just done it."

"Which turned out perfect in the end." Sirius muttered, "If you'd known I'd probably still be in Azkaban now." he shuddered, "It was only because of Padfoot I managed to escape."

"And we're registered now so that's that." James stated, "We were kind of stupid to do it ourselves."

"I told you that a million times." Remus muttered, "You just didn't listen to me." he huffed.

"We didn't listen to anyone." Sirius pointed out.

"So you'll help us?" George asked, looking grateful.

"Of course." James grinned, "And anyone else who wants to learn just has to ask. Hey Paddy, we could make a business out of that." he added.

Sirius snorted, "Not likely Prongs, I doubt many people would go for it. I think we'll settle for helping people we know learn it."

"Fair enough." he shrugged, "Dose anyone else want to learn it?"

Regulus looked thoughtful then nodded, "Why not. It could be a useful skill."

"I can help with yours while your here." Minerva offered, "At least if those two aren't around."

He nodded gratefully.

Percy reluctantly admitted he wanted to do it too, as did Charlie and Amber.

"It'll be cool to be an animal." she told Dudley, "It also means I might be able to join you some full moon nights."

"What was your form again?" Percy asked.

"A Collie dog." she told them, "Yours?"

"Eagle owl. Charlie?"

"A Husky dog." he shrugged, "You'll be able to fly Perce." he chuckled.

Percy frowned, "I've never been one for heights."

"That'll change when you complete the transformation." Sirius assured him, "I was never one for running around chasing things, now I have to stop the urge to do so."

"Same goes with the impulse to shake water off." Remus chuckled, "I used to get that near the full moon when the wolf was closer to the surface."

"I'm glad I missed most of the impulses of a stag." James mused, "Or I'd have to resist headbutting everyone and everything."

"Or you'd stop every time you saw grass and eat it." Lily giggled as he made a face.

Remus grinned wickedly, "He's eaten grass before."

"Eww." the women all muttered.

"It was a dare, besides, I got my revenge." James grinned.

"It wasn't revenge if Sirius liked eating those dog biscuits." Lily pointed out, "Even in human form."

"You knew by then?" Alice guessed.

Lily nodded, "It was Christmas of our 7th year and I walked into the Heads common room to find a big black dog lying on the floor glaring at James who was laughing."

"Because he'd tripped over the carpet." James chuckled, "We didn't hear Lily come in and we didn't see her and Padfoot changed back so we just told her." he shrugged.

"Then we sat and played Truth or Dare." Remus smiled.

"That's the one you came into the common room and dragged us into it isn't it?" Alice inquired, "Marly, Lisa and I." she clarified.

"Yes." Lily smirked, "You agreed so you can't complain."

"There was nothing better to do." she shrugged, "And it was quite fun, even if some of us didn't know about certain extra abilities." she looked amusedly at James and Sirius, who grinned at her.

Frank frowned, "Didn't that one last like four weeks?"

Remus nodded, "That's the one we dragged all the 7th year Gryffindor's into and it lasted until Minerva told us to quit it." he chuckled.

"You were driving the teachers insane." Minerva muttered, "Especially when you got away with 'the dog ate my homework' excuse in class."

"I live to eat homework." Sirius announced, "Though it doesn't taste too good, but the reactions were funny."

Minerva rolled her eyes, "Well it's not everyday you get a big black dog running into your classroom and have it destroy someone's homework."

"And you never suspected the dog was a student?" Charlie asked incredulously.

"No, it didn't even cross my mind until I found out the truth." she answered.

"You wont need to worry about us trying the wolf ate my homework thing. You've seen all of our forms and so will the rest of the staff." Harry smiled, "I was thinking about walking into the Great Hall as Shadow the first day back." he admitted.

"It might put some of the students at ease if they see one of us near other humans and not attacking." Ginny mused, "Maybe even do a display on the full moon to prove there's nothing to be afraid of." she added.

"We could invite a reporter and get them to do a report on our behaviour to be published for the public, maybe allow students to come see us too." Ron suggested, "It will likely help people get over that article Kingsley showed us."

"You know." said Poppy, "I think your taking it remarkably well considering your reactions in the past to things like that."

"We've had practice." Hermione shrugged.

"People will always have opinions of you but it's your choice whether to listen to people you don't know or to listen to the people who matter to you." Luna smiled, "My Mum always told me no one should care what others think of you unless you care for them and know they're only trying to help you."

"Very good advice. But it doesn't always work like when people think your insane." Harry sighed, "Or half the wizarding world is against you."

"But it can." Neville frowned, "If you don't let what they say affect you then I suppose your not caring what they think of you."

"Exactly." Luna beamed and kissed his cheek, making him grin.

"So fall back on the 'I don't care what you think' thing and it's easier to deal with things." Harry mused, "I suppose it's worth a try. I've never been one to care about image anyway."

"Because people respect you anyway, after you got rid of Voldemort in May." Cissy mused.

Harry groaned, "It's annoying, getting swarmed with reporters -"

"- Having random people come up to us -" Ron continued.

"- And having to do public announcements to stop wild rumours from spreading." Hermione finished.

"It's not the rumors that's the problem, it's the people who beleive them." Ginny muttered with a pout, "Luna does have a point with the not caring what they say thing but sometimes things pile up."

"And if you hear the same thing over and over again you start to beleive it yourself." Harry added, "Like when I was growing up I was convinced there was something wrong with me thanks to Vernon calling me an unnatural freak."

"Oh, he did that with me too. James almost hexed him for it one day." Lily grinned.

"And you had to stop me." James groaned, "He'd deserve it you know."

"I know but it wasn't worth you being arrested for using magic on a Muggle." she told him.

"I wouldn't have been caught." he muttered.

"And Vernon deserved it." Petunia added, "I'm on his side with this one Lily, you should've let him turn him into a donkey or something, or a pig." she smiled.

"A pig was the plan." James smirked, "Or a flobberworm."

"What exactly did he say?" Minerva inquired.

"He said Lily was an unnatural freak that should've been drowned at birth." Petunia growled, "Sure we weren't on the best terms back then and I'd called Lily a freak a few times but she's still my little sister."

Lily beamed at her, "I knew you were annoyed at that one."

"Of course I was. Lily you know I was terrified at first, I didn't understand magic and I thought it was all evil, but I understand now, I understood years ago. Even before I took Harry in." she admitted, "And how could I possibly hate my own nephew? Sure I was an evil cow to him growing up, and I regret every minute of it, but I never really hated Harry."

Harry smiled sadly, "It just never occured to me it was an act, it was what I was used to... Aunt Petunia? You know when you found me on the doorstep that first morning I went to you?" she nodded, "How did Vernon react?"

"Badly." she winced, "He argued a lot and yelled so loud Mrs Figg could hear him from her house... Eventually I won the argument though."

"How did you manage that?" Dudley frowned.

"I told him if we didn't take Harry in we'd be seen as heartless and we'd probably be killed. I kind of made up something about the wards keeping us alive as long as Harry was there."

"Partly true." Albus commented, "The protection spread to you and Dudley too, Vernon didn't get the protection since he didn't have Lily's blood in his veins. Dudley however does, as do you Petunia, so the wards protected you as well." he mused.

Petunia shifted uncomfortably, "Can we stop talking about the git now?" she asked.

"Gladly." Harry smiled, "I've just thought of something." he frowned.

"What?" the twins asked.

"What are we going to tell the public about Casper and Jasper? There's going to be a lot of questions." he frowned.

"The truth, we adopted them. We just wont mention Voldemort's their father." Ginny shrugged.

James looked thoughtful, "Technically there is a relation... When Voldemort took Harry's blood I think it basically makes the boys Harry's sons too..." he mused, "I'll bet that's why they have green in there eyes."

"That was my theory." Harry told them, "I forgot to mention it. I think you're right Dad, there is a relation."

"But we still can't say anything about that without telling people about Voldemort being their father." Molly pointed out.

"Hmm... You know, a basic DNA test would probably reveal the relation exists but not what type of relation... You could claim they're the children of long lost relatives that died and you've adopted them since they're family." Poppy suggested, "I'd be more than happy to confirm the test results."

They all lapsed into a thoughtful silence.

"I suppose it would work..." Harry mused, "What do you think Gin?"

"I think it's the best chance we've got to avoid people discovering their birth parents identities." she admitted, "We really don't want complications if someone tells them before we do, so it's best to keep that fact as quiet as possible, sure the staff here know but I don't think they'll tell anyone."

"They wont." Minerva stated, "If anything they'd help keep it quiet. They know you've trusted them with the information and not one of them would dream of breaking that trust."

Remus nodded, "I worked with all of them except Slughorn and they wouldn't spread a secret like that."

"I doubt Professor Slughorn would either, you saw his reaction when he guessed." Draco frowned, "What was that about anyway?"

"Tom Riddle was one of his favourite students." Albus supplied, "I suspect the rest shall be revealed when Harry goes over his 6th year with you."

"Right as always." Harry nodded, "You should know I'll only be showing selective bits of our 6th year to avoid arguments even though it's impossible to avoid them completely, same goes with 7th year, important bits only. Mind you, it's a bit depressing at times so I'll show some funny or happy bits to lighten our moods."

"Sound's like a lot of arguments happened." Dora commented.

"You have no idea." Ron and Hermione muttered.

"I'm guessing it's mainly you two arguing." Draco chuckled.

"Yes but we argued with Harry a bit too." Ron nodded grudingly.

"And you fought with me a few times." Ginny added, "Over stupid things at that."

"It didnt seem stupid to me." he shrugged, before yawning, "What time is it?"

Poppy checked her watch, "10pm, time for bed for you four, once you've drank that potion of course." she told them.

The four groaned and grudgingly said goodnight to the others as they got up and left for the night with promises to be back at 9 the next morning, except Draco who was staying the night - at Poppy's insistence - to see the results. Jinx and Jex were also staying and were currently curled up on a empty bed together.

"So drink it slowly?" Ginny asked, she was still on Harry's bed, Ron still on Hermione's.

Draco nodded.

"Aren't you better off going back to your own beds?" Poppy inquired.

"Nope. We're staying put." Ron told her, "Call it a comfort thing since we're nervous about taking this potion."

Poppy sighed, "I don't usually allow it, but very well." she pulled her wand out and enlarged the bed's so they'd at least have more space.

"Thank you." Harry smiled as he picked up his mug of smoking potion, "Is it supposed to smoke like that? It wasn't when you opened the flask earlier."

"It's supposed to." Draco nodded, climbing onto a bed and getting comfortable, "It didn't smoke in the flask because it hadn't been activated, you have to shake it before drinking it since that activates it. The smoke's a good thing." he assured them.

Harry sniffed it and hesitantly took a sip, "It's not that bad, tastes a bit like cherry." he told the others, drinking a bit more as the other three also started drinking.

"So I've made a potion that smells strongly of plum but tastes like cherry?" Draco inquired, the four nodded, "Cool." he grinned, noting this down on a bit of parchment.

After five minutes the four had finished and were feeling drowsy.

"Dont fight it." Draco told them.

"We're not." Hermione assured him, she fell asleep seconds later.

"What's wrong with you?" Jinx asked.

"Tired 'cause of that potion." Ginny smiled over at him and Jex, her head on Harry's chest.

"We'll be fine." Harry assured them, noting dimly Ron had also fallen asleep, Hermione's head on his chest, "Night." he yawned.

"Goodnight." Draco and Poppy said as he and Ginny slipped off to sleep.

"Not even five minutes." Draco mused, "That was quicker than I thought."

Poppy smiled, "You should be glad and I'm sure they'll appreciate it when the headaches hit them." she chuckled quietly, she went over to a wardrobe and pulled out a pair of pyjamas, "Here." she handed them to him and he disappeared behind a screen to change. "Now I'll be in my office, if you notice anything going wrong with them just shout on me, even if I'm asleep I'll hear you." she told him once he emerged again, "There's a charm that wakes me up when I'm needed."

Draco nodded as he got into the bed he'd been on and Poppy disappeared into her office, within five minutes he too was fast asleep.

* * *

><p>Review please x<p> 


	84. Chapter 84

Chapter 84 - The Results and Questions.

22, August, Sunday, 1998.

The next morning Harry woke with a killer headache, he groaned in pain.

"Good morning sleepy head." Draco grinned from across the ward, where he was reading a book, sitting on the bed he'd slept in, covers still over him.

"Sod off." Harry groaned, putting his he put his head back down.

"Someone's cranky." he mused, "Headache?"

"Feel's like I've been run over by a herd of Hippogriffs." he muttered.

Draco got up and took a potion over to him, "Here, it's a Grade 3 pain potion." he smiled.

"Thank you." Harry downed the potion and instantly felt his sore head disappear.

"Better?"

"Much." he nodded, he looked down and saw Ginny was still sleeping cuddled into his side, "What time is it?" he yawned, stretching carefully so as not to disturb his Fiancé.

"About half 6." he replied, "Those three should be up shortly. Poppy checked you all over before you woke up and the PTSD is completely gone now." he smiled.

"Great. That's absolutely brilliant but I'll bet she still wants to keep us here until Monday." he pouted.

"No you're getting out tonight." Poppy smiled as she came out of her office.

"Brilliant." he muttered, rubbing his eyes slightly, "Can I get up now or are you going to make us stay in bed until later?"

"Where do you plan to go?"

"Bathroom." he told her.

"Go ahead." she shrugged, "Just don't leave the ward."

Harry nodded and gently moved Ginny before getting up and walking into the bathroom. When he came back out, after having a quick shower and sorting his other pressing needs, Ginny was sitting up talking to Draco with Jinx and Jex on the bed cuddled up next to her.

"Morning beautiful." he smiled, kissing her gently on the lips.

"Morning yourself." she smiled back as he climbed back into the bed. "We're allowed to get up?" she asked incredulously.

"As long as we don't leave the ward." he nodded, "Didn't you tell her?" he asked Draco.

"I'd just gotten around to telling her about the PTSD being gone and that you're getting out tonight." he replied defensively.

There was a groan from Ron and Hermione and Draco went over, pulling two vials out of his cloak pocket and handing one to each of them.

They both downed the potions instantly.

"God that was painful." Ron muttered.

"Hence the Grade 3 pain potions." Ginny told him.

Draco proceeded to tell them what he'd already told the other two before his head snapped up, "I've got to go, I'll be back with the others." he said hurriedly, running out of the Hospital Wing.

The four shared bemused looks.

"I'll bet Astoria's got morning sickness again." Ginny said.

"Probably, I feel sorry for her." Hermione smiled sadly, "I wonder if Fleur's feeling any better today."

"We can ask when the other's are up." Harry shrugged.

Ron cocked his head to the side, "Bill's up." he told them, "He's singing in his head."

The other three were silent as they listened to the faint echo of Bill's voice over the pack bond.

"So he is." Ginny chuckled, _Oi! Bill!_

_Ginny? What're you doing up?_ came the reply.

_Listening to you singing,_ Ron put in cheekily, _Very nice song choice._

_I'll have you know, little brother, it's an old Egyption song,_ Bill said sounding amused over the link, _And Fluer's still asleep so I can't very well sing aloud._

_Old Egyption song? It's 'hey diddle diddle, the cat and the fiddle' in English,_ Harry laughed.

_An old Muggle nursery rhyme,_ Hermione added with a laugh of her own,_ Did you know that Bill?_

_No..._ he said reluctantly,_ I know now, and what were you four doing listening in anyway?_

_I heard your voice,_ Ron admitted, _We were wondering if Fluer was feeling any better after Draco ran out the Hospital Wing, we think Astoria's got morning sickness again,_ he explained.

_She was feeling better last night, if a bit over-tired,_ Bill told them,_ I don't know about this morning - as I said she's still sleeping. I woke up about 10 minutes ago and decided to go for a walk as Storm,_ he added.

The four teens got a quick image of the beach outside Shell Cottage at the end of a long grey snout with red flecked through it.

_Cool, looks like we can send images,_ Ginny commented.

_I don't know how I did that,_ Bill commented.

_Let me try something,_ Harry focused on sending Bill an image of Hogwarts when he'd first seen it.

_Wow,_Bill said silently, _I got it clear enough, I always forget just how beautiful Hogwarts is in all her glory,_ he sounded as though he'd sighed,_ Anyway, Charlie popped in last night and filled us in on everything, how'd the potion go?_

_Perfectly, we don't have PTSD at all anymore,_ Hermione replied happily, _And Poppy's letting us go tonight instead of tomorrow._

_Brilliant, Mum'll be thrilled, she hate's seeing you all lying in the Hospital Wing._

_We hate lying here ourselves,_ Ron told him.

_We have another surprise too,_ Ginny commented.

_Yes we do,_ Harry agreed.

_And what's that?_

_Dont tell anyone, yet but we've decided Casper and Jasper are coming home tomorrow, we're singing the papers today. We'll tell everyone else when they get here, _Ginny told him,_ though you can tell Fluer when she's up_.

_Excellent, Mum will enjoy having more kids to fuss over,_ Bill said happily.

_Hold on,_ Harry said, cocking his head to the side, _Uh oh, we've got trouble with a capital T._

_Teddy?_ Ron guessed.

Harry nodded,_ He's screaming for me and just woke everyone up,_ he winced, _Andy's not amused._

_Neither are the others including me,_ Remus' voice assured them, _Merlin he's loud._

_Tell him if he doesn't start behaving he wont get chocolate milk later,_ Harry told him,_ He should listen to that._

There was a short silence before Dudley spoke up, _He listened to Fred, he's ignoring the rest of us though. And there goes Cecelia._

The link went quiet as Dudley left to tend to his crying daughter. Bill had evidently gotten distracted by something as he didn't reply when Ginny called for him.

"Eventful morning." Harry chuckled, "I predict they'll all be deaf before they get here."

"Two screaming infants would definitely cause temporary loss of hearing." Ron chuckled, "Teddy managed that quite well on his own, now he has a friend to help him."

Poppy came out of her office again, having went back in when Harry went to the bathroom. "Good, you're all up... And look like you find something funny."

"Teddy woke everyone at the Burrow up this morning." Hermione told her, "And Cecelia started crying when they calmed Teddy down."

"How do you know this?" she asked.

Harry explained fully about the pack bond all of the Lycan's shared and then added on about the soul bonds, feeling the nurse would like to know in case she had to tend to one of them and got confused if someone else reacted or told her what the patient said.

In the past she'd only known bits and pieces about the bonds, so hearing it all together was a bit easier for her to understand exactly what they could do.

"So you feel each others emotions?"

"Well Harry and I can." Ginny said.

"It's not started for us yet." Hermione explained, "We don't know about the others." she shrugged.

"Amazing." the nurse muttered, "You never fail to amaze me, you know that?"

"Of course. We do that with everyone." Ron grinned, "Tell us something's impossible and we'll prove you wrong."

"It's impossible to lick your elbow." she smirked.

Ginny stood up and changed into Misty, licked where her elbow was and changed back, smirking smugly.

"As a human." Poppy said amusedly.

"Alright, that's impossible." Ginny admitted.

"It's not." Hermione smirked, "You just have to be very flexible or have a big tongue. I've seen someone do it before."

Poppy threw her hands up in exasperation, "You four are impossible."

"We're not going to argue with that." Harry told her cheekily.

Poppy huffed and went back into her office.

"I think she gives up." Ron chuckled.

"I think she does too." Hermione agreed, "Excuse me a moment." she got up and went into the bathroom.

"I take it you already had a wash and that?" Ginny asked Harry, he nodded, "Seems as good a time as any." she shrugged as she got up and went into the second bathroom.

"Hey Harry?"

"Yes Ron?"

"Wouldn't James have seen the scar on your chest when he helped you yesterday?"

"No, I kept my back to him until I was washed and dressed." he replied, "He wasn't suspicious as far as I could tell."

"I did that with my Dad too." Ron smiled, "I think they would've thought we'd be embarrassed if they saw us butt naked."

"I'll bet that's why my Dad wasn't suspicious." Harry chuckled, "What did your Dad say when he seen your shoulder? I know he couldn't have missed that."

Ron shrugged, "Just that he hates that he couldn't

be there to help when it happened. Not much else he could say about his son having a chunk of flesh missing is there?"

"Suppose not. My Dad did comment on the scars on my arms and legs though. He kind of shrugged and said there wasn't much to be done about them and not to let Mum see them if I could help it." he mused, "I'd bet she'd over-react if she didn't know how they got there."

Ron winced, "And I'll bet my Mum would over-react even knowing how they got there."

"Let's just try and avoid them seeing them shall we?" he suggested.

Ron nodded as the girls re-joined them, then he got up and disappeared into one of the bathrooms to have a wash as well.

Kingsley walked into the ward at that moment, "Good morning."

"Good morning." the three present teens smiled.

"How come you're here this early?" Harry asked.

Kingsley smiled sheepishly, "I've been asked by the Aurors to get information on Lycan's from you in case they get people who are Lycan's applying for the force." he admitted.

"Ah, like Ron's planning to do?" Hermione asked.

Kingsley nodded, "Gawain's asked me if it's safe enough to have Lycan's be Aurors and I told him it was but he's wanting to see a few of you himself to confirm for himself that it's practically harmless." he explained.

"Don't tell me he believes the Prophet." Ginny frowned.

"Of course not." Kingsley assured them, "It's just because there's not much to go on concerning the Lycan virus."

"I suppose it's alright." Harry shrugged, "He seemed alright when we met him anyway."

"He's harmless until you annoy him." Kingsley agreed with a small chuckle, "Shall I go get him then?"

"Oh, hello Kingsley." Ron said, coming out of the bathroom and climbing back onto the bed with Hermione.

"Good morning Ron. So shall I?" he asked the other teens.

"Go ahead, the others might be a while. Teddy woke them all up this morning and as soon as he stopped screaming Cecelia started." Ginny told him, smiling slightly in amusement.

Kingsley chuckled and waved as he left the ward again.

"What's going on?" Ron asked looking confused.

Harry explained it to him.

"So we're going to get interviewed by Robards?" he asked when Harry finished.

"Probably by McLean too." Ginny mused, "I'd wager both of them will want to ask a few things. Best tell the others." she added.

_Hello? Anyone there?_ Hermione asked silently.

_Hello,_ Neville replied.

_Hi, could you pass a message to the others for us please Neville?_ Ginny asked.

_Sure, we're just having breakfast now, what's up?_

_Kingsley was just into see us and the Auror's have asked him to ask us if we wouldn't mind them coming in to talk to us about the Lycan virus. We agreed so Auror Robards is coming in to talk to us,_ Harry explained,_ Could you tell the others that? Just in case he's still here when you arrive._

_Sure thing,_ Neville replied.

"How about we have some breakfast too?" Ron suggested, "For once I'm starving."

"I know what you mean. I wonder if it's an effect from the potion?" Hermione mused.

Harry called for a House-Elf and within five minutes they all had plates filled with eggs, bacon, toast, beans and cups of coffee and tea.

They ate quickly and silently and within ten minutes they were finished.

"I think this is the fullest I've felt in months." Harry sighed in contentment, draining the last of his coffee.

"Same here." the other three said at the same time.

"I suppose it's a good thing." Hermione mused, "Us getting proper appetites back I mean."

"Definatley a good thing." Poppy smiled, coming out of her office in time to hear this, "With you four being Lycan's, which I'm guessing gives you more energy, then it's essential you eat well. Did Death give you any indication of your diets changing?"

"Yeah, he said we'd want more meat and that we'd prefer it rawer, a bit like Bill." Ron told her.

Poppy nodded, "I suspected that. I'd suggest you make sure you get lot's of protein, calcium and carbohydrates. Thing's like bread, milk and foods rich in vitamins and minerals." she told the teens, "It'll keep you healthy and stop you over doing yourselves as much. And don't skip any meals if you can help it, human bodies are sometimes tricky to keep topped up on things the body needs more, but you'll have to take the fact that you're Lycan's into account too."

"It seem's like it." Ginny nodded, "I for one plan on following your advice, especially with the babies coming home soon."

"That reminds me." Poppy said, she pulled out a letter from the pouch around her waist, usually filled with certain potions but empty except from the letter today, "Healer Emily McLee contacted me this morning saying she want's me to tell you the twins are doing fine, Kingsley must've told her you're in here because she also said she hopes you get better soon." she smiled amusedly.

"Well, technically we're already better." Harry smiled, "And they'll be coming home tomorrow, I'll get someone to -" he cut off as Snow flew in the window, "Oh, hello."

"Hello." Snow chirruped, perching on the end of his and Ginny's bed.

"Your just in time, I need to send a letter." Harry told him.

"I know. I could tell I'd be needed." the owl hooted proudly.

Poppy was staring at Harry incredulously.

"Oh Poppy? We can talk to animals." Ginny told her cheekily, as Harry pulled parchment, ink and a quill from the drawer beside the bed.

"I noticed." she said faintly.

Harry wrote a note and rolled it up, sealing it with his wand, and tied it to Snow's leg, "This is for Healer Emily McLee of the Maternity ward at St Mungos." he told the owl.

"Should I wait for a reply?" Snow hooted curiously.

"Yes please, is that all you need to know?" Ginny asked.

"Affirmative, bye for now." he hooted, jumping off the bed and flying back out the window.

"New owl?" Poppy asked as she changed the sheet's on the bed Draco had used.

"Yeah, Dudley heard about Hedwig and got one of his neighbours - Mrs Figg who is a squib and used to babysit me - to buy an owl, Snow's his name, and when he contacted me saying he and Aunt Petunia had been bitten by a Werewolf he said Snow was mine as a token of apology for him being a git when we were growing up." Harry explained.

"I must say he's absolutely beautiful." Poppy smiled, "I take it he's still young? He's still got some grey on him."

"Yeah, I don't know his exact age but he's young." he nodded smiling, he explained about the Auror coming as well.

"Will you have to transform?"

"It's possible though if the other's are here by then we can ask one of them to instead." Ginny mused.

Poppy hesitated, "I don't know if your transforming takes a lot of power or not but feel free to if you need to." she told the four, "And... You can get up whenever you want as long as you don't leave the ward, I'm only keeping you in just in case really." she smiled, "And I got a glimpse of Draco and Remus when they brought the cubs yesterday, they're huge."

"They're nothing on us." Harry smirked, "I'm the biggest, Ginny's second biggest." he told her.

Ginny stood up and changed into Misty.

"Meet Misty." Hermione smiled.

"Misty?"

"We've all got names for our forms, it's better than saying 'wolf form' all the time." Ron shrugged, "I'm Paws."

"I'm Shadow."

"And I'm Smokey."

"Remus stayed Moony from when he was a Werewolf. Astoria's Crystal, Draco's Snowstorm..." Hermione started.

"Aunt Petunia's Celena, Dudley's Falcon, Neville's Blue, Luna's Silver..." Harry continued.

"Bill's Storm, Alice is Wonder and Frank is Fang." Ron finished as Misty spun in place for Poppy, who was watching interestedly.

"Amazing, and I see your point with the names." she commented looking up as Misty stood up at her fullest height, "You're absolutely massive." she gasped.

"Comes with the wolf." Harry chuckled, "I'm tallest for a change." he got up and changed into Shadow, going to stand next to his mate.

"Harry really is the biggest." Ron confirmed, "We noticed when I stood next to him shortly after I was changed into a Lycan."

"Other than him we're all around the same height." Hermione added as Poppy walked over to the wolves for a closer look.

"You retain your full human mind?"

"It slips a bit during the full moon, you know, we're a bit more wolfish. We can only really make suggestions to the wolf what to do and what not to do. But when it's not full moon we've got our minds completely." Ron told her.

Poppy shook her head in wonder and reached out to feel Shadow's fur, "Your fur's quite soft isn't it." she chuckled.

"Of course." Hermione grinned. "It's very comfortable to sit on too."

When Poppy looked confused, Ron explained, "We've had a ride on Shadow's back before."

"Both of you?"

The two teens and two wolves nodded.

"Isnt that a bit heavy?"

Shadow changed back, "Not at all, I could just feel them there and no more." he explained, "We've got advanced strength too remember."

"Of course." she replied with a smile as Misty changed back too.

As Harry and Ginny climbed back onto their bed Kingsley walked in with Head Auror Gawain Robards behind him.

"Hello again." he said.

"Hello." the four said.

"Hello Auror Robards." Harry smiled at the man.

Robards smiled back, "Hello to you all as well. I thank you for allowing me to come talk to you all this morning."

"It's no problem really." Ron shrugged, "We don't mind answering the questions you have and telling you a bit about Lycan's." the other teens nodded in agreement.

"The more people understand us the less we're restricted as a species." Harry added.

Robards nodded and sat on a chair as Poppy disappeared back into her office, "So, I know the basics, the stuff you told the reporters and such." he explained, "What I'd like to know is what your habits are like, you know, have they changed any?"

"Define habits?" Hermione requested.

"You know... Like do you follow a wolf's mind when transformed... Or rather does your inner wolf give you suggestions?"

Harry frowned, "I think there's an occasional push for somethings. We get very over protective if someone threatens one of our pack..."

"Pack?"

"We've classed ourselves as a pack since there's quite a few Lycan's now." Hermione explained.

Robards nodded in understanding.

"We've never had someone threaten a member of the pack just yet, but we've been told we will." Ginny continued.

"We've been covering my memories of my time since entering the wizarding world and we've noticed if something's happened to us in the past we get protective if it's someone close to us, it's like... We can't help it even if that person was fine." Harry mused, "Though it's worse when it comes to our respective partners." he said putting an arm around Ginny.

"Do you know why that is?"

Harry hesitated and shared a look with Ginny who nodded slightly, "Some of us have Soul Bonds." he admitted, "I have one with Ginny, we're extremely protective of each other."

Robards frowned, "Protective how? Would it go to the point of killing?"

"I don't know about killing but at the moment it's limited to growling and threat's to the person who's causing the problem." Ginny told him, "We've not had anyone test what happens when it comes to being protective, as I said before, so we don't know the extremes of it."

"Some of it must be in the wolves nature." Hermione added, "Normal wolves and even Werewolves are quite protective of their packs."

"I see. What happens around the full moon?"

"We transform." Harry shrugged.

"I mean with your minds, do you keep your human minds?"

"Partly, we essentially lose the human side of us for the night but it's still there, we can influence the wolf to a certain degree. We're not dangerous to humans at all while transformed, in fact, we were told our wolves will want human contact and if we denied it all the time we'd get depressed and lose the will to live." Harry explained.

"So human contact is quite important." Kingsley nodded, "Which reminds me, you lot and the other Lycan's will have to be somewhere you can get human contact next full moon."

"We know, we were thinking about doing a kind of show, get one of the others to take us into the Great Hall and let the student's see there's nothing to be afraid of." Ginny told them, "And have some reporters there too."

"I suppose it will help after that article in the Prophet, rag that it is." Robards muttered, "If you don't mind me asking, do you and the rest of your pack have to be together on full moons?"

"Um... We don't know." Hermione admitted, "We've only experienced one full moon and we were all together for that."

"Okay, I understand that you don't know, if you ever find out would you tell me?" he asked, the four nodded, "Out of curiosity who's the biggest Lycan so far?"

"Harry." they all said, except Harry himself obviously.

"Cant argue with that, I stand at 6ft 6 tall." Harry chuckled, "The smallest is probably my Aunt Petunia."

"No, Luna and Astoria are smaller and the same height." Ginny disagreed, "They're both about 5 foot 10. Petunia's about 5 foot 11, just slightly bigger than those two."

"She's right." Ron nodded.

"So your all the size of humans?" Robards asked curiously.

"Pretty much." Harry nodded, "We got a bit taller in human form when we were changed."

"The older ones didn't change much, like Bill and Remus, they only got a little bit taller." Kingsley put in.

"Someone say my name?" Remus asked walking with the twins behind him, Fred was carrying Teddy and was making funny faces to keep the boy occupied. "The other's are on their way down."

"That would be me." Kingsley told him, "I was telling Gawain how you and Bill just got a little taller when you were changed."

"Unca Har!" Teddy yelled, spotting his godfather.

Fred handed the boy to Harry, "Your godson is a very hard kid to distract when he wants you. And loud." he informed him.

Harry chuckled and tickled Teddy's ribs so the boy shrieked with laughter, "Were you causing trouble Teddy?"

"No."

"Oh yes you were." Remus told his son.

"No." he repeated.

"Sorry Auror Robards. Do you have more questions?" Ginny smiled.

"A few." he admitted, "I understand the Lycan virus cures Werewolves, is there any difference in a Werewolf who's been changed."

"I can tell you that one." Remus grinned, "There's a few changes, the biggest being the transforming at will and looking like a normal, if oversized, wolf. There's the loss of the scars from the Werewolf curse and after that it's basically the same as the other Lycan's." he explained, "Having gone through it myself I can honestly say it's better not having to worry about attacking people or myself on the full moon."

Robards smacked his forehead with his hand, "I didnt even think of it... You're the one Tonks married right?"

"That's right." Remus smiled, "She'll be down shortly. She's attempting to help calm my niece down."

"Cecelia still screaming?" Harry asked.

"Loudly." the twins winced.

"Then Teddy was about to scream for you again -"

"- So Fred started making faces to keep him distracted and we decided to come down before he got bored of that."

"Good idea." Robards nodded, "I swear half my team wouldn't know what to do with a screaming child." he chuckled, "Mind you, half of them don't have kids themselves."

"One of those things where a dirty nappy is more terrifying than a Death Eater?" Hermione guessed.

"Something along those lines." he nodded, "Bit ridiculous really, they'd deal with Unforgivables being thrown their way but as soon as you present them with a dirty nappy or screaming kids they run like hell." he chuckled.

The twins snickered.

Just as Robards was about to speak again there was a 'Bang!' and Padfoot skidded into the ward.

"Padfoot!" Remus yelled as the big black dog lost its footing and went skidding across the floor, catching Remus and the twins around the ankles and knocking the three men down.

Padfoot whimpered and changed back, "Ow." he said dazedly.

"Padfoot you mutt, what happened?!" Remus demanded, getting back to his feet.

"I was going too fast, I didn't realise." he winced as he too got up off the floor, "Sorry." he extended his hands to the twins and helped them up, "I didn't mean it."

"No harm done." Fred told him.

"Just a bump." George agreed.

Blue and Fang also skidded into the room but managed to stop and changed back.

"Idiot." Frank said, "I told you you were going too fast."

"He did tell you." Neville agreed.

Robards was staring at them, "Am I going mad or were you two just massive wolves?"

"They're Lycan's." Harry supplied.

"Ah." he said in shock, "I didn't think they'd be that big."

"Harry's bigger, or rather Shadow is." Neville shrugged, he explained about the nicknames as Robards looked confused.

"Oh, that makes sense." he nodded when Neville finished, "So you just transform at will then?"

Hermione nodded, "It just takes one thought and we're wolves." she got up off the bed and changed into Smokey before jumping back on the bed.

"Unca Har! 'ook wolf! Wolf!" Teddy cheered, spotting Smokey.

"I know Teddy." Harry chuckled, "You've seen Smokey before."

"Wolf! Wolf!" Teddy clapped happily.

Robards was looking at Smokey curiously, "It's remarkable how terrifying you look." he commented.

Smokey snorted in amusement and opened her mouth to show off her teeth.

"And you'd hate to be on the wrong side of those teeth." Fred told Robards, "Mighty sharp aren't they girl?" he teased.

Smokey growled at him.

"Yeesh, calm down. It was a compliment." George told her.

"She said she know's but she didn't like the way Fred said it." Ron smirked, scratching her back, "Did you Smokey?"

The wolf shook her head.

"How'd you know what she said?"

Ginny explained the pack bond and soul bonds to him and about how it works in both forms.

Smokey changed back as Harry handed Teddy to Ginny and got up before changing into Shadow.

Ginny smirked and climbed onto his back when he asked her to silently, still holding Teddy.

"Sh-ad-ow!" the boy yelled happily, cuddling the scruff of the wolves neck.

"As you can see we have the extra strength too." Ginny said as Shadow walked over so he was in front of Robards.

"You were right about him being the biggest, and I see what you mean about the strength." the Auror mused, eyes wide.

Slowly Shadow lay down and Ginny got off his back with Teddy.

"He said you can have a closer look if you want." she said, "Like his paws."

Robards stood and approached Shadow, who was sitting up now, and bent down for a closer look at his feet.

"Shadow, give a paw." George smirked.

The wolf rolled it's eye's but lifted a paw off the ground anyway.

Robards took the paw hesitantly, "Those could do some damage." he commented gesturing the claws.

"Only when he wants to use them." Remus smiled.

Shadow nodded in agreement, putting his paw back down as Robards let go and got up before walking around the wolf.

"I know I've said it before but you never fail to amaze me Mr Potter." he smiled as he sat back down, "And I'm able to say I don't think your dangerous at all, unless someone annoys you that is."

Shadow changed back, "Even if someone annoys me I don't attack them, I just tell them to shut it." he chuckled.

The other's walked in at that moment.

"Hi Gawain." Dora grinned, giving him a hug.

"Hi yourself." he grinned back, "You've got a few questions headed your way from Letica and a lecture from Gina next time you see her."

"They're not happy with me are they?" she winced.

"Nope, not at all." he chuckled.

"Great." she muttered sarcastically, "Ah well, I knew there'd be questions."

"Anyway, it's been great seeing you all but I'll have to run, Kingsley we'll talk about the guard thing later." he warned, Kingsley sighed and nodded, "See you." he waved and left the ward.

"You've been arguing haven't you?" Minerva chuckled.

"Of course, I don't see the point in having two guards with me at all times." Kingsley shrugged, "I was an Auror for years, I don't really need two guards."

"Rufus said that too and look what happened to him." Dora pointed out.

"Fair point. I'm not arguing completely, I'm just arguing the 'at all times' part." he told them, "I certainly don't need them while I'm here or at the Burrow, and I won the argument for that one."

Ron was looking around, "Where's Percy?"

"In his office at the Ministry, briefing the House-Elves that want to help try and find Ted." Molly reminded her son.

"Oh yeah, forgot he was doing that." he admitted sheepishly.

"He said he'll catch up, Bill and Fleur are on their way." Charlie told them, "They were just leaving when we got here."

"Well, that's what Bill said anyway." Remus shrugged as they all grabbed or conjured chairs and sat down.

"I said what?" Bill asked as he Fleur and Percy walked in. Molly told him.

"Oh, we were then we waited on him." Bill gestured Percy, who made a face at his older brother.

"The House-Elves were more than happy to help and they're away looking around the country now. I made sure to tell them they have to return at night though." Percy told them, "They wont have any luck if they cant see."

Andy and Dora smiled at him, "Thank you. It means a lot." Andy told him.

Percy blushed, "It's nothing, honestly. Save the thanks for when he's found."

Both women just smiled again.

"So Harry, what're you showing next?" Neville asked.

"Well... I suppose what happened after overhearing that conversation." Harry shrugged, "You'll see in a minute." he smiled, getting up and putting the memory in the pensieve.

* * *

><p>Well I've gotten all the ideas I have for the last chapters of Part 2 written out now, and I've planned how many more chapters it will be. At the moment it's looking like it will be between 101 chapters and 105 but I might move some of the ideas I have into Part 3 so it's unlikely it'll be more than 102 at the most :-) Just thought you'd like to know.<p>

Review please x


	85. Chapter 85

Mild warning: There maybe some minor swearing in the last chapters that I'm putting up, I can't remember exactly what chapters contain the swearing but readers should know it exists but it isn't (Hopefully) too offensive to anyone and I really felt it was necessary to get the feelings of the characters across accurately at stressful times due to what situations those trouble-magnet teenagers get themselves into. Enjoy :-)

* * *

><p>Chapter 85 - Fifth Year (Part 12.5)<p>

22, August, 1998.

"So we're starting off right where we left it last night." Harry told them, they nodded and turned towards the pensive as the memory started.

**Was this why Dumbledore would no longer meet Harry's eyes? Did he expect to see Voldemort staring out of them, afraid, perhaps, that their vivid green might turn suddenly to scarlet, with catlike slits for pupils? Harry remembered how the snakelike face of Voldemort had once forced itself out of the back of Professor Quirrell's head and ran his hand over the back of his own, wondering what it would feel like if Voldemort burst out of his skull.**

"Painful probably." James muttered darkly.

Someone cleared their throat and they all tuned to see Albus standing in the empty picture frame, "There's no doubt having something like that done to you would hurt. But that was part of the reason I was avoiding Harry. I thought Tom could not know how close we were, the temptation for him to use the link between Harry and him would be too much."

"He'd probably have tried to possess me and get me to kill you." Harry nodded.

**He felt dirty, contaminated, as though he were carrying some deadly germ, unworthy to sit on the Underground train back from the hospital with innocent, clean people whose minds and bodies were free of the taint of Voldemort... he had not merely seen the snake, he had been the snake, he knew it now...**

"You weren't." Arthur told Harry sternly.

"I realised that eventually. I guess I was just over reacting to what we'd heard." he admitted sheepishly.

"Eavesdroppers almost never hear anything good." Sirius told them.

**A truly terrible thought then occurred to him, a memory bobbing to the surface of his mind, one that made his insides writhe and squirm like serpents.**

**What's he after, apart from followers?**

**Stuff he can only get by stealth... like a weapon. Something he didn't have last time. I'm the weapon, Harry thought, and it was as though poison were pumping through his veins, chilling him, bringing him out in a sweat as he swayed with the train through the dark tunnel. I'm the one Voldemort's trying to use, that's why they've got guards around me everywhere I go, it's not for my protection, it's for other people's, only it's not working, they can't have someone on me all the time at Hogwarts...**

"You do realise you're an idiot right?" Ginny asked him.

"Of course." he replied, "Just remember I was a bit freaked out right then and I didn't know the truth behind the Prophesy, I didn't even know it existed, and my imagination goes overboard with things like that."

**I did attack Mr. Weasley last night, it was me. Voldemort made me do it and he could be inside me, listening to my thoughts right now -**

**"Are you all right, Harry, dear?" whispered Mrs. Weasley leaning across Ginny to speak to him as the train rattled along through its dark tunnel. "You don't look very well. Are you feeling sick?"**

**They were all watching him. He shook his head violently and stared up at an advertisement for home insurance.**

**"Harry, dear, are you sure you're all right?" said Mrs. Weasley in a worried voice, as they walked around the unkempt patch of grass in the middle of Grimmauld Place. "You look ever so pale... are you sure you slept this morning? You go upstairs to bed right now and you can have a couple of hours of sleep before dinner, all right?"**

**He nodded; here was a ready-made excuse not to talk to any of the others, which was precisely what he wanted, so when she opened the front door he hurried straight past the troll's-leg umbrella stand, up the stairs and into his and Ron's bedroom.**

"You had to give him an escape route." Ginny muttered.

"I didn't know you'd heard us." Molly shrugged, "And I had a suspicion Harry didn't sleep that morning."

"Which I didn't as you saw." Harry nodded.

**Here, he began to pace up and down, past the two beds and Phineas Nigellus's empty picture frame, his brain teeming and seething with questions and ever more dreadful ideas.**

**How had he become a snake? Perhaps he was an Animagus... no, he couldn't be, he would know... perhaps Voldemort was an Animagus... yes, thought Harry, that would fit, he would turn into a snake of course...**

"No, Voldemort must've been possessing the snake when you saw Arthur getting attacked." Draco mused.

"That's what happened." Albus nodded, "Severus told me he eventually found out."

**and when he's possessing me, then we both transform... that still doesn't explain how I got to London and back to my bed in the space of about five minutes... but then Voldemort's about the most powerful wizard in the world, apart from Dumbledore, it's probably no problem at all to him to transport people like that.**

**And then, with a terrible stab of panic, he thought, but this is insane - if Voldemort's possessing me, I'm giving him a clear view into the Headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix right now!**

**He'll know who's in the Order and where Sirius is... and I've heard loads of stuff I shouldn't have, everything Sirius told me the first night I was here...**

**There was only one thing for it: he would have to leave Grimmauld Place straightaway.**

"I told you I had a reason for putting that ward up." Sirius told the Order members who had been present, "Harry, you wouldn't have been able to leave, I put a ward up to stop anyone underage from leaving. Just in case mind you, but I could tell something was up by the way those three's eyes kept flicking to look at you." he gestured Ron, Hermione and Ginny.

**He would spend Christmas at Hogwarts without the others, which would keep them safe over the holidays at least... but no, that wouldn't do, there were still plenty of people at Hogwarts to maim and injure. What if it was Seamus, Dean or Neville next time? He stopped his pacing and stood staring at Phineas Nigellus's empty frame. A leaden sensation was settling in the pit of his stomach. He had no alternative: he was going to have to return to Privet Drive, cut himself off from other wizards entirely.**

"Very good thing you put that ward up." Arthur told Sirius.

Sirius nodded, "It was for the best."

**Well, if he had to do it, he thought, there was no point hanging around. Trying with all his might not to think how the Dursleys were going to react when they found him on their doorstep six months earlier than they had expected, he strode over to his trunk, slammed the lid shut and locked it, then glanced around automatically for Hedwig before remembering that she was still at Hogwarts - well, her cage would be one less thing to carry - he seized one end of his trunk and had dragged it halfway towards the door when a snide voice said, "Running away, are we?"**

**He looked around. Phineas Nigellus had appeared on the canvas of his portrait and was leaning against the frame, watching Harry with an amused expression on his face.**

"Ah, you're in trouble now." Regulus chuckled, "He'd tell Albus or yell for Sirius."

"I didn't think of that, I decided not to leave in the end anyway." Harry smiled.

**"Not running away, no," said Harry shortly, dragging his trunk a few more feet across the room.**

**"I thought," said Phineas Nigellus, stroking his pointed beard, "that to belong in Gryffindor house you were supposed to be brave! It looks to me as though you would have been better off in my own house. We Slytherins are brave, yes, but not stupid. For instance, given the choice, we will always choose to save our own necks."**

**"It's not my own neck I'm saving," said Harry tersely, tugging the trunk over a patch of particularly uneven, moth-eaten carpet right in front of the door.**

**"Oh, I see," said Phineas Nigellus, still stroking his beard, "this is no cowardly flight - you are being noble."**

**Harry ignored him. His hand was on the doorknob when Phineas Nigellus said lazily, "I have a message for you from Albus Dumbledore."**

**Harry spun round.**

**"What is it?"**

"**'Stay where you are.'"**

**"I haven't moved!" said Harry, his hand still upon the doorknob. "So what's the message?"**

**"I have just given it to you, dolt," said Phineas Nigellus smoothly. "Dumbledore says, 'Stay where you are.'"**

Harry raised an eyebrow at his ex-headmaster.

Albus chuckled, "I had a feeling you might try and leave." he explained.

"Or rather we were in your office and one of those silver instruments chimed." Minerva told him, "Telling you he was distressed and about to try and leave."

Harry huffed, "Did you have a constant watch on me!?" he demanded.

"Not unless something like that happened." Albus told him honestly, "Do you really think I'd leave you alone after that? Given how frustrated and bitter you were I would've thought it would be obvious I'd ask people to keep an eye on you in case you decided to do something rash."

Harry sighed, "I suppose you have a point."

**"Why?" said Harry eagerly, dropping the end of his trunk. "Why does he want me to stay? What else did he say?"**

**"Nothing whatsoever," said Phineas Nigellus, raising a thin black eyebrow as though he found Harry impertinent.**

"He find's everyone impertinent." Regulus snorted.

**Harry's temper rose to the surface like a snake rearing from long grass. He was exhausted, he was confused beyond measure, he had experienced terror, relief, then terror again in the last twelve hours, and still Dumbledore did not want to talk to him!**

**"So that's it, is it?" he said loudly. "'Stay where you are'! That's all anyone could tell me after I got attacked by those Dementors, too! Just stay put while the grown-ups sort it out, Harry! We won't bother telling you anything, though, because your tiny little brain might not be able to cope with it!"**

**"You know," said Phineas Nigellus, even more loudly than Harry "this is precisely why I loathed being a teacher! Young people are so infernally convinced that they are absolutely right about everything. Has it not occurred to you, my poor puffed-up popinjay, that there might be an excellent reason why the Headmaster of Hogwarts is not confiding every tiny detail of his plans to you? Have you never paused, while feeling hard-done-by, to note that following Dumbledore's orders has never yet led you into harm? No. No, like all young people, you are quite sure that you alone feel and think, you alone recognize danger, you alone are the only one clever enough to realize what the Dark Lord may be planning -"**

**"He is planning something to do with me, then?" said Harry swiftly.**

**"Did I say that?" said Phineas Nigellus, idly examining his silk gloves. "Now, if you will excuse me, I have better things to do than listen to adolescent agonising... good-day to you."**

**And he strolled to the edge of his frame and out of sight.**

**"Fine, go then!" Harry bellowed at the empty frame. "And tell Dumbledore thanks for nothing!"**

"Harry!" exclaimed Hermione. "I can't believe you said that!"

"Well, it's too late to do anything about it now. And I did regret what I said later on. Sorry Albus." he added guiltily.

"Its fine my boy, I know you were less than happy with me at that time." Albus assured the teen.

**The empty canvas remained silent. Fuming, Harry dragged his trunk back to the foot of his bed, then threw himself face down on the moth-eaten covers, his eyes shut, his body heavy and aching.**

**He felt as though he had journeyed for miles and miles... it seemed impossible that less than twenty-four hours ago Cho Chang had been approaching him under the mistletoe... he was so tired... he was scared to sleep... yet he did not know how long he could fight it... Dumbledore had told him to stay… that must mean he was allowed to sleep... but he was scared... what if it happened again?**

**He was sinking into shadows...**

**It was as though a film in his head had been waiting to start. He was walking down a deserted corridor towards a plain black door, past rough stone walls, torches, and an open doorway on to a flight of stone steps leading downstairs on the left...**

**He reached the black door but could not open it... he stood gazing at it, desperate for entry... something he wanted with all his heart lay beyond... a prize beyond his dreams... if only his scar would stop prickling... then he would be able to think more clearly...**

**"Harry," said Ron's voice, from far, far away, "Mum says dinner's ready, but she'll save you something if you want to stay in bed."**

**Harry opened his eyes, but Ron had already left the room.**

"Actually, I did wait a few minutes for you to answer me, but when you didn't, I left." Ron shrugged.

"Oh, I didn't know that, sorry." Harry apologised.

**He doesn't want to be on his own with me, Harry thought. Not after what he heard Moody say.**

Ron glared at Harry, who looked apologetic and guilty at the same time.

**He supposed none of them would want him there any more, now that they knew what was inside him.**

**He would not go down to dinner; he would not inflict his company on them. He turned over on to his other side and, after a while, dropped back off to sleep. He woke much later, in the early hours of the morning, his insides aching with hunger and Ron snoring in the next bed.**

**Squinting around the room, he saw the dark outline of Phineas Nigellus standing again in his portrait and it occurred to Harry that Dumbledore had probably sent Phineas Nigellus to watch over him, in case he attacked somebody else.**

"I didn't ask him to actually." Albus frowned.

"He'd come to talk to me." Sirius explained, "Or more specifically to tell me he saw Harry trying to run away. I didn't mention it since you clearly changed your mind." he added to his Godson, who nodded.

**The feeling of being unclean intensified. He half-wished he had not obeyed Dumbledore... if this was how life was going to be for him in Grimmauld Place from now on, maybe he would be better off in Privet Drive after all.**

**Everybody else spent the following morning putting up Christmas decorations. Harry could not remember Sirius ever being in such a good mood; he was actually singing carols, apparently delighted that he was to have company over Christmas.**

**Harry could hear his voice echoing up through the floor in the cold drawing room where he was sitting alone, watching the sky growing whiter outside the windows, threatening snow, all the time feeling a savage pleasure that he was giving the others the opportunity to keep talking about him, as they were bound to be doing.**

"Well, we weren't talking about you in the way you were thinking," said Ginny. "We were more worried about you than anything else."

"You were still talking about me." he pouted.

"About what to do about your behaviour." Ron raised an eyebrow at him, "We weren't going to let you keep avoiding us."

**When he heard Mrs. Weasley calling his name softly up the stairs around lunchtime, he retreated further upstairs and ignored her.**

**Around six o'clock in the evening the doorbell rang and Mrs. Black started screaming again.**

**Assuming that Mundungus or some other Order member had come to call, Harry merely settled himself more comfortably against the wall of Buckbeak's room where he was hiding, trying to ignore how hungry he felt as he fed dead rats to the Hippogriff. It came as a slight shock when somebody hammered hard on the door a few minutes later.**

"Sounds like Hermione." James smirked.

"How can you tell?" Hermione asked.

"That sounds similar to when you were banging on Hagrid's door when he holed himself up after Skeeter's article." he chuckled.

**"I know you're in there," said Hermione's voice. "Will you please come out? I want to talk to you."**

**"What are you doing here?" Harry asked her, pulling open the door as Buckbeak resumed his scratching at the straw-strewn floor for any fragments of rat he may have dropped. "I thought you were skiing with your mum and dad?"**

"Why did you open the door to Hermione when you weren't talking to anyone?" Percy wondered.

"She caught me off guard with that." Harry admitted, making a face at Hermione, who smirked.

**"Well, to tell the truth, skiing's not really my thing," said Hermione. "So, I've come here for Christmas." There was snow in her hair and her face was pink with cold. "But don't tell Ron. I told him it's really good because he kept laughing so much."**

"I knew it." Ron said, laughing.

Hermione rolled her eyes at him and smiled amusedly.

**"Mum and Dad are a bit disappointed, but I've told them that everyone who is serious about the exams is staying at Hogwarts to study. They want me to do well, they'll understand. Anyway," she said briskly, "let's go to your bedroom, Ron's mum has lit a fire in there and she's sent up sandwiches."**

**Harry followed her back to the second floor. When he entered the bedroom, he was rather surprised to see both Ron and Ginny waiting for them, sitting on Ron's bed.**

"Of course, just gang up on him." Bill chuckled, "If you weren't being stupid, Harry, I'd feel sorry for you."

"They always do that." he muttered, glaring at his smirking friends and fiancé.

"Most effective method of getting you to talk mate." Ron shrugged, grinning, "Especially when you were in a mood like that."

**"I came on the Knight Bus," said Hermione airily, pulling off her jacket before Harry had time to speak. "Dumbledore told me what had happened first thing this morning, but I had to wait for term to end officially before setting off. Umbridge is already livid that you lot disappeared right under her nose, even though Dumbledore told her Mr. Weasley was in St. Mungo's and he'd given you all permission to visit. So..."**

**She sat down next to Ginny, and the two girls and Ron all looked up at Harry.**

**"How're you feeling?" asked Hermione.**

**"Fine," said Harry stiffly.**

**"Oh, don't lie, Harry," she said impatiently. "Ron and Ginny say you've been hiding from everyone since you got back from St. Mungo's."**

**"They do, do they?" said Harry, glaring at Ron and Ginny. Ron looked down at his feet but Ginny seemed quite unabashed.**

**"Well, you have!" she said. "And you won't look at any of us!"**

**"It's you lot who won't look at me!" said Harry angrily.**

**"Maybe you're taking it in turns to look, and keep missing each other," suggested Hermione, the corners of her mouth twitching.**

"I think that's probably what happened." Lily nodded.

**"Very funny," snapped Harry, turning away.**

**"Oh, stop feeling all misunderstood," said Hermione sharply. "Look, the others have told me what you overheard last night on the Extendable Ears -"**

**"Yeah?" growled Harry, his hands deep in his pockets as he watched the snow now falling thickly outside. "All been talking about me, have you? Well, I'm getting used to it."**

**"We wanted to talk to you, Harry," said Ginny, "but as you've been hiding ever since we got back -"**

**"I didn't want anyone to talk to me," said Harry, who was feeling more and more nettled.**

"And now you're getting dragged back to reality." Ginny smirked, "Whether you like it or not."

Harry rolled his eyes and chuckled slightly.

**"Well, that was a bit stupid of you," said Ginny angrily, "seeing as you don't know anyone but me who's been possessed by You-Know-Who, and I can tell you how it feels."**

James and Lily shook their heads. "You really didn't think of that, did you, Harry?" asked James.

"Um... No?" he guessed.

"He forgot." Ginny told them, "Though it worked in our favour since he listened to me after that."

"How could you forget that? It's one of the main reasons you had to kill a Basilisk age 12." Remus frowned.

"I wasn't thinking about the past, I was thinking about the present." Harry admitted, "I try not to think about the Basilisk -"

"- Just like I try to avoid thinking about the whole thing." Ginny finished for him.

**Harry remained quite still as the impact of these words hit him. Then he wheeled round.**

**"I forgot," he said.**

**"Lucky you," said Ginny coolly.**

**"I'm sorry," Harry said, and he meant it. "So... so, do you think I'm being possessed, then?"**

**"Well, can you remember everything you've been doing?" Ginny asked. "Are there big blank periods where you don't know what you've been up to?"**

**Harry racked his brains.**

**"No," he said.**

**"Then You-Know-Who hasn't ever possessed you," said Ginny simply. "When he did it to me, I couldn't remember what I'd been doing for hours at a time. I'd find myself somewhere and not know how I got there."**

**Harry hardly dared believe her, yet his heart was lightening almost in spite of himself.**

**"That dream I had about your dad and the snake, though -"**

**"Harry you've had these dreams before," Hermione said. "You had flashes of what Voldemort was up to last year."**

**"This was different," said Harry, shaking his head. "I was inside that snake. It was like I was the snake... what if Voldemort somehow transported me to London -?"**

**"One day," said Hermione, sounding thoroughly exasperated, "you'll read Hogwarts, A History, and perhaps it will remind you that you can't Apparate or Disapparate inside Hogwarts. Even Voldemort couldn't just make you fly out of your dormitory, Harry."**

**"You didn't leave your bed, mate," said Ron. "I saw you thrashing around in your sleep for at least a minute before we could wake you up."**

**Harry started pacing up and down the room again, thinking. What they were all saying was not only comforting, it made sense... without really thinking, he took a sandwich from the plate on the bed and crammed it hungrily into his mouth.**

**I'm not the weapon after all, thought Harry. His heart swelled with happiness and relief, and he felt like joining in as they heard Sirius tramping past their door towards Buckbeak's room, singing "God Rest Ye, Merry Hippogriffs" at the top of his voice.**

"Yikes." Cissy muttered, "I hope you all had earplugs."

"I'm not that bad a singer." Sirius pouted.

"Yes you are." Remus and James told him, wincing.

"Ah well, I was in a good mood for practically the first time since Voldemort's return." he shrugged, "Deal with it."

**How could he have dreamed of returning to Privet Drive for Christmas? Sirius's delight at having the house full again, and especially at having Harry back, was infectious. He was no longer their sullen host of the summer; now he seemed determined that everyone should enjoy themselves as much, if not more than they would have done at Hogwarts, and he worked tirelessly in the run-up to Christmas Day, cleaning and decorating with their help, so that by the time they all went to bed on Christmas Eve the house was barely recognisable. The tarnished chandeliers were no longer hung with cobwebs but with garlands of holly and gold and silver streamers; magical snow glittered in heaps over the threadbare carpets; a great Christmas tree, obtained by Mundungus and decorated with live fairies, blocked Sirius's family tree from view, and even the stuffed elf-heads on the hall wall wore Father Christmas hats and beards.**

"Bit overboard don't you think?" Kingsley commented.

Sirius shrugged.

**Harry awoke on Christmas morning to find a stack of presents at the foot of his bed and Ron already halfway through opening his own, rather larger, pile.**

**"Good haul this year," he informed Harry through a cloud of paper. "Thanks for the Broom Compass, it's excellent; beats Hermione's - she got me a homework planner -"**

"So you didn't like it," said Hermione, looking disappointed.

"Did you expect me to?" he asked, "You know I'm not like you when it comes to homework and stuff like that. Though I will admit it saved me when it came to exam time." he smiled, kissing her cheek as she smiled back.

**Harry sorted through his presents and found one with Hermione's handwriting on it. She had given him, too, a book that resembled a diary except that it said things like "Do it today or later you'll pay!" every time he opened a page.**

**Sirius and Lupin had given Harry a set of excellent books entitled Practical Defensive Magic and Its Use Against the Dark Arts, which had superb, moving color illustrations of all the counterjinxes and hexes it described. Harry flicked through the first volume eagerly; he could see it was going to be highly useful in his plans for the D.A.. Hagrid had sent a furry brown wallet that had fangs, which were presumably supposed to be an anti-theft device, but unfortunately prevented Harry putting any money in without getting his fingers ripped off. Tonks's present was a small, working model of a Firebolt, which Harry watched fly around the room, wishing he still had his full-size version; Ron had given him an enormous box of Every-Flavour Beans, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley the usual hand-knitted jumper and some mince pies, and Dobby a truly dreadful painting that Harry suspected had been done by the elf himself. He had just turned it upside-down to see whether it looked better that way when, with a loud crack, Fred and George Apparated at the foot of his bed.**

**"Happy Christmas," said George. "Don't go downstairs for a bit."**

**"Why not?" said Ron.**

**"Mum's crying again," said Fred heavily. "Percy sent back his Christmas jumper."**

"I didn't receive it." Percy said defensively at the angry looks he received, "Why would I send it back?"

Arthur and Molly shared a look, "It must've been Errol." Arthur told his wife, "He mustn't have been able to find him."

**"Without a note," added George. "Hasn't asked how Dad is or visited him or anything."**

"I did. I sent quite a few letters when I found out." Percy sighed, "They just came back unopened."

**"We tried to comfort her," said Fred, moving around the bed to look at Harry's portrait. "Told her Percy's nothing more than a humungous pile of rat droppings."**

**"Didn't work," said George, helping himself to a Chocolate Frog. "So Lupin took over. Best let him cheer her up before we go down for breakfast, I reckon."**

"You always were the best with things like that." James told Remus.

"Comes with being able to smell emotions and actually thinking before talking." he replied.

**"What's that supposed to be, anyway?" asked Fred, squinting at Dobby's painting. "Looks like a gibbon with two black eyes."**

**"It's Harry!" said George, pointing at the back of the picture, "says so on the back!"**

**"Good likeness," said Fred, grinning. Harry threw his new homework diary at him; it hit the wall opposite and fell to the floor where it said happily: "If you've dotted the 'i's and crossed the 't's then you may do whatever you please!"**

**They got up and dressed. They could hear the various inhabitants of the house calling "Happy Christmas" to one another. On their way downstairs they met Hermione.**

**"Thanks for the book, Harry," she said happily. "I've been wanting that New Theory of Numerology for ages! And that perfume's really unusual, Ron."**

"Did you mean in a good way or a bad way?" Ron asked suddenly.

"Good way." Hermione assured him.

**"No problem," said Ron. "Who's that for, anyway?" he added, nodding at the neatly wrapped present she was carrying.**

**"Kreacher," said Hermione brightly.**

**"It had better not be clothes!" Ron warned her. "You know what Sirius said: Kreacher knows too much, we can't set him free!"**

**"It isn't clothes," said Hermione, "although if I had my way I'd certainly give him something to wear other than that filthy old rag. No, it's a patchwork quilt, I thought it would brighten up his bedroom."**

"Did he even use it?" Regulus asked.

Harry nodded, "He didn't until we started being nice to him though. Now he says it's one of his favourites."

**"What bedroom?" said Harry, dropping his voice to a whisper as they were passing the portrait of Sirius's mother.**

**"Well, Sirius says it's not so much a bedroom, more a kind of - den," said Hermione. "Apparently he sleeps under the boiler in that cupboard off the kitchen."**

**Mrs. Weasley was the only person in the basement when they arrived there. She was standing at the stove and sounded as though she had a bad head cold as she wished them "Happy Christmas," and they all averted their eyes.**

**"So, is this Kreacher's bedroom?" said Ron, strolling over to a dingy door in the corner opposite the pantry. Harry had never seen it open.**

**"Yes," said Hermione, now sounding a little nervous. "Er... I think we'd better knock."**

**Ron rapped on the door with his knuckles but there was no reply.**

**"He must be sneaking around upstairs," he said, and without further ado pulled open the door. "Urgh!"**

**Harry peered inside. Most of the cupboard was taken up with a very large and old-fashioned boiler, but in the foot's space underneath the pipes Kreacher had made himself something that looked like a nest. A jumble of assorted rags and smelly old blankets were piled on the floor and the small dent in the middle of it showed where Kreacher curled up to sleep every night. Here and there among the material were stale bread crusts and mouldy old bits of cheese. In a far corner glinted small objects and coins that Harry guessed Kreacher had saved, magpie-like, from Sirius's purge of the house, and he had also managed to retrieve the silver-framed family photographs that Sirius had thrown away over the summer. Their glass might be shattered, but still the little black-and-white people inside them peered up at him haughtily, including - he felt a little jolt in his stomach - the dark, heavy-lidded woman whose trial he had witnessed in Dumbledore's Pensieve: Bellatrix Lestrange.**

**By the looks of it, hers was Kreacher's favorite photograph; he had placed it to the fore of all the others and had mended the glass clumsily with Spellotape.**

"He did used to adore Bella." Regulus mused, "He liked Cissy better though."

Cissy nodded, "He wasn't really sure about Bella since she never talked to him at all unless necessary."

"I'd bet he'd just fixed the frame." Regulus added, "Or hadn't bothered re-arranging the photos..."

**"I think I'll just leave his present here," said Hermione, laying the package neatly in the middle of the depression in the rags and blankets and closing the door quietly. "He'll find it later, that'll be fine."**

**"Come to think of it," said Sirius, emerging from the pantry carrying a large turkey as they closed the cupboard door, "has anyone actually seen Kreacher lately?"**

**"I haven't seen him since the night we came back here," said Harry. "You were ordering him out of the kitchen."**

**"Yeah..." said Sirius, frowning. "You know, I think that's the last time I saw him, too... he must be hiding upstairs somewhere."**

**"He couldn't have left, could he?" said Harry. "I mean, when you said 'out', maybe he thought you meant get out of the house?"**

**"No, no, house-elves can't leave unless they're given clothes. They're tied to their family's house," said Sirius.**

"Had he left the house?" James asked.

Slowly Harry and Sirius both nodded.

**"They can leave the house if they really want to," Harry contradicted him. "Dobby did, he left the Malfoys' to give me warnings two years ago. He had to punish himself afterwards, but he still managed it."**

**Sirius looked slightly disconcerted for a moment, then said, "I'll look for him later, I expect I'll find him upstairs crying his eyes out over my mother's old bloomers or something. Of course, he might have crawled into the airing cupboard and died... but I mustn't get my hopes up."**

**Fred, George and Ron laughed; Hermione, however, looked reproachful.**

**Once they had eaten their Christmas lunch, the Weasleys, Harry and Hermione were planning to pay Mr. Weasley another visit, escorted by Mad-Eye and Lupin. Mundungus turned up in time for Christmas pudding and trifle, having managed to 'borrow' a car for the occasion, as the Underground did not run on Christmas Day. The car, which Harry doubted very much had been taken with the knowledge or consent of it's owner, had had a similar Enlarging Spell put upon it as the Weasley's old Ford Anglia; although normally proportioned outside, ten people with Mundungus driving were able to fit into it quite comfortably. Mrs. Weasley hesitated before getting inside - Harry knew her disapproval of Mundungus was battling with her dislike of traveling without magic - but, finally, the cold outside and her children's pleading triumphed, and she settled herself into the back seat between Fred and Bill with good grace.**

**The journey to St. Mungo's was quite quick as there was very little traffic on the roads. A small trickle of witches and wizards was creeping furtively up the otherwise deserted street to visit the hospital. Harry and the others got out of the car, and Mundungus drove off around the corner to wait for them. They strolled casually towards the window where the dummy in green nylon stood, then, one by one, stepped through the glass.**

**The reception area looked pleasantly festive: the crystal orbs that illuminated St. Mungo's had been colored red and gold to become gigantic, glowing Christmas baubles; holly hung around every doorway; and shining white Christmas trees covered in magical snow and icicles glittered in every corner, each one topped with a gleaming gold star. It was less crowded than the last time they had been there, although halfway across the room Harry found himself shunted aside by a witch with a walnut jammed up her left nostril.**

"Ah, the usual argument when family members get together for Christmas." James laughed.

**"Family argument, eh?" smirked the blonde witch behind the desk. "You're the third I've seen today... Spell Damage, fourth floor."**

**They found Mr. Weasley propped up in bed with the remains of his turkey dinner on a tray on his lap and a rather sheepish expression on his face.**

"You've done something haven't you?" Draco asked.

Arthur nodded slightly.

**"Everything all right, Arthur?" asked Mrs. Weasley, after they had all greeted Mr. Weasley and handed over their presents.**

**"Fine, fine," said Mr. Weasley, a little too heartily. "You - er - haven't seen Healer Smethwyck, have you?"**

**"No," said Mrs. Weasley suspiciously, "why?"**

**"Nothing, nothing," said Mr. Weasley airily, starting to unwrap his pile of gifts. "Well, everyone had a good day? What did you all get for Christmas? Oh, Harry - this is absolutely wonderful!" For he had just opened Harry's gift of fuse-wire and screwdrivers.**

**Mrs. Weasley did not seem entirely satisfied with Mr. Weasley's answer. As her husband leaned over to shake Harry's hand, she peered at the bandaging under his nightshirt.**

**"Arthur," she said, with a snap in her voice like a mousetrap, "you've had your bandages changed. Why have you had your bandages changed a day early, Arthur? They told me they wouldn't need doing until tomorrow."**

**"What?" said Mr. Weasley, looking rather frightened and pulling the bed covers higher up his chest. "No, no - it's nothing - it's - I -"**

**He seemed to deflate under Mrs. Weasley's piercing gaze.**

**"Well - now don't get upset, Molly, but Augustus Pye had an idea... he's the Trainee Healer, you know, lovely young chap and very interested in... um... complementary medicine... I mean, some of these old Muggle remedies... well, they're called stitches, Molly, and they work very well on - on Muggle wounds -"**

"What are stitches?" asked James.

"It's when wounds get sewn back together." Petunia explained, "Its thread that's used to literally stitch the skin back together. Or special bits of fabric that's used to stick wounds closed."

"It's relatively harmless but I doubt it would work very well with the venom." Remus nodded, "I've had stitches before, when I was younger after a transformation I had to get my arm sewn back together after I'd chewed it to the bone." he explained, wincing slightly.

**Mrs. Weasley let out an ominous noise somewhere between a shriek and a snarl. Lupin strolled away from the bed and over to the werewolf, who had no visitors and was looking rather wistfully at the crowd around Mr. Weasley; Bill muttered something about getting himself a cup of tea and Fred and George leapt up to accompany him, grinning.**

**"Do you mean to tell me," said Mrs. Weasley, her voice growing louder with every word and apparently unaware that her fellow visitors were scurrying for cover, "that you have been messing about with Muggle remedies?"**

**"Not messing about, Molly, dear," said Mr. Weasley imploringly, "it was just - just something Pye and I thought we'd try - only, most unfortunately - well, with these particular kinds of wounds - it doesn't seem to work as well as we'd hoped -"**

**"Meaning?"**

**"Well... well, I don't know whether you know what - what stitches are?"**

**"It sounds as though you've been trying to sew your skin back together," said Mrs. Weasley with a snort of mirthless laughter, "but even you, Arthur, wouldn't be that stupid -"**

**"I fancy a cup of tea, too," said Harry, jumping to his feet.**

**Hermione, Ron and Ginny almost sprinted to the door with him. As it swung closed behind them, they heard Mrs. Weasley shriek, "WHAT DO YOU MEAN, THAT'S THE GENERAL IDEA?"**

Neville looked at the Golden Trio and Ginny. "So is that why you I ran into you guys?"

"Yeah," Ron answered, turning slightly red.

"I think we'll end this one here... Unless you really want me to show the rest." Harry said, glancing at the Longbottom's.

Frank and Alice exchanged looks, "We don't mind." Frank shrugged.

"To be honest I'm kind of curious." Alice added.

"I'm not bothered either way." Neville told them, "Just show it Harry."

Harry nodded.

**"Typical Dad," said Ginny, shaking her head as they set off up the corridor. "Stitches... I ask you..."**

**"Well, you know, they do work well on non-magical wounds," said Hermione fairly. "I suppose something in that snake's venom dissolves them or something. I wonder where the tearoom is?"**

**"Fifth floor," said Harry, remembering the sign over the welcome witch's desk.**

**They walked along the corridor, through a set of double doors and found a rickety staircase lined with more portraits of brutal-looking Healers. As they climbed it, the various Healers called out to them, diagnosing odd complaints and suggesting horrible remedies. Ron was seriously affronted when a medieval wizard called out that he clearly had a bad case of spattergroit.**

The Golden Trio chuckled at that and didn't bother saying anything at the curious looks they were getting, Arthur and the twins were smiling amusedly, knowing the Golden Trio were remembering Ron's cover story as to why he wasn't at school the year before.

**"And what's that supposed to be?" he asked angrily, as the Healer pursued him through six more portraits, shoving the occupants out of the way.**

**"Tis a most grievous affliction of the skin, young master, that will leave you pockmarked and more gruesome even than you are now -"**

**"Watch who you're calling gruesome!" said Ron, his ears turning red.**

**"- the only remedy is to take the liver of a toad, bind it tight about your throat, stand naked at the full moon in a barrel of eels' eyes -"**

Everyone was roaring with laughter now, even Ron who admitted it was funny looking back on it.

**"I have not got spattergroit!"**

**"But the unsightly blemishes upon your visage, young master -"**

**"They're freckles!" said Ron furiously. "Now get back in your own picture and leave me alone!" He rounded on the others, who were all keeping determinedly straight faces.**

**"What floor's this?"**

**"I think it's the fifth," said Hermione.**

**"Nah, it's the fourth," said Harry, "one more -"**

**But as he stepped on to the landing he came to an abrupt halt, staring at the small window set into the double doors that marked the start of a corridor signposted SPELL DAMAGE. A man was peering out at them all with his nose pressed against the glass. He had wavy blond hair, bright blue eyes and a broad vacant smile that revealed dazzlingly white teeth.**

**"Blimey!" said Ron, also staring at the man.**

**"Oh, my goodness," said Hermione suddenly, sounding breathless. "Professor Lockhart!"**

**Their ex-Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher pushed open the doors and moved towards them, wearing a long lilac dressing gown.**

**"Well, hello there!" he said. "I expect you'd like my autograph, would you?"**

"It looks like he still remembers some stuff." Remus muttered, looking annoyed.

**"Hasn't changed much, has he?" Harry muttered to Ginny, who grinned.**

**"Er - how are you, Professor?" said Ron, sounding slightly guilty. It had been Ron's malfunctioning wand that had damaged Professor Lockhart's memory so badly that he had landed in St. Mungo's in the first place, though as Lockhart had been attempting to permanently wipe Harry and Ron's memories at the time, Harry's sympathy was limited.**

**"I'm very well indeed, thank you!" said Lockhart exuberantly, pulling a rather battered peacockfeather quill from his pocket. "Now, how many autographs would you like? I can do joined-up writing now, you know!"**

**"Er - we don't want any at the moment, thanks," said Ron, raising his eyebrows at Harry, who asked, "Professor, should you be wandering around the corridors? Shouldn't you be in a ward?"**

**The smile faded slowly from Lockhart's face. For a few moments he gazed intently at Harry, then he said, "Haven't we met?"**

**"Er... yeah, we have," said Harry. "You used to teach us at Hogwarts, remember?"**

**"Teach?" repeated Lockhart, looking faintly unsettled. "Me? Did I?"**

**And then the smile reappeared upon his face so suddenly it was rather alarming.**

**"Taught you everything you know, I expect, did I?"**

"Which isn't much." Cissy made a face.

**"Well, how about those autographs, then? Shall we say a round dozen, you can give them to all your little friends then and nobody will be left out!"**

**But just then a head poked out of a door at the far end of the corridor and a voice called, "Gilderoy, you naughty boy, where have you wandered off to?"**

**A motherly-looking Healer wearing a tinsel wreath in her hair came bustling up the corridor, smiling warmly at Harry and the others.**

**"Oh, Gilderoy, you've got visitors! How lovely, and on Christmas Day, too! Do you know, he never gets visitors, poor lamb, and I can't think why, he's such a sweetie, aren't you?"**

**"We're doing autographs!" Gilderoy told the Healer with another glittering smile. "They want loads of them, won't take no for an answer! I just hope we've got enough photographs!"**

**"Listen to him," said the Healer, taking Lockhart's arm and beaming fondly at him as though he were a precocious two-year-old. "He was rather well known a few years ago; we very much hope that this liking for giving autographs is a sign that his memory might be starting to come back. Will you step this way? He's in a closed ward, you know, he must have slipped out while I was bringing in the Christmas presents, the door's usually kept locked... not that he's dangerous! But," she lowered her voice to a whisper, "he's a bit of a danger to himself, bless him... doesn't know who he is, you see, wanders off and can't remember how to get back... it is nice of you to have come to see him."**

**"Er," said Ron, gesturing uselessly at the floor above, "actually, we were just - er -"**

**But the Healer was smiling expectantly at them, and Ron's feeble mutter of "going to have a cup of tea" trailed away into nothingness. They looked at each other helplessly, then followed Lockhart and his Healer along the corridor.**

"I feel sorry for you guys," said James. "Having to put up with Lockhart."

"We did tell you we met him again when we were covering our 2nd year." Hermione reminded them.

**"Let's not stay long," Ron said quietly.**

**The Healer pointed her wand at the door of the Janus Thickey Ward and muttered, "Alohomora."**

**The door swung open and she led the way inside, keeping a firm grasp on Gilderoy's arm until she had settled him into an armchair beside his bed.**

**"This is our long-term residents' ward," she informed Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny in a low voice. "For permanent spell damage, you know. Of course, with intensive remedial potions and charms and a bit of luck, we can produce some improvement. Gilderoy does seem to be getting back some sense of himself; and we've seen a real improvement in Mr. Bode, he seems to be regaining the power of speech very well, though he isn't speaking any language we recognize yet. Well, I must finish giving out the Christmas presents, I'll leave you all to chat."**

**Harry looked around. The ward bore unmistakable signs of being a permanent home to its residents. They had many more personal effects around their beds than in Mr. Weasley's ward; the wall around Gilderoy's headboard, for instance, was papered with pictures of himself, all beaming toothily and waving at the new arrivals. He had autographed many of them to himself in disjointed, childish writing. The moment he had been deposited in his chair by the Healer, Gilderoy pulled a fresh stack of photographs towards him, seized a quill and started signing them all feverishly.**

**"You can put them in envelopes," he said to Ginny,**

"Oh, I loved doing that," said Ginny sarcastically, though she laughed at the same time.

**throwing the signed pictures into her lap one by one as he finished them. "I am not forgotten, you know, no, I still receive a very great deal of fan mail... Gladys Gudgeon writes weekly... I just wish I knew why." He paused, looking faintly puzzled, then beamed again and returned to his signing with renewed vigour. "I suspect it is simply my good looks..."**

**A sallow-skinned, mournful-looking wizard lay in the bed opposite staring at the ceiling; he was mumbling to himself and seemed quite unaware of anything around him. Two beds along was a woman whose entire head was covered in fur; Harry remembered something similar happening to Hermione during their second year, although fortunately the damage, in her case, had not been permanent.**

"It was close." Hermione made a face, "Apparently if I'd been an hour later than I was in getting to the Hospital Wing then it might have been irreversible."

"Good thing we dragged you down here then." Ron mumbled.

**At the far end of the ward flowery curtains had been drawn around two beds to give the occupants and their visitors some privacy.**

**"Here you are, Agnes," said the Healer brightly to the furry-faced woman, handing her a small pile of Christmas presents. "See, not forgotten, are you? And your son's sent an owl to say he's visiting tonight, so that's nice, isn't it?"**

**Agnes gave several loud barks.**

**"And look, Broderick, you've been sent a potted plant and a lovely calendar with a different fancy Hippogriff for each month; they'll brighten things up, won't they?" said the Healer, bustling along to the mumbling man, setting a rather ugly plant with long, swaying tentacles on the bedside cabinet and fixing the calendar to the wall with her wand. "And - oh, Mrs. Longbottom, are you leaving already?"**

**Harry's head span round. The curtains had been drawn back from the two beds at the end of the ward and two visitors were walking back down the aisle between the beds: a formidable-looking old witch wearing a long green dress, a moth-eaten fox fur and a pointed hat decorated with what was unmistakeably a stuffed vulture and, trailing behind her looking thoroughly depressed - Neville.**

**With a sudden rush of understanding, Harry realized who the people in the end beds must be. He cast around wildly for some means of distracting the others so that Neville could leave the ward unnoticed and unquestioned,**

"Thanks, Harry." Neville smiled, "But I suppose it was better for you all to know anyway."

"It certainly made it understandable when you improved dramatically in the DA meetings." Hermione told him, "You'll see what I mean later." she added to the others.

**but Ron had also looked up at the sound of the name "Longbottom", and before Harry could stop him had called out, "Neville!"**

**Neville jumped and cowered as though a bullet had narrowly missed him.**

"I didn't even notice you were there." Neville admitted.

"It's understandable. You were distracted." Ginny told him gently.

**"It's us, Neville!" said Ron brightly, getting to his feet. "Have you seen -? Lockhart's here! Who've you been visiting?"**

**"Friends of yours, Neville, dear?" said Neville's grandmother graciously, bearing down upon them all.**

**Neville looked as though he would rather be anywhere in the world but here. A dull purple flush was creeping up his plump face and he was not making eye contact with any of them.**

"I knew she was going to embarrass me." Neville explained at the odd looks he was getting, "I'd told her about the DA since I knew she'd approve. Add to that I'd told her mostly about those four and Luna." he admitted.

"Something Mum would mention." Frank nodded, "And she wondered why I didn't tell her anything when I was at school." he chuckled.

**"Ah, yes," said his grandmother, looking closely at Harry and sticking out a shrivelled, clawlike hand for him to shake. "Yes, yes, I know who you are, of course. Neville speaks most highly of you."**

**"Er - thanks," said Harry, shaking hands. Neville did not look at him, but surveyed his own feet, the color deepening in his face all the while.**

**"And you two are clearly Weasleys," Mrs. Longbottom continued, proffering her hand regally to Ron and Ginny in turn. "Yes, I know your parents - not well, of course - but fine people, fine people... and you must be Hermione Granger?"**

**Hermione looked rather startled that Mrs. Longbottom knew her name, but shook hands all the same.**

**"Yes, Neville's told me all about you. Helped him out of a few sticky spots, haven't you? He's a good boy," she said, casting a sternly appraising look down her rather bony nose at Neville, "but he hasn't got his father's talent, I'm afraid to say."**

Frank huffed, "And I bet that's all she ever told you when you were growing up." he said to Neville, who nodded reluctantly.

"She was trying to push me to do better." he explained, "And she said she was proud of me eventually."

**And she jerked her head in the direction of the two beds at the end of the ward, so that the stuffed vulture on her hat trembled alarmingly.**

**"What?" said Ron, looking amazed. (Harry wanted to stamp on Ron's foot, but that sort of thing is much harder to bring off unnoticed when you're wearing jeans rather than robes.) "Is that your dad down the end, Neville?"**

**"What's this?" said Mrs. Longbottom sharply. "Haven't you told your friends about your parents, Neville?"**

**Neville took a deep breath, looked up at the ceiling and shook his head. Harry could not remember ever feeling sorrier for anyone, but he could not think of any way of helping Neville out of the situation.**

**"Well, it's nothing to be ashamed of!" said Mrs. Longbottom angrily. "You should be proud, Neville, proud! They didn't give their health and their sanity so their only son would be ashamed of them, you know!"**

**"I'm not ashamed," said Neville, very faintly, still looking anywhere but at Harry and the others.**

"It's like she didn't understand." Neville groaned, "I had reasons for keeping it quiet."

"One of them being you didn't want people asking you about it? Or teasing you?" Harry inquired.

"Teasing? Why would anyone do that?" Petunia frowned.

"You've seen what people said about the article about Harry and how much he got picked on because of it." Neville pointed out, "And that wasn't even true."

"Adults can be cruel when it comes to things like that, kids can be worse." Regulus sighed, "I'd be willing to bet any Slytherin's who found out would be worse than anything about it."

Neville nodded, "It came out soon enough, I got picked on occasionally but most people left me alone. And they backed off once I improved drastically in all my subjects, except potions anyway."

"Seems there's a lot of bullying that the staff didn't know about." Minerva sighed, "Mind you, we only knew about it when a student told a teacher." she mused, "I'll be changing that this year hopefully."

"What do you plan to do?" Dora asked.

"A no bullying policy, if any student is caught bullying, or has been reported and can't prove they didn't, then they'll find themselves with a warning, any occasions after that they'll be suspended, after that they'll be expelled." she explained with a shrug, "I know it seems extreme, but after the past year I won't stand for bullying of anyone at any time. The reason the school is even being opened this year is to bring a sense of normality to the Wizarding world."

"There's still a lot of damage elsewhere, but fixing and opening Hogwarts again for this year wasn't even debateable. Everyone seemed to agree it was best opening the school instead of fixing other places." Kingsley revealed.

**Ron was now standing on tiptoe to look over at the inhabitants of the two beds.**

**"Well, you've got a funny way of showing it!" said Mrs. Longbottom. "My son and his wife," she said, turning haughtily to Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny, "were tortured into insanity by You- Know-Who's followers."**

**Hermione and Ginny both clapped their hands over their mouths. Ron stopped craning his neck to catch a glimpse of Neville's parents and looked mortified.**

**"They were Aurors, you know, and very well respected within the wizarding community" Mrs. Longbottom went on. "Highly gifted, the pair of them. I - yes, Alice dear, what is it?"**

Alice cocked her head to the side curious as to what she was doing.

**Neville's mother had come edging down the ward in her nightdress. She no longer had the plump, happy-looking face Harry had seen in Moody's old photograph of the original Order of the Phoenix. Her face was thin and worn now, her eyes seemed overlarge and her hair, which had turned white, was wispy and dead-looking. She did not seem to want to speak, or perhaps she was not able to,**

"Could I?" Alice asked.

"A few words." Neville told her sadly, "Mainly 'bad', 'wand', 'evil' and 'hag'." he informed her.

"No guesses who I was meaning then." Alice chuckled.

**but she made timid motions towards Neville, holding something in her outstretched hand.**

**"Again?" said Mrs. Longbottom, sounding slightly weary. "Very well, Alice dear, very well - Neville, take it, whatever it is."**

**But Neville had already stretched out his hand, into which his mother dropped an empty Drooble's Best Blowing Gum wrapper.**

"Huh. I don't remember doing that."

"You did it often." Neville mused, "We couldn't figure out what you meant by it."

Alice frowned, "Frank? What type of box was it I put all those notes in?"

"Droobles." he replied.

"You don't think -"

"You were trying to give them a hint where to look? It's possible." turning to the others Frank explained, "While we were in hiding we decided to look into the Cruciatus, we were looking for a cure for the short term effects but we found something that might help long term effects too. We never had a chance to test it."

Neville frowned, "Wouldn't Gran have found the notes?"

Alice groaned, "I put them in a hiding place. I'd bet they're still there."

"We'll go check later." Frank told her.

**"Very nice, dear," said Neville's grandmother in a falsely cheery voice, patting his mother on the shoulder. But Neville said quietly, "Thanks, Mum."**

**His mother tottered away, back up the ward, humming to herself. Neville looked around at the others, his expression defiant, as though daring them to laugh, but Harry did not think he'd ever found anything less funny in his life.**

**"Well, we'd better get back," sighed Mrs Longbottom, drawing on long green gloves. "Very nice to have met you all. Neville, put that wrapper in the bin, she must have given you enough of them to paper your bedroom by now."**

**But as they left, Harry was sure he saw Neville slip the candy wrapper into his pocket.**

Neville kept the fact that he always kept them to himself.

**The door closed behind them.**

**"I never knew," said Hermione, who looked tearful.**

**"Nor did I," said Ron rather hoarsely.**

**"Nor me," whispered Ginny.**

**They all looked at Harry.**

**"I did," he said glumly. "Dumbledore told me but I promised I wouldn't tell anyone... that's what Bellatrix Lestrange got sent to Azkaban for, using the Cruciatus Curse on Neville's parents until they lost their minds."**

**"Bellatrix Lestrange did that?" whispered Hermione, horrified. "That woman Kreacher's got a photo of in his den?"**

**There was a long silence, broken by Lockharts angry voice.**

**"Look, I didn't learn joined-up writing for nothing, you know!"**

"And that's the end of the memory." Harry smiled sadly.

"And apparently what I was like when I was insane." Alice mused.

Frank looked at his son, "What was I like?" he asked curiously.

Neville sighed, "You just stared at the wall in terms of behaviour but you had white hair too, and you were as thin as Mum was at that point. The only reaction we could ever get from you was opening and closing your eyes, open you were awake, closed you were asleep, though occasionally your eyes would flick to the side – like you'd seen something moving, but otherwise you were unresponsive."

Frank winced, "Sorry you had to go through that son, we did try and fight the insanity, we could feel our minds slipping you know."

"At least you're fine now." Neville shrugged, with a small smile.

"And thank Merlin for that." Alice smirked, "Well, thank you for that actually." she smiled.

Neville just smiled back and looked at Harry waiting for the latter to continue.

"Um... We'll skip to the Occlumency lessons next." he decided.

* * *

><p>Review please x<p> 


	86. Chapter 86

Chapter 86 - Fifth Year (Part 13)

22, August, 1998.

"We'll start with me finding out about having to do the Occumelency lessons." Harry told them, "Then the first lesson."

**Kreacher, it transpired, had been lurking in the attic. Sirius said he had found him up there, covered in dust, no doubt looking for more relics of the Black family to hide in his cupboard. Though Sirius seemed satisfied with this story, it made Harry uneasy. Kreacher seemed to be in a better mood on his reappearance, his bitter muttering had subsided somewhat and he submitted to orders more docilely than usual, though once or twice Harry caught the house-elf staring at him avidly, but always looking quickly away whenever he saw that Harry had noticed.**

"I'd noticed that." Sirius frowned, "Do you know why he was doing it?"

"No idea, I've never bothered to ask him." Harry shrugged, shifting Teddy's weight as the boy sat up from where he'd been leaning on Harry.

**Harry did not mention his vague suspicions to Sirius, whose cheerfulness was evaporating fast now that Christmas was over. As the date of their departure back to Hogwarts drew nearer, he became more and more prone to what Mrs. Weasley called 'fits of the sullens', in which he would become taciturn and grumpy, often withdrawing to Buckbeak's room for hours at a time. His gloom seeped through the house, oozing under doorways like some noxious gas, so that all of them became infected by it.**

"I knew I'd be alone again." Sirius explained, "Well, except Kreacher but since he hated me..."

"Essentially alone." Remus nodded, "I would've stuck around a month or two if I could've but I couldn't."

**Harry didn't want to leave Sirius again with only Kreacher for company; in fact, for the first time in his life, he was not looking forward to returning to Hogwarts. Going back to school would mean placing himself once again under the tyranny of Dolores Umbridge, who had no doubt managed to force through another dozen decrees in their absence; there was no Quidditch to look forward to now that he had been banned; there was every likelihood that their burden of homework would increase as the exams drew even nearer; and Dumbledore remained as remote as ever. In fact, if it hadn't been for the D.A., Harry thought he might have begged Sirius to let him leave Hogwarts and remain in Grimmauld Place.**

They all looked at Harry in shock.

"You've seen how bad the majority of the year was." was all he said.

**Then, on the very last day of the holidays, something happened that made Harry positively dread his return to school.**

**"Harry, dear," said Mrs. Weasley, poking her head in to his and Ron's bedroom, where the pair of them were playing wizard chess watched by Hermione, Ginny and Crookshanks, "could you come down to the kitchen? Professor Snape would like a word with you."**

**Harry did not immediately register what she had said; one of his castles was engaged in a violent tussle with a pawn of Ron's and he was egging it on enthusiastically.**

**"Squash him - squash him, he's only a pawn, you idiot. Sorry, Mrs. Weasley, what did you say?"**

**"Professor Snape, dear. In the kitchen. He'd like a word."**

**Harry's mouth fell open in horror. He looked around at Ron, Hermione and Ginny, all of whom were gaping back at him. Crookshanks, whom Hermione had been restraining with difficulty for the past quarter of an hour, leapt gleefully on to the board and set the pieces running for cover, squealing at the top of their voices.**

**"Snape?" said Harry blankly.**

**"Professor Snape, dear," said Mrs. Weasley reprovingly. "Now come on, quickly, he says he can't stay long."**

**"What's he want with you?" said Ron, looking unnerved as Mrs. Weasley withdrew from the room. "You haven't done anything, have you?"**

**"No!" said Harry indignantly, racking his brains to think what he could have done that would make Snape pursue him to Grimmauld Place. Had his last piece of homework perhaps earned a T? A minute or two later, he pushed open the kitchen door to find Sirius and Snape both seated at the long kitchen table, glaring in opposite directions. The silence between them was heavy with mutual dislike. A letter lay open on the table in front of Sirius.**

**"Er," said Harry, to announce his presence.**

**Snape looked around at him, his face framed between curtains of greasy black hair.**

**"Sit down, Potter."**

**"You know," said Sirius loudly, leaning back on his rear chair legs and speaking to the ceiling, "I think I'd prefer it if you didn't give orders here, Snape. It's my house, you see."**

"Sirius, don't antagonise Severus," Lily frowned. "Then he'll just be meaner to Harry."

"He was always going to be mean anyway Mum." Harry told her, "He hated me remember?"

"I can't believe he ended up like that." Alice mused, "He was alright when we were at school."

"I reckon he's hiding something." Lily told her, still frowning, "He tried to protect Harry in the past, he wouldn't do that if he hated him..."

Harry shared a look with Albus, "Could you ask him to join us please?" he asked his ex-Headmaster.

"Certainly." he nodded, leaving the photo frame, he returned a few minutes later with the late Potions Professor.

Snape raised his eyebrows, "And why do you wish for me to join you?"

"I think you need to see this from my point of view, despite being there yourself." Harry told him.

Snape nodded once and they all turned to the memory as it continued.

**An ugly flush suffused Snape's pallid face. Harry sat down in a chair beside Sirius, facing Snape across the table.**

**"I was supposed to see you alone, Potter," said Snape, the familiar sneer curling his mouth, "but Black -"**

**"I'm his godfather," said Sirius, louder than ever.**

**"I am here on Dumbledore's orders," said Snape, whose voice, by contrast, was becoming more and more quietly waspish, "but by all means stay, Black, I know you like to feel... involved."**

**"What's that supposed to mean?" said Sirius, letting his chair fall back on to all four legs with a loud bang.**

**"Merely that I am sure you must feel - ah - frustrated by the fact that you can do nothing useful," Snape laid a delicate stress on the word, "for the Order."**

"That was uncalled for Uncle Sev." Draco told his Godfather.

Snape shrugged, "Perhaps you are unsure of exactly what happened while we were at school..."

James sighed, "We were jerks, we made your life hell." he started, "While we were in hiding at Godrics Hollow, Lily made me realise just how wrong we were to do that."

Snape sneered, "Bit late isn't it?" he snapped.

"From the first day we met you it was too late. We heard you say you wanted to be in Slytherin and we judged you for that... I think we could've at least tried to get along. After all, how bad could you have been if you didn't buy into the Pureblood nonsense?" Sirius added, "I didn't realise that until after I died." he explained.

"We were wrong." James nodded, "But the past belongs in the past. I think we should at least try and be civil too each other, even if it's difficult at times."

Snape frowned in thought and was silent for a moment, eyeing the Marauders critically, "Deal." he said, "Though you'll have to excuse the behaviour in the past, at least some of it."

"Including all the taunts." Lily added, "Since as we've seen before there's quite a few."

Snape nodded once and no one said anything else.

**It was Sirius's turn to flush. Snape's lip curled in triumph as he turned to Harry.**

**"The Headmaster has sent me to tell you, Potter, that it is his wish for you to study Occlumency this term."**

**"Study what?" said Harry blankly.**

**Snape's sneer became more pronounced.**

**"Occlumency, Potter. The magical Defense of the mind against external penetration. An obscure branch of magic, but a highly useful one."**

**Harry's heart began to pump very fast indeed. Defense against external penetration? But he was not being possessed, they had all agreed on that...**

"No, but that doesn't mean that people can't read your mind." Albus sighed.

**"Why do I have to study Occlu - thing?" he blurted out.**

"Nice name for it Harry." Regulus chuckled.

"He hadn't heard of it before." Ginny said in his defence.

**"Because the Headmaster thinks it a good idea," said Snape smoothly. "You will receive private lessons once a week, but you will not tell anybody what you are doing, least of all Dolores Umbridge. You understand?"**

**"Yes," said Harry. "Who's going to be teaching me?"**

**Snape raised an eyebrow.**

**"I am," he said.**

**Harry had the horrible sensation that his insides were melting.**

**Extra lessons with Snape - what on earth had he done to deserve this? He looked quickly round at Sirius for support.**

**"Why can't Dumbledore teach Harry?" asked Sirius aggressively. "Why you?"**

**"I suppose because it is a headmaster's privilege to delegate less enjoyable tasks," said Snape silkily. "I assure you I did not beg for the job." He got to his feet. "I will expect you at six o'clock on Monday evening, Potter. My office. If anybody asks, you are taking Remedial Potions. Nobody who has seen you in my classes could deny you need them."**

"Harry's only rubbish at Potions because he didn't pay attention." Hermione told them.

"I did see some improvement when Horace took over." Minerva frowned.

"I had help from... A friend." Harry said evasively, shooting a subtle look at Snape, whose lips twitched.

**He turned to leave, his black traveling cloak billowing behind him.**

**"Wait a moment," said Sirius, sitting up straighter in his chair.**

**Snape turned back to face them, sneering.**

**"I am in rather a hurry, Black. Unlike you, I do not have unlimited leisure time."**

**"I'll get to the point, then," said Sirius, standing up. He was rather taller than Snape who, Harry noticed, balled his fist in the pocket of his cloak over what Harry was sure was the handle of his wand. "If I hear you're using these Occlumency lessons to give Harry a hard time, you'll have me to answer to."**

**"How touching," Snape sneered. "But surely you have noticed that Potter is very like his father?"**

**"Yes, I have," said Sirius proudly.**

**"Well then, you'll know he's so arrogant that criticism simply bounces off him," Snape said sleekly.**

"You couldn't see past that could you?" Albus sighed.

"Not until last year." Snape winced, "I rather regret that now."

**Sirius pushed his chair roughly aside and strode around the table towards Snape, pulling out his wand as he went. Snape whipped out his own. They were squaring up to each other, Sirius looking livid, Snape calculating, his eyes darting from Sirius's wand-tip to his face.**

**"Sirius!" said Harry loudly, but Sirius appeared not to hear him.**

**"I've warned you, Snivellus," said Sirius, his face barely a foot from Snape's, "I don't care if Dumbledore thinks you've reformed, I know better -"**

**"Oh, but why don't you tell him so?" whispered Snape. "Or are you afraid he might not take very seriously the advice of a man who has been hiding inside his mother's house for six months?"**

**"Tell me, how is Lucius Malfoy these days? I expect he's delighted his lapdog's working at Hogwarts, isn't he?"**

**"Speaking of dogs," said Snape softly, "did you know that Lucius Malfoy recognized you last time you risked a little jaunt outside? Clever idea, Black, getting yourself seen on a safe station platform... gave you a cast-iron excuse not to leave your hidey-hole in future, didn't it?"**

"Hold on, Severus you knew Lucius wasn't there." Cissy frowned.

"I let Lucius see my memory of it." Draco admitted, "He confirmed it."

"And then told me about it." Snape added.

**Sirius raised his wand.**

**"NO!" Harry yelled, vaulting over the table and trying to get in between them. "Sirius, don't!"**

**"Are you calling me a coward?" roared Sirius, trying to push Harry out of the way, but Harry would not budge.**

**"Why, yes, I suppose I am," said Snape.**

**"Harry - get - out - of - it!" snarled Sirius, pushing him aside with his free hand.**

"You couldn't honestly think I'd move." Harry stated, looking between the two.

Both man and portrait shrugged.

**The kitchen door opened and the entire Weasley family, plus Hermione, came inside, all looking very happy, with Mr. Weasley walking proudly in their midst dressed in a pair of striped pyjamas covered by a mackintosh.**

**"Cured!" he announced brightly to the kitchen at large. "Completely cured!"**

**He and all the other Weasleys froze on the threshold, gazing at the scene in front of them, which was also suspended in mid-action, both Sirius and Snape looking towards the door with their wands pointing into each other's faces and Harry immobile between them, a hand stretched out to each, trying to force them apart.**

**"Merlin's beard," said Mr. Weasley, the smile sliding off his face, "what's going on here?"**

"Starting up an old rivalry again." Remus growled, casting a stern look at Sirius, who actually had the grace to look somewhat embarrassed.

**Both Sirius and Snape lowered their wands. Harry looked from one to the other. Each wore an expression of utmost contempt, yet the unexpected entrance of so many witnesses seemed to have brought them to their senses. Snape pocketed his wand, turned on his heel and swept back across the kitchen, passing the Weasleys without comment. At the door he looked back.**

**"Six o'clock, Monday evening, Potter."**

**And he was gone. Sirius glared after him, his wand at his side.**

**"What's been going on?" asked Mr. Weasley again.**

**"Nothing, Arthur," said Sirius, who was breathing heavily as though he had just run a long distance. "Just a friendly little chat between two old school friends."**

"Liar." said Dora, glaring at her cousin, who cringed.

**With what looked like an enormous effort, he smiled. "So, you're cured? That's great news, really great."**

**"Yes, isn't it?" said Mrs. Weasley, leading her husband forward to a chair. "Healer Smethwyck worked his magic in the end, found an antidote to whatever that snake's got in its fangs, and Arthur's learned his lesson about dabbling in Muggle medicine, haven't you, dear?" she added, rather menacingly.**

**"Yes, Molly, dear," said Mr. Weasley meekly.**

**That night's meal should have been a cheerful one, with Mr. Weasley back amongst them. Harry could tell Sirius was trying to make it so, yet when his godfather was not forcing himself to laugh loudly at Fred and George's jokes or offering everyone more food, his face fell back into a moody, brooding expression. Harry was separated from him by Mundungus and Mad-Eye, who had dropped in to offer Mr. Weasley their congratulations. He wanted to talk to Sirius, to tell him he shouldn't listen to a word Snape said, that Snape was goading him deliberately and that the rest of them didn't think Sirius was a coward for doing as Dumbledore told him and remaining in Grimmauld Place. But he had no opportunity to do so, and, eyeing the ugly look on Sirius's face, Harry wondered occasionally whether he would have dared to mention it even if he had the chance.**

"It wouldn't have been a good idea right then, maybe the next day when I'd calmed down a bit." Sirius mused.

**Instead, he told Ron and Hermione under his voice about having to take Occlumency lessons with Snape.**

**"Dumbledore wants to stop you having those dreams about Voldemort," said Hermione at once. "Well, you won't be sorry not to have them any more, will you?"**

**"Extra lessons with Snape?" said Ron, sounding aghast. "I'd rather have the nightmares!"**

"But what if something terrible happened as a result?" Frank frowned.

The Golden and Silver Trio's flinched, remembering Sirius's death. Sirius looked at them, his eyes filled with understanding.

**They were to return to Hogwarts on the Knight Bus the following day, escorted once again by Tonks and Lupin, both of whom were eating breakfast in the kitchen when Harry, Ron and Hermione came down next morning.**

**The adults seemed to have been mid-way through a whispered conversation as Harry opened the door; all of them looked round hastily and fell silent.**

"Care to explain what that was about?" Hermione asked.

"The Prophesy, we were discussing guard duty." Dora told them, "And obviously you lot weren't supposed to know about it."

**After a hurried breakfast, they all pulled on jackets and scarves against the chilly grey January morning. Harry had an unpleasant constricted sensation in his chest; he did not want to say goodbye to Sirius. He had a bad feeling about this parting; he didn't know when they would next see each other and he felt it was incumbent upon him to say something to Sirius to stop him doing anything stupid -**

**Harry was worried that Snape's accusation of cowardice had stung Sirius so badly he might even now be planning some foolhardy trip beyond Grimmauld Place. Before he could think of what to say, however, Sirius had beckoned him to his side.**

**"I want you to take this," he said quietly, thrusting a badly wrapped package roughly the size of a paperback book into Harry's hands.**

**"What is it?" Harry asked.**

**"A way of letting me know if Snape's giving you a hard time. No, don't open it in here!" said Sirius, with a wary look at Mrs. Weasley, who was trying to persuade the twins to wear handknitted mittens. "I doubt Molly would approve - but I want you to use it if you need me, all right?"**

"Is that what I think it is?" James asked Sirius with a grin.

Sirius nodded, "One of the two way mirrors."

**"Okay," said Harry, stowing the package away in the inside pocket of his jacket, but he knew he would never use whatever it was.**

"Why didn't you?" Sirius asked, "It was harmless."

"You didn't tell me what it was and I forgot about it." Harry admitted, wincing, "If you'd told me then I probably would've called you every week or every time I wasn't busy."

Sirius sighed, "I see your point."

**It would not be he, Harry, who lured Sirius from his place of safety, no matter how foully Snape treated him in their forthcoming Occlumency classes.**

**"Let's go, then," said Sirius, clapping Harry on the shoulder and smiling grimly, and before Harry could say anything else, they were heading upstairs, stopping before the heavily chained and bolted front door, surrounded by Weasleys.**

**"Goodbye, Harry, take care," said Mrs. Weasley, hugging him.**

**"See you, Harry, and keep an eye out for snakes for me!" said Mr. Weasley genially, shaking his hand.**

**"Right - yeah," said Harry distractedly; it was his last chance to tell Sirius to be careful; he turned, looked into his godfather's face: and opened his mouth to speak, but before he could do so Sirius was giving him a brief, one-armed hug, and saying gruffly, "Look after yourself, Harry." Next moment, Harry found himself being shunted out into the icy winter air, with Tonks (today heavily disguised as a tall, tweedy woman with iron-grey hair) chivvying him down the steps.**

"Must be handy not having to bother with Polyjuice or spells." Alice commented.

"Much easier." Dora nodded, "I got top marks for concealment and disguise during my Auror training because no one could recognise me at all. I decided to dress up as an old woman and no one at all, not even Mad-Eye, could tell who I was." she grinned.

"If I understand correctly it also helped you a bit during your stealth training." Albus commented.

"Just a little." She nodded, "Not by much though, there's only so much I could do about being overly clumsy." She made a face.

**The door of number twelve slammed shut behind them. They followed Lupin down the front steps. As he reached the pavement, Harry looked round. Number twelve was shrinking rapidly as those on either side of it stretched sideways, squeezing it out of sight. One blink later, it had gone.**

**"Come on, the quicker we get on the bus the better," said Tonks, and Harry thought there was nervousness in the glance she threw around the square.**

"You do look nervous." Andy frowned, "Was it what I told you about...?"

"Just a little." Dora nodded, "The main thing was we were supposed to have more back up."

"Yeah, with 4 underage teenagers there was supposed to be Dora, Mad-Eye, two others and myself. The others got held up though, you'll see why we were going to take extra protection soon enough." Remus added.

"You had us there." Fred pointed out.

"And with what Harry'd been teaching us the Death Eater's would have a hard time getting to Harry." George nodded.

"Well we didn't know that did we?" Dora retorted, "We had no idea what Harry was teaching you."

**Lupin flung out his right arm.**

**BANG.**

**A violently purple, triple-decker bus had appeared out of thin air in front of them, narrowly avoiding the nearest lamppost, which jumped backwards out of its way.**

**A thin, pimply, jug-eared youth in a purple uniform leapt down on to the pavement and said, "Welcome to the -"**

**"Yes, yes, we know, thank you," said Tonks swiftly. "On, on, get on -"**

**And she shoved Harry forwards towards the steps, past the conductor, who goggled at Harry as he passed.**

"So Stan Shunpike is still conductor." Frank chuckled.

"Had he stopped calling you Neville?" James wanted to know.

Harry gestured the Pensive.

**"Ere - it's 'Arry -!"**

"That would be a yes then." Sirius grinned.

**"If you shout his name I will curse you into oblivion," muttered Tonks menacingly, now shunting Ginny and Hermione forwards.**

**"I've always wanted to go on this thing," said Ron happily, joining Harry on board and looking around.**

Ron made a face. "I certainly changed my mind after that."

**It had been evening the last time Harry had traveled by Knight Bus and its three decks had been full of brass bedsteads. Now, in the early morning, it was crammed with an assortment of mismatched chairs grouped haphazardly around windows. Some of these appeared to have fallen over when the bus stopped abruptly in Grimmauld Place; a few witches and wizards were still getting to their feet, grumbling, and somebody's shopping bag had slid the length of the bus: an unpleasant mixture of frogspawn, cockroaches and custard creams was scattered all over the floor.**

**"Looks like we'll have to split up," said Tonks briskly, looking around for empty chairs. "Fred, George and Ginny, if you just take those seats at the back... Remus can stay with you."**

**She, Harry, Ron and Hermione proceeded up to the very top deck, where there were two unoccupied chairs at the very front of the bus and two at the back. Stan Shunpike, the conductor, followed Harry and Ron eagerly to the back. Heads turned as Harry passed and, when he sat down, he saw all the faces flick back to the front again.**

**As Harry and Ron handed Stan eleven Sickles each, the bus set off again, swaying ominously. It rumbled around Grimmauld Place, weaving on and off the pavement, then, with another tremendous BANG, they were all flung backwards; Ron's chair toppled right over and Pigwidgeon, who had been on his lap, burst out of his cage and flew twittering wildly up to the front of the bus where he fluttered down on to Hermione's shoulder instead. Harry, who had narrowly avoided falling by seizing a candle bracket, looked out of the window: they were now speeding down what appeared to be a motorway.**

**"Just outside Birmingham," said Stan happily, answering Harry's unasked question as Ron struggled up from the floor. "You keepin' well, then, 'Arry? I seen your name in the paper loads over the summer, but it weren't never nuffink very nice. I said to Ern, I said, 'e didn't seem like a nutter when we met 'im, just goes to show, dunnit?"**

**He handed over their tickets and continued to gaze, enthralled, at Harry. Apparently, Stan did not care how nutty somebody was, if they were famous enough to be in the paper. The Knight Bus swayed alarmingly, overtaking a line of cars on the inside. Looking towards the front of the bus, Harry saw Hermione cover her eyes with her hands, Pigwidgeon swaying happily on her shoulder.**

"Yeah, Pig likes the Knight Bus." Ginny laughed.

"I think he was the only one who did." Ron snorted.

**BANG.**

**Chairs slid backwards again as the Knight Bus jumped from the Birmingham motorway to a quiet country lane full of hairpin bends. Hedgerows on either side of the road were leaping out of their way as they mounted the verges. From here they moved to a main street in the middle of a busy town, then to a viaduct surrounded by tall hills, then to a windswept road between high-rise flats, each time with a loud BANG.**

**"I've changed my mind," muttered Ron, picking himself up from the floor for the sixth time, "I never want to ride on this thing again."**

**"Listen, it's 'Ogwarts stop after this," said Stan brightly, swaying towards them. "That bossy woman up front 'oo got on with you, she's given us a little tip to move you up the queue."**

"Who me?" Dora grinned.

"Yes you." Remus chuckled, "I don't think he liked you too much."

"Ah well." she shrugged, "He probably wouldn't have bothered saying anything at all if he knew who I was, he was the year below me in school and knew I wouldn't hesitate to hex him."

"Added to that most people are a bit scared of fully trained Auror's." Andy chuckled, "Unless they know them personally that is."

"And if you look intimidating, which most Auror's do through experience." Kingsley mused, "I never found someone who wasn't a Death Eater who was willing to try anything with me. At least in an unfriendly way." he shrugged.

**"We're just gonna let Madam Marsh off first, though -" there was more retching from downstairs, followed by a horrible spattering sound "- she's not feeling 'er best."**

"Wasn't she on the bus the first time you got on it?" Neville mused.

Harry nodded.

**A few minutes later, the Knight Bus screeched to a halt outside a small pub, which squeezed itself out of the way to avoid a collision. They could hear Stan ushering the unfortunate Madam Marsh out of the bus and the relieved murmurings of her fellow passengers on the second deck. The bus moved on again, gathering speed, until -**

**BANG.**

**They were rolling through a snowy Hogsmeade. Harry caught a glimpse of the Hog's Head down its side street, the severed boar's head sign creaking in the wintry wind. Flecks of snow hit the large window at the front of the bus. At last they rolled to a halt outside the gates to Hogwarts.**

**Lupin and Tonks helped them off the bus with their luggage, then got off to say goodbye. Harry glanced up at the three decks of the Knight Bus and saw all the passengers staring down at them, noses flat against the windows.**

"They were more likely staring at you, Harry," said Neville.

"But they were with me," pointed out Harry. "So they would have seen them too."

**"You'll be safe once you're in the grounds," said Tonks, casting a careful eye around at the deserted road. "Have a good term, okay?"**

**"Look after yourselves," said Lupin, shaking hands all round and reaching Harry last. "And listen..." he lowered his voice while the rest of them exchanged last-minute goodbyes with Tonks, "Harry, I know you don't like Snape, but he is a superb Occlumens and we all - Sirius included - want you to learn to protect yourself, so work hard, all right?"**

**"Yeah, all right," said Harry heavily, looking up into Lupin's prematurely lined face. "See you, then."**

**The six of them struggled up the slippery drive towards the castle, dragging their trunks.**

**Hermione was already talking about knitting a few elf hats before bedtime. Harry glanced back when they reached the oaken front doors; the Knight Bus had already gone and he half-wished, given what was coming the following evening, that he was still on board.**

**Harry spent most of the next day dreading the evening. His morning double-Potions lesson did nothing to dispel his trepidation, as Snape was as unpleasant as ever. His mood was further lowered by the D.A. members constantly approaching him in the corridors between classes, asking hopefully if there would be a meeting that night.**

**"I'll let you know in the usual way when the next one is," Harry said over and over again, "but I can't do it tonight, I've got to go to - er - remedial Potions."**

**"You take remedial Potions!" asked Zacharias Smith superciliously, having cornered Harry in the Entrance Hall after lunch. "Good Lord, you must be terrible. Snape doesn't usually give extra lessons, does he?"**

**As Smith strode away in an annoyingly buoyant fashion, Ron glared after him.**

**"Shall I jinx him? I can still get him from here," he said, raising his wand and taking aim between Smith's shoulder blades.**

"You should, that prat deserves it." Percy said, shocking them all.

**"Forget it," said Harry dismally. "It's what everyone's going to think, isn't it? That I'm really stup -"**

**"Hi, Harry," said a voice behind him. He turned round and found Cho standing there.**

**"Oh," said Harry as his stomach leapt uncomfortably. "Hi."**

**"We'll be in the library, Harry," said Hermione firmly as she seized Ron above the elbow and dragged him off towards the marble staircase.**

"I would've followed you, you know." Ron huffed.

"Not without complaining you wouldn't." Hermione smirked.

**"Had a good Christmas?" asked Cho.**

**"Yeah, not bad," said Harry.**

**"Mine was pretty quiet," said Cho. For some reason, she was looking rather embarrassed.**

**"Erm... there's another Hogsmeade trip next month, did you see the notice?"**

**"What? Oh, no, I haven't checked the noticeboard since I got back."**

**"Yes, it's on Valentine's Day..."**

**"Right," said Harry, wondering why she was telling him this. "Well, I suppose you want to -?"**

**"Only if you do," she said eagerly.**

**Harry stared. He had been about to say, "I suppose you want to know when the next D.A. meeting is?" but her response did not seem to fit.**

**"I - er -" he said.**

**"Oh, it's okay if you don't," she said, looking mortified. "Don't worry. I - I'll see you around."**

**She walked away. Harry stood staring after her, his brain working frantically. Then something clunked into place.**

**"Cho! Hey - CHO!"**

**He ran after her, catching her halfway up the marble staircase.**

**"Er - d'you want to come into Hogsmeade with me on Valentine's Day?"**

"Finally got the point and asked her out," said Frank, stifling laughter.

"Ah well." Harry shrugged, _It was a disaster anyway Gin, you're the only one for me,_ he added silently, soothing his growling fiancé.

**"Oooh, yes!" she said, blushing crimson and beaming at him.**

**"Right... well... that's settled then," said Harry, and feeling that the day was not going to be a complete loss after all, he headed off to the library to pick up Ron and Hermione before their afternoon lessons, walking in a rather bouncy way himself.**

**By six o'clock that evening, however, even the glow of having successfully asked out Cho Chang could not lighten the ominous feelings that intensified with every step Harry took towards Snape's office.**

**He paused outside the door when he reached it, wishing he were almost anywhere else, then, taking a deep breath, he knocked and entered.**

**The shadowy room was lined with shelves bearing hundreds of glass jars in which slimy bits of animals and plants were suspended in variously colored potions. In one corner stood the cupboard full of ingredients that Snape had once accused Harry - not without reason - of robbing.**

**Harry's attention was drawn towards the desk, however, where a shallow stone basin engraved with runes and symbols lay in a pool of candlelight. Harry recognized it at once - it was Dumbledore's Pensieve. Wondering what on earth it was doing there, he jumped when Snape's cold voice came out of the shadows.**

"You almost gave me a heart attack." Harry scowled up at the smirking portrait.

"I would have thought, Potter, that you'd listen closely to Mad-Eye Moody and his habit of yelling 'constant vigilance' at random times. Especially considering you knew Voldemort was out to kill you, what would have happened if it was not me and it was someone disguised as me?"

"Then I'd be dead or seriously injured." he said bluntly, "Mind you, at that point we weren't quite sure whether we could trust you or not and that continued until May." he shrugged.

Snape tilted his head forward slightly, "I had reasons for keeping it that way."

"Really?" James inquired.

Snape nodded and leaned on the frame of the portrait, "I'm afraid you're going to have to wait a long time to find out what reasons, just know they are there. You might even be able to figure them out yourself." was all he said.

**"Shut the door behind you, Potter."**

**Harry did as he was told, with the horrible feeling that he was imprisoning himself. When he turned back into the room, Snape had moved into the light and was pointing silently at the chair opposite his desk. Harry sat down and so did Snape, his cold black eyes fixed unblinkingly upon Harry, dislike etched in every line of his face.**

**"Well, Potter, you know why you are here," he said. "The Headmaster has asked me to teach you Occlumency. I can only hope that you prove more adept at it than at Potions."**

**"Right," said Harry tersely.**

**"This may not be an ordinary class, Potter," said Snape, his eyes narrowed malevolently, "but I am still your teacher and you will therefore call me 'sir' or 'professor' at all times."**

"Then get past your grudge and start acting like an adult, Severus!" Lily snapped, causing Snape to develop an interesting flush, despite being a portrait.

**"Yes... sir," said Harry.**

**Snape continued to survey him through narrowed eyes for a moment, then said, "Now, Occlumency. As I told you back in your dear godfather's kitchen, this branch of magic seals the mind against magical intrusion and influence."**

**"And why does Professor Dumbledore think I need it, sir?" said Harry, looking directly into Snape's eyes and wondering whether Snape would answer.**

**Snape looked back at him for a moment and then said contemptuously, "Surely even you could have worked that out by now, Potter? The Dark Lord is highly skilled at Legilimency -"**

**"What's that? Sir?"**

**"It is the ability to extract feelings and memories from another persons mind -"**

**"He can read minds?" said Harry quickly, his worst fears confirmed.**

**"You have no subtlety, Potter," said Snape, his dark eyes glittering. "You do not understand fine distinctions. It is one of the shortcomings that makes you such a lamentable potion-maker."**

**Snape paused for a moment, apparently to savor the pleasure of insulting Harry, before continuing.**

**"Only Muggles talk of 'mind-reading'. The mind is not a book, to be opened at will and examined at leisure. Thoughts are not etched on the inside of skulls, to be perused by any invader. The mind is a complex and many-layered thing, Potter - or at least, most minds are." He smirked. "It is true, however, that those who have mastered Legilimency are able, under certain conditions, to delve into the minds of their victims and to interpret their findings correctly. The Dark Lord, for instance, almost always knows when somebody is lying to him. Only those skilled at Occlumency are able to shut down those feelings and memories that contradict the lie, and so can utter falsehoods in his presence without detection."**

"But that's just basically what mind-reading is," Alice protested. "It's not as if people actually think that the mind is like a book."

"It's still different." Regulus told them, "Legilimency is more viewing memories and sensing emotions, not reading the mind... It's difficult to explain but it's different." he shrugged.

**Whatever Snape said, Legilimency sounded like mind-reading to Harry, and he didn't like the sound of it at all.**

**"So he could know what we're thinking right now? Sir?"**

**"The Dark Lord is at a considerable distance and the walls and grounds of Hogwarts are guarded by many ancient spells and charms to ensure the bodily and mental safety of those who dwell within them," said Snape. "Time and space matter in magic, Potter. Eye contact is often essential to Legilimency."**

**"Well then, why do I have to learn Occlumency?"**

**Snape eyed Harry, tracing his mouth with one long, thin finger as he did so.**

**"The usual rules do not seem to apply with you, Potter. The curse that failed to kill you seems to have forged some kind of connection between you and the Dark Lord. The evidence suggests that at times, when your mind is most relaxed and vulnerable - when you are asleep, for instance - you are sharing the Dark Lord's thoughts and emotions. The Headmaster thinks it inadvisable for this to continue. He wishes me to teach you how to close your mind to the Dark Lord."**

**Harry's heart was pumping fast again. None of this added up.**

**"But why does Professor Dumbledore want to stop it?" he asked abruptly. "I don't like it much, but it's been useful, hasn't it? I mean... I saw that snake attack Mr. Weasley and if I hadn't, Professor Dumbledore wouldn't have been able to save him, would he? Sir?"**

**Snape stared at Harry for a few moments, still tracing his mouth with his finger.**

**When he spoke again, it was slowly and deliberately, as though he weighed every word.**

"I'll admit I was rather impressed you asked that. I actually had to consider what to say in case I said too much." Snape admitted.

Harry smirked.

**"It appears that the Dark Lord has been unaware of the connection between you and himself until very recently. Up till now it seems that you have been experiencing his emotions, and sharing his thoughts, without his being any the wiser. However, the vision you had shortly before Christmas -"**

**"The one with the snake and Mr. Weasley?"**

**"Do not interrupt me, Potter," said Snape in a dangerous voice. "As I was saying, the vision you had shortly before Christmas represented such a powerful incursion upon the Dark Lord's thoughts -"**

**"I saw inside the snake's head, not his!"**

**"I thought I just told you not to interrupt me, Potter?"**

**But Harry did not care if Snape was angry; at last he seemed to be getting to the bottom of this business; he had moved forwards in his chair so that, without realizing it, he was perched on the very edge, tense as though poised for flight.**

**"How come I saw through the snakes eyes if it's Voldemort's thoughts I'm sharing?"**

**"Do not say the Dark Lord's name!" spat Snape.**

"It's just a name!" most yelled.

"Not when you're Marked." Draco winced, "When someone says his name in front of someone who's Marked the Mark twinges a bit."

Snape and Regulus both nodded in confirmation, "It only last's a few seconds, but it stings like hell." Regulus shuddered.

"I think it may have been the Marks way of reminding those with it that it's Dark Lord to them and no one should be saying the name on the Dark Lord's orders." Snape added with a distasteful sniff, "I never saw the point in it but I still had to use 'Dark Lord' until I died." he shrugged, "If I were to say it then the Mark would burn like I'd dropped boiling acid on my arm, that's what happened the first time I said it after being Marked."

**There was a nasty silence. They glared at each other across the Pensieve.**

**"Professor Dumbledore says his name," said Harry quietly.**

**"Dumbledore is an extremely powerful wizard," Snape muttered. "While he may feel secure enough to use the name... the rest of us..."**

**He rubbed his left forearm, apparently unconsciously, on the spot where Harry knew the Dark Mark was burned into his skin.**

"I did it on purpose." Snape admitted, "You weren't supposed to know I was Marked, but since you did I figured it didn't matter. And it stung quite a bit." he winced.

"Sorry." Harry said sheepishly, "But I didn't know that did I?"

"Of course not, and I wasn't about to tell you in case you started saying Voldemort on purpose when I was around." Snape snorted, "Which you were likely to do if I was, irritating you."

"I wouldn't." he protested, "Maybe once or twice." he admitted under the disbelieving stares he was getting, "But I wouldn't use it all the time, it's not nice to cause anyone pain. Even if they deserved it at the time." he shrugged.

**"I just wanted to know," Harry began again, forcing his voice back to politeness, "why -"**

**"You seem to have visited the snake's mind because that was where the Dark Lord was at that particular moment," snarled Snape. "He was possessing the snake at the time and so you dreamed you were inside it, too."**

**"And Vol- he - realized I was there?"**

**"It seems so," said Snape coolly.**

**"How do you know?" said Harry urgently. "Is this just Professor Dumbledore guessing, or -?"**

**"I told you," said Snape, rigid in his chair, his eyes slits, "to call me 'sir'."**

**"Yes, sir," said Harry impatiently, "but how do you know -?"**

**"It is enough that we know," said Snape repressively. "The important point is that the Dark Lord is now aware that you are gaining access to his thoughts and feelings. He has also deduced that the process is likely to work in reverse; that is to say, he has realized that he might be able to access your thoughts and feelings in return -"**

**"And he might try and make me do things?" asked Harry. "Sir?" he added hurriedly.**

**"He might," said Snape, sounding cold and unconcerned. "Which brings us back to Occlumency."**

**Snape pulled out his wand from an inside pocket of his robes and Harry tensed in his chair, but Snape merely raised the wand to his temple and placed its tip into the greasy roots of his hair.**

"My hair is not greasy!" Snape huffed, "I'll have you know it just looked that way no matter what I did to it since a potions accident when I was 4."

"Potions accident?" Arthur asked.

"I accidentally blew up my Mothers cauldron." he flushed, "I don't know why I did it. I think it was a potion that was supposed to remove infections from... Certain areas of the body." he admitted, "I got completely covered in the incomplete potion and had to spend three months in St Mungo's due to bad burns on my back and arms. My hair has appeared greasy since then."

The dark haired Marauders shared a look, "I suppose we should've found out why it was like that before we picked on you for it." Sirius sighed, "We didn't know, sorry."

"Yeah, sorry." James added honestly.

Snape nodded once in acceptance, "How could you have known when I didn't tell anyone, after all... Well, Poppy knew, it was in my medical file." he shrugged.

**When he withdrew it, some silvery substance came away, stretching from temple to wand like a thick gossamer strand, which broke as he pulled the wand away from it and fell gracefully into the Pensieve, where it swirled silvery-white, neither gas nor liquid. Twice more, Snape raised the wand to his temple and deposited the silvery substance into the stone basin, then, without offering any explanation of his behavior, he picked up the Pensieve carefully, removed it to a shelf out of their way and returned to face Harry with his wand held at the ready.**

**"Stand up and take out your wand, Potter."**

**Harry got to his feet, feeling nervous. They faced each other with the desk between them.**

**"You may use your wand to attempt to disarm me, or defend yourself in any other way you can think of," said Snape.**

**"And what are you going to do?" Harry asked, eyeing Snape's wand apprehensively.**

**"I am about to attempt to break into your mind," said Snape softly. "We are going to see how well you resist. I have been told that you have already shown aptitude at resisting the Imperius Curse. You will find that similar powers are needed for this... brace yourself, now. Legilimens!"**

"What! Severus you didn't even explain what he was supposed to do!" Regulus protested.

"Potter, didn't you receive a book on mind magic's?" Snape frowned.

"Was I supposed to?" Harry asked in surprise. "Cause I didn't."

Snape groaned, "I thought you had." he stated, "I had told Mundungus to hand it to you the night before your return to Hogwarts."

"There's the problem. Mundungus. He would have sold it." Molly frowned in disapproval.

"In that case it's no wonder you did so badly." Snape informed Harry, "My apologies Potter, I thought you had it."

Harry shrugged, "I didn't. But the lessons were doomed anyway, since we hated each other and all that." he smiled amusedly.

"Agreed." Snape's lips twitched slightly.

**Snape had struck before Harry was ready, before he had even begun to summon any force of resistance. The office swam in front of his eyes and vanished; image after image was racing through his mind like a flickering film so vivid it blinded him to his surroundings.**

**He was five, watching Dudley riding a new red bicycle, and his heart was bursting with jealousy... he was nine, and Ripper the bulldog was chasing him up a tree and the Dursleys were laughing below on the lawn... he was sitting under the Sorting Hat, and it was telling him he would do well in Slytherin... Hermione was lying in the hospital wing, her face covered with thick black hair... a hundred Dementors were closing in on him beside the dark lake... Cho Chang was drawing nearer to him under the mistletoe...**

**"No," said a voice inside Harry's head, as the memory of Cho drew nearer, "you're not watching that, you're not watching it, it's private -"**

**He felt a sharp pain in his knee. Snape's office had come back into view and he realized that he had fallen to the floor; one of his knees had collided painfully with the leg of Snape's desk. He looked up at Snape, who had lowered his wand and was rubbing his wrist. There was an angry weal there, like a scorch mark.**

"Well, you resisted it." said Lily brightly.

"After he'd been in my mind for a few minutes." Harry huffed.

"You still managed to throw him out." Regulus pointed out, looking impressed, "It took me three days to do that."

"And you managed to hex me at the same time." Snape snorted.

"Accidentally, I assure you." Harry smirked.

**"Did you mean to produce a Stinging Hex?" asked Snape coolly.**

**"No," said Harry bitterly, getting up from the floor.**

**"I thought not," said Snape, watching him closely. "You let me get in too far. You lost control."**

**"Did you see everything I saw?" Harry asked, unsure whether he wanted to hear the answer.**

**"Flashes of it," said Snape, his lip curling. "To whom did the dog belong?"**

**"My Aunt Marge," Harry muttered, hating Snape.**

**"Well, for a first attempt that was not as poor as it might have been," said Snape, raising his wand once more. "You managed to stop me eventually, though you wasted time and energy shouting. You must remain focused. Repel me with your brain and you will not need to resort to your wand."**

**"I'm trying," said Harry angrily, "but you're not telling me how!"**

**"Manners, Potter," said Snape dangerously. "Now, I want you to close your eyes."**

**Harry threw him a filthy look before doing as he was told. He did not like the idea of standing there with his eyes shut while Snape faced him, carrying a wand.**

**"Clear your mind, Potter," said Snape's cold voice. "Let go of all emotion..."**

**But Harry's anger at Snape continued to pound through his veins like venom. Let go of his anger? He could as easily detach his legs...**

**"You're not doing it, Potter... you will need more discipline than this... focus, now..."**

**Harry tried to empty his mind, tried not to think, or remember, or feel...**

**"Let's go again... on the count of three... one - two - three - Legilimens!"**

**A great black dragon was rearing in front of him... his father and mother were waving at him out of an enchanted mirror... Cedric Diggory was lying on the ground with blank eyes staring at him...**

**"NOOOOOOO!"**

**Harry was on his knees again, his face buried in his hands, his brain aching as though someone had been trying to pull it from his skull.**

**"Get up!" said Snape sharply. "Get up! You are not trying, you are making no effort. You are allowing me access to memories you fear, handing me weapons!"**

**Harry stood up again, his heart thumping wildly as though he had really just seen Cedric dead in the graveyard. Snape looked paler than usual, and angrier, though not nearly as angry as Harry was.**

**"I - am - making - an - effort," he said through clenched teeth.**

**"I told you to empty yourself of emotion!"**

**"Yeah? Well, I'm finding that hard at the moment," Harry snarled.**

**"Then you will find yourself easy prey for the Dark Lord!" said Snape savagely. "Fools who wear their hearts proudly on their sleeves, who cannot control their emotions, who wallow in sad memories and allow themselves to be provoked so easily - weak people, in other words - they stand no chance against his powers!"**

"Well, you're not exactly doing a great job hiding your emotions yourself." Ginny sarcastically commented.

**"He will penetrate your mind with absurd ease, Potter!"**

**"I am not weak," said Harry in a low voice, fury now pumping through him so that he thought he might attack Snape in a moment.**

**"Then prove it! Master yourself!" spat Snape. "Control your anger, discipline your mind! We shall try again! Get ready, now! Legilimens!"**

**He was watching Uncle Vernon hammering the letterbox shut... a hundred Dementors were drifting across the lake in the grounds towards him... he was running along a windowless passage with Mr. Weasley... they were drawing nearer to the plain black door at the end of the corridor... Harry expected to go through it... but Mr. Weasley led him off to the left, down a flight of stone steps...**

**"I KNOW! I KNOW!"**

**He was on all fours again on Snape's office floor, his scar was prickling unpleasantly, but the voice that had just issued from his mouth was triumphant. He pushed himself up again to find Snape staring at him, his wand raised. It looked as though, this time, Snape had lifted the spell before Harry had even tried to fight back.**

**"What happened then, Potter?" he asked, eyeing Harry intently.**

**"I saw - I remembered," Harry panted. "I've just realized..."**

**"Realized what?" asked Snape sharply.**

**Harry did not answer at once; he was still savoring the moment of blinding realization as he rubbed his forehead...**

**He had been dreaming about a windowless corridor ending in a locked door for months, without once realizing that it was a real place. Now, seeing the memory again, he knew that all along he had been dreaming about the corridor down which he had run with Mr. Weasley on the twelfth of August as they hurried to the courtrooms in the Ministry; it was the corridor leading to the Department of Mysteries and Mr. Weasley had been there the night that he had been attacked by Voldemort's snake.**

**He looked up at Snape.**

**"What's in the Department of Mysteries?"**

"Why did you have to ask him that?" Bill asked, "Why not someone else?"

"Well, it's not like I could ask anyone else when he was the only other person in the room." Harry shrugged.

**"What did you say?" Snape asked quietly and Harry saw, with deep satisfaction, that Snape was unnerved.**

**"I said, what's in the Department of Mysteries, sir?" Harry said.**

**"And why," said Snape slowly, "would you ask such a thing?"**

**"Because" said Harry, watching Snape's face closely, "that corridor I've just seen - I've been dreaming about it for months - I've just recognized it - it leads to the Department of Mysteries... and I think Voldemort wants something from -"**

**"I have told you not to say the Dark Lord's name!"**

**They glared at each other. Harrys scar seared again, but he did not care. Snape looked agitated; but when he spoke again he sounded as though he was trying to appear cool and unconcerned.**

**"There are many things in the Department of Mysteries, Potter, few of which you would understand and none of which concern you. Do I make myself plain?"**

**"Yes," Harry said, still rubbing his prickling scar, which was becoming more painful.**

**"I want you back here same time on Wednesday. We will continue work then."**

**"Fine," said Harry. He was desperate to get out of Snape's office and find Ron and Hermione.**

**"You are to rid your mind of all emotion every night before sleep; empty it, make it blank and calm, you understand?"**

**"Yes," said Harry, who was barely listening.**

**"And be warned, Potter... I shall know if you have not practiced."**

"You didn't do much of that, did you, Harry?" asked Lily.

"What do you think?" he smirked.

**"Right," Harry mumbled. He picked up his schoolbag, swung it over his shoulder and hurried towards the office door. As he opened it, he glanced back at Snape, who had his back to Harry and was scooping his own thoughts out of the Pensieve with the tip of his wand and replacing them carefully inside his own head. Harry left without another word, closing the door carefully behind him, his scar still throbbing painfully.**

**Harry found Ron and Hermione in the library, where they were working on Umbridge's most recent ream of homework. Other students, nearly all of them fifth-years, sat at lamp-lit tables nearby, noses close to books, quills scratching feverishly, while the sky outside the mullioned windows grew steadily blacker. The only other sound was the slight squeaking of one of Madam Pince's shoes, as the librarian prowled the aisles menacingly, breathing down the necks of those touching her precious books.**

**Harry felt shivery; his scar was still aching, he felt almost feverish.**

**When he sat down opposite Ron and Hermione, he caught sight of himself in the window opposite; he was very white and his scar seemed to be showing up more clearly than usual.**

**"How did it go?" Hermione whispered, and then, looking concerned. "Are you all right, Harry?"**

**"Yeah... fine... I dunno," said Harry impatiently, wincing as pain shot through his scar again. "Listen... I've just realized something"**

**And he told them what he had just seen and deduced.**

**"So... so are you saying..." whispered Ron, as Madam Pince swept past, squeaking slightly, "that the weapon - the thing You-Know-Who's after - is in the Ministry of Magic?"**

**"In the Department of Mysteries, it's got to be," Harry whispered. "I saw that door when your dad took me down to the courtrooms for my hearing and it's definitely the same one he was guarding when the snake bit him."**

**Hermione let out a long, slow sigh.**

**"Of course," she breathed.**

**"Of course what?" said Ron rather impatiently.**

**"Ron, think about it... Sturgis Podmore was trying to get through a door at the Ministry of Magic... it must have been that one, it's too much of a coincidence!"**

**"How come Sturgis was trying to break in when he's on our side?" said Ron.**

**"Well, I don't know," Hermione admitted. "That is a bit odd..."**

"He was Imperioised." Remus sighed.

**"So what's in the Department of Mysteries?" Harry asked Ron. "Has your dad ever mentioned anything about it?"**

**"I know they call the people who work in there 'Unspeakables',"said Ron, frowning. "Because no one really seems to know what they do - weird place to have a weapon."**

"Not really." Bill said.

"There are all kinds of mad stuff down there that they're studying." Charlie mused.

"And we all know what the weapon is anyway." Bill added, "The Prophesy in the Hall of Prophesy's."

**"It's not weird at all, it makes perfect sense," said Hermione. "It will be something top secret that the Ministry has been developing, I expect... Harry, are you sure you're all right?"**

**For Harry had just run both his hands hard over his forehead as though trying to iron it.**

**"Yeah... fine..." he said, lowering his hands, which were trembling. "I just feel a bit... I don't like Occlumency much."**

**"I expect anyone would feel shaky if they'd had their mind attacked over and over again," said Hermione sympathetically. "Look, let's get back to the common room, we'll be a bit more comfortable there."**

**But the common room was packed and full of shrieks of laughter and excitement; Fred and George were demonstrating their latest bit of joke shop merchandise.**

**"Headless Hats!" shouted George, as Fred waved a pointed hat decorated with a fluffy pink feather at the watching students. "Two Galleons each, watch Fred, now!"**

**Fred swept the hat on to his head, beaming. For a second he merely looked rather stupid; then both hat and head vanished.**

"Cool." James and Sirius grinned.

"One of our best sellers." Fred said proudly.

"Took months to make though, and the charms wear off after a month or two." George mused, "We should work on improving them."

"We should." Fred agreed.

**Several girls screamed, but everyone else was roaring with laughter.**

**"And off again!" shouted George, and Fred's hand groped for a moment in what seemed to be thin air over his shoulder; then his head reappeared as he swept the pink-feathered hat from it.**

**"How do those hats work, then?" said Hermione, distracted from her homework and watching Fred and George closely. "I mean, obviously it's some kind of Invisibility Spell, but it's rather clever to have extended the field of invisibility beyond the boundaries of the charmed object... I'd imagine the charm wouldn't have a very long life though."**

The twins grinned, "Thank you for the compliment."

Hermione smiled back.

**Harry did not answer; he was feeling ill.**

**"I'm going to have to do this tomorrow," he muttered, pushing the books he had just taken out of his bag back inside it.**

**"Well, write it in your homework planner then!" said Hermione encouragingly. "So you don't forget!"**

**Harry and Ron exchanged looks as he reached into his bag, withdrew the planner and opened it tentatively.**

**"Don't leave it till later, you big second-rater!" chided the book as Harry scribbled down Umbridge's homework. Hermione beamed at it.**

**"I think I'll go to bed," said Harry, stuffing the homework planner back into his bag and making a mental note to drop it in the fire the first opportunity he got.**

"Harry!" Hermione exclaimed. "You didn't!"

"Of course I didn't." Harry assured her, "It saved my life come exam time. It was a rhetorical thought, I wouldn't actually do it." he added.

**He walked across the common room, dodging George, who tried to put a Headless Hat on him, and reached the peace and cool of the stone staircase to the boys' dormitories. He was feeling sick again, just as he had the night he had had the vision of the snake, but thought that if he could just lie down for a while he would be all right.**

**He opened the door of his dormitory and was one step inside it when he experienced pain so severe he thought that someone must have sliced into the top of his head. He did not know where he was, whether he was standing or lying down, he did not even know his own name.**

**Maniacal laughter was ringing in his ears... he was happier than he had been in a very long time... jubilant, ecstatic, triumphant... a wonderful, wonderful thing had happened...**

"Uh oh. This can't be good." Lily muttered.

"It's not." Neville groaned.

**"Harry? HARRY!"**

**Someone had hit him around the face. The insane laughter was punctuated with a cry of pain.**

**The happiness was draining out of him, but the laughter continued...**

**He opened his eyes and, as he did so, he became aware that the wild laughter was coming out of his own mouth. The moment he realized this, it died away; Harry lay panting on the floor, staring up at the ceiling, the scar on his forehead throbbing horribly. Ron was bending over him, looking very worried.**

**"What happened?" he said.**

**"I... dunno..." Harry gasped, sitting up again. "He's really happy... really happy..."**

**"You-Know-Who is?"**

**"Something good's happened," mumbled Harry.**

Everyone stared at him. "You mean something terrible -"

"I meant from Voldemort's point of view." Harry interrupted, cutting Minerva off.

**He was shaking as badly as he had done after seeing the snake attack Mr. Weasley and felt very sick. "Something he's been hoping for."**

**The words came, just as they had back in the Gryffindor changing room, as though a stranger was speaking them through Harry's mouth, yet he knew they were true. He took deep breaths, willing himself not to vomit all over Ron.**

**He was very glad that Dean and Seamus were not here to watch this time.**

**"Hermione told me to come and check on you," said Ron in a low voice, helping Harry to his feet. "She says your Defenses will be low at the moment, after Snape's been fiddling around with your mind... still, I suppose it'll help in the long run, won't it?" He looked doubtfully at Harry as he helped him towards his bed. Harry nodded without any conviction and slumped back on his pillows, aching all over from having fallen to the floor so often that evening, his scar still prickling painfully. He could not help feeling that his first foray into Occlumency had weakened his mind's resistance rather than strengthening it, and he wondered, with a feeling of great trepidation, what had happened to make Lord Voldemort the happiest he had been in fourteen years.**

"Probably finding a way to become all powerful," James muttered darkly.

"You'll find out in the next memory, and you're not going to like it at all." Harry sighed, handing Teddy to Ginny so he could get up to change the memory.

* * *

><p>Review please x<p> 


	87. Chapter 87

Chapter 87 - Fifth Year (Part 13.5)

22, August, 1998.

"This is the next morning and the reason Voldemort was so happy." Harry muttered as he sat down on the bed again, Teddy escaping Ginny to crawl onto his knee as the cubs watched him do it from the end of the bed.

**Harry's question was answered the very next morning. When Hermione's Daily Prophet arrived she smoothed it out, gazed for a moment at the front page and gave a yelp that caused everyone in the vicinity to stare at her.**

**"What?" said Harry and Ron together.**

**For an answer she spread the newspaper on the table in front of them and pointed at ten black-and - white photographs that filled the whole of the front page, nine showing wizards' faces and the tenth, a witch's. Some of the people in the photographs were silently jeering; others were tapping their fingers on the frame of their pictures, looking insolent. Each picture was captioned with a name and the crime for which the person had been sent to Azkaban.**

"Azkaban's been broken into?!" Alice gasped.

"Wouldn't be the last time." Kingsley growled, "But yes, it had been broken into."

"And that was partly the reason I was worried on the Knight Bus." Dora added, "I hadn't heard about my evil Aunt until I saw the family tapestry, Mum had told me about her at that point."

"And if I knew Bella, she'd be after us both and Ted." Andy nodded, "Odd thought really, that my own sister would happily kill me, her niece and brother-in-law." she shuddered.

"She wouldn't, not you anyway." Cissy told her, "Now Dora and Ted, yes she'd kill them, she'd keep you alive just to watch you suffer." she winced, "Though I wouldn't put it past her to kill you eventually, she wanted to kill me in the end after all."

"Really?" Fleur asked curiously.

"She'd known for years I wasn't all that loyal to the dark side, she kept me alive due to the oath she made when I was 5." Cissy shrugged, "She couldn't cause harm to me in any way without the same happening to her."

"You tricked her into that one." Andy chuckled.

"I'm not denying that." she smirked, "Tricked you into it to."

"True enough." Andy shrugged, "Though I knew what I was doing. Same with how I willingly spoke an oath that I wouldn't harm Sirius or Regulus either, I knew exactly what I was doing but I let Sirius believe he tricked me into it." She smirked.

Sirius rolled his eyes, "Wasn't I about 6 when that happened?"

"You were 7, it was just before I left." She shrugged.

**Antonin Dolohov, read the legend beneath a wizard with a long, pale, twisted face who was sneering up at Harry, convicted of the brutal murders of Gideon and Fabian Prewett.**

The Weasley kids all sighed sadly, having never got to know they're Uncles and Molly winced at her twin brother's fate.

**Augustus Rookwood, said the caption beneath a pockmarked man with greasy hair who was leaning against the edge of his picture, looking bored, convicted of leaking Ministry of Magic secrets to He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named.**

**But Harry's eyes were drawn to the picture of the witch. Her face had leapt out at him the moment he had seen the page. She had long, dark hair that looked unkempt and straggly in the picture, though he had seen it sleek, thick and shining. She glared up at him through heavily lidded eyes, an arrogant, disdainful smile playing around her thin mouth. Like Sirius, she retained vestiges of great good looks, but something - perhaps Azkaban - had taken most of her beauty.**

Everyone looked angry, especially the Longbottoms, Sirius and Harry, the latter two actually growling.

**Bellatrix Lestrange, convicted of the torture and permanent incapacitation of Frank and Alice Longbottom.**

"I hope that bitch got what she deserved." Sirius growled.

"She did," Ginny shrugged, "And I wouldn't call her a bitch. It'd be an insult to all the female canines in the world, including those in the room."

"Your also lucky Teddy couldn't hear you." Harry added, he had covered the boy's ears as soon as Sirius opened his mouth.

Sirius flushed, "Sorry. I really hate her."

"It's understandable. If you hadn't said it I would've." Frank told him.

**Hermione nudged Harry and pointed at the headline over the pictures, which Harry, concentrating on Bellatrix, had not yet read.**

**MASS BREAKOUT FROM AZKABAN**

**MINISTRY FEARS BLACK IS 'RALLYING POINT' FOR OLD DEATH EATERS**

"Really?!" James demanded, "So what? They just pin the blame on Sirius?!"

"Of course, I was the only one with experience escaping Azkaban at that point." Sirius muttered, "What they didn't mention was I argued with Bella sometimes, she made it no secret she wanted to kill me. Why would I help them? Even if I was a Death Eater I'd leave them all to rot."

**"Black?" said Harry loudly. "Not -?"**

**"Shh!" whispered Hermione desperately. "Not so loud - just read it!"**

**The Ministry of Magic announced late last night that there has been a mass breakout from Azkaban.**

**Speaking to reporters in his private office, Cornelius Fudge, Minister for Magic, confirmed that ten high-security prisoners escaped in the early hours of yesterday evening and that he has already informed the Muggle Prime Minister of the dangerous nature of these individuals.**

**"We find ourselves, most unfortunately, in the same position we were two and a half years ago when the murderer Sirius Black escaped," said Fudge last night. "Nor do we think the two breakouts are unrelated. An escape of this magnitude suggests outside help, and we must remember that Black, as the first person ever to break out of Azkaban, would be ideally placed to help others follow in his footsteps. We think it likely that these individuals, who include Black's cousin, Bellatrix Lestrange, have rallied around Black as their leader."**

Sirius screwed up his face in disgust.

**"We are, however, doing all we can to round up the criminals, and we beg the magical community to remain alert and cautious. On no account should any of these individuals be approached."**

**"There you are, Harry," said Ron, looking awestruck. "That's why he was happy last night."**

**"I don't believe this," snarled Harry, "Fudge is blaming the breakout on Sirius?"**

**"What other options does he have?" said Hermione bitterly. "He can hardly say, 'everyone, Dumbledore warned me this might happen, the Azkaban guards have joined Lord Voldemort' - stop whimpering, Ron - 'now Voldemort's worst supporters have broken out, too.' I mean, he's spent a good six months telling everyone you and Dumbledore are liars, hasn't he?"**

**Hermione ripped open the newspaper and began to read the report inside while Harry looked around the Great Hall. He could not understand why his fellow students were not looking scared or at least discussing the terrible piece of news on the front page, but very few of them took the newspaper every day like Hermione. There they all were, talking about homework and Quidditch and who knew what other rubbish, when outside these walls ten more Death Eaters had swollen Voldemort's ranks.**

"Not to mention it's 10 of the most deadly." Regulus winced.

"They were." Cissy agreed, "And, those who are alive anyway, would still be the most deadly if not for the fact the majority of them were severely affected by Azkaban and couldn't really think for themselves when they got out." She mused, "None of them were in good conditions when they first got out, only 3 or 4 of them ever recovered enough to think for themselves." She shrugged.

**He glanced up at the staff table. It was a different story there: Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall were deep in conversation, both looking extremely grave. Professor Sprout had the Prophet propped against a bottle of ketchup and was reading the front page with such concentration that she was not noticing the gentle drip of egg yolk falling into her lap from her stationary spoon. Meanwhile, at the far end of the table, Professor Umbridge was tucking into a bowl of porridge. For once her pouchy toad's eyes were not sweeping the Great Hall looking for misbehaving students. She scowled as she gulped down her food and every now and then she shot a malevolent glance up the table to where Dumbledore and McGonagall were talking so intently.**

**"Oh my -" said Hermione wonderingly, still staring at the newspaper.**

**"What now?" said Harry quickly; he was feeling jumpy.**

**"It's... horrible," said Hermione, looking shaken. She folded back page ten of the newspaper and handed it to Harry and Ron.**

**TRAGIC DEMISE OF MINISTRY OF MAGIC WORKER**

"Who died?" Alice asked worriedly.

**St. Mungo's Hospital promised a full inquiry last night after Ministry of Magic worker Broderick Bode, 49, was discovered dead in his bed, strangled by a potted-plant. Healers called to the scene were unable to revive Mr. Bode, who had been injured in a workplace accident some weeks prior to his death.**

**Healer Miriam Strout, who was in charge of Mr. Bode's ward at the time of the incident, has been suspended on full pay and was unavailable for comment yesterday, but a spokeswizard for the hospital said in a statement:**

**"St. Mungo's deeply regrets the death of Mr. Bode, whose health was improving steadily prior to this tragic accident. We have strict guidelines on the decorations permitted on our wards but it appears that Healer Strout, busy over the Christmas period, overlooked the dangers of the plant on Mr. Bode's bedside table. As his speech and mobility improved, Healer Strout encouraged Mr. Bode to look after the plant himself, unaware that it was not an innocent Flitterbloom, but a cutting of Devil's Snare which,**

"I wish I had recognised it." Neville muttered bitterly.

"Don't beat yourself up over it, Neville," Hermione told him. "We were there too and could have recognized it, after dealing with Devil's Snare at the end of our first year."

"It was so close though." he muttered, he looked at his parents, "It almost grabbed the others in the ward, Lockhart got a broken wrist after he touched it, it was his yell that alerted the Healer just in time since it was about to strangle him too."

Alice and Frank shuddered, "And we were all defenceless without the Healer." Frank sighed, "S'pose it's a good thing Lockhart was on the same ward as us then."

Neville nodded.

**when touched by the convalescent Mr. Bode, throttled him instantly. St. Mungo's is as yet unable to account for the presence of the plant on the ward and asks any witch or wizard with information to come forward."**

**"Bode..." said Ron. "Bode. It rings a bell..."**

**"We saw him," Hermione whispered. "In St. Mungo's, remember? He was in the bed opposite Lockhart's, just lying there, staring at the ceiling. And we saw the Devil's Snare arrive. She - the Healer - said it was a Christmas present."**

**Harry looked back at the story. A feeling of horror was rising like bile in his throat.**

**"How come we didn't recognize Devil's Snare? We've seen it before... we could've stopped this from happening."**

**"Who expects Devil's Snare to turn up in a hospital disguised as a pot plant?" said Ron sharply. "It's not our fault, whoever sent it to the bloke is to blame! They must be a real prat, why didn't they check what they were buying?"**

**"Oh, come on, Ron!" said Hermione shakily. "I don't think anyone could put Devil's Snare in a pot and not realize it tries to kill whoever touches it? This - this was murder... a clever murder, as well... if the plant was sent anonymously, how's anyone ever going to find out who did it?"**

**Harry was not thinking about Devil's Snare. He was remembering taking the lift down to the ninth level of the Ministry on the day of his hearing and the sallow-faced man who had got in on the. Atrium level.**

**"I met Bode," he said slowly. "I saw him at the Ministry with your dad."**

**Ron's mouth fell open.**

**"I've heard Dad talk about him at home! He was an Unspeakable - he worked in the Department of Mysteries!"**

Arthur nodded, "He was a good man. I reckon he was targeted because he was one of the oldest Unspeakable's, the information he had would be beneficial to the Death Eater's."

"That's pretty much it, though I think Voldemort was trying to get him to let someone into the Hall of Prophesies too." Cissy mused, "I'm sure Lucius mentioned Bode once or twice, I don't know though. I tended to ignore him when he spoke about Death Eater related things." she admitted.

**They looked at each other for a moment, then Hermione pulled the newspaper back towards her, closed it, glared for a moment at the pictures of the ten escaped Death Eaters on the front, then leapt to her feet.**

**"Where are you going?" said Ron, startled.**

**"To send a letter," said Hermione, swinging her bag on to her shoulder. "It... well, I don't know whether... but it's worth trying... and I'm the only one who can."**

"You really should have told me what you were doing, Hermione." said Harry.

"I didn't know if you'd agree or not." she shrugged.

"What are you two on about?" Lily grumbled.

"Rita Skeeter. Remember we told you the blackmail came in handy?" Ron grinned.

"Oh, going to use it now?" James asked eagerly.

"Absolutely." Hermione smirked.

**"I hate it when she does that," grumbled Ron, as he and Harry got up from the table and made their own, slower way out of the Great Hall. "Would it kill her to tell us what she's up to for once? It'd take her about ten more seconds - hey, Hagrid!"**

**Hagrid was standing beside the doors into the Entrance Hall, waiting for a crowd of Ravenclaws to pass. He was still as heavily bruised as he had been on the day he had come back from his mission to the giants and there was a new cut right across the bridge of his nose.**

**"All righ', you two?" he said, trying to muster a smile but managing only a kind of pained grimace.**

**"Are you okay, Hagrid?" asked Harry, following him as he lumbered after the Ravenclaws.**

**"Fine, fine," said Hagrid with a feeble assumption of airiness; he waved a hand and narrowly missed concussing a frightened-looking Professor Vector, who was passing. "Jus' busy, yeh know, usual stuff lessons ter prepare - couple o' salamanders got scale rot - an' I'm on probation," he mumbled.**

They were all furious at that.

**"You're on probation?" said Ron very loudly, so that many of the passing students looked around curiously. "Sorry - I mean - you're on probation?" he whispered.**

**"Yeah," said Hagrid. "S'no more'n I expected, ter tell yeh the truth. Yeh migh' not've picked up on it, bu' that inspection didn' go too well, yeh know... anyway," he sighed deeply. "Bes' go an' rub a bit more chilli powder on them salamanders or their tails'll be hangin' off 'em next. See yeh, Harry... Ron..."**

**He trudged away, out of the front doors and down the stone steps into the damp grounds. Harry watched him go, wondering how much more bad news he could stand.**

**The fact that Hagrid was now on probation became common knowledge within the school over the next few days, but to Harry's indignation, hardly anybody appeared to be upset about it; indeed, some people, Draco Malfoy prominent among them, seemed positively gleeful. As for the freakish death of an obscure Department of Mysteries employee in St. Mungo's, Harry, Ron and Hermione seemed to be the only people who knew or cared.**

"I'm sure the Order knows and cares." Frank said reasonably.

"I was referring to the students." replied Harry.

"I cared too, so did most of the DA." Neville added.

"It's just that people were more interested in the breakout." Luna nodded her agreement with Neville.

**There was only one topic of conversation in the corridors now: the ten escaped Death Eaters, whose story had finally filtered through the school from those few people who read the newspapers. Rumors were flying that some of the convicts had been spotted in Hogsmeade, that they were supposed to be hiding out in the Shrieking Shack and that they were going to break into Hogwarts, just as Sirius Black had once done.**

**Those who came from wizarding families had grown up hearing the names of these Death Eaters spoken with almost as much fear as Voldemort's; the crimes they had committed during the days of Voldemort's reign of terror were legendary. There were relatives of their victims among the Hogwarts students, who now found themselves the unwilling objects of a gruesome sort of reflected fame as they walked the corridors: Susan Bones, whose uncle, aunt and cousins had all died at the hands of one of the ten, said miserably during Herbology that she now had a good idea what it felt like to be Harry.**

**"And I don't know how you stand it - it's horrible," she said bluntly, dumping far too much dragon manure on her tray of Screechsnap seedlings, causing them to wriggle and squeak in discomfort.**

"I was thankful for that comment." Harry smiled, "The student's who'd had family members be the victims finally realised how annoying it was to have everyone talking about you behind your back and pointing and staring at you when you went past."

"And that helped you since most of them got their friends to stop people staring, pointing and talking about you." Hermione added.

**It was true that Harry was the subject of much renewed muttering and pointing in the corridors these days, yet he thought he detected a slight difference in the tone of the whisperers' voices.**

**They sounded curious rather than hostile now, and once or twice he was sure he overheard snatches of conversation that suggested that the speakers were not satisfied with the Prophets version of how and why ten Death Eaters had managed to break out of the Azkaban fortress. In their confusion and fear, these doubters now seemed to be turning to the only other explanation available to them: the one that Harry and Dumbledore had been expounding since the previous year.**

**It was not only the students' mood that had changed. It was now quite common to come across two or three teachers conversing in low, urgent whispers in the corridors, breaking off their conversations the moment they saw students approaching.**

**"They obviously can't talk freely in the staff room any more," said Hermione in a low voice, as she, Harry and Ron passed Professors McGonagall, Flitwick and Sprout huddled together outside the Charms classroom one day. "Not with Umbridge there."**

**"Reckon they know anything new?" said Ron, gazing back over his shoulder at the three teachers.**

**"If they do, we're not going to hear about it, are we?" said Harry angrily. "Not after Decree... what number are we on now?" For new notices had appeared on the house noticeboards the morning after news of the Azkaban breakout:**

**BY ORDER OF THE HIGH INQUISITOR OF HOGWARTS**

**Teachers are hereby banned from giving students any information that is not strictly related to the subjects they are paid to teach.**

**The above is in accordance with Educational Decree Number Twenty-six.**

**Signed: Dolores Jane Umbridge, High Inquisitor**

"And wouldn't that mean that teachers aren't allowed to tell off students when they break rules?" James grinned.

"Oh we had fun with that one, and Lee as well." Fred grinned.

"We decided to play up a bit in her class you see. Playing games and such then pointing out she couldn't tell us to stop because it was nothing to do with her subject." George smirked.

**This latest Decree had been the subject of a great number of jokes among the students. Lee Jordan had pointed out to Umbridge that by the terms of the new rule she was not allowed to tell Fred and George off for playing Exploding Snap in the back of the class.**

**"Exploding Snap's got nothing to do with Defense Against the Dark Arts, Professor! That's not information relating to your subject!"**

They all laughed at that.

**When Harry next saw Lee, the back of his hand was bleeding rather badly. Harry recommended essence of Murtlap.**

"Lee was glad you suggested that, so were we." George winced.

"It did help a lot." Fred nodded with a grimace.

"I still can't believe you never said anything about it." Molly grumbled.

"If we had what could you do?" Fred inquired.

"Not much." she admitted reluctantly.

"If we were on better terms with Percy at that point we might've owled him and told him. Sent pictures too as proof so he couldn't say we were lying." George added.

"And what would I have been able to do?" Percy rolled his eyes, "You do realise I worked for her."

"You could've said she'd been acting funny, like she was being possessed." Ginny put in, "That would've at least got her investigated. Or you could've taken the pictures to the Auror's."

"And hope you bumped into one of us." Kingsley mused, "The others were a bit sceptical when I told them what Umbridge had been doing, I told them so they could stick it on her file." he explained, "And pictures would've proved she was twisted at that point."

"But as we said, we weren't on the best terms, so we didn't." Fred shrugged.

**Harry had thought the breakout from Azkaban might have humbled Umbridge a little, that she might have been abashed at the catastrophe that had occurred right under the nose of her beloved Fudge. It seemed, however, to have only intensified her furious desire to bring every aspect of life at Hogwarts under her personal control. She seemed determined at the very least to achieve a sacking before long, and the only question was whether it would be Professor Trelawney or Hagrid who went first.**

**Every single Divination and Care of Magical Creatures lesson was now conducted in the presence of Umbridge and her clipboard.**

"Great, you have to see that toad even more." James huffed.

"I wouldn't call her that, since it's an insult to all toads." Neville commented amusedly. "Trevor definitely wouldn't like it."

Everyone laughed and Sirius said, "Okay, I'll find some other name to call her that won't offend any animals."

"How about Satan?" James suggested.

"Nah, she's worse." Sirius chuckled darkly.

**She lurked by the fire in the heavily perfumed tower room, interrupting Professor Trelawney's increasingly hysterical talks with difficult questions about ornithomancy and heptomology, insisting that she predicted students' answers before they gave them and demanding that she demonstrate her skill at the crystal ball, the tea leaves and the rune stones in turn. Harry thought Professor Trelawney might soon crack under the strain.**

**Several times he passed her in the corridors - in itself a very unusual occurrence as she generally remained in her tower room - muttering wildly to herself, wringing her hands and shooting terrified glances over her shoulder, and all the while giving off a powerful smell of cooking sherry. If he had not been so worried about Hagrid, he would have felt sorry for her - but if one of them was to be ousted from their job, there could be only one choice for Harry as to who should remain.**

"Why do I have the feeling that both of them are more likely to be sacked than just one of them?" asked Lily.

"Because that thing is horrible and foul." responded James darkly.

**Unfortunately, Harry could not see that Hagrid was putting up a better show than Trelawney.**

**Though he seemed to be following Hermione's advice and had shown them nothing more frightening than a Crup - a creature indistinguishable from a Jack Russell terrier except for its forked tail - since before Christmas, he too seemed to have lost his nerve. He was oddly distracted and jumpy during lessons, losing the thread of what he was saying to the class, answering questions wrongly, and all the time glancing anxiously at Umbridge.**

**He was also more distant with Harry, Ron and Hermione than he had ever been before, and had expressly forbidden them to visit him after dark.**

**"If she catches yeh, it'll be all of our necks on the line," he told them flatly, and with no desire to do anything that might jeopardize his job further they abstained from walking down to his hut in the evenings.**

**It seemed to Harry that Umbridge was steadily depriving him of everything that made his life at Hogwarts worth living: visits to Hagrid's house, letters from Sirius, his Firebolt and Quidditch.**

**He took his revenge the only way he could - by redoubling his efforts for the D.A.**

**Harry was pleased to see that all of them, even Zacharias Smith, had been spurred on to work harder than ever by the news that ten more Death Eaters were now on the loose, but in nobody was this improvement more pronounced than in Neville. The news of his parents' attackers' escape had wrought a strange and even slightly alarming change in him. He had not once mentioned his meeting with Harry, Ron and Hermione on the closed ward in St. Mungo's and, taking their lead from him, they had kept quiet about it too. Nor had he said anything on the subject of Bellatrix and her fellow torturers' escape. In fact, Neville barely spoke during the D.A. meetings any more, but worked relentlessly on every new jinx and counter-curse Harry taught them, his plump face screwed up in concentration, apparently indifferent to injuries or accidents and working harder than anyone else in the room. He was improving so fast it was quite unnerving and when Harry taught them the Shield Charm - a means of deflecting minor jinxes so that they rebounded upon the attacker - only Hermione mastered the charm faster than Neville.**

"Wow. Talk about motivated." Percy commented.

Neville flushed at his parents proud looks.

**Harry would have given a great deal to be making as much progress at Occlumency as Neville was making during the D.A. meetings.**

"Yeah, you were becoming as good in Defence as you were in Herbology." Harry told Neville.

"I had something to fight for by then." he replied modestly.

Frank cocked his head to the side, "Neville, what did you get in your Defence OWL?"

"Um, an O." he admitted.

"Same as Harry then." Hermione commented, "I got an E." she shrugged.

"Neville and Harry were the two with the highest scores in Defence." Minerva said proudly, "Out of all the houses only you two got O's in both theory and practical."

Harry and Neville blushed as everyone clapped and cheered.

**Harry's sessions with Snape, which had started badly enough, were not improving. On the contrary Harry felt he was getting worse with every lesson.**

**Before he had started studying Occlumency, his scar had prickled occasionally, usually during the night, or else following one of those strange flashes of Voldemort's thoughts or mood that he experienced every now and then. Nowadays, however, his scar hardly ever stopped prickling, and he often felt lurches of annoyance or cheerfulness that were unrelated to what was happening to him at the time, which were always accompanied by a particularly painful twinge from his scar. He had the horrible impression that he was slowly turning into a kind of aerial that was tuned in to tiny fluctuations in Voldemort's mood, and he was sure he could date this increased sensitivity firmly from his first Occlumency lesson with Snape. What was more, he was now dreaming about walking down the corridor towards the entrance to the Department of Mysteries almost every night, dreams which always culminated in him standing longingly in front of the plain black door.**

**"Maybe it's a bit like an illness," said Hermione, looking concerned when Harry confided in her and Ron. "A fever or something. It has to get worse before it gets better."**

**"The lessons with Snape are making it worse," said Harry flatly. "I'm getting sick of my scar hurting and I'm getting bored with walking down that corridor every night." He rubbed his forehead angrily. "I just wish the door would open, I'm sick of standing staring at it -"**

**"That's not funny," said Hermione sharply. "Dumbledore doesn't want you to have dreams about that corridor at all, or he wouldn't have asked Snape to teach you Occlumency. You're just going to have to work a bit harder in your lessons."**

**"I am working!" said Harry nettled. "You try it some time - Snape trying to get inside your head - it's not a bundle of laughs, you know!"**

**"Maybe..." said Ron slowly.**

**"Maybe what?" said Hermione, rather snappishly.**

**"Maybe it's not Harry's fault he can't close his mind," said Ron darkly.**

**"What do you mean?" said Hermione.**

**"Well, maybe Snape isn't really trying to help Harry..."**

"I certainly wasn't trying to open his mind any more than it already was Weasley." Snape scowled at Ron.

"Sorry. It's just what it seemed like." Ron shrugged.

**Harry and Hermione stared at him. Ron looked darkly and meaningfully from one to the other.**

**"Maybe," he said again, in a lower voice, "he's actually trying to open Harry's mind a bit wider... make it easier for You-Know -"**

**"Shut up, Ron," said Hermione angrily. "How many times have you suspected Snape, and when have you ever been right? Dumbledore trusts him, he works for the Order, that ought to be enough."**

**"He used to be a Death Eater," said Ron stubbornly. "And we've never seen proof that he really swapped sides."**

**"Dumbledore trusts him," Hermione repeated. "And if we can't trust Dumbledore, we can't trust anyone."**

"Wise words for a teenager Miss Granger." Snape said looking faintly amused.

Hermione shrugged, "It was true."

"I didn't say it wasn't." he replied, lips twitching slightly.

**With so much to worry about and so much to do - startling amounts of homework that frequently kept the fifth-years working until past midnight, secret D.A. sessions and regular classes with Snape - January seemed to be passing alarmingly fast. Before Harry knew it, February had arrived, bringing with it wetter and warmer weather and the prospect of the second Hogsmeade visit of the year. Harry had had very little time to spare for conversations with Cho since they had agreed to visit the village together, but suddenly found himself facing a Valentine's Day spent entirely in her company.**

"Oooh, so we get to see your date." Sirius grinned, "I -"

"Shut it Snuffles." Ginny growled menacingly, cutting him off while taking her wand out of her bedside table drawer.

"I'd listen to her." Harry suggested, looking at the wand warily.

Sirius also watched the wand warily and nodded, making a few of the men snicker at his fate.

**On the morning of the fourteenth he dressed particularly carefully. He and Ron arrived at breakfast just in time for the arrival of the post owls. Hedwig was not there - not that Harry had expected her - but Hermione was tugging a letter from the beak of an unfamiliar brown owl as they sat down.**

**"And about time! If it hadn't come today..." she said, eagerly tearing open the envelope and pulling out a small piece of parchment. Her eyes sped from left to right as she read through the message and a grimly pleased expression spread across her face.**

**"Listen, Harry," she said, looking up at him, "this is really important. Do you think you could meet me in the Three Broomsticks around midday?"**

**"Well... I dunno," said Harry uncertainly. "Cho might be expecting me to spend the whole day with her. We never said what we were going to do."**

**"Well, bring her along if you must," said Hermione urgently. "But will you come?"**

**"Well... all right, but why?"**

**"I haven't got time to tell you now, I've got to answer this quickly."**

**And she hurried out of the Great Hall, the letter clutched in one hand and a piece of toast in the other.**

**"Are you coming?" Harry asked Ron, but he shook his head, looking glum.**

**"I can't come into Hogsmeade at all; Angelina wants a full day's training. Like it's going to help; we're the worst team I've ever seen. You should see Sloper and Kirke, they're pathetic, even worse than I am." He heaved a great sigh. "I dunno why Angelina won't just let me resign."**

**"It's because you're good when you're on form, that's why," said Harry irritably.**

**He found it very hard to be sympathetic to Ron's plight, when he himself would have given almost anything to be playing in the forthcoming match against Hufflepuff. Ron seemed to have noticed Harry's tone, because he did not mention Quidditch again during breakfast, and there was a slight frostiness in the way they said goodbye to each other shortly afterwards.**

**Ron departed for the Quidditch pitch and Harry, after attempting to flatten his hair while staring at his reflection in the back of a teaspoon, proceeded alone to the Entrance Hall to meet Cho, feeling very apprehensive and wondering what on earth they were going to talk about.**

**She was waiting for him a little to the side of the oak front doors, looking very pretty with her hair tied back in a long pony-tail. Harry's feet seemed to be too big for his body as he walked towards her and he was suddenly horribly aware of his arms and how stupid they must look swinging at his sides.**

They all burst out laughing as a red faced Harry hid his face in Ginny's hair. Ginny thankfully, wasn't laughing but glaring at the others, who quieted very quickly upon noticing the look on her face.

**"Hi," said Cho slightly breathlessly.**

**"Hi," said Harry.**

**They stared at each other for a moment, then Harry said, "Well - er - shall we go, then?"**

**"Oh - yes..."**

**They joined the queue of people being signed out by Filch, occasionally catching each other's eye and grinning shiftily, but not talking to each other.**

**Harry was relieved when they reached the fresh air, finding it easier to walk along in silence than just stand about looking awkward. It was a fresh, breezy sort of a day and as they passed the Quidditch stadium Harry glimpsed Ron and Ginny skimming along over the stands and felt a horrible pang that he was not up there with them.**

**"You really miss it, don't you?" said Cho.**

**He looked round and saw her watching him.**

**"Yeah," sighed Harry. "I do."**

**"Remember the first time we played against each other, in the third year?" she asked him.**

**"Yeah," said Harry, grinning. "You kept blocking me."**

**"And Wood told you not to be a gentleman and knock me off my broom if you had to," said Cho, smiling reminiscently. "I heard he got taken on by Pride of Portree, is that right?"**

**"Nah, it was Puddlemere United; I saw him at the World Cup last year."**

**"Oh, I saw you there, too, remember? We were on the same campsite. It was really good, wasn't it?"**

"If I remember correctly, you spilled water down the front of your shirt when you saw Cho at the Cup." Sirius said in a teasing tone, a grin on his face.

"Shut up Snuffles!" Harry growled, face still hidden in Ginny's hair.

**The subject of the Quidditch World Cup carried them all the way down the drive and out through the gates. Harry could hardly believe how easy it was to talk to her - no more difficult, in fact, than talking to Ron and Hermione -and he was just starting to feel confident and cheerful when a large gang of Slytherin girls passed them, including Pansy Parkinson.**

**"Potter and Chang!" screeched Pansy, to a chorus of snide giggles. "Urgh, Chang, I don't think much of your taste... at least Diggory was good-looking!"**

James snarled, "Shut up, you c-" He broke off and said, "Damn, I need to come up with something else to call her, since I don't want to insult any cows."

"There's always Pug-Face." Draco put in cheerfully, "That's what most people called her once I left her for Astoria." he smiled at his fiancé as the others laughed.

**The girls sped up, talking and shrieking in a pointed fashion with many exaggerated glances back at Harry and Cho, leaving an embarrassed silence in their wake. Harry could think of nothing else to say about Quidditch, and Cho, slightly flushed, was watching her feet.**

**"So... where d'you want to go?" Harry asked as they entered Hogsmeade. The High Street was full of students ambling up and down, peering into the shop windows and messing about together on the pavements.**

**"Oh... I don't mind," said Cho, shrugging. "Um... shall we just have a look in the shops or something?"**

**They wandered towards Dervish and Banges.**

"That's not a romantic place," said James. "You need to find somewhere else."

"Just don't go to Madam Puddifoot's." Frank made a face.

"We went there once, it was horrid. Too pink and frilly." Alice shuddered.

**A large poster had been stuck up in the window and a few Hogsmeaders were looking at it. They moved aside when Harry and Cho approached and Harry found himself staring once more at the pictures of the ten escaped Death Eaters. The poster, By Order of the Ministry of Magic, offered a thousand-Galleon reward to any witch or wizard with information leading to the recapture of any of the convicts pictured.**

**"It's funny, isn't it," said Cho in a low voice, gazing up at the pictures of the Death Eaters, "remember when that Sirius Black escaped, and there were Dementors all over Hogsmeade looking for him? And now ten Death Eaters are on the loose and there are no Dementors anywhere..."**

**"Yeah," said Harry, tearing his eyes away from Bellatrix Lestrange's face to glance up and down the High Street. "Yeah, that is weird."**

**He wasn't sorry that there were no Dementors nearby, but now he came to think of it, their absence was highly significant. They had not only let the Death Eaters escape, they weren't bothering to look for them... it looked as though they really were outside Ministry control now.**

**The ten escaped Death Eaters were staring out of every shop window he and Cho passed. It started to rain as they passed Scrivenshaft's; cold, heavy drops of water kept hitting Harry's face and the back of his neck.**

**"Um... d'you want to get a coffee?" said Cho tentatively, as the rain began to fall more heavily.**

**"Yeah, all right," said Harry, looking around. "Where?"**

**"Oh, there's a really nice place just up here; haven't you ever been to Madam Puddifoot's?" she said brightly,**

"Oh no, she's one of the girls that actually like the place," said Alice. "Poor Harry."

"Well, we don't like it." said Hermione, gesturing Ginny, Luna and Astoria, who nodded in agreement.

"So the boys are safe with us." Astoria chuckled.

The boys all sighed in relief.

**leading him up a side road and into a small teashop that Harry had never noticed before. It was a cramped, steamy little place where everything seemed to have been decorated with frills or bows. Harry was reminded unpleasantly of Umbridge's office.**

"So you definitely didn't like the place." said Lily, holding back laughter.

"Not at all." Harry grumbled, finally sitting up properly again, sure his face was no longer red.

**"Cute, isn't it?" said Cho happily.**

**"Er... yeah," said Harry untruthfully.**

**"Look, she's decorated it for Valentine's Day!" said Cho, indicating a number of golden cherubs that were hovering over each of the small, circular tables, occasionally throwing pink confetti over the occupants.**

**They sat down at the last remaining table, which was over by the steamy window. Roger Davies, the Ravenclaw Quidditch Captain was sitting about a foot and a half away with a pretty blonde girl. They were holding hands. The sight made Harry feel uncomfortable, particularly when, looking around the teashop, he saw that it was full of nothing but couples, all of them holding hands. Perhaps Cho would expect him to hold her hand.**

**"What can I get you, m'dears?" said Madam Puddifoot, a very stout woman with a shiny black bun, squeezing between their table and Roger Davies's with great difficulty.**

**"Two coffees, please," said Cho.**

**In the time it took for their coffees to arrive, Roger Davies and his girlfriend had started kissing over their sugar bowl. Harry wished they wouldn't; he felt that Davies was setting a standard with which Cho would soon expect him to compete.**

"What's so bad about that?" Remus teased.

"Because I was really nervous and she wasn't the love of my life." Harry teased back, "That title belongs to Gin." Ginny smiled smugly.

**He felt his face growing hot and tried staring out of the window, but it was so steamed up he couldn't see the street outside. To postpone the moment when he would have to look at Cho, he stared up at the ceiling as though examining the paintwork and received a handful of confetti in the face from their hovering cherub.**

"You really aren't good at dating, are you?" Lily commented, looking sympathetic.

"Well, I think he's wonderful at it." said Ginny, "Just terrible when it comes to anyone but me." she added as an afterthought.

Harry's face was a faint pink and he was staring determinedly at the ceiling.

**After a few more painful minutes, Cho mentioned Umbridge. Harry seized on the subject with relief and they passed a few happy moments abusing her, but the subject had already been so thoroughly canvassed during D.A. meetings it did not last very long. Silence fell again. Harry was very conscious of the slurping noises coming from the table next door and cast wildly around for something else to say.**

**"Er... listen, d'you want to come with me to the Three Broomsticks at lunchtime? I'm meeting Hermione Granger there."**

"You shouldn't have said it like that." Hermione laughed, "Considering the day and the horrid stories about us the year before."

"I didn't think of that and to be honest I don't really care that she took it the wrong way anyway." Harry shrugged.

**Cho raised her eyebrows.**

**"You're meeting Hermione Granger? Today?"**

**"Yeah. Well, she asked me to, so I thought I would. D'you want to come with me? She said it wouldn't matter if you did."**

**"Oh... well... that was nice of her."**

**But Cho did not sound as though she thought it was nice at all. On the contrary, her tone was cold and all of a sudden she looked rather forbidding.**

**A few more minutes passed in total silence, Harry drinking his coffee so fast that he would soon need a fresh cup. Beside them, Roger Davies and his girlfriend seemed glued together at the lips.**

**Cho's hand was lying on the table beside her coffee and Harry was feeling a mounting pressure to take hold of it. Just do it, he told himself, as a fount of mingled panic and excitement surged up inside his chest, just reach out and grab it. Amazing, how much more difficult it was to extend his arm twelve inches and touch her hand than it was to snatch a speeding Snitch from midair...**

_It's not like that with me, is it? _Ginny asked him critically.

_Nope, it's completely natural,_ replied Harry taking her hand to prove his point, making her smile.

**But just as he moved his hand forwards, Cho took hers off the table. She was now watching Roger Davies kissing his girlfriend with a mildly interested expression.**

**"He asked me out, you know," she said in a quiet voice. "A couple of weeks ago. Roger. I turned him down, though."**

"Why is she mentioning Roger?" Percy asked, looking confused.

"It's obvious Perce, she's trying to make him jealous." Charlie chuckled, "Did it work?" he asked Harry.

"Not in the slightest." he shrugged, "I was more confused as to why she brought it up."

**Harry, who had grabbed the sugar bowl to excuse his sudden lunging movement across the table, could not think why she was telling him this. If she wished she were sitting at the next table being heartily kissed by Roger Davies, why had she agreed to come out with him? He said nothing. Their cherub threw another handful of confetti over them; some of it landed in the last cold dregs of coffee Harry had been about to drink.**

**"I came in here with Cedric last year," said Cho.**

**In the second or so it took for him to take in what she had said, Harry's insides had become glacial. He could not believe she wanted to talk about Cedric now, while kissing couples surrounded them and a cherub floated over their heads.**

**Cho's voice was rather higher when she spoke again.**

**"I've been meaning to ask you for ages... did Cedric - did he - m-m-mention me at all before he died?"**

**This was the very last subject on earth Harry wanted to discuss, and least of all with Cho.**

**"Well - no -" he said quietly. "There - there wasn't time for him to say anything. Erm... so... d'you... d'you get to see a lot of Quidditch in the holidays? You support the Tornados, right?"**

**His voice sounded falsely bright and cheery. To his horror, he saw that her eyes were swimming with tears again, just as they had been after the last D.A. meeting before Christmas.**

**"Look," he said desperately, leaning in so that nobody else could overhear, "let's not talk about Cedric right now... let's talk about something else."**

**But this, apparently, was quite the wrong thing to say.**

**"I thought," she said, tears spattering down on to the table, "I thought you'd u-u-understand! I need to talk about it! Surely you n-need to talk about it t-too! I mean, you saw it happen, d-didn't you?"**

**Everything was going nightmarishly wrong; Roger Davies's girlfriend had even unglued herself to look round at Cho crying.**

**"Well - I have talked about it," Harry said in a whisper, "to Ron and Hermione, but -"**

"That's not going to go well." Remus mused, shaking his head.

**"Oh, you'll talk to Hermione Granger!" she said shrilly, her face now shining with tears. Several more kissing couples broke apart to stare. "But you won't talk to me! P-perhaps it would be best if we just... just p-paid and you went and met up with Hermione G-Granger, like you obviously want to!"**

**Harry stared at her, utterly bewildered, as she seized a frilly napkin and dabbed at her shining face with it.**

**"Cho?" he said weakly, wishing Roger would seize his girlfriend and start kissing her again to stop her goggling at him and Cho.**

**"Go on, leave!" she said, now crying into the napkin. "I don't know why you asked me out in the first place if you're going to make arrangements to meet other girls right after me... how many are you meeting after Hermione?"**

**"It's not like that!" said Harry, and he was so relieved at finally understanding what she was annoyed about that he laughed, which he realized a split second too late was also a mistake.**

**Cho sprang to her feet. The whole tearoom was quiet and everybody was watching them now.**

**"I'll see you around, Harry," she said dramatically, and hiccoughing slightly she dashed to the door, wrenched it open and hurried off into the pouring rain.**

**"Cho!" Harry called after her, but the door had already swung shut behind her with a tuneful tinkle.**

**There was total silence within the teashop. Every eye was on Harry. He threw a Galleon down on to the table, shook pink confetti out of his hair, and followed Cho out of the door.**

**It was raining hard now and she was nowhere to be seen. He simply did not understand what had happened; half an hour ago they had been getting along fine.**

**"Women!" he muttered angrily, sloshing down the rain-washed street with his hands in his pockets. "What did she want to talk about Cedric for, anyway? Why does she always want to drag up a subject that makes her act like a human hosepipe?"**

"Not very sensitive, are you, Harry?" asked Sirius.

"She started it!" he protested.

**He turned right and broke into a splashy run, and within minutes he was turning into the doorway of the Three Broomsticks. He knew he was too early to meet Hermione, but he thought it likely there would be someone in here with whom he could spend the intervening time. He shook his wet hair out of his eyes and looked around. Hagrid was sitting alone in a corner, looking morose.**

**"Hi, Hagrid!" he said, when he had squeezed through the crammed tables and pulled up a chair beside him.**

**Hagrid jumped and looked down at Harry as though he barely recognized him. Harry saw that he had two fresh cuts on his face and several new bruises.**

**"Oh, it's yeh, Harry," said Hagrid. "Yeh all right?"**

**"Yeah, I'm fine," lied Harry; but, next to this battered and mournful-looking Hagrid, he felt he didn't really have much to complain about. "Er - are you okay?"**

**"Me?" said Hagrid. "Oh yeah, I'm grand, Harry, grand."**

**He gazed into the depths of his pewter tankard, which was the size of a large bucket, and sighed.**

**Harry didn't know what to say to him. They sat side by side in silence for a moment. Then Hagrid said abruptly, "In the same boat, yeh an' me, aren' we, 'Arry?"**

**"Er -" said Harry.**

**"Yeah... I've said it before... both outsiders, like," said Hagrid, nodding wisely. "An' both orphans. Yeah... both orphans."**

**He took a great swig from his tankard.**

**"Makes a diff'rence, havin' a decent family," he said. "Me dad was decent. An' your mum an' dad were decent. If they'd lived, life woulda bin diff'rent, eh?"**

Everyone in the room looked sad at this.

**"Yeah... I s'pose," said Harry cautiously. Hagrid seemed to be in a very strange mood.**

**"Family," said Hagrid gloomily. "Whatever yeh say, blood's important..."**

**And he wiped a trickle of it out of his eye.**

**"Hagrid," said Harry, unable to stop himself, "where are you getting all these injuries?"**

**"Eh?" said Hagrid, looking startled. "Wha' injuries?"**

**"All those!" said Harry, pointing at Hagrid's face.**

**"Oh... tha's jus' normal bumps an' bruises, Harry," said Hagrid dismissively, "I got a rough job."**

**He drained his tankard, set it back on the table and got to his feet.**

**"I'll be seein' yeh, Harry... take care now."**

**And he lumbered out of the pub looking wretched, and disappeared into the torrential rain. Harry watched him go, feeling miserable. Hagrid was unhappy and he was hiding something, but he seemed determined not to accept help. What was going on? But before Harry could think about it any further, he heard a voice calling his name.**

**"Harry! Harry, over here!"**

**Hermione was waving at him from the other side of the room. He got up and made his way towards her through the crowded pub. He was still a few tables away when he realized that Hermione was not alone. She was sitting at a table with the unlikeliest pair of drinking mates he could ever have imagined: Luna Lovegood and none other than Rita Skeeter, ex-journalist on the Daily Prophet and one of Hermione's least favorite people in the world.**

"This is why you should've told me." Harry told Hermione

**"You're early!" said Hermione, moving along to give him room to sit down. "I thought you were with Cho, I wasn't expecting you for another hour at least!"**

**"Cho?" said Rita at once, twisting round in her seat to stare avidly at Harry. "A girl?"**

**She snatched up her crocodile-skin handbag and groped within it.**

**"It's none of your business if Harry's been with a hundred girls," Hermione told Rita coolly. "So you can put that away right now."**

**Rita had been on the point of withdrawing an acid-green quill from her bag. Looking as though she had been forced to swallow Stinksap, she snapped her bag shut again.**

**"What are you up to?" Harry asked, sitting down and staring from Rita to Luna to Hermione.**

**"Little Miss Perfect was just about to tell me when you arrived," said Rita, taking a large slurp of her drink. "I suppose I'm allowed to talk to him, am I?" she shot at Hermione.**

**"Yes, I suppose you are," said Hermione coldly.**

**Unemployment did not suit Rita.**

"Good." they all said at the same time.

**The hair that had once been set in elaborate curls now hung lank and unkempt around her face. The scarlet paint on her two-inch talons was chipped and there were a couple of false jewels missing from her winged glasses. She took another great gulp of her drink and said out of the corner of her mouth, "Pretty girl, is she, Harry?"**

**"One more word about Harry's love life and the deal's off and that's a promise," said Hermione irritably.**

**"What deal?" said Rita, wiping her mouth on the back of her hand. "You haven't mentioned a deal yet, Miss Prissy, you just told me to turn up. Oh, one of these days..." She took a deep shuddering breath.**

**"Yes, yes, one of these days you'll write more horrible stories about Harry and me," said Hermione indifferently. "Find someone who cares, why don't you?"**

**"They've run plenty of horrible stories about Harry this year without my help," said Rita, shooting a sideways look at him over the top of her glass and adding in a rough whisper, "How has that made you feel, Harry? Betrayed? Distraught? Misunderstood?"**

**"He feels angry, of course," said Hermione in a hard, clear voice. "Because he's told the Minister for Magic the truth and the Minister's too much of an idiot to believe him."**

**"So you actually stick to it, do you, that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is back?" said Rita, lowering her glass and subjecting Harry to a piercing stare while her finger strayed longingly to the clasp of the crocodile bag. "You stand by all this garbage Dumbledore's been telling everybody about You-Know-Who returning and you being the sole witness?"**

**"I wasn't the sole witness," snarled Harry. "There were a dozen-odd Death Eaters there as well. Want their names?"**

**"I'd love them," breathed Rita, now fumbling in her bag once more and gazing at him as though he was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. "A great bold headline: 'Potter Accuses...' A sub-heading, 'Harry Potter Names Death Eaters Still Among Us'. And then, beneath a nice big photograph of you, 'Disturbed teenage survivor of You-Know-Who's attack, Harry Potter, 15, caused outrage yesterday by accusing respectable and prominent members of the wizarding community of being Death Eaters...'"**

"Other than the jibes against you, Harry, that sounds pretty good." declared James.

**The Quick-Quotes Quill was actually in her hand and halfway to her mouth when the rapturous expression on her face died.**

**"But of course," she said, lowering the quill and looking daggers at Hermione, "Little Miss Perfect wouldn't want that story out there, would she?"**

**"As a matter of fact," said Hermione sweetly, "that's exactly what Little Miss Perfect does want."**

**Rita stared at her. So did Harry. Luna, on the other hand, sang Weasley is our King dreamily under her breath and stirred her drink with a cocktail onion on a stick.**

"Luna!" Ron groaned.

"It was catchy." she shrugged, "And it wasn't the version you're thinking of."

**"You want me to report what he says about He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named?" Rita asked Hermione in a hushed voice.**

**"Yes, I do," said Hermione. "The true story. All the facts. Exactly as Harry reports them. He'll give you all the details, he'll tell you the names of the undiscovered Death Eaters he saw there, he'll tell you what Voldemort looks like now - oh, get a grip on yourself," she added contemptuously, throwing a napkin across the table, for, at the sound of Voldemort's name, Rita had jumped so badly she had slopped half her glass of Firewhisky down herself.**

**Rita blotted the front of her grubby raincoat, still staring at Hermione. Then she said baldly, "The Prophet wouldn't print it. In case you haven't noticed, nobody believes his cock-and-bull story. Everyone thinks he's delusional. Now, if you let me write the story from that angle -"**

**"We don't need another story about how Harry's lost his marbles!" said Hermione angrily. "We've had plenty of those already, thank you! I want him given the opportunity to tell the truth!"**

**"There's no market for a story like that," said Rita coldly.**

**"You mean the Prophet won't print it because Fudge won't let them," said Hermione irritably.**

**Rita gave Hermione a long, hard look. Then, leaning forwards across the table towards her, she said in a business-like tone, "All right, Fudge is leaning on the Prophet, but it comes to the same thing. They won't print a story that shows Harry in a good light. Nobody wants to read it. It's against the public mood. This last Azkaban breakout has got people quite worried enough. People just don't want to believe You-Know-Who's back."**

**"So the Daily Prophet exists to tell people what they want to hear, does it?" said Hermione scathingly.**

**Rita sat up straight again, her eyebrows raised, and drained her glass of Firewhisky.**

**"The Prophet exists to sell itself, you silly girl," she said coldly.**

**"My dad thinks it's an awful paper," said Luna, chipping into the conversation unexpectedly. Sucking on her cocktail onion, she gazed at Rita with her enormous, protuberant, slightly mad eyes. "He publishes important stories he thinks the public needs to know. He doesn't care about making money."**

"Which is very admirable of him," said Lily. "We need more people like that."

"Thank you," said Luna, beaming.

**Rita looked disparagingly at Luna.**

**"I'm guessing your father runs some stupid little village newsletter?" she said. "Probably, Twenty-Five Ways to Mingle With Muggles and the dates of the next Bring and Fly Sale?"**

**"No," said Luna, dipping her onion back into her Gillywater, "he's the editor of The Quibbler."**

**Rita snorted so loudly that people at a nearby table looked round in alarm.**

**"'Important stories he thinks the public needs to know', eh?" she said witheringly. "I could manure my garden with the contents of that rag."**

**"Well, this is your chance to raise the tone of it a bit, isn't it?" said Hermione pleasantly. "Luna says her father's quite happy to take Harry's interview. That's who'll be publishing it."**

"How did you think of having The Quibbler publish it?" asked Alice curiously.

"Well, I knew the Prophet wouldn't," responded Hermione. "And I knew Luna and that her father was likely to want to publish such an article."

"We'd do anything to help friends." Luna nodded, "And the family line has been aligned with the light for decades, the least we could do was to help another family like that."

"Decades?" Bill frowned, "Don't you mean centuries?"

"No, there were some dark people in the family line maybe... 10 decades ago." Luna shrugged.

"It's the same with the Potter's." James nodded, "All the Light families' really." he added, "Most of them do have rather dark pasts."

**Rita stared at them both for a moment, then let out a great whoop of laughter.**

**"The Quibbler!" she said, cackling. "You think people will take him seriously if he's published in The Quibbler!"**

**"Some people won't," said Hermione in a level voice. "But the Daily Prophet's version of the Azkaban breakout had some gaping holes in it. I think a lot of people will be wondering whether there isn't a better explanation of what happened, and if there's an alternative story available, even if it is published in a -" she glanced sideways at Luna, "in a - well, an unusual magazine - I think they might be rather keen to read it."**

**Rita didn't say anything for a while, but eyed Hermione shrewdly, her head a little to one side.**

**"All right, let's say for a moment I'll do it," she said abruptly. "What kind of fee am I going to get?"**

**"I don't think Daddy exactly pays people to write for the magazine," said Luna dreamily. "They do it because it's an honor and, of course, to see their names in print."**

**Rita Skeeter looked as though the taste of Stinksap was strong in her mouth again as she rounded on Hermione.**

**"I'm supposed to do this for free?"**

**"Well, yes," said Hermione calmly, taking a sip of her drink. "Otherwise, as you very well know, I will inform the authorities that you are an unregistered Animagus. Of course, the Prophet might give you rather a lot for an insider's account of life in Azkaban."**

**Rita looked as though she would have liked nothing better than to seize the paper umbrella sticking out of Hermione's drink and thrust it up her nose.**

**"I don't suppose I've got any choice, have I?" said Rita, her voice shaking slightly. She opened her crocodile bag once more, withdrew a piece of parchment, and raised her Quick-Quotes Quill.**

**"Daddy will be pleased," said Luna brightly. A muscle twitched in Rita's jaw.**

**"Okay, Harry?" said Hermione, turning to him. "Ready to tell the public the truth?"**

**"I suppose," said Harry, watching Rita balancing the Quick-Quotes Quill at the ready on the parchment between them.**

**"Fire away, then, Rita," said Hermione serenely, fishing a cherry out from the bottom of her glass.**

"Oh, this is brilliant!" Dudley grinned, "Now people will likely read the truth and more people will believe Harry."

"Which is pretty much what happened." Harry smirked, "To the point Umbridge banned the magazine."

"The best thing she ever did." Minerva nodded, "All teachers know banning something gives students incentive to do the thing that's been banned, unless there's a valid reason for banning the thing that's been banned."

"So naturally, the whole school was riddled with the magazine." Albus chuckled, "Especially since she didn't give a reason for banning it."

"And none of the staff could tell the students off because of Umbridge's decree stating we couldn't talk about anything that wasn't our subjects." Snape added, smirking, "That woman really did cause the whole thing to blow up on a massive scale."

"It was the turning point for the Quibbler too, since then more people bought the magazine every time a new one was released." Luna smiled.

"Because the Prophet doesn't print the true stories half the time, even now with Kingsley watching it it's mostly false stories for people to gossip about." Harry shrugged.

"Yet people still believe it." Kingsley mused.

"Of course. If you tell someone something so many times they'll believe it, if people are gossiping about something and no one knows the truth then it all adds up." Draco shrugged, "People thought we'd bribed Kingsley and that's how we got out of the one way trip to Azkaban."

"It was only Harry's intervention that stopped them in the end, I think." Cissy smiled warmly at the teen.

"Most people tend to listen to what I say now." Harry shrugged, "They've all figured out I don't lie unless I have to and even if I do lie it's usually easy to see through it."

"Only if they know you." Ginny pointed out, "Or can smell the emotions and moods of anyone."

"Not always." Hermione argued, "He's managed to get stuff past us before."

"You got your fair share of stuff past me too." Harry said defensively, "And I mean it when I say I only lie if I have to."

"Define 'have to'." James challenged.

"To keep others and myself alive." he stated bluntly, "At the moment we're, all three of us, lying to the entire wizarding world to stay safe." Ron and Hermione nodded their agreement.

"Something to do with what you were doing last year?" Remus inquired.

"Exactly, we can't risk the information getting in the wrong hands." Ron nodded slowly.

"Only those we trust will be told about what we were actually doing. Aka, you lot." Hermione smiled grimly, "We know a few people have probably guessed what we were looking for and we've told a few others."

"And some of us just have a feeling about what it was and would like to say it was incredibly brave and stupid of you." Regulus commented.

"They're Gryffindor's, get used to it. And it was necessary for them to do it." Ginny told him.

"And now we're going to leave this subject alone until later." Harry said firmly, "And we'll continue with the memories."

* * *

><p>Review please x<p> 


	88. Chapter 88

Chapter 88 - Fifth Year (Part 14)

22, August, 1998.

Harry changed the memory before anyone could say anything, "This is after the interview." he told them.

**Luna said vaguely that she did not know how soon Rita's interview with Harry would appear in The Quibbler, that her father was expecting a lovely long article on recent sightings of Crumple-Horned Snorkacks, "- and of course, that'll be a very important story, so Harry's might have to wait for the following issue," said Luna.**

**Harry had not found it an easy experience to talk about the night when Voldemort had returned. Rita had pressed him for every little detail and he had given her everything he could remember, knowing that this was his one big opportunity to tell the world the truth. He wondered how people would react to the story. He guessed that it would confirm a lot of people in the view that he was completely insane, not least because his story would be appearing alongside utter rubbish about Crumple-Horned Snorkacks. But the breakout of Bellatrix Lestrange and her fellow Death Eaters had given Harry a burning desire to do something, whether or not it worked...**

**"Can't wait to see what Umbridge thinks of you going public," said Dean, sounding awestruck at dinner on Monday night. Seamus was shovelling down large amounts of chicken and ham pie on Dean's other side, but Harry knew he was listening.**

"Of course he was." Neville grinned, "He was starting to feel stupid at that point according to Dean."

**"It's the right thing to do, Harry," said Neville, who was sitting opposite him. He was rather pale, but went on in a low voice, "It must have been... tough... talking about it... was it?"**

**"Yeah," mumbled Harry, "but people have got to know what Voldemort's capable of, haven't they?"**

**"That's right," said Neville, nodding, "and his Death Eaters, too... people should know..."**

**Neville left his sentence hanging and returned to his baked potato. Seamus looked up, but when he caught Harry's eye he looked quickly back at his plate again. After a while, Dean, Seamus and Neville departed for the common room, leaving Harry and Hermione at the table waiting for Ron, who had not yet had dinner because of Quidditch practice.**

**Cho Chang walked into the Hall with her friend Marietta. Harry's stomach gave an unpleasant lurch, but she did not look over at the Gryffindor table, and sat down with her back to him.**

**"Oh, I forgot to ask you," said Hermione brightly, glancing over at the Ravenclaw table, "what happened on your date with Cho? How come you were back so early?"**

**"Er... well, it was..." said Harry, pulling a dish of rhubarb crumble towards him and helping himself to seconds, "a complete fiasco, now you mention it."**

**And he told her what had happened in Madam Puddifoot's teashop.**

**"... so then," he finished several minutes later, as the final bit of crumble disappeared, "she jumps up, right, and says, 'I'll see you around, Harry,' and runs out of the place!" He put down his spoon and looked at Hermione. "I mean, what was all that about? What was going on?"**

"You honestly couldn't figure it out?" Lily chuckled.

"Nope, I had no clue." Harry muttered.

**Hermione glanced over at the back of Cho's head and sighed.**

**"Oh, Harry," she said sadly. "Well, I'm sorry but you were a bit tactless."**

**"Me, tactless?" said Harry, outraged. "One minute we were getting on fine, next minute she was telling me that Roger Davies asked her out and how she used to go and snog Cedric in that stupid teashop - how was I supposed to feel about that?"**

**"Well, you see," said Hermione, with the patient air of someone explaining that one plus one equals two to an over-emotional toddler, "you shouldn't have told her that you wanted to meet me halfway through your date."**

**"But, but," spluttered Harry, "but - you told me to meet you at twelve and to bring her along, how was I supposed to do that without telling her?"**

**"You should have told her differently," said Hermione, still with that maddeningly patient air. "You should have said it was really annoying, but I'd made you promise to come along to the Three Broomsticks, and you really didn't want to go, you'd much rather spend the whole day with her, but unfortunately you thought you really ought to meet me and would she please, please come along with you and hopefully you'd be able to get away more quickly. And it might have been a good idea to mention how ugly you think I am, too," Hermione added as an afterthought.**

**"But I don't think you're ugly," said Harry, bemused.**

**Hermione laughed.**

**"Harry, you're worse than Ron... well, no, you're not," she sighed, as Ron himself came stumping into the Hall splattered with mud and looking grumpy.**

Ron raised his eyebrows at Hermione, "Was that comment necessary?"

"Of course." she replied, "You were more clueless than Harry when it came to dating."

**"Look - you upset Cho when you said you were going to meet me, so she tried to make you jealous. It was her way of trying to find out how much you liked her."**

**"Is that what she was doing?" said Harry, as Ron dropped onto the bench opposite them and pulled every dish within reach towards him. "Well, wouldn't it have been easier if she'd just asked me whether I liked her better than you?"**

**"Girls don't often ask questions like that," said Hermione.**

**"Well, they should!" said Harry forcefully. "Then I could've just told her I fancy her, and she wouldn't have had to get herself all worked up again about Cedric dying!"**

**"I'm not saying what she did was sensible," said Hermione, as Ginny joined them, just as muddy as Ron and looking equally disgruntled. "I'm just trying to make you see how she was feeling at the time."**

**"You should write a book," Ron told Hermione as he cut up his potatoes, "translating mad things girls do so boys can understand them."**

"Oh but where's the fun in that?" Alice asked innocently.

**"Yeah," said Harry fervently, looking over at the Ravenclaw table. Cho had just got up, and, still not looking at him, she left the Great Hall. Feeling rather depressed, he looked back at Ron and Ginny. "So, how was Quidditch practice?"**

**'It was a nightmare,' said Ron in a surly voice.**

**"Oh come on," said Hermione, looking at Ginny, "I'm sure it wasn't that -"**

**"Yes, it was," said Ginny. "It was appalling. Angelina was nearly in tears by the end of it."**

**Ron and Ginny went off for baths after dinner; Harry and Hermione returned to the busy Gryffindor common room and their usual pile of homework. Harry had been struggling with a new star-chart for Astronomy for half an hour when Fred and George turned up.**

**"Ron and Ginny not here?" asked Fred, looking around as he pulled up a chair, and when Harry shook his head, he said, "Good. We were watching their practice. They're going to be slaughtered. They're complete rubbish without us."**

**"Come on, Ginny's not bad," said George fairly, sitting down next to Fred. "Actually, I dunno how she got so good, seeing how we never let her play with us."**

"You know, that's a good point. How did you get so good Ginny?" Bill asked curiously.

Ginny looked at Hermione, "Did you tell them?"

Hermione nodded sheepishly.

**"She's been breaking into your broom shed in the garden since the age of six and taking each of your brooms out in turn when you weren't looking," said Hermione from behind her tottering pile of Ancient Rune books.**

"Ah, that makes sense." Charlie chuckled as Ginny grinned.

**"Oh," said George, looking mildly impressed. "Well - that'd explain it."**

**"Has Ron saved a goal yet?" asked Hermione, peering over the top of Magical Hieroglyphs and Logograms.**

**"Well, he can do it if he doesn't think anyone's watching him," said Fred, rolling his eyes. "So all we have to do is ask the crowd to turn their backs and talk among themselves every time the Quaffle goes up his end on Saturday."**

**He got up again and moved restlessly to the window, staring out across the dark grounds.**

**"You know, Quidditch was about the only thing in this place worth staying for."**

**Hermione cast him a stern look.**

**"You've got exams coming!"**

**"Told you already, we're not fussed about NEWTs," said Fred. "The Snackboxes are ready to roll, we found out how to get rid of those boils, just a couple of drops of Murtlap essence sorts them, Lee put us on to it."**

**George yawned widely and looked out disconsolately at the cloudy night sky.**

**"I dunno if I even want to watch this match. If Zacharias Smith beats us I might have to kill myself."**

**"Kill him, more like," said Fred firmly.**

**"That's the trouble with Quidditch," said Hermione absent-mindedly, once again bent over her Runes translation, "it creates all this bad feeling and tension between the houses."**

**She looked up to find her copy of Spellman's Syllabary, and caught Fred, George and Harry all staring at her with expressions of mingled disgust and incredulity on their faces.**

**"Well, it does!" she said impatiently. "It's only a game, isn't it?"**

**"Hermione," said Harry, shaking his head, "you're good on feelings and stuff, but you just don't understand about Quidditch."**

**"Maybe not," she said darkly, returning to her translation, "but at least my happiness doesn't depend on Ron's goalkeeping ability."**

**And though Harry would rather have jumped off the Astronomy Tower than admit it to her, by the time he had watched the game the following Saturday he would have given any number of Galleons not to care about Quidditch either.**

**The very best thing you could say about the match was that it was short; the Gryffindor spectators had to endure only twenty-two minutes of agony. It was hard to say what the worst thing was: Harry thought it was a close-run contest between Ron's fourteenth failed save, Sloper missing the Bludger but hitting Angelina in the mouth with his bat, and Kirke shrieking and falling backwards off his broom when Zacharias Smith zoomed at him carrying the Quaffle. The miracle was that Gryffindor only lost by ten points: Ginny managed to snatch the Snitch from right under Hufflepuff Seeker Summerby's nose, so that the final score was two hundred and forty versus two hundred and thirty.**

**"Good catch," Harry told Ginny back in the common room, where the atmosphere resembled that of a particularly dismal funeral.**

**"I was lucky," she shrugged. "It wasn't a very fast Snitch and Summerby's got a cold, he sneezed and closed his eyes at exactly the wrong moment. Anyway, once you're back on the team -"**

**"Ginny, I've got a lifelong ban."**

**"You're banned as long as Umbridge is in the school," Ginny corrected him. "There's a difference. Anyway, once you're back, I think I'll, try out for Chaser. Angelina and Alicia are both leaving next year and I prefer goal-scoring to Seeking anyway."**

**Harry looked over at Ron, who was hunched in a corner, staring at his knees, a bottle of Butlerbeer clutched in his hand.**

**"Angelina still won't let him resign," Ginny said, as though reading Harry's mind. "She says she knows he's got it in him."**

**Harry liked Angelina for the faith she was showing in Ron, but at the same time thought it would really be kinder to let him leave the team. Ron had left the pitch to another booming chorus of 'Weasley is our King' sung with great gusto by the Slytherins, who were now favourites to win the Quidditch Cup.**

**Fred and George wandered over.**

**"I haven't even got the heart to take the mickey out of him," said Fred, looking over at Ron's crumpled figure. "Mind you... when he missed the fourteenth -"**

**He made wild motions with his arms as though doing an upright doggy-paddle.**

**"- well, I'll save it for parties, eh?"**

Ron glared at the twins.

**Ron dragged himself up to bed shortly after this. Out of respect for his feelings, Harry waited a while before going up to the dormitory himself, so that Ron could pretend to be asleep if he wanted to. Sure enough, when Harry finally entered the room Ron was snoring a little too loudly to be entirely plausible.**

**Harry got into bed, thinking about the match. It had been immensely frustrating watching from the sidelines. He was quite impressed by Ginny's performance but he knew if he had been playing he could have caught the Snitch sooner... there had been a moment when it had been fluttering near Kirke's ankle; if Ginny hadn't hesitated, she might have been able to scrape a win for Gryffindor.**

"Hey! I hesitated for a reason." Ginny protested.

"And what would that be milady?" Harry inquired.

"Do you really think it would be a good thing if I were knocked out by our own Beater?" she retorted, "You saw what Kirke was like when people flew at him, he panicked and started flailing the bat around."

"She has a point." Ron nodded, "That was one of the worst matches ever though."

**Umbridge had been sitting a few rows below Harry and Hermione. Once or twice she had turned squatly in her seat to look at him, her wide toad's mouth stretched in what he thought had been a gloating smile. The memory of it made him feel hot with anger as he lay there in the dark. After a few minutes, however, he remembered that he was supposed to be emptying his mind of all emotion before he slept, as Snape kept instructing him at the end of every Occlumency lesson.**

**He tried for a moment or two, but the thought of Snape on top of memories of Umbridge merely increased his sense of grumbling resentment and he found himself focusing instead on how much he loathed the pair of them. Slowly, Ron's snores died away to be replaced by the sound of deep, slow breathing. It took Harry much longer to get to sleep; his body was tired, but it took his brain a long time to close down.**

**He dreamed that Neville and Professor Sprout were waltzing around the Room of Requirement while Professor McGonagall played the bagpipes. He watched them happily for a while, then decided to go and find the other members of the DA.**

**But when he left the room he found himself facing, not the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy, but a torch burning in its bracket on a stone wall. He turned his head slowly to the left. There, at the far end of the windowless passage, was a plain, black door.**

**He walked towards it with a sense of mounting excitement. He had the strangest feeling that this time he was going to get lucky at last, and find the way to open it... he was feet from it, and saw with a leap of excitement that there was a glowing strip of faint blue light down the right-hand side... the door was ajar... he stretched out his hand to push it wide and -**

**Ron gave a loud, rasping, genuine snore and Harry awoke abruptly with his right hand stretched in front of him in the darkness, to open a door that was hundreds of miles away. He let it fall with a feeling of mingled disappointment and guilt. He knew he should not have seen the door, but at the same time felt so consumed with curiosity about what was behind it that he could not help feeling annoyed with Ron... if only he could have saved his snore for just another minute.**

**They entered the Great Hall for breakfast at exactly the same moment as the post owls on Monday morning. Hermione was not the only person eagerly awaiting her Daily Prophet: nearly everyone was eager for more news about the escaped Death Eaters, who, despite many reported sightings, had still not been caught. She gave the delivery owl a Knut and unfolded the newspaper eagerly while Harry helped himself to orange juice; as he had only received one note during the entire year, he was sure, when the first owl landed with a thud in front of him, that it had made a mistake.**

**"Who're you after?" he asked it, languidly removing his orange juice from underneath its beak and leaning forwards to see the recipient's name and address:**

**Harry Potter**

**Great Hall**

**Hogwarts School**

**Frowning, he made to take the letter from the owl, but before he could do so, three, four, five more owls had fluttered down beside it and were jockeying for position, treading in the butter and knocking over the salt as each one attempted to give him their letter first.**

"Fan mail?" Fleur guessed.

"Right in one." Hermione laughed.

**"What's going on?" Ron asked in amazement, as the whole of Gryffindor table leaned forwards to watch and another seven owls landed amongst the first ones, screeching, hooting and flapping their wings.**

**"Harry!" said Hermione breathlessly, plunging her hands into the feathery mass and pulling out a screech owl bearing a long, cylindrical package. "I think I know what this means - open this one first!"**

**Harry ripped off the brown packaging. Out rolled a tightly furled copy of the March edition of The Quibbler. He unrolled it to see his own face grinning sheepishly at him from the front cover. In large red letters across this picture were the words:**

**HARRY POTTER SPEAKS OUT AT LAST:**

**THE TRUTH ABOUT HE WHO MUST NOT BE NAMED**

**AND THE NIGHT I SAW HIM RETURN**

"Hey Luna? Where did the picture come from?" Harry frowned.

"Colin." she told him, "He was more than happy to help out and he had hundreds of them." She chuckled.

**"It's good, isn't it?" said Luna, who had drifted over to the Gryffindor table and now squeezed herself on to the bench between Fred and Ron. "It came out yesterday, I asked Dad to send you a free copy. I expect all these," she waved a hand at the assembled owls still scrabbling around on the table in front of Harry, "are letters from readers."**

**"That's what I thought," said Hermione eagerly. "Harry, d'you mind if we -?"**

**"Help yourself," said Harry, feeling slightly bemused.**

**Ron and Hermione both started ripping open envelopes.**

**"This one's from a bloke who thinks you're off your rocker," said Ron, glancing down his letter. "Ah well..."**

**"This woman recommends you try a good course of Shock Spells at St. Mungo's," said Hermione, looking disappointed and crumpling up a second.**

**"This one looks OK, though," said Harry slowly scanning a long letter from a witch in Paisley. "Hey she says she believes me!"**

**"This one's in two minds," said Fred, who had joined in the letter-opening with enthusiasm. "Says you don't come across as a mad person, but he really doesn't want to believe You-Know-Who's back so he doesn't know what to think now. Blimey, what a waste of parchment."**

**"Here's another one you've convinced, Harry!" said Hermione excitedly. "Having read your side of the story, I am forced to the conclusion that the Daily Prophet has treated you very unfairly... little though I want to think that He Who Must Not Be Named has returned, I am forced to accept that you are telling the truth... Oh, this is wonderful!"**

**"Another one who thinks you're barking," said Ron, throwing a crumpled letter over his shoulder "... but this one says you've got her converted and she now thinks you're a real hero - she's put in a photograph, too - wow!"**

**"What is going on here?" said a falsely sweet, girlish voice.**

**Harry looked up with his hands full of envelopes. Professor Umbridge was standing behind Fred and Luna, her bulging toad's eyes scanning the mess of owls and letters on the table in front of Harry. Behind her he saw many of the students watching them avidly.**

**"Why have you got all these letters, Mr. Potter?" she asked slowly.**

"Because I wasn't getting my mail screened at that time." Harry said mockingly.

"Screened?" Frank asked.

"The six of us." Neville told him, gesturing the two trio's respectively, "Have our mail screened by the Ministry."

"Why?" Alice asked, obviously confused.

"Because they didn't want to deal with fan mail and death threats, so far there's been a few cursed envelopes from people wanting them dead." Minerva winced.

"And over 50 letters from admirers a day are stopped and kept in a room." Percy added, "Or at least regulated, there's actually a sack for each of them waiting on being picked up."

"Burn them." Harry groaned.

"Don't, we should look through them." Hermione said.

"After last time?!" Ginny asked incredulously, "Are you mad?!"

"I didn't say reply to all of them, I mean... There's a lot of kids who look up to us, what would they think if they're letters were ignored? Add to that, it would be good to check through them in case the screening blocked letters from friends accidentally." she stated.

"It has happened before." Luna agreed, "And she's right, we don't have to reply to all of them."

The three boys and Ginny shared looks, "Why are they always right?" Ron asked.

"Because if they weren't we'd probably be dead or worse." Neville mused as they turned back to the memory.

**"Is that a crime now?" said Fred loudly. "Getting mail?"**

**"Be careful, Mr Weasley or I shall have to put you in detention," said Umbridge. "Well, Mr Potter?"**

**Harry hesitated, but he did not see how he could keep what he had done quiet; it was surely only a matter of time before a copy of The Quibbler came to Umbridge's attention.**

**"People have written to me because I gave an interview," said Harry. "About what happened to me last June."**

**For some reason he glanced up at the staff table as he said this. Harry had the strangest feeling that Dumbledore had been watching him a second before, but when he looked towards the Headmaster he seemed to be absorbed in conversation with Professor Flitwick.**

**"An interview?" repeated Umbridge, her voice thinner and higher than ever. "What do you mean?"**

**"I mean a reporter asked me questions and I answered them," said Harry. "Here -"**

**And he threw the copy of The Quibbler to her. She caught it and stared down at the cover. Her pale, doughy face turned an ugly, patchy violet.**

**"When did you do this?" she asked, her voice trembling slightly.**

**"Last Hogsmeade weekend," said Harry.**

**She looked up at him, incandescent with rage, the magazine shaking in her stubby fingers.**

**"There will be no more Hogsmeade trips for you, Mr. Potter," she whispered. "How you dare... how you could..." She took a deep breath. "I have tried again and again to teach you not to tell lies. The message, apparently, has still not sunk in. Fifty points from Gryffindor and another week's worth of detentions."**

"Not more!" James groaned.

"I knew what was at stake when I told her." Harry shrugged, "By then I was so fed up of being called a liar and thought insane... I didn't particularly care what she did to me as long as the truth was out there at last."

**She stalked away, clutching The Quibbler to her chest, the eyes of many students following her.**

**By mid-morning enormous signs had been put up all over the school, not just on house noticeboards, but in the corridors and classrooms too.**

**BY ORDER OF THE HIGH INQUISITOR OF HOGWARTS**

**Any student found in possession of the magazine The Quibbler will be expelled.**

**The above is in accordance with Educational Decree Number Twenty-seven.**

**Signed: Dolores Jane Umbridge, High Inquisitor**

**For some reason, every time Hermione caught sight of one of these signs she beamed with pleasure.**

**"What exactly are you so happy about?" Harry asked her.**

**"Oh, Harry, don't you see?" Hermione breathed. "If she could have done one thing to make absolutely sure that every single person in this school will read your interview, it was banning it!"**

**And it seemed that Hermione was quite right. By the end of the day, though Harry had not seen so much as a corner of The Quibbler anywhere in the school, the whole place seemed to be quoting the interview to each other. Harry heard them whispering about it as they queued up outside classes, discussing it over lunch and in the back of lessons, while Hermione even reported that every occupant of the cubicles in the girls' toilets had been talking about it when she nipped in there before Ancient Runes.**

**"Then they spotted me, and obviously they know I know you, so they bombarded me with questions," Hermione told Harry, her eyes shining, "and Harry, I think they believe you, I really do. I think you've finally got them convinced!"**

**Meanwhile, Professor Umbridge was stalking the school, stopping students at random and demanding that they turn out their books and pockets: Harry knew she was looking for copies of The Quibbler, but the students were several steps ahead of her. The pages carrying Harry's interview had been bewitched to resemble extracts from textbooks if anyone but themselves read it, or else wiped magically blank until they wanted to peruse it again. Soon it seemed that every single person in the school had read it.**

**The teachers were of course forbidden from mentioning the interview by Educational Decree Number Twenty-six, but they found ways to express their feelings about it all the same. Professor Sprout awarded Gryffindor twenty points when Harry passed her a watering can; a beaming Professor Flitwick pressed a box of squeaking sugar mice on him at the end of Charms, said, 'Shh!' and hurried away; and Professor Trelawney broke into hysterical sobs during Divination and announced to the startled class, and a very disapproving Umbridge, that Harry was not going to suffer an early death after all, but would live to a ripe old age, become Minister for Magic and have twelve children.**

Everyone looked at Harry.

"Twelve's a bit much isn't it?" Ginny teased.

Harry laughed, "Just a bit, and I certainly don't plan on becoming Minister, I think I'll leave that to Kingsley."

"People will probably do to you what they did with Albus." Kingsley pointed out, "By the time I reach retirement or even the next elections they'll likely bombard you with requests."

"Which I will always deny." Harry chuckled, "No offence but I really don't fancy doing your job."

"None taken." the Minister assured him.

**But what made Harry happiest was Cho catching up with him as he was hurrying along to Transfiguration the next day. Before he knew what had happened, her hand was in his and she was breathing in his ear, "I'm really, really sorry. That interview was so brave... it made me cry."**

**He was sorry to hear she had shed even more tears over it, but very glad they were on speaking terms again, and even more pleased when she gave him a swift kiss on the cheek and hurried off again. And unbelievably, no sooner had he arrived outside Transfiguration than something just as good happened: Seamus stepped out of the queue to face him.**

**"I just wanted to say," he mumbled, squinting at Harry's left knee, "I believe you. And I've sent a copy of that magazine to me mam."**

"And he's finally came to his senses!" the twins cheered.

**If anything more was needed to complete Harry's happiness, it was the reaction he got from Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle. He saw them with their heads together later that afternoon in the library; they were with a weedy-looking boy Hermione whispered was called Theodore Nott. They looked round at Harry as he browsed the shelves for the book he needed on Partial Vanishment. Goyle cracked his knuckles threateningly and Malfoy whispered something undoubtedly malevolent to Crabbe. Harry knew perfectly well why they were acting like this: he had named all of their fathers as Death Eaters.**

"You knew us so well." Draco sighed, "That's exactly why we were pissed."

Harry smirked, "Well it was rather stupid of Voldemort to think I'd not do anything. I'd already escaped him 3 times by then, surely he should've kept the Death Eater's identities secret since I was bound to escape again."

**"And the best bit," whispered Hermione gleefully, as they left the library, "is they can't contradict you, because they can't admit they've read the article!"**

**To cap it all, Luna told him over dinner that no issue of The Quibbler had ever sold out faster.**

**"Dad's reprinting!" she told Harry, her eyes popping excitedly. "He can't believe it, he says people seem even more interested in this than the Crumple-Horned Snorkacks!"**

**Harry was a hero in the Gryffindor common room that night. Daringly, Fred and George had put an Enlargement Charm on the front cover of The Quibbler and hung it on the wall, so that Harry's giant head gazed down upon the proceedings, occasionally saying things like "THE MINISTRY ARE MORONS" and "EAT DUNG, UMBRIDGE" in a booming voice. Hermione did not find this very amusing; she said it interfered with her concentration, and she ended up going to bed early out of irritation. Harry had to admit that the poster was not quite as funny after an hour or two, especially when the talking spell had started to wear off, so that it merely shouted disconnected words like "DUNG" and "UMBRIDGE" at more and more frequent intervals in a progressively higher voice. In fact, it started to make his head ache and his scar began prickling uncomfortably again. To disappointed moans from the many people who were sitting around him, asking him to relive his interview for the umpteenth time, he announced that he too needed an early night.**

**The dormitory was empty when he reached it. He rested his forehead for a moment against the cool glass of the window beside his bed; it felt soothing against his scar. Then he undressed and got into bed, wishing his headache would go away. He also felt slightly sick. He rolled over on to his side, closed his eyes, and fell asleep almost at once...**

**He was standing in a dark, curtained room lit by a single branch of candles. His hands were clenched on the back of a chair in front of him. They were long-fingered and white as though they had not seen sunlight for years and looked like large, pale spiders agairst the dark velvet of the chair.**

"Not again!" Remus groaned.

"Yes. Again." Harry winced.

**Beyond the chair, in a pool of light cast upon the floor by the candles, knelt a man in black robes.**

**"I have been badly advised, it seems," said Harry, in a high, cold voice that pulsed with anger.**

**"Master, I crave your pardon," croaked the man kneeling on the floor. The back of his head glimmered in the candlelight. He seemed to be trembling.**

**"I do not blame you, Rookwood," said Harry in that cold, cruel voice.**

"Rookwood." the Weasley's growled, minus Fred.

"Are you absolutely positive it was him who killed me?" he inquired.

"Very." Percy told him, "I saw him not 5 minutes after it."

"And he admitted to it." George added, "Didn't he Kingsley?"

"Yeah, he did." Kingsley nodded, "He's in for the same fate as Malfoy, that's twice he's escaped Azkaban." he sighed, "Still no idea what I'm going to do when the escapees are finally caught again, most of them have broken out before."

"I thought you were just going to stick them in the highest security cells?" Cissy asked.

"I was, but I don't know if that'll be enough to hold them." he admitted, "Azkaban wasn't built for mass numbers, there's only about 50 cells, and it's against the law to put two prisoners in together unless they're married or siblings."

Sirius frowned, "That's new."

"It's not, just old." Percy told him, "The law was made after 3 people were killed by the 4th in their cell about 300 years ago I think."

"I think I'll have a new prison built." Kingsley shrugged, "The prisoners can stay in Azkaban until then, extra protections on the island though, and I'll put it on lockdown or something."

**He relinquished his grip on the chair and walked around it, closer to the man cowering on the floor, until he stood directly over him in the darkness, looking down from a far greater height than usual.**

**"You are sure of your facts, Rookwood?' asked Harry.**

**"Yes, My Lord, yes... I used to work in the Department after - after all..."**

**"Avery told me Bode would be able to remove it."**

**"Bode could never have taken it, Master... Bode would have known he could not... undoubtedly, that is why he fought so hard against Malfoy's Imperius Curse..."**

**"Stand up, Rookwood," whispered Harry.**

**The kneeling man almost fell over in his haste to obey. His face was pockmarked; the scars were thrown into relief by the candlelight. He remained a little stooped when standing, as though halfway through a bow, and he darted terrified looks up at Harry's face.**

**"You have done well to tell me this," said Harry. "Very well... I have wasted months on fruitless schemes, it seems... but no matter... we begin again, from now. You have Lord Voldemort's gratitude, Rookwood..."**

**"My Lord... yes, My Lord," gasped Rookwood, his voice hoarse with relief.**

**"I shall need your help. I shall need all the information you can give me."**

**"Of course, My Lord, of course... anything..."**

**"Very well... you may go. Send Avery to me."**

**Rookwood scurried backwards, bowing, and disappeared through a door.**

**Left alone in the dark room, Harry turned towards the wall. A cracked, age-spotted mirror hung on the wall in the shadows. Harry moved towards it. His reflection grew larger and clearer in the darkness... a face whiter than a skull... red eyes with slits for pupils...**

**"NOOOOOOOOO!"**

**"What?" yelled a voice nearby.**

**Harry flailed around madly, became entangled in the hangings and fell out of his bed. For a few seconds he did not know where he was; he was convinced he was about to see the white, skull-like lace looming at him out of the dark again, then very near to him Ron's voice spoke.**

**"Will you stop acting like a maniac so I can get you out of here!"**

**Ron wrenched the hangings apart and Harry stared up at him in the moonlight, flat on his back, his scar searing with pain. Ron looked as though he had just been getting ready for bed; one arm was out of his robes.**

**"Has someone been attacked again?" asked Ron, pulling Harry roughly to his feet. "Is it Dad? Is it that snake?"**

**"No - everyone's fine -" gasped Harry, whose forehead felt as though it were on fire. "Well... Avery isn't... he's in trouble... he gave him the wrong information... Voldemort's really angry..."**

**Harry groaned and sank, shaking, on to his bed, rubbing his scar.**

**"But Rookwood's going to help him now... he's on the right track again..."**

**'What are you talking about?' said Ron, sounding scared. "D'you mean... did you just see You-Know-Who?"**

**"I was You-Know-Who," said Harry, and he stretched out his hands in the darkness and held them up to his face, to check that they were no longer deathly white and long-fingered. "He was with Rookwood, he's one of the Death Eaters who escaped from Azkaban, remember? Rookwood's just told him Bode couldn't have done it."**

**"Done what?"**

**"Remove something... he said Bode would have known he couldn't have done it... Bode was under the Imperius Curse... I think he said Malfoy's dad put it on him."**

**"Bode was bewitched to remove something?" Ron said. "But - Harry, that's got to be -"**

**"The weapon," Harry finished the sentence for him. "I know."**

**The dormitory door opened; Dean and Seamus came in. Harry swung his legs back into bed. He did not want to look as though anything odd had just happened, seeing as Seamus had only just stopped thinking Harry was a nutter.**

**"Did you say," murmured Ron, putting his head close to Harry's on the pretence of helping himself to water from the jug on his bedside table, "that you were You-Know-Who?"**

**"Yeah," said Harry quietly.**

**Ron took an unnecessarily large gulp of water; Harry saw it spill over his chin on to his chest.**

**"Harry," he said, as Dean and Seamus clattered around noisily, pulling off their robes and talking, "you've got to tell -"**

**"I haven't got to tell anyone," said Harry shortly. "I wouldn't have seen it at all if I could do Occlumency. I'm supposed to have learned to shut this stuff out. That's what they want."**

**By 'they' he meant Dumbledore. He got back into bed and rolled over on to his side with his back to Ron and after a while he heard Ron's mattress creak as he, too, lay back down. Harry's scar began to burn; he bit hard on his pillow to stop himself making a noise. Somewhere, he knew, Avery was being punished.**

"He was. I was the one who had to patch him up after that." Cissy winced, "I've never liked him but no one deserves to be tortured half to death and left on the floor bleeding, unable to get up or call for help." she shuddered.

Andy smiled sadly and put a comforting hand on her younger sister's shoulder.

**Harry and Ron waited until break next morning to tell Hermione exactly what had happened; they wanted to be absolutely sure they could not be overheard. Standing in their usual corner of the cool and breezy courtyard, Harry told her every detail of the dream he could remember. When he had finished, she said nothing at all for a few moments, but stared with a kind of painful intensity at Fred and George, who were both headless and selling their magical hats from under their cloaks on the other side of the yard.**

**"So that's why they killed him," she said quietly, withdrawing her gaze from Fred and George at last. "When Bode tried to steal this weapon, something funny happened to him. I think there must be defensive spells on it, or around it, to stop people touching it. That's why he was in St. Mungos, his brain had gone all funny and he couldn't talk. But remember what the Healer told us? He was recovering. And they couldn't risk him getting better, could they? I mean, the shock of whatever happened when he touched that weapon probably made the Imperius Curse lift. Once he'd got his voice back, he'd explain what he'd been doing, wouldn't he? They would have known he'd been sent to steal the weapon. Of course, it would have been easy for Lucius Malfoy to put the curse on him. Never out of the Ministry, is he?"**

**"He was even hanging around that day I had my hearing," said Harry. "In the - hang on..." he said slowly. "He was in the Department of Mysteries corridor that day! Your dad said he was probably trying to sneak down and find out what happened in my hearing, but what if -"**

**"Sturgis!" gasped Hermione, looking thunderstruck.**

**"Sorry?" said Ron, looking bewildered.**

**"Sturgis Podmore -" said Hermione breathlessly, "arrested for trying to get through a door! Lucius Malfoy must have got him too! I bet he did it the day you saw him there, Harry. Sturgis had Moody's Invisibility Cloak, right? So, what if he was standing guard by the door, invisible, and Malfoy heard him move - or guessed someone was there - or just did the Imperius Curse on the off-chance there'd be a guard there? So, when Sturgis next had an opportunity - probably when it was his turn on guard duty again - he tried to get into the Department to steal the weapon for Voldemort - Ron, be quiet - but he got caught and sent to Azkaban...'**

"Well reasoned, that's the conclusion the Order got to as well." Arthur admitted.

**She gazed at Harry.**

**"And now Rookwood's told Voldemort how to get the weapon?"**

**"I didn't hear all the conversation, but that's what it sounded like," said Harry. "Rookwood used to work there... maybe Voldemort'll send Rookwood to do it?"**

**Hermione nodded, apparently still lost in thought. Then, quite abruptly, she said, "But you shouldn't have seen this at all, Harry."**

**"What?" he said, taken aback.**

**"You're supposed to be learning how to close your mind to this sort of thing," said Hermione, suddenly stern.**

**"I know I am," said Harry. "But -"**

**"Well, I think we should just try and forget what you saw," said Hermione firmly. "And you ought to put in a bit more effort on your Occlumency from now on."**

**Harry was so angry with her he did not talk to her for the rest of the day, which proved to be another bad one. When people were not discussing the escaped Death Eaters in the corridors, they were laughing at Gryffindor's abysmal performance in their match against Hufflepuff; the Slytherins were singing 'Weasley is our King' so loudly and frequently that by sundown Filch had banned it from the corridors out of sheer irritation.**

**The week did not improve as it progressed. Harry received two more D's in Potions; he was still on tenterhooks that Hagrid might get the sack; and he couldn't stop himself dwelling on the dream in which he had been Voldemort - though he didn't bring it up with Ron and Hermione again; he didn't want another telling-off from Hermione. He wished very much that he could have talked to Sirius about it, but that was out of the question, so he tried to push the matter to the back of his mind.**

"You should know I would've told you the same thing Hermione did." Sirius told his Godson, "To put more effort into your Occlumency shields."

**Unfortunately, the back of his mind was no longer the secure place it had once been.**

**"Get up, Potter."**

**A couple of weeks after his dream of Rookwood, Harry was to be found, yet again, kneeling on the floor of Snape's office, trying to clear his head. He had just been forced, yet again, to relive a stream of very early memories he had not even realised he still had, most of them concerning humiliations Dudley and his gang had inflicted upon him in primary school.**

Dudley blushed at the annoyed and slightly angry looks he was getting.

**"That last memory," said Snape. "What was it?"**

**"I don't know," said Harry, getting wearily to his feet. He was finding it increasingly difficult to disentangle separate memories from the rush of images and sound that Snape kept calling forth. "You mean the one where my cousin tried to make me stand in the toilet?"**

**"No," said Snape softly. "I mean the one with a man kneeling in the middle of a darkened room..."**

**"It's... nothing," said Harry.**

**Snape's dark eyes bored into Harry's. Remembering what Snape had said about eye contact being crucial to Legilimency, Harry blinked and looked away.**

"Confirming my suspicion it was a vision." Snape said smugly.

**"How do that man and that room come to be inside your head, Potter?" said Snape.**

**"It -" said Harry, looking everywhere but at Snape, "it was - just a dream I had."**

**"A dream?" repeated Snape.**

**There was a pause during which Harry stared fixedly at a large dead frog suspended in a jar of purple liquid.**

**"You do know why we are here, don't you, Potter?" said Snape, in a low, dangerous voice. "You do know why I am giving up my evenings to this tedious job?"**

**"Yes," said Harry stiffly.**

**"Remind me why we are here, Potter."**

**"So I can learn Occlumency," said Harry, now glaring at a dead eel.**

**"Correct, Potter. And dim though you may be -" Harry looked back at Snape, hating him "- I would have thought that after over two months of lessons you might have made some progress. How many other dreams about the Dark Lord have you had?"**

**"Just that one," lied Harry.**

"And it's obvious you were lying." Draco pointed out, "Especially for someone who's good at Legilimency."

"It does come in handy." Albus nodded, "It's just surface thoughts and emotions without the incantation." he added.

"That's how you always caught us out isn't it?" James inquired, "After a really big prank."

Albus nodded, looking slightly sheepish, "It's uncontrollable, no matter what you always see the emotions or surface thoughts without trying."

"Hence the feeling of being x-rayed." Regulus nodded, "I've read a bit about it but never bothered learning Legilimency." he shrugged.

**"Perhaps," said Snape, his dark, cold eyes narrowing slightly, "perhaps you actually enjoy having these visions and dreams, Potter. Maybe they make you feel special - important?"**

**"No, they don't," said Harry, his jaw set and his fingers clenched tightly around the handle of his wand.**

**"That is just as well, Potter," said Snape coldly, "because you are neither special nor important, and it is not up to you to find out what the Dark Lord is saying to his Death Eaters."**

**"No - that's your job, isn't it?" Harry shot at him.**

**He had not meant to say it; it had burst out of him in temper. For a long moment they stared at each other, Harry convinced he had gone too far. But there was a curious, almost satisfied expression on Snape's face when he answered.**

**"Yes, Potter," he said, his eyes glinting. "That is my job. Now, if you are ready, we will start again." He raised his wand: "One - two - three - Legilimens!"**

**A hundred dementors were swooping towards Harry across the lake in the grounds... he screwed up his face in concentration... they were coming closer... he could see the dark holes beneath their hoods... yet he could also see Snape standing in front of him, his eyes fixed on Harry's face, muttering under his breath... and somehow, Snape was growing clearer, and the dementors were growing fainter...**

**Harry raised his own wand.**

**"Protego!"**

"Um..." Harry looked at Snape.

"Just show it Potter, there's nothing too incriminating in there. And..." he shrugged and gestured the picture frame, "I'm dead, nothing like that can really bother me now."

**Snape staggered - his wand flew upwards, away from Harry - and suddenly Harry's mind was teeming with memories that were not his: a hook-nosed man was shouting at a cowering woman, while a small dark-haired boy cried in a corner... a greasy-haired teenager sat alone in a dark bedroom, pointing his wand at the ceiling, shooting down flies... a girl was laughing as a scrawny boy tried to mount a bucking broomstick -**

**"ENOUGH!"**

"How come you didn't do that before then?" Bill frowned.

Snape sighed, "I was too shocked he'd managed to reverse the spell."

**Harry felt as though he had been pushed hard in the chest; he staggered several steps backwards, hit some of the shelves covering Snape's walls and heard something crack. Snape was shaking slightly, and was very white in the face.**

**The back of Harry's robes was damp. One of the jars behind him had broken when he fell against it; the pickled slimy thing within was swirling in its draining potion.**

**"Reparo," hissed Snape, and the jar sealed itself at once. "Well, Potter ... that was certainly an improvement..." Panting slightly, Snape straightened the Pensieve in which he had again stored some of his thoughts before starting the lesson, almost as though he was checking they were still there. "I don't remember telling you to use a Shield Charm... but there is no doubt that it was effective..."**

**Harry did not speak; he felt that to say anything might be dangerous. He was sure he had just broken into Snape's memories, that he had just seen scenes from Snape's childhood. It was unnerving to think that the little boy who had been crying as he watched his parents shouting was actually standing in front of him with such loathing in his eyes.**

"You don't have to tell us but was that a regular thing when you were at home?" George asked Snape.

Snape tilted his head in thought for a moment, "Fairly frequent, yes. My Father was a Muggle and he hated everything magic, a lot like Vernon Dursley." he added, "That particular memory was of the day he found out about my Mother being a witch and I being a wizard. He didn't like that, he didn't like it at all. Since then he was an alcoholic and I was very glad when he died, I was 13 at the time." he revealed.

"I think your Mum was relieved he was gone too right?" Lily asked, Snape nodded, "I remember when I met him, he was horrid. I'm glad my Dad punched him when he was mean to you."

"I'm rather fond of that particular memory myself." he admitted, surprising them all with a chuckle, "Though I've never held anything he did to me against other Muggles, by the time he found out I was about 4 and able to understand not every Muggle was like him."

Everyone smiled up at him in understanding and they all turned back to the memory when it was clear he wasn't going to talk again.

**"Let's try again, shall we?" said Snape.**

**Harry felt a thrill of dread; he was about to pay for what had just happened, he was sure of it. They moved back into position with the desk between them, Harry feeling he was going to find it much harder to empty his mind this time.**

**"On the count of three, then," said Snape, raising his wand once more. "One - two -"**

**Harry did not have time to gather himself together and attempt to clear his mind before Snape cried, "Legilimens!"**

**He was hurtling along the corridor towards the Department of Masteries, past the blank stone walls, past the torches - the plain black door was growing ever larger; he was moving so fast he was going to collide with it, he was feet from it and again he could see that chink of faint blue light -**

**The door had flown open! He was through it at last, inside a black-walled, black-floored circular room lit with blue-flamed candles, and there were more doors all around him - he needed to go on - but which door ought he to take -?**

"Wait. If this was your memory how come you managed to go further than you had during the visions?" Lily frowned.

Harry shrugged, "I actually don't know." he admitted.

Snape cocked his head to the side, "I didn't think of that before. Albus do you think it's possible it was Voldemort's memory instead?"

Albus frowned, "It's possible but I doubt it. Otherwise there likely would've been more memories belonging to him floating about in Harry's head, not just that one."

**"POTTER!"**

**Harry opened his eyes. He was flat on his back again with no memory of having got there; he was also panting as though his really had run the length of the Department of Mysteries corridor, really had sprinted through the black door and found the circular room.**

**"Explain yourself!" said Snape, who was standing over him, looking furious.**

**"I... dunno what happened," said Harry truthfully, standing up. There was a lump on the back of his head from where he had hit the ground and he felt feverish. "I've never seen that before. I mean, I told you, I've dreamed about the door... but it's never opened before..."**

**"You are not working hard enough!"**

**For some reason, Snape seemed even angrier than he had done two minutes before, when Harry had seen into his teacher's memories.**

**"You are lazy and sloppy, Potter, it is small wonder that the Dark Lord -"**

**"Can you tell me something, sir?" said Harry, firing up again. "Why do you call Voldemort the Dark Lord? I've only ever heard Death Eaters call him that."**

**Snape opened his mouth in a snarl - and a woman screamed from somewhere outside the room.**

**Snape's head jerked upwards; he was gazing at the ceiling.**

**"What the -?" he muttered.**

**Harry could hear a muffled commotion coming from what he thought might be the Entrance Hall. Snape looked round at him, frowning.**

**"Did you see anything unusual on your way down here, Potter?"**

**Harry shook his head. Somewhere above them, the woman screamed again. Snape strode to his office door, his wand still held at the ready, and swept out of sight. Harry hesitated for a moment, then followed.**

**The screams were indeed coming from the Entrance Hall; they grew louder as Harry ran towards the stone steps leading up from the dungeons. When he reached the top he found the Entrance Hall packed; students had come flooding out of the Great Hall, where dinner was still in progress, to see what was going on; others had crammed themselves on to the marble staircase. Harry pushed forwards through a knot of tall Slytherins and saw that the onlookers had formed a great ring, some of them looking shocked, others even frightened. Professor McGonagall was directly opposite Harry en the other side of the Hall; she looked as though what she was watching made her feel faintly sick.**

**Professor Trelawney was standing in the middle of the Entrance Hall with her wand in one hand and an empty sherry bottle in the other, looking utterly mad. Her hair was sticking up on end, her glasses were lopsided so that one eye was magnified more than the other; her innumerable shawls and scarves were trailing haphazardly from her shoulders, giving the impression that she was falling apart at the seams. Two large trunks lay on the floor beside her, one of them upside-down; it looked very much as though it had been thrown down the stairs after her. Professor Trelawney was staring, apparently terrified, at something Harry could not see but which seemed to be standing at the foot of the stairs.**

**"No!" she shrieked. "NO! This cannot be happening... it cannot... I refuse to accept it!"**

"The hag's not trying to chuck her out!" Alice exclaimed in shock.

"She is." Hermione said grimly.

**"You didn't realise this was coming?" said a high girlish voice, sounding callously amused, and Harry, moving slightly to his right, saw that Trelawney's terrifying vision was nothing other than Professor Umbridge. "Incapable though you are of predicting even tomorrows weather, you must surely have realised that your pitiful performance during my inspections, and lack of any improvement, would make it inevitable that you would be sacked?"**

**"You c-can't!" howled Professor Trelawney, tears streaming down her face from behind her enormous lenses, "you c-can't sack me! I've b-been here sixteen years! H-Hogwarts is m-my h-home!"**

**"It was your home," said Professor Umbridge, and Harry was revolted to see the enjoyment stretching her toadlike face as she watched Professor Trelawney sink, sobbing uncontrollably, on to one of her trunks, "until an hour ago, when the Minister for Magic countersigned your Order of Dismissal. Now kindly remove yourself from this Hall. You are embarrassing us."**

**But she stood and watched, with an expression of gloating enjoyment, as Professor Trelawney shuddered and moaned, rocking backwards and forwards on her trunk in paroxysms of grief. Harry heard a muffled sob to his left and looked around. Lavender and Parvati were both crying quietly, their arms round each other. Then he heard footsteps. Professor McGonagall had broken away from the spectators, marched straight up to Professor Trelawney and was patting her firmly on the back while withdrawing a large handkerchief from within her robes.**

**"There, there, Sybill... calm down... blow your nose on this... it's not as bad as you think, now... you are not going to have to leave Hogwarts..."**

**"Oh really, Professor McGonagall?" said Umbridge in a deadly voice, taking a few steps forward. "And your authority for that statement is...?"**

**"That would be mine," said a deep voice.**

**The oaken front doors had swung open. Students beside them scuttled out of the way as Dumbledore appeared in the entrance. What he had been doing out in the grounds Harry could not imagine, but there was something impressive about the sight of him framed in the doorway against an oddly misty night. Leaving the doors wide open behind him he strode forwards through the circle of onlookers towards Professor Trelawney, tear-stained and trembling, on her trunk, Professor McGonagall alongside her.**

**"Yours, Professor Dumbledore?" said Umbridge, with a singularly unpleasant little laugh. "I'm afraid you do not understand the position. I have here -" she pulled a parchment scroll from within her robes "- an Order of Dismissal signed by myself and the Minister for Magic. Under the terms of Educational Decree Number Twenty-three, the High Inquisitor of Hogwarts has the power to inspect, place upon probation and sack any teacher she - that is to say, I - feel is not performing to the standards required by the Ministry of Magic. I have decided that Professor Trelawney is not up to scratch. I have dismissed her."**

**To Harry's very great surprise, Dumbledore continued to smile. He looked down at Professor Trelawney, who was still sobbing and choking on her trunk, and said, "You are quite right, of course, Professor Umbridge. As High Inquisitor you have every right to dismiss my teachers. You do not, however, have the authority to send them away from the castle. I am afraid," he went on, with a courteous little bow, "that the power to do that still resides with the Headmaster, and it is my wish that Professor Trelawney continue to live at Hogwarts."**

**At this, Professor Trelawney gave a wild little laugh in which a hiccough was barely hidden.**

**"No - no, I'll g-go, Dumbledore! I sh-shall - leave Hogwarts and s-seek my fortune elsewhere -"**

**"No," said Dumbledore sharply. "It is my wish that you remain, Sybill."**

**He turned to Professor McGonagall.**

**"Might I ask you to escort Sybill back upstairs, Professor McGonagall?"**

**"Of course," said McGonagall. "Up you get, Sybill..."**

**Professor Sprout came hurrying forwards out of the crowd and grabbed Professor Trelawney's other arm. Together, they guided her past Umbridge and up the marble stairs. Professor Flitwick went scurrying after them, his wand held out before him; he squeaked "Locomotor trunks!" and Professor Trelawney's luggage rose into the air and proceeded up the staircase after her, Professor Flitwick bringing up the rear.**

**Professor Umbridge was standing stock still, staring at Dumbledore, who continued to smile benignly.**

**"And what," she said, in a whisper that carried all around the Entrance Hall, "are you going to do with her once I appoint a new Divination teacher who needs her lodgings?"**

**"Oh, that won't be a problem," said Dumbledore pleasantly. "You see, I have already found us a new Divination teacher, and he will prefer lodgings on the ground floor."**

**"You've found -?" said Umbridge shrilly. "You've found? Might I remind you, Dumbledore, that under Educational Decree Number Twenty-two -"**

**"The Ministry has the right to appoint a suitable candidate if - and only if - the Headmaster is unable to find one," said Dumbledore. "And I am happy to say that on this occasion I have succeeded. May I introduce you?"**

**He turned to face the open front doors, through which night mist was now drifting. Harry heard hooves. There was a shocked murmur around the Hall and those nearest the doors hastily moved even further backwards, some of them tripping over in their haste to clear a path for the newcomer.**

**Through the mist came a face Harry had seen once before on a dark, dangerous night in the Forbidden Forest: white-blond hair and astonishingly blue eyes; the head and torso of a man joined to the palomino body of a horse.**

**"This is Firenze," said Dumbledore happily to a thunderstruck Umbridge. "I think you'll find him suitable."**

"Brilliant!" the Marauders cheered.

"Absolutely brilliant." the twins agreed.

"I'll admit it was rather amusing to see her face at that one." Minerva chuckled, "She's always been terrified of 'half-breeds' and she didn't even attempt to 'observe' one of Firenze's lessons."

"That was the general idea. I remember when she was a student, all through her schooling she complained and protested against anything anti-pureblood." Albus mused, "I decided Firenze would be perfect to show her that she didn't have total control. It showed the students too."

"And Firenze is a brilliant teacher." Harry added, "Is he staying this year Minerva?"

"Oh yes, his herd has accepted him back but he's offered to come in a few times a week to teach." she told them, "Not full time mind you and he'll live in the forest but he'll be around, he's even managed to get Bane to offer help too. I think it'll be beneficial for students to learn more about Centaur's and he agreed." she shrugged.

"Well that's a surprise, considering how anti-human Bane was when we saw him in the memories." James mused.

"He had a change of heart after we spoke to him." Hermione smiled, gesturing Ron, Harry and herself. "Just last month actually, we came to visit Hagrid since he'd invited us to tea. We ended up going to visit Grawp and we met Bane on the way so we stopped and talked to him."

"Figures you three would have something to so with it." Sirius snorted, "You have something to do with everything."

"Most things." Harry corrected him, "Now, let's move on, I want this year finished today."

* * *

><p>Review please x<p> 


	89. Chapter 89

Chapter 89 - Fifth Year (Part 14.5)

"Who wants to see Firenze's lesson?" Harry grinned, they all nodded eagerly, wanting to see how a Centaur would teach.

**"I'll bet you wish you hadn't given up Divination now, don't you, Hermione?" asked Parvati, smirking.**

**It was breakfast time, two days after the sacking of Professor Trelawney, and Parvati was curling her eyelashes around her wand and examining the effect in the back of her spoon. They were to have their first lesson with Firenze that morning.**

**"Not really," said Hermione indifferently, who was reading the Daily Prophet. "I've never really liked horses."**

**She turned a page of the newspaper and scanned its columns.**

**"He's not a horse, he's a centaur!" said Lavender, sounding shocked.**

**"A gorgeous centaur..." sighed Parvati.**

"Do those two like every Divination teacher?" Regulus asked amused.

"Pretty much. It got annoying when they used to sit and talk about it in the dorm." Hermione made a face.

"Which is why you usually sat with us when they were up there before you." Harry grinned at her, "And tended not to go up until you figured they were probably asleep."

"You know me too well." she smirked.

**"Either way, he's still got four legs," said Hermione coolly. "Anyway, I thought you two were all upset that Trelawney had gone?"**

**"We are!" Lavender assured her. "We went up to her office to see her; we took her some daffodils - not the honking ones that Sprout's got, nice ones."**

**"How is she?" asked Harry.**

**"Not very good, poor thing," said Lavender sympathetically. "She was crying and saying she'd rather leave the castle for ever than stay here where Umbridge is, and I don't blame her, Umbridge was horrible to her, wasn't she?"**

**"I've got a feeling Umbridge has only just started being horrible," said Hermione darkly.**

"Great way to think positive that is." Charlie rolled his eyes, "Honestly, torture sessions for detention is about as bad as you can go."

"She got worse." Snape offered, "Much worse, students generally preferred my detentions."

"You didn't actually torture us." Harry pointed out, "Just gave us dull, boring and pointless things to do."

"Much more preferable to slicing your own hand open." Ginny added.

**"Impossible," said Ron, who was tucking into a large plate of eggs and bacon. "She can't get any worse than she's been already."**

**"You mark my words, she's going to want revenge on Dumbledore for appointing a new teacher without consulting her," said Hermione, closing the newspaper. "Especially another part-human. You saw the look on her face when she saw Firenze."**

**After breakfast Hermione departed for her Arithmancy class as Harry and Ron followed Parvati and Lavender into the Entrance Hall, heading for Divination.**

**"Aren't we going up to North Tower?" asked Ron, looking puzzled, as Parvati bypassed the marble staircase.**

**Parvati looked at him scornfully over her shoulder.**

**"How d'you expect Firenze to climb that ladder? We're in classroom eleven now, it was on the noticeboard yesterday."**

**Classroom eleven was on the ground floor along the corridor leading off the Entrance Hall from the opposite side to the Great Hall. Harry knew it was one of those classrooms that were never used regularly, and therefore had the slightly neglected feeling of a cupboard or storeroom. When he entered it right behind Ron, and found himself in the middle of a forest clearing, he was therefore momentarily stunned.**

"Cool." the Marauders grinned.

**"What the -?"**

**The classroom floor had become springily mossy and trees were growing out of it; their leafy branches fanned across the ceiling and windows, so that the room was full of slanting shafts of soft, dappled, green light. The students who had already arrived were sitting on the earthy floor with their backs resting against tree trunks or boulders, arms wrapped around their knees or folded tightly across their chests, and all looking rather nervous. In the middle of the clearing, where there were no trees, stood Firenze.**

**"Harry Potter," he said, holding out a hand when Harry entered.**

**"Er - hi," said Harry, shaking hands with the centaur, who surveyed him unblinkingly through those astonishingly blue eyes but did not smile. "Er - good to see you,"**

**"And you," said the centaur, inclining his white-blond head. "It was foretold that we would meet again."**

**Harry noticed there was the shadow of a hoof-shaped bruise on Firenze's chest. As he turned to join the rest of the class on the ground, he saw they were all looking at him in awe, apparently deeply impressed that he was on speaking terms with Firenze, whom they seemed to find intimidating.**

**When the door was closed and the last student had sat down on a tree stump beside the wastepaper basket, Firenze gestured around the room.**

**"Professor Dumbledore has kindly arranged this classroom for us," said Firenze, when everyone had settled down, "in imitation of my natural habitat. I would have preferred to teach you in the Forbidden Forest, which was - until Monday - my home... but that is no longer possible."**

**"Please - er - sir -" said Parvati breathlessly, raising her hand, "- why not? We've been in there with Hagrid, we're not frightened!"**

**"It is not a question of your bravery," said Firenze, "but of my position. I cannot return to the Forest. My herd has banished me."**

**"Herd?" said Lavender in a confused voice, and Harry knew she was thinking of cows. "What - oh!"**

**Comprehension dawned on her face. "There are more of you?'" she said, stunned.**

**"Did Hagrid breed you, like the Thestrals?" asked Dean eagerly.**

**Firenze turned his head very slowly to face Dean, who seemed to realise at once that he had said something very offensive.**

**"I didn't - I meant - sorry," he finished in a hushed voice.**

**"Centaurs are not the servants or playthings of humans," said Firenze quietly. There was a pause, then Parvati raised her hand again.**

**"Please, sir... why have the other centaurs banished you?"**

**"Because I have agreed to work for Professor Dumbledore," said Firenze. "They see this as a betrayal of our kind."**

**Harry remembered how, nearly four years ago, the centaur Bane had shouted at Firenze for allowing Harry to ride to safety on his back; he had called him a 'common mule'. He wondered whether it had been Bane who had kicked Firenze in the chest.**

"It was Magorian." Albus sighed, "Bane's second in command."

**"Let us begin," said Firenze. He swished his long palomino tail, raised his hand towards the leafy canopy overhead, then lowered it slowly, and as he did so, the light in the room dimmed, so that they now seemed to be sitting in a forest clearing by twilight, and stars appeared on the ceiling. There were oohs and gasps and Ron said audibly, "Blimey!"**

**"Lie back on the floor," said Firenze in his calm voice, "and observe the heavens. Here is written, for those who can see, the fortune of our races."**

**Harry stretched out on his back and gazed upwards at the ceiling. A twinkling red star winked at him from overhead.**

**"I know that you have learned the names of the planets and their moons in Astronomy," said Firenze's calm voice, "and that you have mapped the stars' progress through the heavens. Centaurs have unravelled the mysteries of these movements over centuries. Our findings teach us that the future may be glimpsed in the sky above us -"**

**"Professor Trelawney did astrology with us!" said Parvati excitedly, raising her hand in front of her so that it stuck up in the air as she lay on her back. "Mars causes accidents and burns and things like that, and when it makes an angle to Saturn, like now -" she drew a right-angle in the air above her "- that means people need to be extra careful when handling hot things -"**

**"That," said Firenze calmly, "is human nonsense."**

**Parvati's hand fell limply to her side.**

**"Trivial hurts, tiny human accidents," said Firenze, as his hooves thudded over the mossy floor. "These are of no more significance than the scurryings of ants to the wide universe, and are unaffected by planetary movements."**

**"Professor Trelawney -" began Parvati, in a hurt and indignant voice.**

**"- is a human," said Firenze simply. "And is therefore blinkered and fettered by the limitations of your kind."**

**Harry turned his head very slightly to look at Parvati. She looked very offended, as did several of the people surrounding her.**

**"Sybill Trelawney may have Seen, I do not know," continued Firenze, and Harry heard the swishing of his tail again as he walked up and down before them, "but she wastes her time, in the main, on the self-flattering nonsense humans call fortune-telling. I, however, am here to explain the wisdom of centaurs, which is impersonal and impartial. We watch the skies for the great tides of evil or change that are sometimes marked there. It may take ten years to be sure of what we are seeing."**

**Firenze pointed to the red star directly above Harry.**

**"In the past decade, the indications have been that wizardkind is living through nothing more than a brief calm between two wars. Mars, bringer of battle, shines brightly above us, suggesting that the fight must soon break out again. How soon, centaurs may attempt to divine by the burning of certain herbs and leaves, by the observation of fume and flame..."**

**It was the most unusual lesson Harry had ever attended. They did indeed burn sage and mallowsweet there on the classroom floor, and Firenze told them to look for certain shapes and symbols in the pungent fumes, but he seemed perfectly unconcerned that not one of them could see any of the signs he described, telling them that humans were hardly ever good at this, that it took centaurs years and years to become competent, and finished by telling them that it was foolish to put too much faith in such things, anyway, because even centaurs sometimes read them wrongly. He was nothing like any human teacher Harry had ever had. His priority did not seem to be to teach them what he knew, but rather to impress upon them that nothing, not even centaurs' knowledge, was foolproof.**

"It's a good lesson." Remus nodded, "That's what I would've tried to teach you if I'd stayed for longer than a year."

**"He's not very definite on anything, is he?" said Ron in a low voice, as they put out their mallowsweet fire. "I mean, I could do with a few more details about this war we're about to have, couldn't you?"**

"Ah, but war itself is entirely unpredictable." Albus chuckled.

"Which is why I didn't bother looking for anything with the Ravenclaw power." James mused, "It's never entirely accurate about far away things and things that're close can change in a split second. I tried it before and all I got was a confusing mix of random thing's, none of them happened at all." he admitted, "To be honest, I had actually looked for the spy, but all I got was vague shapes of non-descript people." He shrugged.

**The bell rang right outside the classroom door and everyone jumped; Harry had completely forgotten they were still inside the castle, and quite convinced that he was really in the Forest. The class filed out, looking slightly perplexed.**

**Harry and Ron were on the point of following them when Firenze called, "Harry Potter, a word, please."**

**Harry turned. The centaur advanced a little towards him. Ron hesitated.**

**"You may stay," Firenze told him. "But close the door, please."**

**Ron hastened to obey.**

**"Harry Potter, you are a friend of Hagrid's, are you not?" said the centaur.**

**"Yes," said Harry.**

**"Then give him a warning from me. His attempt is not working. He would do better to abandon it."**

**"'His attempt is not working?" Harry repeated blankly.**

**"And he would do better to abandon it," said Firenze, nodding. "I would warn Hagrid myself, but I am banished - it would be unwise for me to go too near the Forest now - Hagrid has troubles enough, without a centaurs' battle."**

**"But - what's Hagrid attempting to do?" said Harry nervously.**

**Firenze surveyed Harry impassively.**

**"Hagrid has recently rendered me a great service," said Firenze, "and he has long since earned my respect for the care he shows all living creatures. I shall not betray his secret. But he must be brought to his senses. The attempt is not working. Tell him, Harry Potter. Good-day to you."**

**The happiness Harry had felt in the aftermath of The Quibbler interview had long since evaporated. As a dull March blurred into a squally April, his life seemed to have become one long series of worries and problems again.**

**Umbridge had continued attending all Care of Magical Creatures lessons, so it had been very difficult to deliver Firenze's warning to Hagrid. At last, Harry had managed it by pretending he'd lost his copy of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, and doubling back after class one day. When he'd repeated Firenze's words, Hagrid gazed at him for a moment through his puffy, blackened eyes, apparently taken aback. Then he seemed to pull himself together.**

**"Nice bloke, Firenze," he said gruffly "but he don' know what he's talkin' abou' on this. The attemp's comin' on fine."**

**"Hagrid, what're you up to?" asked Harry seriously. "Because you've got to be careful, Umbridge has already sacked Trelawney and, if you ask me, she's on a roll. If you're doing anything you shouldn't be, you'll be -"**

**"There's things more importan' than keepin' a job," said Hagrid, though his hands shook slightly as he said this and a basin full of Knarl droppings crashed to the floor. "Don' worry abou' me, Harry, jus' get along now, there's a good lad."**

**Harry had no choice but to leave Hagrid mopping up the dung all over his floor, but he felt thoroughly dispirited as he trudged back up to the castle.**

**Meanwhile, as the teachers and Hermione persisted in reminding them, the OWLs were drawing ever nearer. All the fifth-years were suffering from stress to some degree, but Hannah Abbott became the first to receive a Calming Draught from Madam Pomfrey after she burst into tears during Herbology and sobbed that she was too stupid to take exams and wanted to leave school now.**

**If it had not been for the DA lessons, Harry thought he would have been extremely unhappy. He sometimes felt he was living for the hours he spent in the Room of Requirement, working hard but thoroughly enjoying himself at the same time, swelling with pride as he looked around at his fellow DA members and saw how far they had come. Indeed, Harry sometimes wondered how Umbridge was going to react when all the members of the DA received 'Outstanding' in their Defence Against the Dark Arts OWLs.**

"She would've had a heart attack." Minerva chuckled, "Pity most of you didn't manage the theory part."

"Practical's more important." Harry shrugged.

"Your one of the few who got the theory part." Hermione pointed out, "So you can't say anything."

"Neither can I but your right Harry, the practical was way more important." Neville grinned, "And you can't deny that Hermione."

"I can't." she agreed.

**They had finally started work on Patronuses, which everybody had been very keen to practise, though, as Harry kept reminding them, producing a Patronus in the middle of a brightly lit classroom when they were not under threat was very different from producing it when confronted by something like a Dementor.**

**"Oh, don't be such a killjoy," said Cho brightly, watching her silvery swan-shaped Patronus soar around the Room of Requirement during their last lesson before Easter. "They're so pretty!"**

**"They're not supposed to be pretty, they're supposed to protect you," said Harry patiently. "What we really need is a boggart or something; that's how I learned, I had to conjure a Patronus while the boggart was pretending to be a Dementor -"**

**"But that would be really scary!" said Lavender, who was shooting puffs of silver vapour out of the end of her wand. "And I still - can't - do it!" she added angrily.**

**Neville was having trouble, too. His face was screwed up in concentration, but only feeble wisps of silver smoke issued from his wand tip.**

**"You've got to think of something happy," Harry reminded him.**

**"I'm trying," said Neville miserably, who was trying so hard his round face was actually shining with sweat.**

**"Harry, I think I'm doing it!" yelled Seamus, who had been brought along to his first ever DA meeting by Dean. "Look - ah - it's gone... but it was definitely something hairy, Harry!"**

**Hermione's Patronus, a shining silver otter, was gambolling around her.**

**"They are sort of nice, aren't they?" she said, looking at it fondly.**

"So you managed to teach a room how to do it in how long?" Remus asked curiously.

"Um, one day." Harry admitted, "Most people got it the first few tries, or at least a strong mist." he shrugged.

"Amazing." James shook his head in wonder.

"Even Fillius couldn't do that!" Minerva exclaimed, "It takes him at least 3 lessons to get to where they're all at."

"I thought it was the DADA professors who taught Patronuses?" Lily frowned.

"Only if they can produce a corporal one themselves." Minerva explained, "If they can't, which was often, Fillius would do it since technically it is a charm."

"It was him who taught me how to do it." Dora nodded, "We had a DADA teacher who was along the lines of Lockhart but not obsessed with himself."

**The door of the Room of Requirement opened, and closed. Harry looked round to see who had entered, but there did not seem to be anybody there. It was a few moments before he realised that the people close to the door had fallen silent. Next thing he knew, something was tugging at his robes somewhere near the knee. He looked down and saw, to his very great astonishment, Dobby the house-elf peering up at him from beneath his usual eight woolly hats.**

**"Hi, Dobby!" he said. "What are you - What's wrong?"**

**The elf's eyes were wide with terror and he was shaking. The members of the DA closest to Harry had fallen silent; everybody in the room was watching Dobby. The few Patronuses people had managed to conjure faded away into silver mist, leaving the room looking much darker than before.**

**"Harry Potter, sir..." squeaked the elf, trembling from head to foot, "Harry Potter, sir... Dobby has come to warn you... but the house-elves have been warned not to tell..."**

**He ran head-first at the wall. Harry, who had some experience of Dobby's habits of self-punishment, made to seize him, but Dobby merely bounced off the stone, cushioned by his eight hats. Hermione and a few of the other girls let out squeaks of fear and sympathy.**

**"What's happened, Dobby?" Harry asked, grabbing the elf's tiny arm and holding him away from anything with which he might seek to hurt himself.**

**"Harry Potter... she... she..."**

**Dobby hit himself hard on the nose with his free fist. Harry seized that, too.**

**"Who's "she", Dobby?"**

**But he thought he knew; surely only one 'she' could induce such fear in Dobby? The elf looked up at him, slightly cross-eyed, and mouthed wordlessly.**

**"Umbridge?" asked Harry, horrified.**

**Dobby nodded, then tried to bang his head on Harry's knees. Harry held him at arm's length.**

**"What about her? Dobby - she hasn't found out about this - about us - about the DA?"**

**He read the answer in the elf's stricken face. His hands held fast by Harry, the elf tried to kick himself and fell to the floor.**

**"Is she coming?" Harry asked quietly.**

**Dobby let out a howl, and began beating his bare feet hard on the floor.**

**"Yes, Harry Potter, yes!"**

**Harry straightened up and looked around at the motionless, terrified people gazing at the thrashing elf.**

**"WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?" Harry bellowed. "RUN!"**

**They all pelted towards the exit at once, forming a scrum at the door, then people burst through. Harry could hear them sprinting along the corridors and hoped they had the sense not to try and make it all the way to their dormitories. It was only ten to nine; if they just took refuge in the library or the Owlery, which were both nearer -**

**"Harry, come on!" shrieked Hermione from the centre of the knot of people now fighting to get out.**

**He scooped up Dobby, who was still attempting to do himself serious injury, and ran with the elf in his arms to join the back of the queue.**

**"Dobby - this is an order - get back down to the kitchen with the other elves and, if she asks you whether you warned me, lie and say no!" said Harry. "And I forbid you to hurt yourself!" he added, dropping the elf as he made it over the threshold at last and slammed the door behind him.**

**"Thank you, Harry Potter!" squeaked Dobby, and he streaked off. Harry glanced left and right, the others were all moving so fast he caught only glimpses of flying heels at either end of the corridor before they vanished; he started to run right; there was a boys' bathroom up ahead, he could pretend he'd been in there all the time if he could just reach it -**

**"AAARGH!"**

**Something caught him around the ankles and he fell spectacularly, skidding along on his front for six feet before coming to a halt. Someone behind him was laughing. He rolled over on to his, back and saw Malfoy concealed in a niche beneath an ugly dragon-shaped vase.**

"You're a git." Harry told Draco, "You just had to get me in trouble."

"Of course I did." Draco replied, "It's what I did."

**"Trip Jinx, Potter!" he said. "Hey, Professor - PROFESSOR! I've got one!"**

**Umbridge came bustling round the far corner, breathless but wearing a delighted smile.**

**"It's him!" she said jubilantly at the sight of Harry on the floor, "Excellent, Draco, excellent, oh, very good - fifty points to Slytherin! I'll take him from here... stand up, Potter!"**

**Harry got to his feet, glaring at the pair of them. He had never seen Umbridge looking so happy. She seized his arm in a vice-like grip and turned, beaming broadly, to Malfoy.**

**"You hop along and see if you can round up any more of them, Draco," she said. "Tell the others to look in the library - anybody out of breath - check the bathrooms, Miss Parkinson can do the girls' ones - off you go - and you," she added in her softest, most dangerous voice, as Malfoy walked away, "you can come with me to the Headmaster's office, Potter."**

**They were at the stone gargoyle within minutes. Harry wondered how many of the others had been caught. He thought of Ron - Mrs. Weasley would kill him - and of how Hermione would feel if she was expelled before she could take her OWLs. And it had been Seamus's very first meeting... and Neville had been getting so good...**

"You worry too much." Hermione mused, "Do you honestly think I'd care more for exams than I cared about being able to defend myself?"

"Add to the fact it wasn't your fault if we were caught." Neville added.

"It was her fault really." Luna nodded, "And I bet the others would agree that its better knowing how to defend yourself than it is getting expelled."

The present DA members nodded.

**"Fizzing Whizzbee," sang Umbridge; the stone gargoyle jumped aside, the wall behind split open, and they ascended the moving stone staircase. They reached the polished door with the griffin knocker, but Umbridge did not bother to knock, she strode straight inside, still holding tight to Harry.**

**The office was full of people. Dumbledore was sitting behind his desk, his expression serene, the tips of his long fingers together. Professor McGonagall stood rigidly beside him, her face extremely tense. Cornelius Fudge, Minister for Magic, was rocking backwards and forwards on his toes beside the fire, apparently immensely pleased with the situation; Kingsley Shacklebolt and a tough-looking wizard with very short wiry hair whom Harry did not recognise, were positioned either side of the door like guards, and the freckled, bespectacled form of Percy Weasley hovered excitedly beside the wall, a quill and a heavy scroll of parchment in his hands, apparently poised to take notes.**

**The portraits of old headmasters and headmistresses were not shamming sleep tonight. All of them were alert and serious, watching what was happening below them. As Harry entered, a few flitted into neighbouring frames and whispered urgently into their neighbour's ear.**

**Harry pulled himself free of Umbridge's grasp as the door swung shut behind them. Cornelius Fudge was glaring at him with a kind of vicious satisfaction on his face.**

**"Well," he said. "Well, well, well..."**

**Harry replied with the dirtiest look he could muster. His heart drummed madly inside him, but his brain was oddly cool and clear.**

**"He was heading back to Gryffindor Tower," said Umbridge. There was an indecent excitement in her voice, the same callous pleasure Harry had heard as she watched Professor Trelawney dissolving with misery in the Entrance Hall. "The Malfoy boy cornered him."**

**"Did he, did he?" said Fudge appreciatively. "I must remember to tell Lucius. Well, Potter... I expect you know why you are here?"**

**Harry fully intended to respond with a defiant 'yes': his mouth had opened and the word was half-formed when he caught sight of Dumbledore's face. Dumbledore was not looking directly at Harry - his eyes were fixed on a point just over his shoulder - but as Harry stared at him, he shook his head a fraction of an inch to each side.**

**Harry changed direction mid-word.**

**"Ye - no."**

**"I beg your pardon?" said Fudge.**

**"No," said Harry, firmly.**

**"You don't know why you are here?"**

**"No, I don't," said Harry.**

**Fudge looked incredulously from Harry to Professor Umbridge. Harry took advantage of his momentary inattention to steal another quick look at Dumbledore, who gave the carpet the tiniest of nods and the shadow of a wink.**

**"So you have no idea," said Fudge, in a voice positively sagging with sarcasm, "why Professor Umbridge has brought you to this office? You are not aware that you have broken any school rules?"**

**"School rules?" said Harry. "No."**

**"Or Ministry Decrees?" amended Fudge angrily.**

**"Not that I'm aware of," said Harry blandly.**

**His heart was still hammering very fast. It was almost worth telling these lies to watch Fudges blood pressure rising, but he could not see how on earth he would get away with them; if somebody had tipped off Umbridge about the DA then he, the leader, might as well be packing his trunk right now.**

**"So, it's news to you, is it," said Fudge, his voice now thick with anger, "that an illegal student organisation has been discovered within this school?"**

**"Yes, it is," said Harry, hoisting an unconvincing look of innocent surprise on to his face.**

"It was convincing enough for Fudge." Percy smiled weakly, "He told me he couldn't tell if you were lying or not."

Harry grinned, "Good."

**"I think, Minister," said Umbridge silkily from beside him, "we might make better progress if I fetch our informant."**

**"Yes, yes, do," said Fudge, nodding, and he glanced maliciously at Dumbledore as Umbridge left the room. "There's nothing like a good witness, is there, Dumbledore?"**

**"Nothing at all, Cornelius," said Dumbledore gravely, inclining his head.**

**There was a wait of several minutes, in which nobody looked at each other, then Harry heard the door open behind him. Umbridge moved past him into the room, gripping by the shoulder Cho's curly-haired friend, Marietta, who was hiding her face in her hands.**

They all looked angrily at the memory.

"Just wait until you see what happened to her, I jinxed the parchment, remember?" Hermione grinned maliciously.

**"Don't be scared, dear, don't be frightened," said Professor Umbridge softly, patting her on the back, "it's quite all right, now. You have done the right thing. The Minister is very pleased with you. He'll be telling your mother what a good girl you've been. Marietta's mother, Minister," she added, looking up at Fudge, "is Madam Edgecombe from the Department of Magical Transportation, Floo Network office - she's been helping us police the Hogwart's fires, you know."**

**"Jolly good, jolly good!" said Fudge heartily. "Like mother, like daughter, eh? Well, come on, now, dear, look up, don't be shy, let's hear what you've got to - galloping gargoyles!"**

**As Marietta raised her head, Fudge leapt backwards in shock, nearly landing himself in the fire. He cursed, and stamped on the hem of his cloak which had started to smoke. Marietta gave a wail and pulled the neck of her robes right up to her eyes, but not before everyone had seen that her face was horribly disfigured by a series of close-set purple pustules that had spread across her nose and cheeks to form the word 'SNEAK'.**

They all burst out laughing.

"She still has them too." Ron smirked.

"Permanent?" Dora guessed.

"Nope, they won't fade until she does something without thinking of herself first, even then they'll take a few weeks to go away completely and you'll still be able to see the outline of the word." Hermione grinned, "Serves her right for handing us in."

**"Never mind the spots now, dear," said Umbridge impatiently, "just take your robes away from your mouth and tell the Minister -"**

**But Marietta gave another muffled wail and shook her head frantically.**

**"Oh, very well, you silly girl, I'll tell him," snapped Umbridge. She hitched her sickly smile back on to her face and said, "Well, Minister, Miss Edgecombe here came to my office shortly after dinner this evening and told me she had something she wanted to tell me. She said that if I proceeded to a secret room on the seventh floor, sometimes known as the Room of Requirement, I would find out something to my advantage. I questioned her a little further and she admitted that there was to be some kind of meeting there. Unfortunately, at that point this hex," she waved impatiently at Marietta's concealed face, "came into operation and upon catching sight of her face in my mirror the girl became too distressed to tell me any more."**

**"Well, now," said Fudge, fixing Marietta with what he evidently imagined was a kind and fatherly look, "it is very brave of you, my dear, coming to tell Professor Umbridge. You did exactly the right thing. Now, will you tell me what happened at this meeting? What was it's purpose? Who was there?"**

**But Marietta would not speak; she merely shook her head again, her eyes wide and fearful.**

**"Haven't we got a counter-jinx for this?" Fudge asked Umbridge impatiently, gesturing at Marietta's face. "So she can speak freely?"**

**"I have not yet managed to find one," Umbridge admitted grudgingly, and Harry felt a surge of pride in Hermione's jinxing ability, "But it doesn't matter if she won't speak, I can take up the story from here. You will remember, Minister, that I sent you a report back in October that Potter had met a number of fellow students in the Hog's Head in Hogsmeade -"**

**"And what is your evidence for that?" cut in Professor McGonagall.**

**"I have testimony from Willy Widdershins, Minerva, who happened to be in the bar at the time. He was heavily bandaged, it is true, but his hearing was quite unimpaired," said Umbridge smugly. "He heard every word Potter said and hastened straight to the school to report to me -"**

**"Oh, so that's why he wasn't prosecuted for setting up all those regurgitating toilets!" said Professor McGonagall, raising her eyebrows. "What an interesting insight into our justice system!"**

**"Blatant corruption!" roared the portrait of the corpulent, red-nosed wizard on the wall behind Dumbledore's desk. "The Ministry did not cut deals with petty criminals in my day, no sir, they did not!"**

**"Thank you, Fortescue, that will do," said Dumbledore softly.**

"Fortscue?" Alice asked.

"Yes, Gordon Fortscue, he was Headmaster before Armando Dippet." Albus explained.

"I never knew his second name!" she exclaimed, she looked at Frank, "Do you think -"

"He knows?" Frank finished for her, "I don't know."

"Knows what?" Neville asked confused.

"Did your Gran ever tell you Alice's maiden name?" Lily asked him.

He shook his head, "No what was it?"

"Fortscue." Alice told him, "Florean is my Great-Uncle."

"Cool." Neville grinned, "I'll definitely be asking about that later."

**"The purpose of Potter's meeting with these students," continued Professor Umbridge, "was to persuade them to join an illegal society, whose aim was to learn spells and curses the Ministry has decided are inappropriate for school-age -"**

**"I think you'll find you're wrong there, Dolores," said Dumbledore quietly, peering at her over the half-moon spectacles perched halfway down his crooked nose.**

**Harry stared at him. He could not see how Dumbledore was going to talk him out of this one; if Willy Widdershins had indeed heard every word he had said in the Hog's Head there was simply no escaping it.**

**"Oho!" said Fudge, bouncing up and down on the balls of his feet again. "Yes, do let's hear the latest cock-and-bull story designed to pull Potter out of trouble! Go on, then, Dumbledore, go on - Willy Widdershins was lying, was he? Or was it Potter's identical twin in the Hog's Head that day? Or is there the usual simple explanation involving a reversal of time, a dead man coming back to life and a couple of invisible dementors?"**

**Percy Weasley let out a hearty laugh.**

Harry raised his eyebrows at Percy, "What? His reasons were funny." the older man said defensively, "And I would've got sacked if I didn't laugh, he'd made sure to say that when we were on our way to the castle." he added reluctantly.

**"Oh, very good, Minister, very good!"**

**Harry could have kicked him. Then he saw, to his astonishment, that Dumbledore was smiling gently, too.**

**"Cornelius, I do not deny - and nor, I am sure, does Harry - that he was in the Hog's Head that day, nor that he was trying to recruit students to a Defence Against the Dark Arts group. I am merely pointing out that Dolores is quite wrong to suggest that such a group was, at that time, illegal. If you remember, the Ministry Decree banning all student societies was not put into effect until two days after Harry's Hogsmeade meeting, so he was not breaking any rules at all in the Hog's Head."**

**Percy looked as though he had been struck in the face by something very heavy. Fudge remained motionless in mid-bounce, his mouth hanging open.**

**Umbridge recovered first.**

**"That's all very fine, Headmaster," she said, smiling sweetly, "but we are now nearly six months on from the introduction of Educational Decree Number Twenty-four. If the first meeting was not illegal, all those that have happened since most certainly are."**

**"Well," said Dumbledore, surveying her with polite interest over the top of his interlocked fingers, "they certainly would be, if they had continued after the Decree came into effect. Do you have any evidence that any such meetings continued?"**

**As Dumbledore spoke, Harry heard a rustle behind him and rather thought Kingsley whispered something. He could have sworn, too, that he felt something brush against his side, a gentle something like a draught or bird wings, but looking down he saw nothing there.**

"Oop's, it wasn't supposed to be that close, sorry Harry." Kingsley chuckled.

"What were you doing?" Dora asked him.

"Helping." he said mysteriously.

**"Evidence?" repeated Umbridge, with that horrible wide toad-like smile. "Have you not been listening, Dumbledore? Why do you think Miss Edgecombe is here?"**

**"Oh, can she tell us about six months' worth of meetings?" said Dumbledore, raising his eyebrows. "I was under the impression that she was merely reporting a meeting tonight."**

**"Miss Edgecombe," said Umbridge at once, "tell us how long these meetings have been going on, dear. You can simply nod or shake your head, I'm sure that won't make the spots worse. Have they been happening regularly over the last six months?"**

**Harry felt a horrible plummeting in his stomach. This was it, they had hit a dead end of solid evidence that not even Dumbledore would be able to shift aside.**

**"Just nod or shake your head, dear," Umbridge said coaxingly to Marietta, "come on, now, that won't re-activate the jinx."**

**Everyone in the room was gazing at the top of Marietta's face. Only her eyes were visible between the pulled-up robes and her curly fringe. Perhaps it was a trick of the firelight, but her eyes looked oddly blank. And then - to Harry's utter amazement - Marietta shook her head.**

"Okay, I'd recognize that anywhere. Kingsley honestly?" Dora asked.

"Honestly what?" he asked innocently.

"The Imperious!" she demanded.

Kingsley sighed, "You know as well as I do that Fudge gave the Auror's permission to use it." he sighed, "I didn't particularly care for putting it on a minor, or anyone for that matter."

"I had told him to use it if necessary too." Albus admitted, "It was a shame it was needed but it was the only way we could get away with it."

**Umbridge looked quickly at Fudge, then back at Marietta.**

**"I don't think you understood the question, did you, dear? I'm asking whether you've been going to these meetings for the past six months? You have, haven't you?"**

**Again, Marietta shook her head.**

**"What do you mean by shaking your head, dear?" said Umbridge in a testy voice.**

**"I would have thought her meaning was quite clear," said Professor McGonagall harshly, "there have been no secret meetings for the past six months. Is that correct, Miss Edgecombe?"**

**Marietta nodded.**

**"But there was a meeting tonight!" said Umbridge furiously. "There was a meeting, Miss Edgecombe, you told me about it, in the Room of Requirement! And Potter was the leader, was he not, Potter organised it, Potter - why are you shaking your head, girl?"**

**"Well, usually when a person shakes their head," said McGonagall coldly, "they mean "no". So unless Miss Edgecombe is using a form of sign-language as yet unknown to humans -"**

They all laughed a little.

"Brilliant Minnie!" the Marauders cheered.

**Professor Umbridge seized Marietta, pulled her round to face her and began shaking her very hard. A split second later Dumbledore was on his feet, his wand raised; Kingsley started forwards and Umbridge leapt back from Marietta, waving her hands in the air as though they had been burned.**

**"I cannot allow you to manhandle my students, Dolores," said Dumbledore and, for the first time, he looked angry.**

**"You want to calm yourself, Madam Umbridge," said Kingsley, in his deep, slow voice. "You don't want to get yourself into trouble, now."**

**"No," said Umbridge breathlessly, glancing up at the towering figure of Kingsley. "I mean, yes - you're right, Shacklebolt - I-I forgot myself."**

"Yes and it had nothing to do with her being terrified of any and all fully trained Auror's." Dora mused, making them all chuckle a little.

"That was why I spoke up, Dawlish wouldn't have in any case. I think he was confounded at the time actually." Kingsley frowned.

**Marietta was standing exactly where Umbridge had released her. She seemed neither perturbed by Umbridge's sudden attack, nor relieved by her release; she was still clutching her robe up to her oddly blank eyes and staring straight ahead of her.**

**A sudden suspicion, connected to Kingsley's whisper and the thing he had felt shoot past him, sprang into Harry's mind.**

"You figured it out then." Kingsley winced.

Harry nodded.

**"Dolores," said Fudge, with the air of trying to settle something once and for all, "the meeting tonight - the one we know definitely happened -"**

**"Yes," said Umbridge, pulling herself together, "yes... well, Miss Edgecombe tipped me off and I proceeded at once to the seventh floor, accompanied by certain trustworthy students, so as to catch those in the meeting red-handed. It appears that they were forewarned of my arrival, however, because when we reached the seventh floor they were running in every direction. It does not matter, however. I have all their names here, Miss Parkinson ran into the Room of Requirement for me to see if they had left anything behind. We needed evidence and the room provided."**

**And to Harry's horror, she withdrew from her pocket the list of names that had been pinned upon the Room of Requirement's wall and handed it to Fudge.**

**"The moment I saw Potter's name on the list, I knew what we were dealing with," she said softly.**

**"Excellent," said Fudge, a smile spreading across his face, "excellent, Dolores. And... by thunder..."**

**He looked up at Dumbledore, who was still standing beside Marietta, his wand held loosely in his hand.**

**"See what they've named themselves?" said Fudge quietly. "Dumbledore's Army."**

"I was quite surprised by that." Albus chuckled.

"Couldn't resist the name I'm afraid." Ginny grinned, "And it is exactly what they feared. Though I wonder how they got the list." she frowned.

"I think she must've summoned it, when Harry was on the ground and couldn't see her." Draco mused, "She never sent anyone into get it at any rate." he shrugged.

**Dumbledore reached out and took the piece of parchment from Fudge. He gazed at the heading scribbled by Hermione months before and for a moment seemed unable to speak. Then he looked up, smiling.**

**"Well, the game is up," he said simply. "Would you like a written confession from me, Cornelius - or will a statement before these witnesses suffice?"**

**Harry saw McGonagall and Kingsley look at each other. There was fear in both faces. He did not understand what was going on, and nor, apparently, did Fudge.**

**"Statement?" said Fudge slowly. "What - I don't -?"**

**"Dumbledore's Army, Cornelius," said Dumbledore, still smiling as he waved the list of names before Fudge's face. "Not Potter's Army. Dumbledore's Army."**

"You didn't take the blame!" Lily exclaimed.

"I did." Albus nodded gravely, "Better me than any students getting in trouble for something like that."

**"But - but -"**

**Understanding blazed suddenly in Fudge's face. He took a horrified step backwards, yelped, and jumped out of the fire again.**

**"You?" he whispered, stamping again on his smouldering cloak.**

**"That's right," said Dumbledore pleasantly.**

**"You organised this?"**

**"I did," said Dumbledore.**

**"You recruited these students for - for your army?"**

**"Tonight was supposed to be the first meeting," said Dumbledore, nodding. "Merely to see whether they would be interested in joining me. I see now that it was a mistake to invite Miss Edgecombe, of course."**

**Marietta nodded. Fudge looked from her to Dumbledore, his chest swelling.**

**"Then you have been plotting against me!" he yelled.**

**"That's right," said Dumbledore cheerfully.**

**"NO!" shouted Harry.**

**Kingsley flashed a look of warning at him, McGonagall widened her eyes threateningly, but it had suddenly dawned on Harry what Dumbledore was about to do, and he could not let it happen.**

**"No - Professor Dumbledore -!"**

**"Be quiet, Harry, or I am afraid you will have to leave my office," said Dumbledore calmly.**

**"Yes, shut up, Potter!" barked Fudge, who was still ogling Dumbledore with a kind of horrified delight. "Well, well, well - I came here tonight expecting to expel Potter and instead -"**

**"Instead you get to arrest me," said Dumbledore, smiling. "It's like losing a Knut and finding a Galleon, isn't it?"**

**"Weasley!" cried Fudge, now positively quivering with delight, "Weasley, have you written it all down, everything he's said, his confession, have you got it?"**

**"Yes, sir, I think so, sir!" said Percy eagerly, whose nose was splattered with ink from the speed of his note-taking.**

**"The bit about how he's been trying to build up an army against the Ministry, how he's been working to destabilise me?"**

**"Yes, sir, I've got it, yes!" said Percy, scanning his notes joyfully.**

"Prat." Bill muttered, Percy sighed.

**"Very well, then," said Fudge, now radiant with glee, "duplicate your notes, Weasley, and send a copy to the Daily Prophet at once. If we send a fast owl we should make the morning edition!" Percy dashed from the room, slamming the door behind him, and Fudge turned back to Dumbledore. "You will now be escorted back to the Ministry, where you will be formally charged, then sent to Azkaban to await trial!"**

**"Ah," said Dumbledore gently, "yes. Yes, I thought we might hit that little snag."**

**"Snag?" said Fudge, his voice still vibrating with joy. "I see no snag, Dumbledore!"**

**"Well," said Dumbledore apologetically, "I'm afraid I do."**

**"Oh, really?"**

**"Well - it's just that you seem to be labouring under the delusion that I am going to - what is the phrase? - come quietly. I am afraid I am not going to come quietly at all, Cornelius. I have absolutely no intention of being sent to Azkaban. I could break out, of course - but what a waste of time, and frankly, I can think of a whole host of things I would rather be doing."**

**Umbridge's face was growing steadily redder; she looked as though she was being filled with boiling water. Fudge stared at Dumbledore with a very silly expression on his face, as though he had just been stunned by a sudden blow and could not quite believe it had happened. He made a small choking noise, then looked round at Kingsley and the man with short grey hair, who alone of everyone in the room had remained entirely silent so far. The latter gave Fudge a reassuring nod and moved forwards a little, away from the wall. Harry saw his hand drift, almost casually, towards his pocket.**

**"Don't be silly, Dawlish," said Dumbledore kindly. "I'm sure you are an excellent Auror - I seem to remember that you achieved "Outstanding" in all your NEWTs - but if you attempt to - er - bring me in by force, I will have to hurt you."**

**The man called Dawlish blinked rather foolishly. He looked towards Fudge again, but this time seemed to be hoping for a clue as to what to do next.**

**"So," sneered Fudge, recovering himself, "you intend to take on Dawlish, Shacklebolt, Dolores and myself single-handed, do you, Dumbledore?"**

**"Merlin's beard, no," said Dumbledore, smiling, "not unless you are foolish enough to force me to."**

"As if I would help either." Kingsley snorted, "I was more tempted to hex Umbridge, maybe even Fudge."

**"He will not be single-handed!" said Professor McGonagall loudly, plunging her hand inside her robes.**

**"Oh yes he will, Minerva!" said Dumbledore sharply. "Hogwarts needs you!"**

**"Enough of this rubbish!" said Fudge, pulling out his own wand. "Dawlish! Shacklebolt! Take him!"**

**A streak of silver light flashed around the room; there was a bang like a gunshot and the floor trembled; a hand grabbed the scruff of Harry's neck and forced him down on the floor as a second silver flash went off; several of the portraits yelled, Fawkes screeched and a cloud of dust filled the air. Coughing in the dust, Harry saw a dark figure fall to the ground with a crash in front of him; there was a shriek and a thud and somebody cried, "No!"; then there was the sound of breaking glass, frantically scuffling footsteps, a groan... and silence.**

**Harry struggled around to see who was half-strangling him and saw Professor McGonagall crouched beside him; she had forced both him and Marietta out of harm's way. Dust was still floating gently down through the air on to them. Panting slightly, Harry saw a very tall figure moving towards them.**

"Sorry Harry, I didn't think I had you that tight." Minerva apologized, "But believe me, it was better than being hit by the light, it doesn't react well to people under 20."

"It's fine but what was the light?" he asked.

"Advanced stunning spell, one I made myself. It was too dangerous to be taught at school though so it was only Auror's and the DMLE that were taught it." Albus explained.

"I can't remember ever being taught that spell." Dora frowned.

"It was higher up Auror's, like the head of the department that got taught it." Kingsley told her, "I didn't learn that one until I became Minister." he shrugged.

**"Are you all right?" Dumbledore asked.**

**"Yes!" said Professor McGonagall, getting up and dragging Harry and Marietta with her.**

**The dust was clearing. The wreckage of the office loomed into view: Dumbledore's desk had been overturned, all of the spindly tables had been knocked to the floor, their silver instruments in pieces. Fudge, Umbridge, Kingsley and Dawlish lay motionless on the floor. Fawkes the phoenix soared in wide circles above them, singing softly.**

**"Unfortunately, I had to hex Kingsley too, or it would have looked very suspicious," said Dumbledore in a low voice. "He was remarkably quick on the uptake, modifying Miss Edgecombe's memory like that while everyone was looking the other way"**

"Nice way to put it Albus." Kingsley raised an eyebrow at the portrait.

Albus chuckled, "I didn't think Harry would've reacted too well if I'd outright said you used the Imperious." He shrugged slightly.

"He's right." Harry nodded, "I probably wouldn't have trusted you as much after that."

"**- thank him, for me, won't you, Minerva? Now, they will all awake very soon and it will be best if they do not know that we had time to communicate - you must act as though no time has passed, as though they were merely knocked to the ground, they will not remember -"**

**"Where will you go, Dumbledore?" whispered Professor McGonagall. "Grimmauld Place?"**

**"Oh no," said Dumbledore, with a grim smile, "I am not leaving to go into hiding. Fudge will soon wish he'd never dislodged me from Hogwarts, I promise you."**

**"Professor Dumbledore..." Harry began.**

**He did not know what to say first: how sorry he was that he had started the DA in the first place and caused all this trouble, or how terrible he felt that Dumbledore was leaving to save him from expulsion? But Dumbledore cut him off before he could say another word.**

**"Listen to me, Harry," he said urgently. "You must study Occlumency as hard as you can, do you understand me? Do everything Professor Snape tells you and practise it particularly every night before sleeping so that you can close your mind to bad dreams - you will understand why soon enough, but you must promise me -"**

**The man called Dawlish was stirring. Dumbledore seized Harry's wrist.**

**"Remember - close your mind -"**

**But as Dumbledore's fingers closed over Harry's skin, a pain shot through the scar on his forehead and he felt again that terrible, snakelike longing to strike Dumbledore, to bite him, to hurt him -**

"I noticed that." Albus nodded.

**"- you will understand," whispered Dumbledore.**

**Fawkes circled the office and swooped low over him. Dumbledore released Harry, raised his hand and grasped the phoenix's long golden tail. There was a flash of fire and the pair of them were gone.**

**"Where is he?" yelled Fudge, pushing himself up from the floor. "Where is he?"**

**"I don't know!" shouted Kingsley, also leaping to his feet.**

**"Well, he can't have Disapparated!" cried Umbridge. "You can't do it from inside this school -"**

**"The stairs!" cried Dawlish, and he flung himself upon the door, wrenched it open and disappeared, followed closely by Kingsley and Umbridge. Fudge hesitated, then got slowly to his feet, brushing dust from his front. There was a long and painful silence.**

**"Well, Minerva," said Fudge nastily, straightening his torn shirtsleeve, "I'm afraid this is the end of your friend Dumbledore."**

**"You think so, do you?" said Professor McGonagall scornfully.**

**Fudge seemed not to hear her. He was looking around at the wrecked office. A few of the portraits hissed at him; one or two even made rude hand gestures.**

They laughed at the portraits reactions to Fudge.

**"You'd better get those two off to bed," said Fudge, looking back at Professor McGonagall with a dismissive nod towards Harry and Marietta.**

**Professor McGonagall said nothing, but marched Harry and Marietta to the door. As it swung closed behind them, Harry heard Phineas Nigellus's voice.**

**"You know, Minister, I disagree with Dumbledore on many counts... but you cannot deny he's got style..."**

They all laughed again.

"Ah, Phineas." Regulus chuckled, "I can't believe he said that even if it's true."

"Funnily enough I told Umbridge something similar, though I said she didn't seem to like Albus but she couldn't deny he knew how to do things right." Kingsley grinned.

Albus chuckled, "Why not? It makes things much more fun to do them in a dramatic way."

"I agree with you on that one." Harry nodded, "It's more fun being dramatic than boring."

"Say's the man who denies being dramatic at all costs." Ron snorted.

"You deny it too." Draco pointed out to him, "So do you." he gestured Hermione.

"And yet your lives since fighting that troll always seem to have a dramatic flair about them." Astoria smirked.

"Ah well, we couldn't help it." Harry shrugged, "Moving on..."

* * *

><p>Review please x<p> 


	90. Chapter 90

Chapter 90 - Fifth Year (Part 15)

"This is the next day." Harry told them.

**BY ORDER OF THE MINISTRY OF MAGIC**

**Dolores Jane Umbridge (High Inquisitor) has replaced**

**Albus Dumbledore as Head of Hogwarts School of**

**Witchcraft and Wizardry.**

**The above is in accordance with Educational Decree Number Twenty-eight.**

**Signed: Cornelius Oswald Fudge, Minister for Magic**

"No!" they all groaned.

**The notices had gone up all around the school overnight, but they did not explain how every single person within the castle seemed to know that Dumbledore had overcome two Aurors, the High Inquisitor, the Minister for Magic and his Junior Assistant to escape. No matter where Harry went within the castle, the sole topic of conversation was Dumbledore's flight, and though some of the details may have gone awry in the retelling (Harry overheard one second-year girl assuring another that Fudge was now lying in St. Mungo's with a pumpkin for a head) it was surprising how accurate the rest of their information was. Everybody knew, for instance, that Harry and Marietta were the only students to have witnessed the scene in Dumbledore's office and, as Marietta was now in the hospital wing, Harry found himself besieged with requests to give a first-hand account.**

**"Dumbledore will be back before long," said Ernie Macmillan confidently on the way back from Herbology, after listening intently to Harry's story. "They couldn't keep him away in our second year and they won't be able to this time. The Fat Friar told me -" he dropped his voice conspiratorially, so that Harry, Ron and Hermione had to lean closer to him to hear "- that Umbridge tried to get back into his office last night after they'd searched the castle and grounds for him. Couldn't get past the gargoyle. The Head's office has sealed itself against her." Ernie smirked. "Apparently, she had a right little tantrum."**

**"Oh, I expect she really fancied herself sitting up there in the Head's office," said Hermione viciously, as they walked up the stone steps into the Entrance Hall. "Lording it over all the other teachers, the stupid puffed-up, power-crazy old -"**

**"Now, do you really want to finish that sentence, Granger?"**

**Draco Malfoy had slid out from behind the door, closely followed by Crabbe and Goyle. His pale, pointed face was alight with malice.**

**"Afraid I'm going to have to dock a few points from Gryffincor and Hufflepuff," he drawled.**

**"It's only teachers who can dock points from houses, Malfoy," said Ernie at once.**

**"Yeah, we're prefects, too, remember?" snarled Ron.**

**"I know prefects can't dock points, Weasel King," sneered Maltby. Crabbe and Goyle sniggered. "But members of the Inquisitorial Squad -"**

**"The what?" said Hermione sharply.**

**"'The Inquisitorial Squad, Granger," said Malfoy, pointing towards a tiny silver 'I' on his robes just beneath his prefect's badge. "A select group of students who are supportive of the Ministry of Magic, hand-picked by Professor Umbridge."**

"In other words all students who'd rather side with her to avoid getting in trouble or all the ones who hate the Gryffindor's." Astoria grumbled, "That was a tricky one to talk my way out of."

"How so?"

"Umbridge was persistent, she wanted every Slytherin above 4th year to help her." she explained, "I ended up telling her I was too busy, made up excuses like I was behind on homework and I was helping Daphne prepare for her O.W.L's. It worked eventually." she shrugged.

**"Anyway, members of the Inquisitorial Squad do have the power to dock points... so, Granger, I'll have five from you for being rude about our new Headmistress. Macmillan, five for contradicting me. Five because I don't like you, Potter. Weasley, your shirt's untucked, so I'll have another five for that. Oh yeah, I forgot, you're a Mudblood, Granger, so ten off for that."**

Draco blushed at the angry stares he was getting, "Sorry, but she did tell us to take points off of Muggleborns because of that."

**Ron pulled out his wand, but Hermione pushed it away, whispering, "Don't!"**

**"Wise move, Granger," breathed Malfoy. "New Head, new times... be good now, Potty... Weasel King..."**

**Laughing heartily, he strode away with Crabbe and Goyle.**

**"He was bluffing," said Ernie, looking appalled. "He can't be allowed to dock points... that would be ridiculous... it would completely undermine the prefect system."**

**But Harry, Ron and Hermione had turned automatically towards the giant hour-glasses set in niches along the wall behind them, which recorded the house-points. Gryffindor and Ravenclaw had been neck and neck in the lead that morning. Even as they watched, stones flew upwards, reducing the amounts in the lower bulbs. In fact, the only glass that seemed unchanged was the emerald-filled one of Slytherin.**

**"Noticed, have you?" said Fred's voice.**

**He and George had just come down the marble staircase and joined Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ernie in front of the hour-glasses.**

**"Malfoy just docked us all about fifty points," said Harry furiously, as they watched several more stones fly upwards from the Gryffindor hour-glass.**

"Exaggerating much? It was 30." Draco told him, "Be glad I wasn't a bigger git and took more than that."

**"Yeah, Montague tried to do us during break," said George.**

**"What do you mean, "tried"?" said Ron quickly.**

**"He never managed to get all the words out," said Fred, "due to the fact that we forced him head-first into that Vanishing Cabinet on the first floor."**

**Hermione looked very shocked.**

**"But you'll get into terrible trouble!"**

**"Not until Montague reappears, and that could take weeks, I dunno where we sent him," said Fred coolly. "Anyway... we've decided we don't care about getting into trouble any more."**

**"Have you ever?" asked Hermione.**

**"Course we have," said George. "Never been expelled, have we?"**

**"We've always known where to draw the line," said Fred.**

**"We might have put a toe across it occasionally," said George.**

**"But we've always stopped short of causing real mayhem," said Fred.**

**"But now?" said Ron tentatively.**

"Now release the mayhem!" the twins cheered in a war cry, making the others smile, grin or smirk depending on age and behavior.

**"Well, now -" said George.**

**"- what with Dumbledore gone -" said Fred.**

**"- we reckon a bit of mayhem -" said George.**

**"- is exactly what our dear new Head deserves," said Fred.**

**"You mustn't!" whispered Hermione. "You really mustn't! She'd love a reason to expel you!"**

"Clearly you didn't listen when we said we didn't care, we were telling the truth, we didn't." Fred stated.

"We were on the line as it was, we knew with Albus gone she'd have us expelled within a month, we decided to show her some of what we could do before we went." George added.

**"You don't get it, Hermione, do you?" said Fred, smiling at her. "We don't care about staying any more. We'd walk out right now if we weren't determined to do our bit for Dumbledore first. So, anyway," he checked his watch, "phase one is about to begin. I'd get in the Great Hall for lunch, if I were you, that way the teachers will see you can't have had anything to do with it."**

**"Anything to do with what?" said Hermione anxiously.**

**"You'll see," said George. "Run along, now."**

**Fred and George turned away and disappeared into the swelling crowd descending the stairs towards lunch. Looking highly disconcerted, Ernie muttered something about unfinished Transfiguration homework and scurried away.**

**"I think we should get out of here, you know," said Hermione nervously. "Just in case..."**

**"Yeah, all right," said Ron, and the three of them moved towards the doors to the Great Hall, but Harry had barely glimpsed the day's ceiling of scudding white clouds when somebody tapped him on the shoulder and, turning, he found himself almost nose-to-nose with Filch the caretaker. He took several hasty steps backwards; Filch was best viewed at a distance.**

**"The Headmistress would like to see you, Potter," he leered.**

**"I didn't do it," said Harry stupidly, thinking of whatever Fred and George were planning. Filch's jowls wobbled with silent laughter.**

**"Guilty conscience, eh?" he wheezed. "Follow me."**

**Harry glanced back at Ron and Hermione, who were both looking worried. He shrugged, and followed Filch back into the Entrance Hall, against the tide of hungry students.**

**Filch seemed to be in an extremely good mood; he hummed creakily under his breath as they climbed the marble staircase. As they reached the first landing he said, "Things are changing around here, Potter."**

**"I've noticed," said Harry coldly.**

**"Yerse... I've been telling Dumbledore for years and years he's too soft with you all," said Filch, chuckling nastily. "You filthy little beasts would never have dropped Stink Pellets if you'd known I had it in my power to whip you raw, would you, now? Nobody would have thought of throwing Fanged Frisbees down the corridors if I could've strung you up by the ankles in my office, would they? But when Educational Decree Number Twenty-nine comes in, Potter, I'll be allowed to do them things... and she's asked the Minister to sign an order for the expulsion of Peeves... oh, things are going to be very different around here with her in charge..."**

**Umbridge had obviously gone to some lengths to get Filch on her side, Harry thought, and the worst of it was that he would probably prove an important weapon; his knowledge of the school's secret passageways and hiding places was probably second only to that of the Weasley twins.**

"Nah, more like third." James smirked, "We knew more than him too."

"Probably fourth if you add in those three." Remus added nodding at the Golden Trio.

**"Here we are," he said, leering down at Harry as he rapped three times on Professor Umbridge's door and pushed it open. "The Potter boy to see you, Ma'am."**

**Umbridge's office, so very familiar to Harry from his many detentions, was the same as usual except for the large wooden block lying across the front of her desk on which golden letters spelled the word: HEADMISTRESS. Also, his Firebolt and Fred and George's Cleansweeps, which he saw with a pang, were chained and padlocked to a stout iron peg in the wall behind the desk.**

**Umbridge was sitting behind the desk, busily scribbling on some of her pink parchment, but she looked up and smiled widely at their entrance.**

**"Thank you, Argus," she said sweetly.**

**"Not at all, Ma'am, not at all," said Filch, bowing as low as his rheumatism would permit, and exiting backwards.**

**"Sit," said Umbridge curtly, pointing towards a chair. Harry sat. She continued to scribble for a few moments. He watched some of the foul kittens gambolling around the plates over her head, wondering what fresh horror she had in store for him.**

**"Well, now," she said finally, setting down her quill and surveying him complacently, like a toad about to swallow a particularly juicy fly. "What would you like to drink?"**

**"What?" said Harry, quite sure he had misheard her.**

**"To drink, Mr Potter," she said, smiling still more widely. "Tea? Coffee? Pumpkin juice?"**

**As she named each drink, she gave her short wand a wave, and a cup or glass of it appeared on her desk.**

**"Nothing, thank you," said Harry.**

**"I wish you to have a drink with me," she said, her voice becoming dangerously sweet. "Choose one."**

**"Fine... tea then," said Harry shrugging.**

**She got up and made quite a performance of adding milk with her back to him. She then bustled around the desk with it, smiling in a sinisterly sweet fashion.**

**"There," she said, handing it to him. "Drink it before it gets cold, won't you? Well, now, Mr Potter... I thought we ought to have a little chat, after the distressing events of last night."**

**He said nothing. She settled herself back into her seat and waited. When several long moments had passed in silence, she said gaily, "You're not drinking up!"**

**He raised the cup to his lips and then, just as suddenly, lowered it. One of the horrible painted kittens behind Umbridge had great round blue eyes just like Mad-Eye Moody's magical one and it had just occurred to Harry what Mad-Eye would say if he ever heard that Harry had drunk anything offered by a known enemy.**

"Good." Dora praised, "Don't trust her."

"I have a suspicion she's trying to poison you or something." Sirius muttered.

"Not poison." Harry disagreed, "There was Veritaserum in that cup."

"Yikes, good thing you didn't drink it then." James shuddered.

"It was fake." Snape told them, "I gave her water instead and she couldn't tell." he smirked, "The advantage of that potion being there is no smell that accompanies it."

"There is actually." Remus informed him, "If you have advanced senses it generally smells like fresh water from a mountain stream." he shrugged, "But even then it's difficult to detect when mixed with another liquid."

"You could smell it then?" Sirius frowned.

"Slightly, mainly only if it wasn't mixed with anything." He shrugged again, "You know what water smells like, that's basically what it smells like to those with Werewolf senses, I'd bet it'd probably smell different with Lycan senses." He mused.

"If Lycan senses are better than Werewolf senses you are probably right." Snape informed him, "Why not go find Horace one day and have him test you're sense of smell? I know he'd be willing to do it." He suggested.

"That's actually a fairly good idea, it'd be good to be able to recognize the scent of some potions too." Draco mused, "Professor Slughorn might be able to help us figure out if there's any potions that could be dangerous to Lycan's too, like how Polyjuice doesn't work."

"We'll go speak with him about it at one point." Harry decided.

Andy chuckled, "You know, I could easily help with some of that, if you wish. I'd need to look into it and I wouldn't be much help when it comes to potions, but I'd probably be able to deduce a few things if I had a look." She mused.

"It's an idea." Ginny nodded, "We'll discuss it at a later time though."

**"What's the matter?" said Umbridge, who was still watching him closely. "Do you want sugar?"**

**"No," said Harry.**

**He raised the cup to his lips again and pretended to take a sip, though keeping his mouth tightly closed. Umbridge's smile widened.**

"Mad-Eye would be so proud of you Harry." Dora grinned.

Harry chuckled.

**"Good," she whispered. "Very good. Now then..." She leaned forwards a little. "Where is Albus Dumbledore?"**

**"No idea," said Harry promptly.**

**"Drink up, drink up," she said, still smiling. "Now, Mr. Potter, let us not play childish games. I know that you know where he has gone. You and Dumbledore have been in this together from the beginning. Consider your position, Mr. Potter..."**

**"I don't know where he is," Harry repeated.**

**He pretended to drink again. She was watching him very closely.**

**"Very well," she said, though she looked displeased. "In that case, you will kindly tell me the whereabouts of Sirius Black."**

**Harry's stomach turned over and his hand holding the teacup shook so that it rattled in its saucer. He tilted the cup to his mouth with his lips pressed together, so that some of the hot liquid trickled down on to his robes.**

**"I don't know," he said, a little too quickly.**

**"Mr. Potter," said Umbridge, "let me remind you that it was I who almost caught the criminal Black in the Gryffindor fire in October. I know perfectly well it was you he was meeting and if I had had any proof neither of you would be at large today, I promise you. I repeat, Mr. Potter... where is Sirius Black?"**

**"No idea," said Harry loudly. "Haven't got a clue."**

"The best bit about that is she absolutely had to believe you." Sirius smirked, "Because she would doubt a teenager could get around truth serum, even though the serum was fake."

"She thought I was telling the truth." Harry shrugged, "Certainly got her off my case about you anyway."

**They stared at each other so long that Harry felt his eyes watering. Then Umbridge stood up.**

**"Very well, Potter, I will take your word for it this time, but be warned: the might of the Ministry stands behind me. All channels of communication in and out of this school are being monitored. A Floo Network Regulator is keeping watch over every fire in Hogwarts - except my own, of course. My Inquisitorial Squad is opening and reading all owl post entering and leaving the castle. And Mr. Filch is observing all secret passages in and out of the castle. If I find a shred of evidence..."**

**BOOM!**

**The very floor of the office shook. Umbridge slipped sideways, clutching her desk for support, and looking shocked.**

**"What was -?"**

**She was gazing towards the door. Harry took the opportunity to empty his almost-full cup of tea into the nearest vase of dried flowers. He could hear people running and screaming several floors below.**

**"Back to lunch you go, Potter!" cried Umbridge, raising her wand and dashing out of the office. Harry gave her a few seconds' start, then hurried after her to see what the source of all the uproar was.**

**It was not difficult to find. One floor down, pandemonium reigned. Somebody (and Harry had a very shrewd idea who) had set off what seemed to be an enormous crate of enchanted fireworks.**

"Hence the boom." George grinned.

"One set the others off, we lit its cord from a distance so we wouldn't be caught." Fred chuckled.

"Let the mayhem commence!" they both smirked.

The others all laughed happily.

**Dragons comprised entirely of green and gold sparks were soaring up and down the corridors, emitting loud fiery blasts and bangs as they went; shocking-pink Catherine wheels five feet in diameter were whizzing lethally through the air like so many flying saucers; rockets with long tails of brilliant silver stars were ricocheting off the walls; sparklers were writing swear words in midair of their own accord; firecrackers were exploding like mines everywhere Harry looked, and instead of burning themselves out, fading from sight or fizzling to a halt, these pyrotechnical miracles seemed to be gaining in energy and momentum the longer he watched.**

**Filch and Umbridge were standing, apparently transfixed in horror, halfway down the stairs. As Harry watched, one of the larger Catherine wheels seemed to decide that what it needed was more room to manoeuvre; it whirled towards Umbridge and Filch with a sinister 'wheeeeeeeeee'. They both yelled with fright and ducked, and it soared straight out of the window behind them and off across the grounds. Meanwhile, several of the dragons and a large purple bat that was smoking ominously took advantage of the open door at the end of the corridor to escape towards the second floor.**

**"Hurry, Filch, hurry!" shrieked Umbridge, "they'll be all over the school unless we do something - Stupefy!"**

"I wouldn't do that." Fred said to the memory in a pompous manner.

"Indeed. You will not like the results very much at all." George added in the same tone, "Though it brings endless amusement to those who dislike you, so carry on Madam Umbridge." He bowed mockingly at the memory.

They all looked bemused by the little display by the twins, though those who knew what would happen laughed a little.

**A jet of red light shot out of the end of her wand and hit one of the rockets. Instead of freezing in midair, it exploded with such force that it blasted a hole in a painting of a soppy-looking witch in the middle of a meadow; she ran for it just in time, reappearing seconds later squashed into the next painting, where a couple of wizards playing cards stood up hastily to make room for her.**

**"Don't Stun them, Filch!" shouted Umbridge angrily, for all the world as though it had been his incantation.**

"He can't even do magic!" Minerva yelled, "I thought she couldn't get any more stupid!"

**"Right you are, Headmistress!" wheezed Filch, who as a Squib could no more have Stunned the fireworks than swallowed them. He dashed to a nearby cupboard, pulled out a broom and began swatting at the fireworks in midair; within seconds the head of the broom was ablaze.**

**Harry had seen enough; laughing, he ducked down low, ran to a door he knew was concealed behind a tapestry a little way along the corridor and slipped through it to find Fred and George hiding just behind it, listening to Umbridge and Filch's yells and quaking with suppressed mirth.**

**"Impressive," Harry said quietly, grinning. "Very impressive... you'll put Dr. Filibuster out of business, no problem..."**

**"Cheers," whispered George, wiping tears of laughter from his face. "Oh, I hope she tries Vanishing them next... they multiply by ten every time you try."**

"Brilliant." the Marauders cheered.

**The fireworks continued to burn and to spread all over the school that afternoon. Though they caused plenty of disruption, particularly the firecrackers, the other teachers didn't seem to mind them very much.**

**"Dear, dear," said Professor McGonagall sardonically, as one of the dragons soared around her classroom, emitting loud bangs and exhaling flame. "Miss Brown, would you mind running along to the Headmistress and informing her that we have an escaped firework in our classroom?"**

"You could've dealt with that yourself." George told her.

"We told all the teachers that wouldn't tell Umbridge how to deal with them." Fred smirked.

"It was more amusing watching her do it, we weren't going to help her." Minerva shrugged.

**The upshot of it all was that Professor Umbridge spent her first afternoon as Headmistress running all over the school answering the summonses of the other teachers, none of whom seemed able to rid their rooms of the fireworks without her. When the final bell rang and they were heading back to Gryffindor Tower with their bags, Harry saw, with immense satisfaction, a dishevelled and soot-blackened Umbridge tottering sweaty-faced from Professor Flitwick's classroom.**

**"Thank you so much, Professor!" said Professor Flitwick in his squeaky little voice. "I could have got rid of the sparklers myself, of course, but I wasn't sure whether or not I had the authority."**

**Beaming, he closed his classroom door in her snarling face.**

**Fred and George were heroes that night in the Gryffindor common room. Even Hermione fought her way through the excited crowd to congratulate them.**

**"They were wonderful fireworks," she said admiringly.**

**"Thanks," said George, looking both surprised and pleased. "Weasleys' Wildfire Whiz-bangs. Only thing is, we used our whole stock; we're going to have to start again from scratch now."**

**"It was worth it, though," said Fred, who was taking orders from clamouring Gryffindors. "If you want to add your name to the waiting list, Hermione, it's five Galleons for your Basic Blaze box and twenty for the Deflagration Deluxe..."**

**Hermione returned to the table where Harry and Ron were sitting staring at their schoolbags as though hoping their homework would spring out and start doing itself.**

**"Oh, why don't we have a night off?" said Hermione brightly, as a silver-tailed Weasley rocket zoomed past the window. "After all, the Easter holidays start on Friday, we'll have plenty of time then."**

**"Are you feeling all right?" Ron asked, staring at her in disbelief.**

**"Now you mention it," said Hermione happily, "d'you know... I think I'm feeling a bit... rebellious."**

**Harry could still hear the distant bangs of escaped firecrackers when he and Ron went up to bed an hour later; and as he got undressed a sparkler floated past the tower, still resolutely spelling out the word 'POO'.**

"Poo?" James asked amusedly.

"They spelled out more than that." George snickered, "Nothing worse than what we used as firsties." he added at his mother's glare.

"We had one following Umbridge for an hour or so spelling out various descriptions of her." Fred laughed, "'Evil, manipulative, pink Dementor' was one such description."

"And that wasn't even in the vocabulary we gave the fireworks." George mused, "It did that itself. Though we had one that insulted her following her at one point too."

Fred nodded, "My personal favorite would have to be 'I once heard a Dementor kissed her, and _it_ died'."

They all laughed a bit at that.

"Absolutely brilliant." James complimented them.

**He got into bed, yawning. With his glasses off, the occasional firework passing the window had become blurred, looking like sparkling clouds, beautiful and mysterious against the black sky. He turned on to his side, wondering how Umbridge was feeling about her first day in Dumbledore's job, and how Fudge would react when he heard that the school had spent most of the day in a state of advanced disruption. Smiling to himself, Harry closed his eyes...**

**The whizzes and bangs of escaped fireworks in the grounds seemed to be growing more distant... or perhaps he was simply speeding away from them...**

**He had fallen right into the corridor leading to the Department of Mysteries. He was speeding towards the plain black door... let it open... let it open...**

"Not again!" Lily groaned.

**It did. He was inside the circular room lined with doors... he crossed it, placed his hand on an identical door and it swung inwards...**

**Now he was in a long, rectangular room full of an odd mechanical clicking. There were dancing flecks of light on the walls but he did not pause to investigate... he had to go on...**

**There was a door at the far end... it, too, opened at his touch...**

**And now he was in a dimly lit room as high and wide as a church, full of nothing but rows and rows of towering shelves, each laden with small, dusty, spun-glass spheres... now Harry's heart was beating fast with excitement... he knew where to go... he ran forwards, but his footsteps made no noise in the enormous, deserted room...**

**There was something in this room he wanted very, very much...**

**Something he wanted... or somebody else wanted...**

**His scar was hurting...**

**BANG!**

**Harry awoke instantly, confused and angry. The dark dormitory was full of the sound of laughter.**

**"Cool!" said Seamus, who was silhouetted against the window. "I think one of those Catherine wheels hit a rocket and it's like they mated, come and see!"**

"Probably." Fred smirked.

"They did that when they clashed, all the fireworks we make do." George explained.

"Just adds more to the entertainment value -"

"- Though they don't last more than 24 hours."

**Harry heard Ron and Dean scramble out of bed for a better look. He lay quite still and silent while the pain in his scar subsided and disappointment washed over him. He felt as though a wonderful treat had been snatched from him at the very last moment... he had got so close that time.**

**Glittering pink and silver winged piglets were now soaring past the windows of Gryffindor Tower. Harry lay and listened to the appreciative whoops of Gryffindor's in the dormitories below them. His stomach gave a sickening jolt as he remembered that he had Occlumency the following evening.**

**Harry spent the whole of the next day dreading what Snape was going to say if he found out how much further into the Department of Mysteries Harry had penetrated during his last dream. With a surge of guilt he realised that he had not practised Occlumency once since their last lesson: there had been too much going on since Dumbledore had left; he was sure he would not have been able to empty his mind even if he had tried. He doubted, however, whether Snape would accept that excuse.**

**He attempted a little last-minute practice during classes that day, but it was no good. Hermione kept asking him what was wrong whenever he fell silent trying to rid himself of all thought and emotion and, after all, the best moment to empty his brain was not while teachers were firing revision questions at the class.**

**Resigned to the worst, he set off for Snape's office after dinner. Halfway across the Entrance Hall, however, Cho came hurrying up to him.**

**"Over here," said Harry, glad of a reason to postpone his meeting with Snape, and beckoning her across to the corner of the Entrance Hall where the giant hour-glasses stood. Gryffindor's was now almost empty. "Are you OK? Umbridge hasn't been asking you about the DA, has she?"**

**"Oh, no," said Cho hurriedly. "No, it was only ... well, I just wanted to say... Harry, I never dreamed Marietta would tell..."**

**"Yeah, well," said Harry moodily. He did feel Cho might have chosen her friends a bit more carefully; it was small consolation that the last he had heard, Marietta was still up in the hospital wing and Madam Pomfrey had not been able to make the slightest improvement to her pimples.**

**"She's a lovely person really," said Cho. "She just made a mistake -"**

**Harry looked at her incredulously.**

**"A lovely person who made a mistake? She sold us all out, including you!"**

**"Well... we all got away, didn't we?' said Cho pleadingly. "You know, her mum works for the Ministry, it's really difficult for her -"**

**"Ron's dad works for the Ministry too!" Harry said furiously. "And in case you hadn't noticed, he hasn't got sneak written across his face -"**

**"That was a really horrible trick of Hermione Granger's," said Cho fiercely. "She should have told us she'd jinxed that list -"**

"Oooooh, bad thing to say." Dora smirked.

"How so?" Harry inquired, grinning slightly.

"Because you three are damn scary when defending each other and you wouldn't let a comment like that go easily." Neville told the Golden Trio, who smirked.

"If you ask me, she got off easy." Harry stated, "Especially considering I didn't go for my wand once."

"Pity." Ginny muttered.

**"I think it was a brilliant idea," said Harry coldly. Cho flushed and her eyes grew brighter.**

**"Oh yes, I forgot - of course, if it was darling Hermione's idea -"**

**"Don't start crying again," said Harry warningly.**

**"I wasn't going to!" she shouted.**

**"Yeah... well... good," he said. "I've got enough to cope with at the moment."**

**"Go and cope with it then!" Cho said furiously, turning on her heel and stalking off.**

**Fuming, Harry descended the stairs to Snape's dungeon and, though he knew from experience how much easier it would be for Snape to penetrate his mind if he arrived angry and resentful, he succeeded in nothing but thinking of a few more things he should have said to Cho about Marietta before reaching the dungeon door.**

**"You're late, Potter," said Snape coldly, as Harry closed the door behind him.**

**Snape was standing with his back to Harry, removing, as usual, certain of his thoughts and placing them carefully in Dumbledore's Pensieve. He dropped the last silvery strand into the stone basin and turned to face Harry.**

**"So," he said. "Have you been practising?"**

**"Yes," Harry lied, looking carefully at one of the legs of Snape's desk.**

**"Well, we'll soon find out, won't we?" said Snape smoothly. "Wand out, Potter."**

**Harry moved into his usual position, facing Snape with the desk between them. His heart was pumping last with anger at Cho and anxiety about how much Snape was about to extract from his mind.**

**"On the count of three then," said Snape lazily. "One - two -"**

**Snape's office door banged open and Draco Malfoy sped in.**

**"Professor Snape, sir - oh - sorry -"**

**Malfoy was looking at Snape and Harry in some surprise.**

**"It's all right, Draco," said Snape, lowering his wand. "Potter is here for a little remedial Potions."**

**Harry had not seen Malfoy look so gleeful since Umbridge had turned up to inspect Hagrid.**

**"I didn't know," he said, leering at Harry, who knew his face was burning. He would have given a great deal to be able to shout the truth at Malfoy - or, even better, to hit him with a good curse.**

**"Well, Draco, what is it?" asked Snape.**

**"It's Professor Umbridge, sir - she needs your help," said Malfoy. "They've found Montague, sir, he's turned up jammed inside a toilet on the fourth floor."**

**"How did he get in there?" demanded Snape.**

**"I don't know, sir, he's a bit confused."**

**"Very well, very well. Potter," said Snape, "we shall resume this lesson tomorrow evening."**

**He turned and swept from his office. Malfoy mouthed, 'Remedial Potions?' at Harry behind Snape's back before following him.**

**Seething, Harry replaced his wand inside his robes and made to leave the room. At least he had twenty-four more hours in which to practise; he knew he ought to feel grateful for the narrow escape, though it was hard that it came at the expense of Malfoy telling the whole school that he needed remedial Potions.**

Harry hurriedly paused the memory and looked at Snape, who was lounging on the side of the picture frame as Albus whispered something to him.

"Professor?" Harry interrupted.

Snape looked at him, "You want to know if I'll let you show it?" he guessed.

Harry nodded sheepishly.

Snape studied the people in the room for a few moments before settling on the Marauders, "I'm fine with it if they are." he told Harry.

"What -?" James started.

"Our 5th year Prongs. Just after O.W.L's." Sirius sighed tiredly.

James and Lily both winced, "Is it important?" Lily asked.

"A little." Harry admitted, "It made me doubt you both for the first time ever. Especially Dad."

"He came to us about it." Remus added, "At great risk, because it bothered him so much."

James hesitated, "I don't know, we were git's..."

"Understatement." Snape grumbled, "Worse than git's, not as bad as Voldemort."

The Marauders winced again.

"Of course they weren't the only ones at fault, Severus." Regulus told him.

Snape nodded grudgingly in acceptance.

"So what will it be?" Harry asked them, "Show or Skip? It'll still have to be explained." he warned them.

The Marauders shared a look, "Give us a minute." Remus said, leading the other two and Lily out of the ward.

"What's going on?" Dora asked confusedly.

"My worst memory." Snape sighed, "At the hands of the Marauders anyway." he added, "Now if you don't mind, I'd rather leave." and he did just that.

The Marauders re-entered and sat down again, "Show it." James said with a sigh.

Harry nodded and flicked his wand, starting the memory again.

**He was at the office door when he saw it: a patch of shivering light dancing on the doorframe. He stopped, and stood looking at it, reminded of something... then he remembered: it was a little like the lights he had seen in his dream last night, the lights in the second room he had walked through on his journey through the Department of Mysteries.**

**He turned around. The light was coming from the Pensieve sitting on Snape's desk. The silver-white contents were ebbing and swirling within. Snape's thoughts... things he did not want Harry to see if he broke through Snape's defences accidentally...**

**Harry gazed at the Pensieve, curiosity welling inside him... what was it that Snape was so keen to hide from Harry?**

**The silvery lights shivered on the wall... Harry took two steps towards the desk, thinking hard. Could it possibly be information about the Department of Mysteries that Snape was determined to keep from him?**

**Harry looked over his shoulder, his heart now pumping harder and faster than ever. How long would it take Snape to release Montague from the toilet? Would he come straight back to his office afterwards, or accompany Montague to the hospital wing? Surely the latter... Montague was Captain of the Slytherin Quidditch team, Snape would want to make sure he was all right.**

**Harry walked the remaining few feet to the Pensieve and stood over it, gazing into its depths. He hesitated, listening, then pulled out his wand again. The office and the corridor beyond were completely silent. He gave the contents of the Pensieve a small prod with the end of his wand.**

**The silvery stuff within began to swirl very fast. Harry leaned forwards over it and saw that it had become transparent. He was, once again, looking down into a room as though through a circular window in the ceiling... in fact, unless he was much mistaken, he was looking down into the Great Hall.**

**His breath was actually fogging the surface of Snape's thoughts... his brain seemed to be in limbo... it would be insane to do the thing he was so strongly tempted to do... he was trembling... Snape could be back at any moment... but Harry thought of Cho's anger, of Malfoy's jeering face, and a reckless daring seized him.**

"Harry!" Molly said shocked, "You shouldn't invade people's privacy!" she scolded.

He shrugged, "He was invading mine every lesson."

**He took a great gulp of breath, and plunged his face into the surface of Snape's thoughts. At once, the floor of the office lurched, tipping Harry head-first into the Pensieve...**

**He was falling through cold blackness, spinning furiously as he went, and then -**

**He was standing in the middle of the Great Hall, but the four house tables were gone. Instead, there were more than a hundred smaller tables, all facing the same way, at each of which sat a student, head bent low, scribbling on a roll of parchment. The only sound was the scratching of quills and the occasional rustle as somebody adjusted their parchment. It was clearly exam time.**

**Sunshine was streaming through the high windows on to the bent heads, which shone chestnut and copper and gold in the bright light. Harry looked around carefully. Snape had to be here somewhere... this was his memory...**

**And there he was, at a table right behind Harry. Harry stared. Snape-the-teenager had a stringy, pallid look about him, like a plant kept in the dark. His hair was lank and greasy and was flopping on to the table, his hooked nose barely half an inch from the surface of the parchment as he scribbled. Harry moved around behind Snape and read the heading of the examination paper: DEFENCE AGAINST THE DARK ARTS - ORDINARY WIZARDING LEVEL.**

**So Snape had to be fifteen or sixteen, around Harry's own age. His hand was flying across the parchment; he had written at least a foot more than his closest neighbours, and yet his writing was minuscule and cramped.**

**"Five more minutes!"**

**The voice made Harry jump. Turning, he saw the top of Professor Flitwick's head moving between the desks a short distance away. Professor Flitwick was walking past a boy with untidy black hair... very untidy black hair...**

"So you found me." James smiled weakly, knowing what was coming.

**Harry moved so quickly that, had he been solid, he would have knocked desks flying. Instead he seemed to slide, dreamlike, across two aisles and up a third. The back of the black-haired boy's head drew nearer and... he was straightening up now, putting down his quill, pulling his roll of parchment towards him so as to reread what he had written...**

**Harry stopped in front of the desk and gazed down at his fifteen-year-old father.**

**Excitement exploded in the pit of his stomach: it was as though he was looking at himself but with deliberate mistakes. James's eyes were hazel, his nose was slightly longer than Harry's and there was no scar on his forehead, but they had the same thin face, same mouth, same eyebrows; James's hair stuck up at the back exactly as Harry's did, his hands could have been Harry's and Harry could tell that, when James stood up, they would be within an inch of each other in height.**

**James yawned hugely and rumpled up his hair, making it even messier than it had been. Then, with a glance towards Professor Flitwick, he turned in his seat and grinned at a boy sitting four seats behind him.**

**With another shock of excitement, Harry saw Sirius give James the thumbs-up. Sirius was lounging in his chair at his ease, tilting it back on two legs. He was very good-looking; his dark hair fell into his eyes with a sort of casual elegance neither James's nor Harry's could ever have achieved, and a girl sitting behind him was eyeing him hopefully, though he didn't seem to have noticed.**

"You don't recognize her?" Sirius asked amusedly.

Harry shook his head, "Should I?"

"Her second name's McKinnon, does that give you a clue?" James chuckled.

"Marlene McKinnon? From the picture Moody showed me of the original Order?" he asked shocked.

"The very same, Sirius had been ignoring her for weeks. She was put out and tried to get his attention constantly." Alice laughed, "Poor Marley, how could you ignore her Sirius?"

"I didn't like her like that." he shrugged, "And I knew she fancied me, so I ignored her until her crush went away."

"And how long did that take?" Ron inquired.

"About 2 months." James chuckled.

**And two seats along from this girl - Harry's stomach gave another pleasurable squirm - was Remus Lupin. He looked rather pale and peaky (was the full moon approaching?) and was absorbed in the exam: as he reread his answers, he scratched his chin with the end of his quill, frowning slightly.**

**So that meant Wormtail had to be around here somewhere, too... and sure enough, Harry spotted him within seconds: a small, mousy-haired boy with a pointed nose. Wormtail looked anxious; he was chewing his fingernails, staring down at his paper, scuffing the ground with his toes. Every now and then he glanced hopefully at his neighbour's paper. Harry stared at Wormtail for a moment, then back at James, who was now doodling on a bit of scrap parchment. He had drawn a Snitch and was now tracing the letters 'L.E.'. What did they stand for?**

"So that's what you were doing." Lily laughed, "I'd wondered what you were doing when Marley told me you'd been doodling instead of writing."

"I'd finished." James shrugged, blushing slightly as a few of the others snickered - having figured out it was Lily's initials he'd been drawing.

**"Quills down, please!" squeaked Professor Flitwick. "That means you too, Stebbins! Please remain seated while I collect your parchment! Accio!"**

**Over a hundred rolls of parchment zoomed into the air and into Professor Flitwick's outstretched arms, knocking him backwards off his feet. Several people laughed. A couple of students at the front desks got up, took hold of Professor Flitwick beneath the elbows and lifted him back on to his feet.**

**"Thank you... thank you," panted Professor Flitwick. "Very well, everybody, you're free to go!"**

**Harry looked down at his father, who had hastily crossed out the 'L.E.' he had been embellishing, jumped to his feet, stuffed his quill and the exam paper into his bag, which he slung over his back, and stood waiting for Sirius to join him.**

**Harry looked around and glimpsed Snape a short way away, moving between the tables towards the doors to the Entrance Hall, still absorbed in his own exam paper. Round-shouldered yet angular, he walked in a twitchy manner that recalled a spider, and his oily hair was jumping about his face.**

**A gang of chattering girls separated Snape from James, Sirius and Lupin, and by planting himself in their midst, Harry managed to keep Snape in sight while straining his ears to catch the voices of James and his friends.**

**"Did you like question ten, Moony?" asked Sirius as they emerged into the Entrance Hall.**

**"Loved it," said Lupin briskly. "Give five signs that identify the werewolf. Excellent question."**

**"D'you think you managed to get all the signs?" said James in tones of mock concern.**

**"Think I did," said Lupin seriously, as they joined the crowd thronging around the front doors eager to get out into the sunlit grounds. "One: he's sitting on my chair. Two: he's wearing my clothes. Three: his name's Remus Lupin."**

They all burst out laughing at Remus's teenage self.

**Wormtail was the only one who didn't laugh.**

**"I got the snout shape, the pupils of the eyes and the tufted tail," he said anxiously, "but I couldn't think what else -"**

**"How thick are you, Wormtail?" said James impatiently. "You run round with a werewolf once a month -"**

**"Keep your voice down," implored Lupin.**

**Harry looked anxiously behind him again. Snape remained close by, still buried in his exam questions - but this was Snape's memory and Harry was sure that if Snape chose to wander off in a different direction once outside in the grounds, he, Harry, would not be able to follow James any further. To his intense relief, however, when James and his three friends strode off down the lawn towards the lake, Snape followed, still poring over the exam paper and apparently with no fixed idea of where he was going. By keeping a little ahead of him, Harry managed to maintain a close watch on James and the others.**

**"Well, I thought that paper was a piece of cake," he heard Sirius say. "I'll be surprised if I don't get "Outstanding" on it at least."**

**"Me too," said James. He put his hand in his pocket and took out a struggling Golden Snitch.**

**"Where'd you get that?"**

**"Nicked it," said James casually. He started playing with the Snitch, allowing it to fly as much as a foot away before seizing it again; his reflexes were excellent. Wormtail watched him in awe.**

"You stole it?" Minerva inquired.

"From my Dad's desk drawer when I was home for Christmas, I'd forgotten I put it in my trunk." James explained.

**They stopped in the shade of the very same beech tree on the edge of the lake where Harry, Ron and Hermione had once spent a Sunday finishing their homework, and threw themselves down on the grass. Harry looked over his shoulder yet again and saw, to his delight, that Snape had settled himself on the grass in the dense shadow of a clump of bushes. He was as deeply immersed in the OWL paper as ever, which left Harry free to sit down on the grass between the beech and the bushes and watch the foursome under the tree. The sunlight was dazzling on the smooth surface of the lake, on the bank of which the group of laughing girls who had just left the Great Hall were sitting, with their shoes and socks off, cooling their feet in the water.**

**Lupin had pulled out a book and was reading. Sirius stared around at the students milling over the grass, looking rather haughty and bored, but very handsomely so. James was still playing with the Snitch, letting it zoom further and further away, almost escaping but always grabbed at the last second. Wormtail was watching him with his mouth open. Every time James made a particularly difficult catch, Wormtail gasped and applauded. After five minutes of this, Harry wondered why James didn't tell Wormtail to get a grip on himself, but James seemed to be enjoying the attention. Harry noticed that his father had a habit of rumpling up his hair as though to keep it from getting too tidy, and he also kept looking over at the girls by the water's edge.**

**"Put that away, will you," said Sirius finally, as James made a fine catch and Wormtail let out a cheer, "before Wormtail wets himself with excitement."**

**Wormtail turned slightly pink, but James grinned.**

**"If it bothers you," he said, stuffing the Snitch back in his pocket. Harry had the distinct impression that Sirius was the only one for whom James would have stopped showing off.**

"Not exactly." James shrugged, "I was getting annoyed with Wormtail, I just didn't tell him to shut it. I knew Sirius would eventually."

**"I'm bored," said Sirius. "Wish it was full moon."**

**"You might," said Lupin darkly from behind his book. "We've still got Transfiguration, if you're bored you could test me. Here..." and he held out his book.**

**But Sirius snorted. "I don't need to look at that rubbish, I know it all."**

The Marauders tensed, knowing what was about to happen.

**"This'll liven you up, Padfoot," said James quietly. "Look who it is." Sirius's head turned. He became very still, like a dog that has scented a rabbit.**

**"Excellent," he said softly. "Snivellus."**

**Harry turned to see what Sirius was looking at.**

**Snape was on his feet again, and was stowing the OWL paper in his bag. As he left the shadows of the bushes and set off across the grass, Sirius and James stood up.**

**Lupin and Wormtail remained sitting: Lupin was still staring down at his book, though his eyes were not moving and a faint frown line had appeared between his eyebrows; Wormtail was looking from Sirius and James to Snape with a look of avid anticipation on his face.**

**"All right, Snivellus?" said James loudly.**

**Snape reacted so fast it was as though he had been expecting an attack: dropping his bag, he plunged his hand inside his robes and his wand was halfway into the air when James shouted, "Expelliarmus!"**

**Snape's wand flew twelve feet into the air and fell with a little thud in the grass behind him. Sirius let out a bark of laughter.**

**"Impedimenta!" he said, pointing his wand at Snape, who was knocked off his feet halfway through a dive towards his own fallen wand.**

**Students all around had turned to watch. Some of them had got to their feet and were edging nearer. Some looked apprehensive, others entertained.**

**Snape lay panting on the ground. James and Sirius advanced on him, wands raised, James glancing over his shoulder at the girls at the water's edge as he went. Wormtail was on his feet now, watching hungrily, edging around Lupin to get a clearer view.**

**"How'd the exam go, Snivelly?" said James.**

**"I was watching him, his nose was touching the parchment," said Sirius viciously. "There'll be great grease marks all over it, they won't be able to read a word."**

Everyone was frowning at the guilty looking dark haired Marauders.

**Several people watching laughed; Snape was clearly unpopular. Wormtail sniggered shrilly. Snape was trying to get up, but the jinx was still operating on him; he was struggling, as though bound by invisible ropes.**

**"You - wait," he panted, staring up at James with an expression of purest loathing, "you - wait!"**

**"Wait for what?" said Sirius coolly. "What're you going to do, Snivelly, wipe your nose on us?"**

**Snape let out a stream of mixed swear words and hexes, but with his wand ten feet away nothing happened.**

**"Wash out your mouth," said James coldly. "Scourgify!"**

**Pink soap bubbles streamed from Snape's mouth at once; the froth was covering his lips, making him gag, choking him -**

"You didn't even give him a chance!" Andy yelled furiously, "How dare you, it's no wonder he was a git to Harry. Look at what you did to him!"

The two Marauders looked very ashamed and cowered away from her yelling.

Harry looked at Teddy, who was on his knee, and thanked Merlin he couldn't hear them, thanks to the spell he'd put on his Godson before that part of the memory started.

**"Leave him ALONE!"**

**James and Sirius looked round. James's free hand immediately jumped to his hair.**

**It was one of the girls from the lake edge. She had thick, dark red hair that fell to her shoulders, and startlingly green almond-shaped eyes - Harry's eyes.**

**Harry's mother.**

"Lily to the rescue! Again!" Alice announced.

"Again?" Bill asked sharply.

"Oh it's not the first time they did something like that." Frank muttered darkly, "One of us usually had to step in and stop them, mostly Lily since they didn't listen to us." he revealed.

James and Sirius winced, "We were wrong." James stated, "We shouldn't have done any of it."

"Doesn't change the fact that you did." Dora said, looking at her cousin in disappointment, "I can't believe you'd do something like that!" she exclaimed.

**"All right, Evans?" said James, and the tone of his voice was suddenly pleasant, deeper, more mature.**

**"Leave him alone," Lily repeated. She was looking at James with every sign of great dislike. "What's he done to you?"**

**"Well," said James, appearing to deliberate the point, "it's more the fact that he exists, if you know what I mean..."**

"James!" Regulus snapped, "That is not an excuse!"

"I was lying!" he yelled, "For Merlin's sake I lied, I couldn't tell Lily the real reason we chose to pick on him that time without endangering Remus's secret!"

"What?" several people asked in confusion.

"He was blackmailing us, he knew about Remus's Lycanthropy and threatened to tell everyone just because we hated each other." Sirius explained hesitantly.

"Why not go to Albus or I then?" Minerva demanded, lips pressed together tightly in anger.

"I told them to leave it." Remus whispered, "They didn't listen and decided to take matters into their own hands."

"Why didn't you try and stop them then?" Dora asked him.

"I-I was being a coward... I knew they'd say I was betraying them if I stuck up for Severus, or they'd ignore me..."

"Bullocks." Sirius told him, "We'd listen to you Moony, if you'd said he wasn't worth the time we'd let him go and leave to do something else."

"No you wouldn't." Remus growled, "I know you two better than most, you'd tell me to stop being a killjoy."

The three argued for a few moments before Harry yelled, "Shut up!" out of sheer annoyance, they froze and looked at him in shock, "It happened, nothing can change that. There's no point arguing about it, let's just get this over with." he snapped, using his most commanding voice.

They all nodded mutely, realizing they'd really annoyed the dark-haired teen more than he already was.

**Many of the surrounding students laughed, Sirius and Wormtail included, but Lupin, still apparently intent on his book, didn't, and nor did Lily.**

**"You think you're funny," she said coldly. "But you're just an arrogant, bullying toerag, Potter. Leave him alone."**

**"I will if you go out with me, Evans," said James quickly. "Go on... go out with me and I'll never lay a wand on old Snivelly again."**

**Behind him, the Impediment Jinx was wearing off. Snape was beginning to inch towards his fallen wand, spitting out soapsuds as he crawled.**

**"I wouldn't go out with you if it was a choice between you and the giant squid," said Lily.**

**"Bad luck, Prongs," said Sirius briskly, and turned back to Snape. "OI!"**

**But too late; Snape had directed his wand straight at James; there was a flash of light and a gash appeared on the side of James's face, spattering his robes with blood. James whirled about: a second flash of light later, Snape was hanging upside-down in the air, his robes falling over his head to reveal skinny, pallid legs and a pair of greying underpants.**

**Many people in the small crowd cheered; Sirius, James and Wormtail roared with laughter.**

**Lily, whose furious expression had twitched for an instant as though she was going to smile, said, "Let him down!"**

**"Certainly," said James and he jerked his wand upwards; Snape fell into a crumpled heap on the ground. Disentangling himself from his robes he got quickly to his feet, wand up, but Sirius said, "Petrificus Totalus!" and Snape keeled over again, rigid as a board.**

**"LEAVE HIM ALONE!" Lily shouted. She had her own wand out now. James and Sirius eyed it warily.**

**"Ah, Evans, don't make me hex you," said James earnestly.**

**"Take the curse off him, then!"**

**James sighed deeply, then turned to Snape and muttered the counter-curse.**

**"There you go," he said, as Snape struggled to his feet. "You're lucky Evans was here, Snivellus -"**

**"I don't need help from filthy little Mudbloods like her!"**

They all gasped at that.

Lily had tears in her eyes at the memory, it had hurt her deeply when he'd said that.

**Lily blinked.**

**"Fine," she said coolly. "I won't bother in future. And I'd wash your pants if I were you, Snivellus."**

**"Apologise to Evans!" James roared at Snape, his wand pointed threateningly at him.**

**"I don't want you to make him apologise," Lily shouted, rounding on James. "You're as bad as he is."**

**"What?" yelped James. "I'd NEVER call you a - you-know-what!"**

**"Messing up your hair because you think it looks cool to look like you've just got off your broomstick, showing off with that stupid Snitch, walking down corridors and hexing anyone who annoys you just because you can - I'm surprised your broomstick can get off the ground with that fat head on it. You make me SICK."**

**She turned on her heel and hurried away.**

**"Evans!" James shouted after her. "Hey, EVANS!"**

**But she didn't look back.**

**"What is it with her?" said James, trying and failing to look as though this was a throwaway question of no real importance to him.**

**"Reading between the lines, I'd say she thinks you're a bit conceited, mate," said Sirius.**

**"Right," said James, who looked furious now, "right -"**

**There was another flash of light, and Snape was once again hanging upside-down in the air.**

**"Who wants to see me take off Snivelly's pants?"**

"You didn't!" Cissy gasped.

"I didn't let them." Regulus assured her, "Bloody good thing I'd seen Lily running out the circle or I wouldn't have come to see what was going on."

"What did you do?" Percy asked hesitantly.

"Cursed the living daylights out of them." he nodded at his brother and James, "And told that stupid brother of mine I'd tell Mother if he didn't quit picking on Slytherin's. Then proceeded to tell Slughorn what happened."

"After we were taken to the hospital wing." Sirius made a face, "We were in there for a week."

"And everyone laughed at the fact you both, 5th years, got your ass handed to you on a plate by him, a 3rd year." Frank told them.

"He disarmed us from behind." James muttered, "Not much we could do since most people reckoned he was right to do it."

"You deserved it." Regulus sneered, "You didn't like it much, being defenseless and getting cursed did you?"

"No." both mumbled.

"I hope you learned your lesson." Molly told them, "That was disgraceful."

"We know." the two assured them, "We backed off after that." Sirius added.

They all turned back to the memory after that.

**But whether James really did take off Snape's pants, Harry never found out. A hand had closed tight over his upper arm, closed with a pincer-like grip. Wincing, Harry looked round to see who had hold of him, and saw, with a thrill of horror, a fully grown, adult-sized Snape standing right beside him, white with rage.**

"Busted." the twins whistled.

**"Having fun?"**

**Harry felt himself rising into the air; the summer's day evaporated around him; he was floating upwards through icy blackness, Snape's hand still tight upon his upper arm. Then, with a swooping feeling as though he had turned head-over-heels in midair, his feet hit the stone floor of Snape's dungeon and he was standing again beside the Pensieve on Snape's desk in the shadowy, present-day Potion master's study.**

**"So," said Snape, gripping Harry's arm so tightly Harry's hand was starting to feel numb. "So... been enjoying yourself, Potter?"**

**"N-no," said Harry, trying to free his arm.**

**It was scary: Snape's lips were shaking, his face was white, his teeth were bared.**

**"Amusing man, your father, wasn't he?" said Snape, shaking Harry so hard his glasses slipped down his nose.**

**"I - didn't -"**

**Snape threw Harry from him with all his might. Harry fell hard on to the dungeon floor.**

**"You will not repeat what you saw to anybody!" Snape bellowed.**

**"No," said Harry, getting to his feet as far from Snape as he could. "No, of course I w -"**

**"Get out, get out, I don't want to see you in this office ever again!"**

**And as Harry hurtled towards the door, a jar of dead cockroaches exploded over his head. He wrenched the door open and Hew along the corridor, stopping only when he had put three floors between himself and Snape. There he leaned against the wall, panting, and rubbing his bruised arm.**

**He had no desire at all to return to Gryffindor Tower so early, nor to tell Ron and Hermione what he had just seen. What was making Harry feel so horrified and unhappy was not being shouted at or having jars thrown at him; it was that he knew how it felt to be humiliated in the middle of a circle of onlookers, knew exactly how Snape had felt as his father had taunted him, and that judging from what he had just seen, his father had been every bit as arrogant as Snape had always told him.**

James sighed, "You've probably got a ton of questions." he said to the room, "But can we leave them till later?"

They all nodded in agreement as Harry changed the memory.

* * *

><p>Review please x<p> 


	91. Chapter 91

Chapter 91 - Fifth Year (Part 15.5)

"We're skipping the thought's." Harry informed him, "It'll just make us all depressed." he explained.

"Let me guess, about that memory?" Remus winced.

"Yeah." Harry nodded, "I kept my word and never told anyone about it. I was told I seemed so down..."

"By me, becuase you were." Ginny cut him off, "He admitted he wished he could talk to Sirius while we were in the library, late that Sunday night, and Quidditch practice had finished early."

"Hermione was in Gryffindor tower revising Ancient Runes and Ron was, um, what were you doing again?" Harry asked him.

"Dragging Jack Sloper here." Ron muttered, "He'd knocked himself out with his own bat."

"Pathetic." the twins muttered moodily.

"Before the end of the Easter holidays there was a notice for Careers advice. So we were sitting about talking about different careers, when the twins showed up after Ginny had talked to them." Harry smiled amusedly.

"We planned to break him into Umbridge's office after Harry told us her's wasnt being watched, since he wanted to talk to Sirius." Fred smirked.

"We were planning on causing a big commotion the next day anyway." George added, "Helping Harry was an added bonus." He grinned.

"Anyway, the next day Hermione kept going on and on about how dangerous and stupid it was to risk it so Ron and I stopped talking to her again." Harry admitted sheepishly, "Then Snape's class went horribly, more horrible than normal that is, and I'd forgotten about my careers appointment, which is where we're starting." he smiled.

**He was in such a bad mood by the time he got to Divination that he had quite forgotten his careers appointment with Professor McGonagall, remembering it only when Ron asked him why he wasn't in her office. He hurtled back upstairs and arrived out of breath, only a few minutes late.**

**"Sorry, Professor," he panted, as he closed the door. "I forgot."**

**"No matter, Potter," she said briskly, but as she spoke, somebody else sniffed from the corner. Harry looked round.**

**Professor Umbridge was sitting there, a clipboard on her knee, a fussy little pie-frill around her neck and a small, horribly smug smile on her face.**

**"Sit down, Potter," said Professor McGonagall tersely. Her hands shook slightly as she shuffled the many pamphlets littering her desk.**

**Harry sat down with his back to Umbridge and did his best to pretend he could not hear the scratching of her quill on her clipboard.**

**"Well, Potter, this meeting is to talk over any career ideas you might have, and to help you decide which subjects you should continue into the sixth and seventh years," said Professor McGonagall. "Have you had any thoughts about what you would like to do after you leave Hogwarts?"**

**"Er -" said Harry.**

**He was finding the scratching noise from behind him very distracting.**

"It was annoying." Minerva smiled sympathetically, "She wanted to sit in on yours and I couldn't stop her, she didn't do it with anyone else."

"Figures." Harry snorted.

**"Yes?" Professor McGonagall prompted Harry.**

**"Well, I thought of, maybe, being an Auror," Harry mumbled.**

**"You'd need top grades for that," said Professor McGonagall, extracting a small, dark leaflet from under the mass on her desk and opening it. "They ask for a minimum of five NEWTs, and nothing under "Exceeds Expectations" grade, I see. Then you would be required to undergo a stringent series of character and aptitude tests at the Auror office. It's a difficult career path, Potter, they only take the best. In fact, I don't think anybody has been taken on in the last three years."**

"Dora was one of the last to be taken on at that point." Kingsley grinned.

"One of the last." Dora nodded, "There was 2 people about 3 years after me so it was at least 4 years at that point."

"Scrimgeour was fussy, he kept denying new recruits if they didn't have top marks in both parts of all their exams, written and practical." Kingsley shook his head dejectedly, "We had quite a few people interested but Fudge making Scrimgeour Head of Department set the office back quite a bit. It's relaxed a bit with Robards, the marks are needed but if it's an E then it's debatable since something's can always be improved. The potions mark isn't required any higher than E on both exams now."

"The potions was only needed to make sure you could identify poisons and such." Dora nodded, "The potions used were ordered from potions masters since Auror's don't usually have time to work on a case and brew the potions too."

**At this moment, Professor Umbridge gave a very tiny cough, as though she was trying to see how quietly she could do it. Professor McGonagall ignored her.**

**"You'll want to know which subjects you ought to take, I suppose?" she went on, talking a little louder than before.**

**"Yes," said Harry. "Defence Against the Dark Arts, I suppose?"**

**"Naturally," said Professor McGonagall crisply. "I would also advise -"**

**Professor Umbridge gave another cough, a little more audible this time. Professor McGonagall closed her eyes for a moment, opened them again, and continued as though nothing had happened.**

**"I would also advise Transfiguration, because Aurors frequently need to Transfigure or Untransfigure in their work. And I ought to tell you now, Potter, that I do not accept students into my NEWT classes unless they have achieved "Exceeds Expectations" or higher at Ordinary Wizarding Level. I'd say you're averaging "Acceptable" at the moment, so you'll need to put in some good hard work before the exams to stand a chance of continuing. Then you ought to do Charms, always useful, and Potions. Yes, Potter, Potions," she added, with the merest flicker of a smile. "Poisons and antidotes are essential study for Aurors. And I must tell you that Professor Snape absolutely refuses to take students who get anything other than "Outstanding" in their OWLs, so -"**

**Professor Umbridge gave her most pronounced cough yet.**

**"May I offer you a cough drop, Dolores?" Professor McGonagall asked curtly, without looking at Professor Umbridge.**

**"Oh, no, thank you very much," said Umbridge, with that simpering laugh Harry hated so much. "I just wondered whether I could make the teensiest interruption, Minerva?"**

**"I daresay you'll find you can," said Professor McGonagall through tightly gritted teeth.**

**"I was just wondering whether Mr. Potter has quite the temperament for an Auror?" said Professor Umbridge sweetly.**

"What does she mean by that?!" Alice demanded, "Of course you do!"

Harry chuckled darkly, "Yes but I was a raving lunatic back then, remember?"

**"Were you?" said Professor McGonagall haughtily. "Well, Potter," she continued, as though there had been no interruption, "if you are serious in this ambition, I would advise you to concentrate hard on bringing your Transfiguration and Potions up to scratch. I see Professor Flitwick has graded you between "Acceptable" and "Exceeds Expectations" for the last two years, so your Charmwork seems satisfactory. As for Defence Against the Dark Arts, your marks have been generally high, Professor Lupin in particular thought you - are you quite sure you wouldn't like a cough drop, Dolores?"**

**"Oh, no need, thank you, Minerva," simpered Professor Umbridge, who had just coughed her loudest yet. "I was just concerned that you might not have Harry's most recent Defence Against the Dark Arts marks in front of you. I'm quite sure I slipped in a note."**

**"What, this thing?" said Professor McGonagall in a tone of revulsion, as she pulled a sheet of pink parchment from between the leaves of Harry's folder. She glanced down it, her eyebrows slightly raised, then placed it back into the folder without comment.**

**"Yes, as I was saying, Potter, Professor Lupin thought you showed a pronounced aptitude for the subject, and obviously for an Auror -"**

**"Did you not understand my note, Minerva?" asked Professor Umbndge in honeyed tones, quite forgetting to cough.**

"Yes, I did. And it was a load of dragon dung." Minerva huffed.

**"Of course I understood it," said Professor McGonagall, her teeth clenched so tightly the words came out a little muffled.**

**"Well, then, I am confused... I'm afraid I don't quite understand how you can give Mr. Potter false hope that -"**

**"False hope?" repeated Professor McGonagall, still refusing to look round at Professor Umbridge. "He has achieved high marks in all his Defence Against the Dark Arts tests -"**

**"I'm terribly sorry to have to contradict you, Minerva, but as you will see from my note, Harry has been achieving very poor results in his classes with me -"**

**"I should have made my meaning plainer," said Professor McGonagall, turning at last to look Umbridge directly in the eyes. "He has achieved high marks in all Defence Against the Dark Arts tests set by a competent teacher."**

"Well said Minnie!" James cheered as the others laughed at Umbridge getting set straight by Minerva.

**Professor Umbridge's smile vanished as suddenly as a light bulb blowing. She sat back in her chair, turned a sheet on her clipboard and began scribbling very fast indeed, her bulging eyes rolling from side to side. Professor McGonagall turned back to Harry, her thin nostrils flared, her eyes burning.**

**"Any questions, Potter?"**

**"Yes," said Harry. "What sort of character and aptitude tests do the Ministry do on you, if you get enough NEWTs?"**

**"Well, you'll need to demonstrate the ability to react well to pressure and so forth," said Professor McGonagall, "perseverance and dedication, because Auror training takes a further three years, not to mention very high skills in practical Defence. It will mean a lot more study even after you've left school, so unless you're prepared to -"**

"The extra studying isn't a joke by the way." Dora muttered, "There's tons, but it's worth it in the end." she smiled.

**"I think you'll also find," said Umbridge, her voice very cold now, "that the Ministry looks into the records of those applying to be Aurors. Their criminal records."**

**"- unless you're prepared to take even more exams after Hogwarts, you should really look at another -"**

**"Which means that this boy has as much chance of becoming an Auror as Dumbledore has of ever returning to this school."**

**"A very good chance, then," said Professor McGonagall.**

**"Potter has a criminal record," said Umbridge loudly.**

"He didn't at that point but he does now." Kingsley smirked, "And even now it's a small list."

"So it exists?" Frank asked.

"Of course, it's mainly robbing Gringotts that's on it then, as well as breaking into the Ministry." Harry admitted, "I've seen it." he explained at their curious looks, "There's not a lot on it, Ron and Hermione's are similar, there's one or two more things on mine though."

"Like what?"

"Nothing too bad." he shrugged, "You'll find out later."

"There's a few amusing one's on it." Kingsley revealed, "It's not me who can change it and Gawain finds it relevant."

"Tell us one please?" Sirius pleaded.

"Insulting two Ministers of Magic and causing deliberate, permanent, mental damage to a Ministry official." Hermione smirked, "That's on mine too. Well... Not the insulting the Minister part. Though all three of us, Neville, Luna and Ginny have got offending the whole Auror office on them." she laughed.

"I told Gawain to take it off and he said he'd think about it." Kingsley chuckled, "Remember we told you about when they were asked to test the Auror's and got past them all?" he asked the others.

"Yes." most of them nodded.

"That got put on record, I don't officially have permission to change them. I got away with doing Sirius's because his name had been cleared already." Kingsley shrugged.

**"Potter has been cleared of all charges," said McGonagall, even more loudly.**

**Professor Umbridge stood up. She was so short that this did not make a great deal of difference, but her fussy, simpering demeanour had given place to a hard fury that made her broad, flabby face look oddly sinister.**

**"Potter has no chance whatsoever of becoming an Auror!"**

**Professor McGonagall got to her feet, too, and in her case this was a much more impressive move: she towered over Professor Umbridge.**

**"Potter," she said in ringing tones, "I will assist you to become an Auror if it is the last thing I do! If I have to coach you nightly, I will make sure you achieve the required results!"**

**"The Minister for Magic will never employ Harry Potter!" said Umbridge, her voice rising furiously.**

**"There may well be a new Minister for Magic by the time Potter is ready to join!" shouted Professor McGonagall.**

"Are you a Seer?" Frank asked amusedly.

"No, it was just obvious Fudge wouldn't be able to stay in office when the truth came out." she smirked.

**"Aha!" shrieked Professor Umbridge, pointing a stubby finger at McGonagall. "Yes! Yes, yes, yes! Of course! That's what you want, isn't it, Minerva McGonagall? You want Cornelius Fudge replaced by Albus Dumbledore! You think you'll be where I am, don't you: Senior Undersecretary to the Minister and Headmistress to boot!"**

**"You are raving," said Professor McGonagall, superbly disdainful. "Potter, that concludes our careers consultation."**

**Harry swung his bag over his shoulder and hurried out of the room, not daring to look at Professor Umbridge. He could hear her and Professor McGonagall continuing to shout at each other all the way back along the corridor.**

**Professor Umbridge was still breathing as though she had just run a race when she strode into their Defence Against the Dark Arts lesson that afternoon.**

**"I hope you've thought better of what you were planning to do, Harry," Hermione whispered, the moment they had opened their books to 'Chapter Thirty-four, Non-Retaliation and Negotiation'. "Umbridge looks like she's in a really bad mood already..."**

**Every now and then Umbridge shot glowering looks at Harry, who kept his head down, staring at Defensive Magical Theory, his eyes unfocused, thinking...**

**He could just imagine Professor McGonagall's reaction if he was caught trespassing in Professor Umbridge's office mere hours after she had vouched for him... there was nothing to stop him simply going back to Gryffindor Tower and hoping that some time during the next summer holidays he would have a chance to ask Sirius about the scene he had witnessed in the Pensieve... nothing, except that the thought of taking this sensible course of action made him feel as though a lead weight had dropped into his stomach... and then there was the matter of Fred and George, whose diversion was already planned, not to mention the knife Sirius had given him, which was currently residing in his schoolbag along with his father's old Invisibility Cloak.**

**But the fact remained that if he was caught...**

**"Dumbledore sacrificed himself to keep you in school, Harry!" whispered Hermione, raising her book to hide her face from Umbridge. "And if you get thrown out today it will all have been for nothing!"**

**He could abandon the plan and simply learn to live with the memory of what his father had done on a summer's day more than twenty years ago...**

**And then he remembered Sirius in the fire upstairs in the Gryffindor common room...**

**You're less like your father than I thought... the risk would've been what made it fun for James...**

Sirius winced, "I shouldn't have said that."

"Don't worry about it." Harry assured him, "I got over it."

**But did he want to be like his father any more?**

**"Harry, don't do it, please don't do it!" Hermione said in anguished tones as the bell rang at the end of the class.**

**He did not answer; he did not know what to do.**

**Ron seemed determined to give neither his opinion nor his advice; he would not look at Harry, though when Hermione opened her mouth to try dissuading Harry some more, he said in a low voice, "Give it a rest, OK? He can make up his own mind."**

**Harry's heart beat very fast as he left the classroom. He was halfway along the corridor outside when he heard the unmistakeable sounds of a diversion going off in the distance. There were screams and yells reverberating from somewhere above them; people exiting the classrooms all around Harry were stopping in their tracks and looking up at the ceiling fearfully -**

**Umbridge came pelting out of her classroom as fast as her short legs would carry her. Pulling out her wand, she hurried off in the opposite direction: it was now or never.**

**"Harry - please!" Hermione pleaded weakly.**

**But he had made up his mind; hitching his bag more securely on to his shoulder, he set off at a run, weaving in and out of students now hurrying in the opposite direction to see what all the fuss was about in the east wing.**

**Harry reached the corridor to Umbridge's office and found it deserted. Dashing behind a large suit of armour whose helmet creaked around to watch him, he pulled open his bag, seized Sirius's knife and donned the Invisibility Cloak. He then crept slowly and carefully back out from behind the suit of armour and along the corridor until he reached Umbridge's door.**

**He inserted the blade of the magical knife into the crack around it and moved it gently up and down, then withdrew it. There was a tiny click, and the door swung open. He ducked inside the office, closed the door quickly behind him and looked around.**

**Nothing was moving except the horrible kittens that were still frolicking on the wall plates above the confiscated broomsticks.**

**Harry pulled off his Cloak and, striding over to the fireplace, found what he was looking for within seconds: a small box containing glittering Floo powder.**

**He crouched down in front of the empty grate, his hands shaking. He had never done this before, though he thought he knew how it must work. Sticking his head into the fireplace, he took a large pinch of powder and dropped it on to the logs stacked neatly beneath him. They exploded at once into emerald green flames.**

**"Number twelve, Grimmauld Place!" Harry said loudly and clearly.**

**It was one of the most curious sensations he had ever experienced. He had travelled by Floo powder before, of course, but then it had been his entire body that had spun around and around in the flames through the network of wizarding fireplaces that stretched over the country. This time, his knees remained firm upon the cold floor of Umbridge's office, and only his head hurtled through the emerald fire...**

**And then, as abruptly as it had begun, the spinning stopped. Feeling rather sick and as though he were wearing an exceptionally hot muffler around his head, Harry opened his eyes to find that he was looking up out of the kitchen fireplace at the long, wooden table, where a man sat poring over a piece of parchment.**

**"Sirius?"**

**The man jumped and looked around. It was not Sirius, but Lupin.**

**"Harry!" he said, looking thoroughly shocked. "What are you - what's happened, is everything all right?"**

**"Yeah," said Harry. "I just wondered - I mean, I just fancied a - a chat with Sirius."**

**"I'll call him," said Lupin, getting to his feet, still looking perplexed, "he went upstairs to look for Kreacher, he seems to be hiding in the attic again..."**

**And Harry saw Lupin hurry out of the kitchen. Now he was left with nothing to look at but the chair and table legs. He wondered why Sirius had never mentioned how very uncomfortable it was to speak out of the fire; his knees were already objecting painfully to their prolonged contact with Umbridge's hard stone floor.**

**Lupin returned with Sirius at his heels moments later.**

**"What is it?" said Sirius urgently, sweeping his long dark hair out of his eyes and dropping to the ground in front of the fire, so that he and Harry were on a level. Lupin knelt down too, looking very concerned. "Are you all right? Do you need help?"**

**"No," said Harry, "it's nothing like that... I just wanted to talk... about my dad."**

"You sure knew how to surprise us." Remus mused, "We weren't expecting that at all."

**They exchanged a look of great surprise, but Harry did not have time to feel awkward or embarrassed; his knees were becoming sorer by the second and he guessed five minutes had already passed from the start of the diversion; George had only guaranteed him twenty. He therefore plunged immediately into the story of what he had seen in the Pensieve.**

**When he had finished, neither Sirius nor Lupin spoke for a moment. Then Lupin said quietly, "I wouldn't like you to judge your father on what you saw there, Harry. He was only fifteen -"**

**"I'm fifteen," said Harry heatedly.**

**"Look, Harry," said Sirius placatingly, "James and Snape hated each other from the moment they set eyes on each other, it was just one of those things, you can understand that, can't you? I think James was everything Snape wanted to be - he was popular, he was good at Quidditch - good at pretty much everything. And Snape was just this little oddball who was up to his eyes in the Dark Arts, and James - whatever else he may have appeared to you, Harry - always hated the Dark Arts."**

"One of the reasons I hated Snape." James nodded.

"He was rather interested in them, but that is no reason to attack him." Lily frowned.

"After all, you wouldn't attack me would you?" Regulus asked, "I was deeper into the dark arts than Severus ever was. The way I see it is there's no harm in reading and learning about the Dark Arts as long as you don't let yourself get sucked into them and can't get back out, oh and obviously don't use them." He added.

"And as long as you don't let them take over who you are." Albus nodded, "I myself was interested in them when I was younger, as was an old friend of mine. The friend, who will remain unnamed for now, got taken over, he let the power consume him and landed in prison for life at 20."

"It's dangerous, there's always a risk. Only some people have the power it takes to know the Dark Arts and not use them all the time just to get what they want." Regulus stated, with a small nod at Albus, "I'd bet you know quite a lot."

Albus nodded hesitantly, "I do, and I've used them before, mainly fighting Grindlewald and Tom, but I've used them none the less."

They all looked at him in surprise, before turning back to the memory.

**"Yeah," said Harry, "but he just attacked Snape for no good reason, just because - well, just because you said you were bored," he finished, with a slightly apologetic note in his voice.**

**"I'm not proud of it," said Sirius quickly.**

**Lupin looked sideways at Sirius, then said, "Look, Harry, what you've got to understand is that your father and Sirius were the best in the school at whatever they did - everyone thought they were the height of cool - if they sometimes got a bit carried away -"**

**"If we were sometimes arrogant little berks, you mean," said Sirius.**

**Lupin smiled.**

**"He kept messing up his hair," said Harry in a pained voice.**

**Sirius and Lupin laughed.**

**"I'd forgotten he used to do that," said Sirius affectionately.**

James chuckled, "It was a force of habit. I started doing it when I was like 6." he messed up his hair while saying this, "I figured why bother having it tidy when it never lay flat anyway."

**"Was he playing with the Snitch?" said Lupin eagerly.**

**"Yeah," said Harry, watching uncomprehendingly as Sirius and Lupin beamed reminiscently. "Well... I thought he was a bit of an idiot."**

**"Of course he was a bit of an idiot!" said Sirius bracingly, "we were all idiots! Well - not Moony so much," he said fairly, looking at Lupin.**

**But Lupin shook his head. "Did I ever tell you to lay off Snape?" he said. "Did I ever have the guts to tell you I thought you were out of order?"**

**"Yeah, well," said Sirius, "you made us feel ashamed of ourselves sometimes... that was something..."**

**"And," said Harry doggedly, determined to say everything that was on his mind now he was here, "he kept looking over at the girls by the lake, hoping they were watching him!"**

**"Oh, well, he always made a fool of himself whenever Lily was around," said Sirius, shrugging, "he couldn't stop himself showing off whenever he got near her."**

**"How come she married him?" Harry asked miserably. "She hated him!"**

"You know that's a good point." Bill commented.

James and Lily blushed.

"I'm sure one of them explained it." Lily said gesturing Sirius and Remus.

**"Nah, she didn't," said Sirius.**

**"She started going out with him in seventh year," said Lupin.**

**"Once James had deflated his head a bit," said Sirius.**

**"And stopped hexing people just for the fun of it," said Lupin.**

**"Even Snape?" said Harry.**

**"Well," said Lupin slowly, "Snape was a special case. I mean, he never lost an opportunity to curse James so you couldn't really expect James to take that lying down, could you?"**

**"And my mum was OK with that?"**

**"She didn't know too much about it, to tell you the truth," said Sirius. "I mean, James didn't take Snape on dates with her and jinx him in front of her, did he?"**

"Oh I knew about it." Lily said, "I just didn't mention it."

**Sirius frowned at Harry, who was still looking unconvinced.**

**"Look," he said, "your father was the best friend I ever had and he was a good person. A lot of people are idiots at the age of fifteen. He grew out of it."**

**"Yeah, OK," said Harry heavily. "I just never thought I'd feel sorry for Snape."**

**"Now you mention it," said Lupin, a faint crease between his eyebrows, "how did Snape react when he found you'd seen all this?"**

**"He told me he'd never teach me Occlumency again," said Harry indifferently, "like that's a big disappoint -"**

**"He WHAT?" shouted Sirius, causing Harry to jump and inhale a mouthful of ashes.**

**"Are you serious, Harry?" said Lupin quickly. "He's stopped giving you lessons?"**

**"Yeah," said Harry, surprised at what he considered a great over-reaction. "But it's OK, I don't care, it's a bit of a relief to tell you the -"**

**"I'm coming up there to have a word with Snape!" said Sirius forcefully, and he actually made to stand up, but Lupin wrenched him back down again.**

**"If anyone's going to tell Snape it will be me!" he said firmly. "But Harry, first of all, you're to go back to Snape and tell him that on no account is he to stop giving you lessons - when Dumbledore hears -"**

**"I can't tell him that, he'd kill me!" said Harry, outraged. "You didn't see him when we got out of the Pensieve."**

**"Harry there is nothing so important as you learning Occlumency!" said Lupin sternly. "Do you understand me? Nothing!"**

**"OK, OK," said Harry, thoroughly discomposed, not to mention annoyed. "I'll... I'll try and say something to him... but it won't be -"**

**He fell silent. He could hear distant footsteps.**

**"Is that Kreacher coming downstairs?"**

**"No," said Sirius, glancing behind him. "It must be somebody your end."**

**Harry's heart skipped several beats.**

**"I'd better go!" he said hastily and pulled his head backwards out of the Grimmauld Place fire. For a moment his head seemed to be revolving on his shoulders, then he found himself kneeling in front of Umbridge's fire with it firmly back on and watching the emerald flames flicker and die.**

**"Quickly, quickly!" he heard a wheezy voice mutter right outside the office door. "Ah, she's left it open -"**

**Harry dived for the Invisibility Cloak and had just managed to pull it back over himself when Filch burst into the office. He looked absolutely delighted about something and was talking to himself feverishly as he crossed the room, pulled open a drawer in Umbridge's desk and began rifling through the papers inside it.**

**"Approval for Whipping... Approval for Whipping... I can do it at last... they've had it coming to them for years..."**

**He pulled out a piece of parchment, kissed it, then shuffled rapidly back out of the door, clutching it to his chest.**

**Harry leapt to his feet and, making sure he had his bag and that the Invisibility Cloak was completely covering him, he wrenched open the door and hurried out of the office after Filch, who was hobbling along faster than Harry had ever seen him go.**

**One landing down from Umbridge's office, Harry thought it was safe to become visible again. He pulled off the Cloak, shoved it in his bag and hurried onwards. There was a great deal of shouting and movement coming from the Entrance Hall. He ran down the marble staircase and found what looked like most of the school assembled there.**

**It was just like the night when Trelawney had been sacked. Students were standing all around the walls in a great ring (some of them, Harry noticed, covered in a substance that looked very like Stinksap); teachers and ghosts were also in the crowd. Prominent among the onlookers were members of the Inquisitorial Squad, who were all looking exceptionally pleased with themselves, and Peeves, who was bobbing overhead, gazed down at Fred and George who stood in the middle of the floor with the unmistakeable look of two people who had just been cornered.**

"Yeah, she caught us." George admitted sheepishly.

**"So!" said Umbridge triumphantly. Harry realised she was standing just a few stairs in front of him, once more looking down upon her prey. "So - you think it amusing to turn a school corridor into a swamp, do you?"**

They all laughed at the mental image of a corridor looking like a swamp as the twins stood and bowed.

**"Pretty amusing, yeah," said Fred, looking up at her without the slightest sign of fear.**

**Filch elbowed his way closer to Umbridge, almost crying with happiness.**

**"I've got the form, Headmistress," he said hoarsely, waving the piece of parchment Harry had just seen him take from her desk. "I've got the form and I've got the whips waiting... oh, let me do it now..."**

**"Very good, Argus," she said. "You two," she went on, gazing down at Fred and George, "are about to learn what happens to wrongdoers in my school."**

**"You know what?" said Fred. "I don't think we are."**

**He turned to his twin.**

**"George," said Fred, "I think we've outgrown full-time education."**

**"Yeah, I've been feeling that way myself," said George lightly.**

**"Time to test our talents in the real world, d'you reckon?" asked Fred.**

**"Definitely," said George.**

**And before Umbridge could say a word, they raised their wands and said together:**

**"Accio brooms!"**

**Harry heard a loud crash somewhere in the distance. Looking to his left, he ducked just in time. Fred and George's broomsticks, one still trailing the heavy chain and iron peg with which Umbridge had fastened them to the wall, were hurtling along the corridor towards their owners; they turned left, streaked down the stairs and stopped sharply in front of the twins, the chain clattering loudly on the flagged stone floor.**

**"We won't be seeing you," Fred told Professor Umbridge, swinging his leg over his broomstick.**

**"Yeah, don't bother to keep in touch," said George, mounting his own.**

**Fred looked around at the assembled students, at the silent, watchful crowd.**

**"If anyone fancies buying a Portable Swamp, as demonstrated upstairs, come to number ninety-three, Diagon Alley - Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes," he said in a loud voice. "Our new premises!"**

**"Special discounts to Hogwart's students who swear they're going to use our products to get rid of this old bat," added George, pointing at Professor Umbridge.**

"Fred, George!" Molly scolded half-heartedly.

"She deserved it." they said simply.

"And we weren't sticking around to get whipped." George added.

"We'd been planning that for weeks Mum. We weren't going to leave without a bang." Fred smirked.

Molly sighed, "I suppose I can't really blame you, but I wish you'd finished your exams at least."

"No chance!" they grinned.

**"STOP THEM!" shrieked Umbridge, but it was too late. As the Inquisitorial Squad closed in, Fred and George kicked off from the floor, shooting fifteen feet into the air, the iron peg swinging dangerously below. Fred looked across the hall at the poltergeist bobbing on his level above the crowd.**

**"Give her hell from us, Peeves."**

**And Peeves, who Harry had never seen take an order from a student before, swept his belled hat from his head and sprang to a salute as Fred and George wheeled about to tumultuous applause from the students below and sped out of the open front doors into the glorious sunset.**

"Amazing!" Charlie praised.

"Astounding!" the Marauders clapped as the twins stood and bowed again.

"We live to entertain." they grinned.

"And your dramatic escape from queen dragon dung was talked about all term, even though some of our 6th year. It was talked about way more than the flying car thing." Ron told them, "You were and are legends among the students."

"Yeah, and Peeves listened to you." Harry laughed, "I'd bet he'd listen to you, even now, if you were to bump into him again."

"Probably." George shrugged, "He listened to me when I told him to go away at the end of May."

"It's a wonder he's not come in to bother us yet." Minerva mused, "He's insufferable when there's no student's around and usually jumps at the chance to cause mayhem with whoever's in the castle."

"It'll be because he's scared of Harry." Ginny pointed out, "Since he's killed Voldemort he's not gone near him unless he has no choice. What's next Harry?"

"Um... Let's meet Grawp." he grinned.

* * *

><p>Review please x<p> 


	92. Chapter 92

Chapter 92 - Fifth Year (Part 16)

"So we get to see Grawp?" Dudley asked curiously.

"Yes, but we're starting this one at the last Quidditch game of the season." Harry told them, "You'll see why in a few minutes."

**The final match of the Quidditch season, Gryffindor versus Ravenclaw, was to take place on the last weekend of May. Although Slytherin had been narrowly defeated by Hufflepuff in their last match, Gryffindor were not daring to hope for victory, due mainly (though of course nobody said it to him) to Ron's abysmal goal-keeping record. He, however, seemed to have found a new optimism.**

**"I mean, I can't get any worse, can I?" he told Harry and Hermione grimly over breakfast on the morning of the match. "Nothing to lose now, is there?"**

**"You know," said Hermione, as she and Harry walked down to the pitch a little later in the midst of a very excitable crowd, "I think Ron might do better without Fred and George around. They never exactly gave him a lot of confidence."**

"Didn't we?" the twins frowned.

"No, you didn't." Ron scowled, "I was worse when you yelled various comments at me."

"Oop's sorry." Fred told him.

"We thought we were actually helping." George added apologetically.

"Constructive criticism and all that." Fred smiled, "If you'd told us it wasn't helping we would've backed off."

**Luna Lovegood overtook them with what appeared to be a live eagle perched on top of her head.**

**"Oh, gosh, I forgot!" said Hermione, watching the eagle flapping its wings as Luna walked serenely past a group of cackling and pointing Slytherins. "Cho will be playing, won't she?"**

**Harry, who had not forgotten this, merely grunted.**

**They found seats in the topmost row of the stands. It was a fine, clar day; Ron could not wish for better, and Harry found himself hoping against hope that Ron would not give the Slytherins cause for more rousing choruses of 'Weasley is our King'.**

**Lee Jordan, who had been very dispirited since Fred and George had left, was commentating as usual. As the teams zoomed out on to the pitch he named the players with something less than his usual gusto.**

**"... Bradley... Davies... Chang," he said, and Harry felt his stomach perform, less of a back flip, more a feeble lurch as Cho walked out on to the pitch, her shiny black hair rippling in the slight breeze. He was not sure what he wanted to happen any more, except that he could not stand any more rows. Even the sight of her chatting animatedly to Roger Davies as they prepared to mount their brooms caused him only a slight twinge of jealousy.**

"Finally! You're starting to get over it." Ginny sighed in relief, "I thought I would have to put up with that stupid crush until you fell for me." she admitted.

"Nope. It was completely gone before the start of exams." Harry told her, smiling amusedly.

**"And they're off!" said Lee. "And Davies takes the Quaffle immediately, Ravenclaw Captain Davies with the Quaffle, he dodges Johnson, he dodges Bell, he dodges Spinnet as well... he's going straight for goal! He's going to shoot - and - and -" Lee swore very loudly. "And he's scored."**

**Harry and Hermione groaned with the rest of the Gryffindors. Predictably, horribly the Slytherins on the other side of the stands began to sing:**

**"Weasley cannot save a thing**

**He cannot block a single ring... "**

**"Harry," said a hoarse voice in Harry's ear. "Hermione..."**

**Harry looked round and saw Hagrid's enormous bearded face sticking between the seats. Apparently, he had squeezed his way all along the row behind, for the first- and second-years he had just passed had a ruffled, flattened look about them. For some reason, Hagrid was bent double as though anxious not to be seen, though he was still at least four feet taller than everybody else.**

**"Listen," he whispered, "can yeh come with me? Now? While ev'ryone's watchin' the match?"**

**"Er... can't it wait, Hagrid?" asked Harry. "Till the match is over?"**

**"No," said Hagrid. "No, Harry, it's gotta be now... while ev'ryone's lookin' the other way... please?"**

**Hagrid's nose was gently dripping blood. His eyes were both blackened. Harry had not seen him this close-up since his return to the school; he looked utterly woebegone.**

**"Course," said Harry at once, "course we'll come."**

**He and Hermione edged back along their row of seats, causing much grumbling among the students who had to stand up for them. The people in Hagrid's row were not complaining, merely attempting to make themselves as small as possible.**

**"I 'ppreciate this, you two, I really do," said Hagrid as they reached the stairs. He kept looking around nervously as they descended towards the lawn below. "I jus' hope she doesn' notice us goin'."**

**"You mean Umbridge?" said Harry. "She won't, she's got her whole Inquisitorial Squad sitting with her, didn't you see? She must be expecting trouble at the match."**

**"Yeah, well, a bit o' trouble wouldn' hurt," said Hagrid, pausing to peer around the edge of the stands to make sure the stretch of lawn between there and his cabin was deserted. "Give us more time."**

**"What is it, Hagrid?" said Hermione, looking up at him with a concerned expression on her face as they hurried across the grass towards the edge of the Forest.**

**"Yeh - yeh'll see in a mo'," said Hagrid, looking over his shoulder as a great roar rose from the stands behind them. "Hey - did someone jus' score?"**

**"It'll be Ravenclaw," said Harry heavily.**

"Nope." Ron smirked.

"The one day we play great is the one day you two weren't there." Ginny muttered.

"It's luckier having Harry in the air than in the stands." George grinned.

"It seemed to be a bad omen having him sit out." Fred nodded.

"I've never really sat in the stands during games have I?" Harry asked, "The one in first year I was in here so that doesn't count."

"It was really only that year you were in the stands." Ginny agreed, she frowned, "Minerva? Will being student teachers stop us playing Quidditch?"

"Heavens no." she shook her head, "You're still on the teams, as a matter of fact, wasn't there another badge in your letter Harry?"

He shook his head, "Not that I saw."

"Ah, I must have forgot to put it in. You can pick up being captain for Gryffindor if you want to or hand it over to someone else if you don't want to." she smiled.

"I'll pick up where I left off." he grinned.

"And Draco?" Minerva asked, "I think Professor Slughorn wants to ask you about being Slytherin's captain." she told him.

"I'll go talk to him about it later, I don't know if I want to be back on the team." Draco admitted.

**"Good... good..." said Hagrid distractedly. "Tha's good..."**

**They had to jog to keep up with him as he strode across the lawn, looking around with every other step. When they reached his cabin, Hermione turned automatically left towards the front door. Hagrid, however, walked straight past it into the shade of the trees on the outermost edge of the Forest, where he picked up a crossbow that was leaning against a tree. When he realised they were no longer with him, he turned.**

**"We're goin' in here," he said, jerking his shaggy head behind him.**

**"Into the Forest?" said Hermione, perplexed.**

**"Yeah," said Hagrid. "C'mon now, quick, before we're spotted!"**

**Harry and Hermione looked at each other, then ducked into the cover of the trees behind Hagrid, who was already striding away from them into the green gloom, his crossbow over his arm. Harry and Hermione ran to catch up with him.**

**"Hagrid, why are you armed?" said Harry.**

**"Jus' a precaution," said Hagrid, shrugging his massive shoulders.**

**"You didn't bring your crossbow the day you showed us the Thestrals," said Hermione timidly.**

**"Nah, well, we weren' goin' in so far then," said Hagrid. "An' anyway, tha' was before Firenze left the Forest, wasn' it?"**

**"Why does Firenze leaving make a difference?" asked Hermione curiously.**

**"'Cause the other centaurs are good an' riled at me, tha's why," said Hagrid quietly, glancing around. "They used ter be - well, yeh couldn' call 'em friendly - but we got on all righ'. Kept 'emselves to 'emselves, bu' always turned up if I wanted a word. Not any more."**

**He sighed deeply.**

**"Firenze said they're angry because he went to work for Dumbledore," Harry said, tripping on a protruding root because he was busy watching Hagrid's profile.**

**"Yeah," said Hagrid heavily. "Well, angry doesn' cover it. Ruddy livid. If I hadn' stepped in, I reckon they'd've kicked Firenze ter death -"**

**"They attacked him?" said Hermione, sounding shocked.**

**"Yep," said Hagrid gruffly, forcing his way through several low-hanging branches. "He had half the herd on to him."**

**"And you stopped it?" said Harry, amazed and impressed. "By yourself?"**

**"Course I did, couldn't stand by an' watch 'em kill 'im, could I?" said Hagrid. "Lucky I was passin', really... an' I'd've thought Firenze mighta remembered tha' before he started sendin' me stupid warnin's!" he added hotly and unexpectedly.**

**Harry and Hermione looked at each other, startled, but Hagrid, scowling, did not elaborate.**

**"Anyway," he said, breathing a little more heavily than usual, "since then the other centaurs've bin livid with me, an' the trouble is they've got a lot of influence in the Forest... cleverest creatures in here."**

**"Is that why we're here, Hagrid?" asked Hermione. "The centaurs?"**

**"Ah, no," said Hagrid, shaking his head dismissively, "no, it's not them. Well, o' course, they could complicate the problem, yeah... but yeh'll see what I mean in a bit."**

**On this incomprehensible note he fell silent and forged a little ahead, taking one stride for every three of theirs, so that they had great trouble keeping up with him.**

**The path was becoming increasingly overgrown and the trees grew so closely together as they walked further and further into the Forest that it was as dark as dusk. They were soon a long way past the clearing where Hagrid had shown them the Thestrals, but Harry felt no sense of unease until Hagrid stepped unexpectedly off the path and began wending his way in and out of trees towards the dark heart of the Forest.**

**"Hagrid!" said Harry, fighting his way through thickly knotted brambles, over which Hagrid had stepped with ease, and remembering very vividly what had happened to him on the other occasion he had stepped off the Forest path. "Where are we going?"**

**"Bit further," said Hagrid over his shoulder. "C'mon, Harry... we need ter keep together now."**

**It was a great struggle to keep up with Hagrid, what with branches and thickets of thorn through which Hagrid marched as easily as if they were cobwebs, but which snagged Harry and Hermione's robes, frequently entangling them so severely that they had to stop for minutes at a time to free themselves. Harry's arms and legs were soon covered in small cuts and scratches. They were so deep in the Forest now that sometimes all Harry could see of Hagrid in the gloom was a massive dark shape ahead of him. Any sound seemed threatening in the muffled silence. The breaking of a twig echoed loudly and the tiniest rustle of movement, even though it might have been made by an innocent sparrow, caused Harry to peer through the gloom for a culprit. It occurred to him that he had never managed to get this far into the Forest without meeting some kind of creature; their absence struck him as rather ominous.**

**"Hagrid, would it be all right if we lit our wands?" said Hermione quietly.**

**"Er ... all righ'," Hagrid whispered back. "In fact -"**

**He stopped suddenly and turned around; Hermione walked right into him and was knocked over backwards. Harry caught her just before she hit the Forest floor.**

"Thanks for that." Hermione smiled at Harry.

"No problem." he assured her.

**"Maybe we bes' jus' stop fer a momen', so I can... fill yeh in," said Hagrid. "Before we ge' there, like."**

**"Good!" said Hermione, as Harry set her back on her feet. They both murmured 'Lumos!' and their wand-tips ignited. Hagrid's face swam through the gloom by the light of the two wavering beams and Harry saw again that he looked nervous and sad.**

**"Righ'," said Hagrid. "Well... see... the thing is..."**

**He took a great breath.**

**"Well, there's a good chance I'm goin' ter be gettin' the sack any day now," he said.**

**Harry and Hermione looked at each other, then back at him.**

**"But you've lasted this long -" Hermione said tentatively. "What makes you think -"**

**"Umbridge reckons it was me that put tha' Niffler in her office."**

"What Niffler?" Frank asked confusedly.

"Oh, someone had let a Niffler into her office and it trashed the place." Neville explained, "Dunno who it was." he shrugged.

"Lee." the twins said immediately.

"He wouldn't have -"

"- If he knew Hagrid -"

"- Was taking the blame." they finished together.

**"And was it?" said Harry, before he could stop himself.**

**"No, it ruddy well wasn'!" said Hagrid indignantly. "On'y any-thin' ter do with magical creatures an' she thinks it's got somethin' ter do with me. Yeh know she's bin lookin' fer a chance ter get rid of me ever since I got back. I don' wan' ter go, o' course, but if it wasn' fer... well... the special circumstances I'm abou' ter explain to yeh, I'd leave righ' now, before she's go' the chance ter do it in front o' the whole school, like she did with Trelawney."**

**Harry and Hermione both made noises of protest, but Hagrid overrode them with a wave of one of his enormous hands.**

**"It's not the end o' the world, I'll be able ter help Dumbledore once I'm outta here, I can be useful ter the Order. An you lot'll have Grubbly-Plank, yeh'll - yeh'll get through yer exams fine ..."**

**His voice trembled and broke.**

**"Don' worry abou' me," he said hastily, as Hermione made to pat his arm. He pulled his enormous spotted handkerchief from the pocket of his waistcoat and mopped his eyes with it. "Look, I wouldn' be tellin' yer this at all if I didn' have ter. See, if I go... well, I can' leave withou'... withou' tellin' someone... because I'll - I'll need yeh two ter help me. An' Ron, if he's willin'."**

**"Of course we'll help you," said Harry at once. "What do you want us to do?"**

"You agreed before finding out what it was!" James exclaimed, "What if it was help with feeding Fluffy?!"

"Didn't think of that." Harry admitted.

**Hagrid gave a great sniff and patted Harry wordlessly on the shoulder with such force Harry was knocked sideways into a tree.**

**"I knew yeh'd say yes," said Hagrid into his handkerchief, "but I won'... never... forget... well... c'mon... jus' a little bit further through here... watch yerselves, now, there's nettles...'**

**They walked on in silence for another fifteen minutes; Harry had opened his mouth to ask how much further they had to go when Hagrid threw out his right arm to signal that they should stop.**

**"Really easy," he said softly. "Very quiet, now..."**

**They crept forwards and Harry saw that they were facing a large, smooth mound of earth nearly as tall as Hagrid that he thought, with a jolt of dread, was sure to be the lair of some enormous animal. Trees had been ripped up at the roots all around the mound, so that it stood on a bare patch of ground surrounded by heaps of trunks and boughs that formed a kind of fence or barricade, behind which Harry, Hermione and Hagrid now stood.**

**"Sleepin'," breathed Hagrid.**

**Sure enough, Harry could hear a distant, rhythmic rumbling that sounded like a pair of enormous lungs at work. He glanced sideways at Hermione, who was gazing at the mound with her mouth slightly open. She looked utterly terrified.**

**"Hagrid," she said in a whisper barely audible over the sound of the sleeping creature, "who is he?"**

**Harry found this an odd question... 'What is it?' was the one he; had been planning on asking.**

**"Hagrid, you told us -" said Hermione, her wand now shaking in her hand, "you told us none of them wanted to come!"**

**Harry looked from her to Hagrid and then, as realisation hit him, he looked back at the mound with a small gasp of horror.**

**The great mound of earth, on which he, Hermione and Hagrid could easily have stood, was moving slowly up and down in time with the deep, grunting breathing. It was not a mound at all. It was the curved back of what was clearly -**

**"Well - no - he didn' want ter come," said Hagrid, sounding desperate. "But I had ter bring him, Hermione, I had ter!"**

**"But why?" asked Hermione, who sounded as though she wanted to cry. "Why - what - oh, Hagrid!"**

**"I knew if I jus' got him back," said Hagrid, sounding close to tears himself, "an' - an' taught him a few manners - I'd be able ter take him outside an' show ev'ryone he's harmless!"**

"Which actually happened." Minerva smiled fondly.

**"Harmless!" said Hermione shrilly, and Hagrid made frantic hushing noises with his hands as the enormous creature before them grunted loudly and shifted in its sleep. "He's been hurting you all this time, hasn't he? That's why you've had all these injuries!"**

**"He don' know his own strength!" said Hagrid earnestly. "An' he's gettin' better, he's not fightin' so much any more -"**

**"So, this is why it took you two months to get home!" said Hermione distractedly. "Oh, Hagrid, why did you bring him back if he didn't want to come? Wouldn't he have been happier with his own people?"**

**"They were all bullyin' him, Hermione, 'cause he's so small!" said Hagrid.**

**"Small?" said Hermione. "Small?"**

**"Hermione, I couldn' leave him," said Hagrid, tears now trickling down his bruised face into his beard. "See - he's my brother!"**

**Hermione simply stared at him, her mouth open.**

**"Hagrid, when you say "brother"," said Harry slowly, "do you mean -?"**

**"Well - half-brother," amended Hagrid. "Turns out me mother took up with another giant when she left me dad, an' she went an' had Grawp here -"**

**"Grawp?" said Harry.**

**"Yeah... well, tha's what it sounds like when he says his name," said Hagrid anxiously. "He don' speak a lot of English... I've bin tryin' ter teach him... anyway, she don' seem ter have liked him much more'n she liked me. See, with giantesses, what counts is producin' good big kids, and he's always been a bit on the runty side fer a giant - on'y sixteen foot -"**

**"Oh, yes, tiny!" said Hermione, with a kind of hysterical sarcasm. "Absolutely minuscule!"**

"He really is a runt though." Ron commented, "We've seen him next to other Giants and he looks like one of us compared to Hagrid."

**"He was bein' kicked aroun' by all o' them - I jus' couldn' leave him -"**

**'Did Madame Maxime want to bring him back?' asked Harry.**

**"She - well, she could see it was right importan' ter me," said Hagrid, twisting his enormous hands. "Bu' - bu' she got a bit tired o' him after a while, I must admit... so we split up on the journey home... she promised not ter tell anyone, though..."**

**"How on earth did you get him back without anyone noticing?" said Harry.**

**"Well, tha's why it took so long, see," said Hagrid. "Could on'y travel by nigh' an' through wild country an' stuff. Course, he covers the ground pretty well when he wants ter, but he kep' wantin' ter go back."**

**"Oh, Hagrid, why on earth didn't you let him!" said Hermione, flopping down on to a ripped up tree and burying her face in her hands. "What do you think you're going to do with a violent giant who doesn't even want to be here!"**

**"Well, now - "violent" - tha's a bit harsh," said Hagrid, still twisting his hands agitatedly. "'I'll admit he mighta taken a couple o' swings at me when he's bin in a bad mood, but he's gettin' better, loads better, settlin' down well."**

**"What are those ropes for, then?" Harry asked.**

**He had just noticed ropes thick as saplings stretching from around the trunks of the largest nearby trees towards the place where Grawp lay curled on the ground with his back to them.**

**'You have to keep him tied up?' said Hermione faintly.**

**"Well... yeah..." said Hagrid, looking anxious. "See - it's like I say - he doesn' really know 'is own strength."**

**Harry understood now why there had been such a suspicious lack of any other living creature in this part of the Forest.**

**"So, what is it you want Harry and Ron and me to do?" Hermione asked apprehensively.**

**"Look after him," said Hagrid croakily. "After I'm gone."**

**Harry and Hermione exchanged miserable looks, Harry uncomfortably aware that he had already promised Hagrid that he would do whatever he asked.**

**"What - what does that involve, exactly?" Hermione enquired.**

**"Not food or anythin'!" said Hagrid eagerly. "He can get his own food, no problem. Birds an' deer an' stuff... no, it's company he needs. If I jus' knew someone was carryin on trying ter help him a bit... teachin' him, yeh know."**

**Harry said nothing, but turned to look back at the gigantic form lying asleep on the ground in front of them. Unlike Hagrid, who simply looked like an oversized human, Grawp looked strangely misshapen. What Harry had taken to be a vast mossy boulder to the left of the great earthen mound he now recognised as Grawp's head. It was much larger in proportion to the body than a human head, and was almost perfectly round and covered with tightly curling, close-growing hair the colour of bracken. The rim of a single large, fleshy ear was visible on top of the head, which seemed to sit, rather like Uncle Vernon's, directly upon the shoulders with little or no neck in between. The back, under what looked like a dirty brownish smock comprised of animal skins sewn roughly together, was very broad; and as Grawp slept, it seemed to strain a little at the rough seams of the skins. The legs were curled up under the body. Harry could see the soles of enormous, filthy, bare feet, large as sledges, resting one on top of the other on the earthy Forest floor.**

**"You want us to teach him," Harry said in a hollow voice. He now understood what Firenze's warning had meant. His attempt is not working. He would do better to abandon it. Of course, the other creatures who lived in the Forest would have heard Hagrid's fruitless attempts to teach Grawp English.**

**"Yeah - even if yeh jus' talk ter him a bit," said Hagrid hopefully. "'Cause I reckon, if he can talk ter people, he'll understand more that we all like 'im really, an' want 'im ter stay."**

**Harry looked at Hermione, who peered back at him from between the fingers over her face.**

**"Kind of makes you wish we had Norbert back, doesn't it?" he said, and she gave a very shaky laugh.**

"She was probably downright easier to keep happy than a Giant." Charlie muttered looking amused, "Now though I'd say Grawp's easier."

**"Yeh'll do it, then?" said Hagrid, who did not seem to have caught what Harry had just said.**

**"We'll..." said Harry, already bound by his promise. "We'll try, Hagrid."**

**"I knew I could count on yeh, Harry," Hagrid said, beaming in a very watery way and dabbing at his face with his handkerchief again. "An' I don' wan' yeh ter put yerself out too much, like... I know yeh've got exams... if yeh could jus' nip down here in yer Invisibility Cloak maybe once a week an' have a little chat with 'im. I'll wake 'im up, then - introduce yeh -"**

**"Wha - no!" said Hermione, jumping up. "Hagrid, no, don't wake him, really, we don't need -"**

**But Hagrid had already stepped over the great tree trunk in front of them and was proceeding towards Grawp. When he was about ten feet away, he lifted a long, broken bough from the ground, smiled reassuringly over his shoulder at Harry and Hermione, then poked Grawp hard in the middle of the back with the end of the bough.**

**The giant gave a roar that echoed around the silent Forest; birds in the treetops overhead rose twittering from their perches and soared away. In front of Harry and Hermione, meanwhile, the gigantic Grawp was rising from the ground, which shuddered as he placed an enormous hand upon it to push himself on to his knees. He turned his head to see who and what had disturbed him.**

**"All righ', Grawpy?" said Hagrid, in a would-be cheery voice, backing away with the long bough raised, ready to poke Grawp again. "Had a nice sleep, eh?"**

**Harry and Hermione retreated as far as they could while still keeping the giant within their sights. Grawp knelt between two trees he had not yet uprooted. They looked up into his startlingly huge face that resembled a grey full moon swimming in the gloom of the clearing. It was as though the features had been hewn on to a great stone ball. The nose was stubby and shapeless, the mouth lopsided and full of misshapen yellow teeth the size of half-bricks; the eyes, small by giant standards, were a muddy greenish-brown and just now were half-gummed together with sleep. Grawp raised dirty knuckles, each as big as a cricket ball, to his eyes, rubbed vigorously, then, without warning, pushed himself to his feet with surprising speed and agility.**

**"Oh my!" Harry heard Hermione squeal, terrified, beside him.**

**The trees to which the other ends of the ropes around Grawp's wrists and ankles were attached creaked ominously. He was, as Hagrid had said, at least sixteen feet tall. Gazing blearily around, Grawp reached out a hand the size of a beach umbrella, seized a bird's nest from the upper branches of a towering pine and turned it upside-down with a roar of apparent displeasure that there was no bird in it; eggs fell like grenades towards the ground and Hagrid threw his arms over his head to protect himself.**

**"Anyway, Grawpy," shouted Hagrid, looking up apprehensively in case of further falling eggs, "I've brought some friends ter meet yeh. Remember, I told yeh I might? Remember, when I said I might have ter go on a little trip an' leave them ter look after yeh fer a bit? Remember that, Grawpy?"**

**But Grawp merely gave another low roar; it was hard to say whether he was listening to Hagrid or whether he even recognised the sounds Hagrid was making as speech. He had now seized the top of the pine tree and was pulling it towards him, evidently for the simple pleasure of seeing how far it would spring back when he let go.**

**"Now, Grawpy, don' do that!" shouted Hagrid. "Tha's how you ended up pullin' up the others -"**

**And sure enough, Harry could see the earth around the tree's roots beginning to crack.**

**"I got company for yeh!" Hagrid shouted. "Company, see! Look down, yeh big buffoon, I brought yeh some friends!"**

**"Oh, Hagrid, don't," moaned Hermione, but Hagrid had already raised the bough again and gave Grawp's knee a sharp poke.**

**The giant let go of the top of the tree, which swayed alarmingly and deluged Hagrid with a rain of pine needles, and looked down.**

**"This," said Hagrid, hastening over to where Harry and Hermione stood, "is Harry, Grawp! Harry Potter! He migh' be comin' ter visit yeh if I have ter go away, understand?"**

**The giant had only just realised that Harry and Hermione were there. They watched, in great trepidation, as he lowered his huge boulder of a head so that he could peer blearily at them.**

**"An' this is Hermione, see? Her -" Hagrid hesitated. Turning to Hermione, he said, "Would yeh mind if he called yeh Hermy, Hermione? On'y it's a difficult name fer him ter remember."**

**"No, not at all," squeaked Hermione.**

**"This is Hermy, Grawp! An' she's gonna be comin' an' all! Is'n' tha' nice? Eh? Two friends fer yeh ter - GRAWPY, NO!"**

**Grawp's hand had shot out of nowhere towards Hermione; Harry seized her and pulled her backwards behind the tree, so that Grawp's fist scraped the trunk but closed on thin air.**

**"BAD BOY, GRAWPY!" they heard Hagrid yelling, as Hermione clung to Harry behind the tree, shaking and whimpering. "VERY BAD BOY! YEH DON' GRAB - OUCH!"**

"Has Hagrid gone mad?" Petunia wondered.

"He's always been mad, he was right about Grawp though. He just needed to know we all like him and he needed a firm hand when it came to teaching him to be nice." Hermione smiled fondly.

**Harry poked his head out from around the trunk and saw Hagrid lying on his back, his hand over his nose. Grawp, apparently losing interest, had straightened up and was again engaged in pulling back the pine as far as it would go.**

**"Righ'," said Hagrid thickly, getting up with one hand pinching his bleeding nose and the other grasping his crossbow, "well... there yeh are... yeh've met him an' - an' now he'll know yeh when yeh come back. Yeah... well..."**

**He looked up at Grawp, who was now pulling back the pine with an expression of detached pleasure on his boulderish face; the roots were creaking as he ripped them away from the ground.**

**"Well, I reckon tha's enough fer one day," said Hagrid. "We'll - 'er - we'll go back now, shall we?"**

**Harry and Hermione nodded. Hagrid shouldered his crossbow again and, still pinching his nose, led the way back into the trees.**

**Nobody spoke for a while, not even when they heard the distant crash that meant Grawp had pulled over the pine tree at last. Hermione's face was pale and set. Harry could not think of a single thing to say. What on earth was going to happen when somebody found out that Hagrid had hidden Grawp in the Forbidden Forest? And he had promised that he, Ron and Hermione would continue Hagrid's totally pointless attempts to civilise the giant. How could Hagrid, even with his immense capacity to delude himself that fanged monsters were loveably harmless, fool himself that Grawp would ever be fit to mix with humans?**

**"Hold it," said Hagrid abruptly, just as Harry and Hermione were struggling through a patch of thick knotgrass behind him. He pulled an arrow out of the quiver over his shoulder and fitted it into the crossbow. Harry and Hermione raised their wands; now that they had stopped walking, they, too, could hear movement close by.**

**"Oh, blimey," said Hagrid quietly.**

**"I thought we told you, Hagrid," said a deep male voice, "That you are no longer welcome here?"**

**A man's naked torso seemed for an instant to be floating towards them through the dappled green half-light; then they saw that his waist joined smoothly into a horse's chestnut body. This centaur had a proud, high-cheekboned face and long black hair. Like Hagrid, he was armed; a quiverful of arrows and a longbow were slung over his shoulders.**

**"How are yeh, Magorian?" said Hagrid warily.**

"He's the one that kicked Firenze right?" Amber asked uncertainly, Albus nodded.

**The trees behind the centaur rustled and four or five more centaurs emerged behind him. Harry recognised the black-bodied and bearded Bane, whom he had met nearly four years ago on the same night he had met Firenze. Bane gave no sign that he had ever seen Harry before.**

"Brilliant, back to the human avoiding Centaur with an attitude problem." James muttered.

**"So," he said, with a nasty inflection in his voice, before turning immediately to Magorian. "We agreed, I think, what we would do if this human ever showed his face in the Forest again?"**

**"'This human' now, am I?" said Hagrid testily. "Jus' fer stoppin' all of yeh committin' murder?"**

**"You ought not to have meddled, Hagrid," said Magorian. "Our ways are not yours, nor are our laws. Firenze has betrayed and dishonoured us."**

**"I dunno how yeh work that out," said Hagrid impatiently. "He's done nothin' except help Albus Dumbledore -"**

**"Firenze has entered into servitude to humans," said a grey centaur with a hard, deeply lined face.**

**"Servitude!" said Hagrid scathingly. "He's doin' Dumbledore a favour is all -"**

**"He is peddling our knowledge and secrets among humans," said Magorian quietly. "There can be no return from such disgrace."**

**"If yeh say so," said Hagrid, shrugging, "but personally I think yeh're makin' a big mistake -"**

**"As are you, human," said Bane, "coming back into our Forest when we warned you -"**

**"Now, yeh listen ter me," said Hagrid angrily. "I'll have less of the "our" Forest, if it's all the same ter yeh. It's not up ter yeh who comes an' goes in here -"**

**"No more is it up to you, Hagrid," said Magorian smoothly. "I shall let you pass today because you are accompanied by your young -"**

**"They're not his!" interrupted Bane contemptuously. "Students, Magorian, from up at the school! They have probably already profited from the traitor Firenze's teachings."**

"Oh so now he recognizes us." Harry rolled his eyes.

**"Nevertheless," said Magorian calmly, "the slaughter of foals is a terrible crime - we do not touch the innocent. Today, Hagrid, you pass. Henceforth, stay away from this place. You forfeited the friendship of the centaurs when you helped the traitor Firenze escape us."**

**"I won' be kept outta the Fores' by a bunch o' old mules like yeh!" said Hagrid loudly.**

**"Hagrid," said Hermione in a high-pitched and terrified voice, as both Bane and the grey centaur pawed at the ground, "let's go, please let's go!"**

**Hagrid moved forwards, but his crossbow was still raised and his eyes were still fixed threateningly upon Magorian.**

**"We know what you are keeping in the Forest, Hagrid!" Magorian called after them, as the centaurs slipped out of sight. "And our tolerance is waning!"**

**Hagrid turned and gave every appearance of wanting to walk straight back to Magorian.**

**"Yeh'll tolerate 'im as long as he's here, it's as much his Forest as yours!" he yelled, as Harry and Hermione both pushed with all their might against Hagrid's moleskin waistcoat in an effort to keep him moving forwards. Still scowling, he looked down; his expression changed to mild surprise at the sight of them both pushing him; he seemed not to have felt it.**

**"Calm down, you two," he said, turning to walk on while they panted along behind him. "Ruddy old mules, though, eh?"**

**"Hagrid," said Hermione breathlessly, skirting the patch of nettles they had passed on their way there, "if the centaurs don't want humans in the Forest, it doesn't really look as though Harry and I will be able -"**

"Trying to get out of it already?" Fleur guessed, "Can't say I blame you."

"Better than another round with a dragon." Harry shrugged, "Though I suppose Grawp's not that bad, he just needed a few English lessons and to be taught a few manners." he mused.

**"Ah, you heard what they said," said Hagrid dismissively, "they wouldn't hurt foals - I mean, kids. Anyway, we can' let ourselves be pushed aroun' by that lot."**

**"Nice try," Harry murmured to Hermione, who looked crestfallen.**

**At last they rejoined the path and, after another ten minutes, the trees began to thin; they were able to see patches of clear blue sky again and, in the distance, the definite sounds of cheering and shouting.**

**"Was that another goal?" asked Hagrid, pausing in the shelter of the trees as the Quidditch stadium came into view. "Or d'yeh reckon the match is over?"**

**"I don't know," said Hermione miserably. Harry saw that she looked much the worse for wear; her hair was full of twigs and leaves, her robes were ripped in several places and there were numerous scratches on her face and arms. He knew he must look little better.**

**"I reckon it's over, yeh know!" said Hagrid, still squinting towards the stadium. "Look - there's people comin' out already - if yeh two hurry yeh'll be able ter blend in with the crowd an' no one'll know yeh weren't there!"**

"Oh yeah, because watching Quidditch always lands you looking like we did." Hermione laughed.

**"Good idea," said Harry. "Well... see you later, then, Hagrid."**

**"I don't believe him," said Hermione in a very unsteady voice, the moment they were out of earshot of Hagrid. "I don't believe him. I really don't believe him."**

**"Calm down," said Harry.**

**"Calm down!" she said feverishly. "A giant! A giant in the Forest! And we're supposed to give him English lessons! Always assuming, of course, we can get past the herd of murderous centaurs on the way in and out! I - don't - believe - him!"**

**"We haven't got to do anything yet!" Harry tried to reassure her in a quiet voice, as they joined a stream of jabbering Hufflepuffs heading back towards the castle. "He's not asking us to do anything unless he gets chucked out and that might not even happen."**

**"Oh, come off it, Harry!" said Hermione angrily, stopping dead in her tracks so that the people behind had to swerve to avoid her. "Of course he's going to be chucked out and, to be perfectly honest, after what we've just seen, who can blame Umbridge?"**

**There was a pause in which Harry glared at her, and her eyes filled slowly with tears.**

**"You didn't mean that," said Harry quietly.**

**"No... well... all right... I didn't," she said, wiping her eyes angrily. 'But why does he have to make life so difficult for himself - for us?"**

**"I dunno -"**

**"Weasley is our King,**

**Weasley is our King,**

**He didn't let the Quaffle in,**

**Weasley is our King..."**

"Wait... Didn't?" Sirius grinned, "You won didn't you?"

"Of course." Ron and Ginny smirked.

"And they re-did the song." Ron added, "It was used during almost every match after that point." he grinned.

"Truly genius way to encourage Ron into focusing on blocking the Quaffle." Harry nodded, also grinning, "He could do better with the nice version of the song."

"It gave me a bit more confidence." Ron explained, "Meaning no negative thought's like 'I'm rubbish' or 'I'll never stop this one' crossed my mind."

**"And I wish they'd stop singing that stupid song," said Hermione miserably, "haven't they gloated enough?"**

**A great tide of students was moving up the sloping lawns from the pitch.**

**"Oh, let's get in before we have to meet the Slytherins," said Hermione.**

**"Weasley can save anything,**

**He never leaves a single ring,**

**That's why Gryffindors all sing:**

**Weasley is our King."**

**"Hermione..." said Harry slowly.**

**The song was growing louder, but it was issuing not from a crowd of green-and-silver-clad Slytherins, but from a mass of red and gold moving slowly towards the castle, bearing a solitary figure upon its many shoulders.**

**"Weasley is our King,**

**Weasley is our King,**

**He didn't let the Quaffle in,**

**Weasley is our King ..."**

**"No?" said Hermione in a hushed voice.**

**"YES!" said Harry loudly.**

**"HARRY! HERMIONE!" yelled Ron, waving the silver Quidditch cup in the air and looking quite beside himself. "WE DID IT! WE WON!"**

**They beamed up at him as he passed. There was a scrum at the door of the castle and Ron's head got rather badly bumped on the lintel, but nobody seemed to want to put him down. Still singing, the crowd squeezed itself into the Entrance Hall and out of sight. Harry and Hermione watched them go, beaming, until the last echoing strains of 'Weasley is our King' died away. Then they turned to each other, their smiles fading.**

**"We'll save our news till tomorrow, shall we?" said Harry.**

**"Yes, all right," said Hermione wearily. "I'm not in any hurry."**

**They climbed the steps together. At the front doors both instinctively looked back at the Forbidden Forest. Harry was not sure whether or not it was his imagination, but he rather thought he saw a small cloud of birds erupting into the air over the tree tops in the distance, almost as though the tree in which they had been nesting had just been pulled up by the roots.**

"I saw that too. It was real." Hermione assured him.

"Did any of you ever go see Grawp after that?" Arthur asked.

"Those two did." Ron nodded at his girlfriend and Harry, "I wasn't with them."

"Where were you then?"

"With those three." he gestured the Silver Trio, "Dealing with Draco and his goonies."

"Goonies?" Draco asked amusedly.

"They were as thick as trolls." Ginny shrugged, "Would you prefer gang or friends?"

"Not really." he admitted, "Goonies it is."

"I'll be showing that eventually anyway." Harry told them, "It's a major thing."

He got up, carrying Teddy, and changed the memory.

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><p>Review please x<p> 


	93. Chapter 93

Chapter 93 - Fifth Year (Part 16.5)

"So what's next?" Dudley asked, shifting his now sleeping daughter to his other shoulder as Harry sat down again, Teddy on his knee.

"O.W.L's." he smirked.

"You're not making us re-live that are you?" Ron groaned.

"No." Harry assured him, "All the studying we did was boring and not relevant. Though I will admit I loved the first question of the written charms exam."

"What was it?" Amber asked.

"Give the incantation and describe the wand movement to make objects fly." Hermione answered, "I immediately thought of the Troll in first year."

"So did I." Ron and Harry said, before looking at each other and laughing.

"Very amusing question." Harry chuckled, "Most of the questions were easy when we thought about times we'd used them."

"Like Alohamora when we found Fluffy." Hermione nodded.

"Or Expelliarmus when we saw Lockhart be blasted back by Snape." Ron grinned, "Ah good times."

"The rest of the exams went quite well, especially for Mr-extra-credit over there." Hermione smirked at Harry, "The examiner asked him to produce a Patronus for the DADA practical."

"It was just showing off." Harry shrugged, "And... Do you want to know why I consented to show off and what memory I used?"

"Ooh, do tell." Alice smirked.

"Because Umbridge was there and I used the thought of her being sacked for the Patronus." he grinned, making them all laugh, "Very nice image."

"Brilliant!" the twins laughed.

"Right well the other exams were fairly boring but something interesting happened during the Astronomy one." Harry said gravely, "I'm showing that one, then we're taking a break for lunch." he told them.

**When they reached the top of the Astronomy Tower at eleven o'clock, they found a perfect night for stargazing, cloudless and still. The grounds were bathed in silvery moonlight and there was a slight chill in the air. Each of them set up his or her telescope and, when Professor Marchbanks gave the word, proceeded to fill in the blank star-chart they had been given.**

**Professors Marchbanks and Tofty strolled among them, watching as they entered the precise positions of the stars and planets they were observing. All was quiet except for the rustle of parchment, the occasional creak of a telescope as it was adjusted on its stand, and the scribbling of many quills. Half an hour passed, then ar hour; the little squares of reflected gold light flickering on the: ground below started to vanish as lights in the castle windows were extinguished.**

**As Harry completed the constellation Orion on his chart, however, the front doors of the castle opened directly below the parapet where he was standing, so that light spilled down the stone steps a little way across the lawn. Harry glanced down as he made a slight adjustment to the position of his telescope and saw five or six elongated shadows moving over the brightly lit grass before the doors swung shut and the lawn became a sea of darkness once more.**

**Harry put his eye back to his telescope and refocused it, now examining Venus. He looked down at his chart to enter the planet there, but something distracted him; pausing with his quill suspended over the parchment, he squinted down into the shadowy grounds and saw half a dozen figures walking over the lawn. If they had not been moving, and the moonlight had not been gilding the tops of their heads, they would have been indistinguishable from the dark ground on which they walked. Even at this distance, Harry had a funny feeling he recognised the walk of the squattest of them, who seemed to be leading the group.**

"Umbridge?" Remus guessed.

"Right in one." Astoria muttered darkly.

**He could not think why Umbridge would be taking a stroll outside after midnight, much less accompanied by five others. Then somebody coughed behind him, and he remembered that he was halfway through an exam. He had quite forgotten Venus's position. Jamming his eye to his telescope, he found it again and was once more about to enter it on his chart when, alert for any odd sound, he heard a distant knock which echoed through the deserted grounds, followed immediately by the muffled barking of a large dog.**

**He looked up, his heart hammering. There were lights on in Hagrid's windows and the people he had observed crossing the lawn were now silhouetted against them. The door opened and he distinctly saw six sharply defined figures walk over the threshold. The door closed again and there was silence.**

**Harry felt very uneasy. He glanced around to see whether Ron or Hermione had noticed what he had, but Professor Marchbanks came walking behind him at that moment and, not wanting to look as though he was sneaking looks at anyone else's work, Harry hastily bent over his star-chart and pretended to be adding notes to it while really peering over the top of the parapet towards Hagrid's cabin. Figures were now moving across the cabin windows, temporarily blocking the light.**

**He could feel Professor Marchbanks's eyes on the back of his neck and pressed his eye again to his telescope, staring up at the moon though he had marked its position an hour ago, but as Professor Marchbanks moved on he heard a roar from the distant cabin that echoed through the darkness right to the top of the Astronomy Tower. Several of the people around Harry ducked out from behind their telescopes and peered instead in the direction of Hagrid's cabin.**

**Professor Tofty gave another dry little cough.**

**"Try and concentrate, now, boys and girls," he said softly.**

**Most people returned to their telescopes. Harry looked to his left. Hermione was gazing transfixed at Hagrid's cabin.**

**"Ahem - twenty minutes to go," said Professor Tofty.**

**Hermione jumped and returned at once to her star-chart; Harry looked down at his own and noticed that he had mis-labelled Venus as Mars. He bent to correct it.**

**There was a loud BANG from the grounds. Several people cried 'Ouch!' when they poked themselves in the face with the ends of their telescopes as they hastened to see what was going on below.**

**Hagrid's door had burst open and by the light flooding out of the cabin they saw him quite clearly, a massive figure roaring and brandishing his fists, surrounded by six people, all of whom, judging by the tiny threads of red light they were casting in his direction, seemed to be attempting to Stun him.**

**"No!" cried Hermione.**

**"My dear!" said Professor Tofty in a scandalised voice. "This is an examination!"**

**But nobody was paying the slightest attention to their star-charts any more. Jets of red light were still flying about beside Hagrid's cabin, yet somehow they seemed to be bouncing off him; he was still upright and still, as far as Harry could see, fighting. Cries and yells echoed across the grounds; a man yelled, "Be reasonable, Hagrid!"**

**Hagrid roared, "Reasonable be damned, yeh won' take me like this, Dawlish!"**

"They're trying to arrest him!?" Lily cried in shock.

"What's he done to deserve that?!" Alice protested indignantly.

**Harry could see the tiny outline of Fang, attempting to defend Hagrid, leaping repeatedly at the wizards surrounding him until a Stunning Spell caught him and he fell to the ground. Hagrid gave a howl of fury, lifted the culprit bodily from the ground and threw him; the man flew what looked like ten feet and did not get up again. Hermione gasped, both hands over her mouth; Harry looked round at Ron and saw that he, too, was looking scared. None of them had ever seen Hagrid in a real temper before.**

**"Look!" squealed Parvati, who was leaning over the parapet and pointing to the foot of the castle where the front doors had opened again; more light was spilling out on to the dark lawn and a single long black shadow was now rippling across the lawn.**

**"Now, really!" said Professor Tofty anxiously. "Only sixteen minutes left, you know!"**

**But nobody paid him the slightest attention: they were watching the person now sprinting towards the battle beside Hagrid's cabin.**

**"How dare you!" the figure shouted as she ran. "How dare you!"**

**"It's McGonagall!" whispered Hermione.**

**"Leave him alone! Alone, I say!" said Professor McGonagall's voice through the darkness. "On what grounds are you attacking him? He has done nothing, nothing to warrant such -"**

**Hermione, Parvati and Lavender all screamed. The figures around the cabin had shot no fewer than four Stunners at Professor McGonagall. Halfway between cabin and castle the red beams collided with her; for a moment she looked luminous and glowed an eerie red, then she lifted right off her feet, landed hard on her back, and moved no more.**

"Not so good for my health." Minerva winced, "Not at my age anyway."

"You're not that old." Albus told her, "I after all was 115 when I died."

"Ah, but we're not all as strong as you were." Minerva shot back at him, "Four stunners directly to the chest and I'm lucky that didn't kill me, now if it had been an arm or a leg I'd be absolutely fine."

"You have a point." Albus nodded once.

"They wouldn't dare try that in broad daylight." James muttered angrily.

"Of course they wouldn't." Dora growled, "I was with them, covering for Kingsley since he was on emergency guard duty for Fudge, I was the only one who didn't attack either Hagrid or Minerva."

"How'd you get away with that?" Remus inquired, "Surely one of them would've noticed?"

"I made sure my aim was way off." She smirked, "Like way too far to the left so I wouldn't hit anyone but not enough that it'd look like I was doing it on purpose."

"Sneaky." Sirius grinned.

**"Galloping gargoyles!" shouted Professor Tofty, who also seemed to have forgotten the exam completely. "Not so much as a warning! Outrageous behaviour!"**

**"COWARDS!" bellowed Hagrid; his voice carried clearly to the top of the tower, and several lights flickered back on inside the castle. "RUDDY COWARDS! HAVE SOME O' THAT - AN' THAT -"**

**"Oh my -" gasped Hermione.**

**Hagrid took two massive swipes at his closest attackers; judging by their immediate collapse, they had been knocked cold.**

"They were." Dora nodded wincing, "He's not nice when he's that angry. Not that I blame him but that was terrifying."

**Harry saw Hagrid double over, and thought he had finally been overcome by a spell. But, on the contrary, next moment Hagrid was standing again with what appeared to be a sack on his back - then Harry realised that Fangs limp body was draped around his shoulders.**

"Fang got hit?" James guessed.

"Yeah, he got stunned during the first few stunners." Dora nodded, "I think it may have been a stray one of mine actually, I couldn't tell. I apologized to Hagrid just in case but he said it was easier to transport Fang that way." she shrugged.

**"Get him, get him!" screamed Umbridge, but her remaining helper seemed highly reluctant to go within reach of Hagrid's fists; indeed, he was backing away so fast he tripped over one of his unconscious colleagues and fell over.**

"Hah! You mean she." Dora laughed, "That was me and I'd tripped over Dawlish. The clue is I fell."

They all laughed a little, lightening the mood in the hospital wing.

**Hagrid had turned and begun to run with Fang still hung around his neck. Umbridge sent one last Stunning Spell after him but it missed; and Hagrid, running full-pelt towards the distant gates, disappeared into the darkness.**

**There was a long minute's quivering silence as everybody gazed open-mouthed into the grounds. Then Professor Tofty's voice said feebly, "Um... five minutes to go, everybody."**

**Though he had only filled in two-thirds of his chart, Harry was desperate for the exam to end. When it came at last he, Ron and Hermione forced their telescopes haphazardly back into their holders and dashed back down the spiral staircase. None of the students were going to bed; they were all talking loudly and excitedly at the foot of the stairs about what they had witnessed.**

**"That evil woman!" gasped Hermione, who seemed to be having difficulty talking due to rage. "Trying to sneak up on Hagrid in the dead of night!"**

**"She clearly wanted to avoid another scene like Trelawney's," said Ernie Macmillan sagely, squeezing over to join them.**

**"Hagrid did well, didn't he?" said Ron, who looked more alarmed than impressed. "How come all the spells bounced off him?"**

**"It'll be his giant blood," said Hermione shakily. "Its very hard to Stun a giant, they're like trolls, really tough... but poor Professor McGonagall... four Stunners straight in the chest and she's not exactly young, is she?"**

"Not exactly no." Minerva chuckled.

"Minerva? If you don't mind me asking, feel free to not answer, but how old are you?" Amber asked hesitantly.

Minerva considered for a moment before deciding just to tell them, "I'll be - err - 63 this year actually." she admitted, blushing slightly.

"That's not that old in wizarding terms." James smiled, "Considering most of us live to at least 120."

"Not so sure about Potter's, we seem to have difficulty living to our late 20's." Harry joked.

James shrugged, "At least you, Lily and I do." he smirked, "Let's change that shall we?"

"Wait, you didn't die." Lily told Harry, "So technically it doesn't count with you."

"It counts." Harry told her, "Considering all the near death experiences I've had, I'd say it counts." he stated, "There's also another reason, but I'm not saying what just now as it's to do with the Final Battle."

Both of his parents winced and nodded at the truth in his statement.

**"Dreadful, dreadful," said Ernie, shaking his head pompously. "Well, I'm off to bed. Night, all."**

**People around them were drifting away, still talking excitedly about what they had just seen.**

**"At least they didn't get to take Hagrid off to Azkaban," said Ron. "I 'spect he's gone to join Dumbledore, hasn't he?"**

**"I suppose so," said Hermione, who looked tearful. "Oh, this is awful, I really thought Dumbledore would be back before long, but now we've lost Hagrid too."**

**They traipsed back to the Gryffindor common room to find it full. The commotion out in the grounds had woken several people, who had hastened to rouse their friends. Seamus and Dean, who had arrived ahead of Harry, Ron and Hermione, were now telling everyone what they had seen and heard from the top of the Astronomy Tower.**

**"But why sack Hagrid now?" asked Angelina Johnson, shaking her head. "It's not like Trelawney; he's been teaching much better than usual this year!"**

**"Umbridge hates part-humans," said Hermione bitterly, flopping down into an armchair. "She was always going to try and get Hagrid out."**

**"And she thought Hagrid was putting Nifflers in her office," piped up Katie Bell.**

**"Oh, blimey," said Lee Jordan, covering his mouth. "It's me who's been putting the Nifflers in her office. Fred and George left me a couple; I've been levitating them in through her window."**

"Told you." the twins smirked.

**"She'd have sacked him anyway," said Dean. "He was too close to Dumbledore."**

**"That's true," said Harry, sinking into an armchair beside Hermione's.**

**"I just hope Professor McGonagall's all right," said Lavender tearfully.**

**"They carried her back up to the castle, we watched through the dormitory window," said Colin Creevey. "She didn't look very well."**

**"Madam Pomfrey will sort her out," said Alicia Spinnet firmly. "She's never failed yet."**

"Well Poppy couldn't help that time, I had to be transported to St Mungo's." Minerva said gravely, "Though it's good to know the students care about me."

"Always, you may be strict but it's for our own good. Right?" Harry grinned, Minerva smiled back with a nod.

**It was nearly four in the morning before the common room cleared. Harry felt wide awake; the image of Hagrid sprinting away into the dark was haunting him; he was so angry with Umbridge he could not think of a punishment bad enough for her, though Ron's suggestion of having her fed to a box of starving Blast-Ended Skrewts had its merits. He fell asleep contemplating hideous revenges and arose from bed three hours later feeling distinctly unrested.**

"Not good on an exam day." Remus frowned.

"I didn't have a choice. None of us did." Harry sighed, "Now a break for lunch I think." he smiled.

* * *

><p>Review please x<p> 


	94. Chapter 94

Chapter 94 - Chat's and Crimes.

After the House-Elves had delivered lunch to the hospital wing they were all just sitting chatting while eating.

"Kingsley, you said you only got away with changing my criminal record because my name had been cleared right?" Sirius asked, Kingsley nodded, "Does that mean the incidents been removed or...?"

"They're still on it." Kingsley explained, "Though they've all been marked as false and it's noted you were cleared and received a Ministerial pardon."

"So it won't affect me if I apply to become an Auror again?"

"Not in the slightest." Kingsley grinned, "You can't honestly think every Auror has a clean record before they join?"

"There's a few in the department who had blobs on their Ministry records before joining, added with their Hogwarts record's it's practically impossible to have a completely clean record." Dora added, "Detentions and the likes are included on Hogwarts records, and what they were for too." she chuckled.

"Then the Ministry records are basically what you've done since leaving school, good and bad." Kingsley added, "You know like getting in fights is generally bad and doing voluntary work is good."

"What would dying then returning be classed under?" Regulus smirked.

"Um... On the fence." Kingsley muttered, "There's very few cases of it but logically dying is bad, returning is good. So it's in the middle." he chuckled.

"A few cases? More than us 7?" Fred inquired.

Kingsley nodded, "There's been a few cases in the past of people's heart's stopping then being re-started by Healers or people who know CPR."

"Technically being dead for a few minutes." Minerva nodded, "I had that when I was just a child, at least 8. I almost drowned when I went to the seaside with my Uncle and Aunt." she revealed, "It was the Muggle Lifeguard that saved me. It may have been a bit of accidental magic too come to think of it, I didn't know anything about witches and wizards being real."

"Kind of like me then." Hermione mused, "I was in denial until you proved it was true."

"Which is why it's usually me who goes to tell the Muggleborn's." Minerva smiled, "Because I'm Muggleborn myself, it's easier for me to judge reactions of students."

"It makes sense." James nodded, "Most Purebloods are useless at Muggle stuff." he chuckled, "Myself included."

"You're not that bad." Lily told him.

"Only because you told us a lot about Muggle's." Sirius snorted, "He was raised away from everything Muggle and didn't bother with Muggle Studies."

"He's right." James nodded, "I'd never even seen a Muggle until I was 11 and going through Kings Cross."

"Really?" Regulus asked, "I didnt know that."

"Wasn't it the same for you?" Frank frowned.

"No, we lived on a Muggle street oddly enough, we used to sneak out and play with the Muggle kids who lived around us." Sirius explained.

"Never understood that." Regulus mused, "The family hated anything Muggle but still decided to live surrounded by them."

"Now that you mention it that is a bit odd." Andy mused.

"Probably something along the lines of 'Keep your friends close but your enemies closer'." Draco shrugged.

"Probably." Cissy nodded, "Rather odd family."

"Ah well, we don't have to put up with them anymore." Sirius grinned.

"Amen that." the other Black's muttered.

There was a few seconds of silence before Neville spoke, "Mum, you said your maiden name was Fortscue?"

"Yes." she nodded, "What do you want to know?"

"Well... How come Gran didn't tell me?" he asked.

"No idea, you'd have to ask her." Frank told him, frowning, "She seems to have kept a lot from you."

"She really didn't tell you much at all did she?" Harry asked.

Neville frowned, "Not much, no. She seemed to think I couldn't handle most things. I didn't know the full story about you two," he looked at his parents, "until Christmas of my 3rd year."

"You remembered the attack didn't you?" Frank winced, "When the Dementors were close."

"Yeah." Neville nodded, "Like Harry I didn't understand it at first though, it took a few nightmares for it to sink in what I'd heard on the train."

"Might be something to do with how young we were." Harry pointed out, "I mean, we both remember snippets from back then right?"

"Yeah, snippets." he frowned, "Anyway, does that mean we're related to Florean Fortscue?" he asked Alice.

She nodded, "He's my Dad's Uncle, my Great-Uncle so he's your Great-Great-Uncle."

"He's not that old is he?"

"Merlin no, he's only what? A few years younger than Minerva?" Frank questioned.

"He was in first year when I was in my 7th." Minerva told her.

"So about 7 years younger than Minerva." Frank told them, "It's odd he never mentioned anything to you Neville, we used to stop by and help him with his shop during the summer between our 6th and 7th years, and he knows we had you." he frowned.

"Maybe he didn't know how to mention it?" Neville suggested, "Though it does explain why he always gave me free ice-cream when Gran let me have one. She claimed I ate too much sweets." he huffed.

"Oh she did that with me too." Frank chuckled, "Mum's not got much of a sweet tooth. She used to tell me sweets were a waste of time so I only got one or two a week."

"Better than what we got." Regulus shrugged, "If we asked for sweet's we'd only get vegetables or fruit disguised as sweet's unless it was a special occasion."

"Or rocks." Sirius made a face.

"You're never going to forget that are you?" Cissy smirked, chuckling slightly.

"Never." he agreed, "When I was maybe 5 or 6 I asked Bella for a sweet and she made a rock look like one, I didn't know she'd done it so I bit into it, hard." he winced, "Broke all my front teeth and spent the whole night in agony because I refused to tell my parents." he explained to the others, who'd looked curious, "We weren't supposed to have sweets at all."

"The next morning at breakfast I ended up telling them." Regulus admitted, "And he spent an hour on our Fathers knee getting his broken teeth pulled out and re-grown."

"Thank Merlin for numbing spells." Sirius mumbled, "They didn't hate me completely yet, if they did they wouldn't have used one. From that moment on I knew not to ask Bella for sweets, or at all."

"She got grounded for that one." Cissy told them, "As in she was put in the dungeon at our family home for about 2 hours and wasn't allowed out of Andy's sight for two weeks."

"That got annoying." Andy remembered, "She'd ask all these questions and say it wasn't her fault Sirius ate a rock."

"It was her fault though." Bill pointed out.

"Try telling her that, I did and she ignored me as always. She was a very stubborn 12 year old." Andy huffed, "I was 16 at the time and she was already noticing I was more different from the rest of them than what our parents thought at the time."

"So you had to act like you hated everything to do with people below Pureblood standard for two weeks?" Hermione guessed.

Andy shook her head, "No, just the Muggleborn's and Muggle's. Our parents didn't mind Half-blood's, that was their parent's forte." she nodded at Sirius and Regulus, "Still, it was always annoying having to put up with her, no matter what age we were."

There was a thoughtful silence.

"Kingsley? Did you bring that paperwork for the adoption?" Ginny asked after about 5 minutes.

"I did, it's in my pocket." he nodded, "Do you want to sign it after we've finished eating?"

"Yeah, before we forget." Harry nodded with a smile, "By the way," he said, "we've decided to bring the twins home tomorrow night." he told the others.

"Brilliant, we'll finally get to meet them." Charlie grinned.

"You could've come and met them when we went to St Mungo's a few days ago." Ginny pointed out.

"There was enough people, we couldn't all go. It might've scared them to have so many people around." Bill said reasonably.

Harry and Ginny shared a look, "You do realize they're under a month old and probably won't realize just how many people are around just yet." Harry told him.

"Teddy didn't the first time he went to the Burrow and he was only 3 months." Andy added, "He was more interested in other things." she added, watching amusedly as the mentioned boy, who had woken up with the House-Elves arrival, stole a bit of mashed potato off of Harry's plate and stuffed it in his mouth, having finished his own plate of mashed potatoes.

"He must still be hungry." Harry chuckled, he scraped some of his mashed potato onto Teddy's plate as there was too much for him to eat alone anyway.

Teddy happily ate from his re-filled plate as the adult's chuckled at his behavior.

"So is there much more of your 5th year left?" James asked his son.

"Um... A bit but it all goes fairly quick paced, except certain bits which may seem to take forever." he explained with a frown, "You know that thing when second's feels like hours?"

"Yeah." Lily nodded, "We've had that before, though it was days that seemed like years."

"Huh?" Amber asked confused, "Don't you mean days that seem like months?"

"Not when you've been captured by Death Eater's." Alice said grimly, "I take it you mean that time they got us in 7th year?" she asked Lily.

"No the one in 6th year, they were already trying to kill us by 7th." she reminded her friend, "It was the one over the Christmas holidays."

"Ah, yes that did seem like forever." Frank winced.

"What happened?" Ron asked them.

"Well, it was the Christmas of our 6th year and we'd all decided to stay at the castle instead of going home for the holidays." Lily started.

"We'd decided to go down to Hogsmeade since Albus had said we could." James continued, "It was the 6 of us since Wormtail had gone home and we decided to stay as a group, safety in numbers you know. Lily and I had called a truce for the day." he added, "She still hated me at that point." he pouted.

"We were ambushed on our way back to the castle, it was already getting dark I think it was about 5." Frank added before Lily could say anything about James's last comment.

"They managed to grab hold of us, and before we realized what was happening, we were side-along Apparated to one of the Death Eater camps." Alice shuddered, "We were knocked out as soon as we arrived and the next time we woke up we were chained to the walls of a dungeon with heavy manacles around our ankles and waists."

"It seemed like we were stuck for good." Sirius added grimly, "All of us realized we didn't have our wands, that they must've been taken or we'd dropped them. But the Death Eaters who had us decided to come to try and convince us to join them."

"That lasted for a few days before they moved on to torture us, trying to force us to join them since convincing us wasn't going well for them." Remus put in, "We were separated eventually, they dragged us all off to separate rooms, from then it was mostly torture of all kinds."

"They thought we'd crumble if we were alone." Lily nodded, "Unfortunately for them, it made us more resilient."

"How?" Hermione asked curiously.

"Because alone we could run rings around them, confusing them." James smirked, "They didn't know we could still hear each other at nights, we'd pick someone to act like they didn't know who they were, memory loss and the likes."

"It confused them like hell." Sirius grinned, then cringed, "Until one day they decided to focus on me." he made a face, "I'd bet Bella told them to pick on me." he shuddered, "She knew I hated anything that reminded me of the cellar at Grimmauld so they made the room I was in very similar to that."

"Then after about a week they decided to start going for the rest of us again." Frank winced, "It wasn't pretty, they had renewed spirits, bone-breaking hexes were their favorites. Breaking the bone then healing it and breaking it again when it was still tender."

"Ouch, that must've hurt." Charlie winced in sympathy.

"It wasn't so bad, after the first few rounds our bodies all went numb, we couldn't feel it as much." James smiled wryly.

"How did you escape?" Molly asked.

"It was maybe a month after they'd taken us, we knew people would be out looking to see where all but 3 of the 7th year Gryffindor's had gone." Sirius explained, "One day they decided to unchain me for some reason..." he hesitated.

"You're not going to like what we done." Remus warned them, "They'd unchained me too."

"What'd you do?" Harry asked hesitantly.

Sirius looked down and mumbled something.

"Didn't quite catch that." Regulus told him.

"I lost it."

"Lost what?"

"His temper." Remus supplied.

"I nicked one of their wands and... Well they were in a lot of pain for weeks." Sirius admitted, "It's too gory to talk about over a meal." he added, chewing a bit of lettuce.

"The general idea being they couldn't sit down for weeks." James chuckled.

"At the same time as that, these other two guys were in my cell. It was close to a full moon and they didn't know you shouldn't annoy a werewolf, especially a young werewolf. I might have attacked them and snapped a few of their bones." Remus smirked, "They figured out about me since I didn't really react to the pain... And I think Greyback might have told them as well..."

"Anyhow, with Remus and Sirius free they could free the rest of us." Alice grinned, "Which they did."

"With a downside." Frank huffed, "James couldn't remember his name, or any of us."

"The torture caught up to me." James winced, "I couldn't remember the colour of the wall, I said it was pink and it was grey." he admitted, "So they had to convince me I'd be better following them."

"Which was bloody hard." Alice huffed.

"We weren't in the best conditions either." Lily sighed, "All of us had multiple injuries and we couldn't move that fast."

"Then I realized where we were." Sirius told them, "Malfoy Manor."

"Of course, it's always that bloody Manor." Draco grumbled, "Let me guess you bumped into Lucius too?"

"No, but we did bump into his father, Abraxus Malfoy." Frank shrugged, "Sirius still had a wand so he stunned him and we were on the edge of the grounds before we heard someone yell at us to stop." he shuddered.

"It was Bellatrix and her husband with Voldemort right behind them." James muttered, "But we managed to get outside the wards and Apparated back to my house before they caught up with us, my parents were happy we were alive, even though I couldn't remember them that much right then."

"We'd, amazingly enough, avoided splinching ourselves. It was the first time any of us had Apparated successfully too." Alice mused, "James's parents fixed us up a bit then called the Auror's and Albus. We spent the next few days in St Mungo's so they could make sure we were fully healed and sane."

"As soon as I was healed I started remembering things, I still remembered all the school stuff since I went over that in my mind to keep me distracted from the pain, but names and faces etc, started returning. It took a week or two of forgetting something's before I remembered it all." James explained.

"So was that the first time you escaped Voldemort?" Percy asked curiously.

"No, he never actually had us so it didn't count. The three times from the Prophecy we escaped like Harry did, right under his nose and alone." Lily chuckled darkly, "Apparently that time didn't count since we weren't alone."

"Still sounds horrible." Petunia shuddered.

"It was enough for us to make sure we didn't get caught again anyway." Remus mused, "But that's how we became so 'popular' with the Death Eater's." he added, rolling his eyes, "Though they mainly focused on those four." he gestured James, Lily, Frank and Alice.

"It's the supremacy thing." Regulus told them, "I wasn't Marked at that point but Bella told me what she knew. Apparently since James and Frank didn't have brothers or sisters, they were the only heirs to their House and the Death Eater's realized it would be great to have them on the dark side."

"Which is how Bella put it." Cissy nodded, "They didn't start focusing on Lily until she started dating James."

"And I was already with Frank." Alice added, "So naturally they targeted me too. Though eventually they started targeting us because we refused to join them so often."

"How come you two didn't get targeted?" Dudley asked Sirius and Remus.

Remus shrugged, "I don't know why they didn't try go for us."

"I was apparently disowned, they just wanted to kill me after that." Sirius added, "They focused on trying to catch the others but never Moony or I."

"Maybe they didn't fancy having what you two done to the two you injured done to them again." Dora suggested.

The House-Elves appeared and banished the now empty plates to the kitchen before disappearing again.

"No idea." Sirius told Dora, "And to be honest I'd rather not think about it." he shuddered.

"It is rather depressing." Remus nodded.

"So on a completely different topic... When is it your bringing the twins home tomorrow?" Molly asked Ginny and Harry.

The two shared a look. _After dinner? _Harry suggested.

_Depends, are we starting your 6th year tomorrow?_

_Yes, but only from noon to 5ish,_ he told her, _I've still got to figure out how much to show everyone._

_Well... We can bring them home at 7ish then,_ she nodded.

"It'll be about 7ish." Harry told them, "We will be starting my 6th year tomorrow but it'll only be from noon to 5ish since I don't know exactly what to include yet."

"So you're not showing all of it?" Hermione asked.

He shook his head, "Just important bits, a few things happen that just aren't relevant." he explained.

"And unfortunately for us the important bits include things we'd rather not have you show, but you'll have to show them anyway." Ron muttered. "And no it's not more arguments." he added as Fred was about to ask, Fred and George snickered as Ron and Hermione blushed.

"Anyway, we should continue and finish 5th year." Harry told them.

"I thought you were going to sign the forms?" Kingsley reminded him.

"Oh yeah."

Kingsley took a stack of shrunken papers out of his robe pocket and enlarged them, he got up and went over to Harry and Ginny, handed the stack to them and pulled out a black quill.

"You are going to be alright using one of these aren't you?" he asked hesitantly, "It needs you're full names."

"Just show us where to sign." Ginny rolled her eyes.

Harry took the blood quill first and signed the spots Kingsley pointed to, not even wincing when the back of his hand opened below the old scars and didn't close again.

"Hmm..." he hummed as he inspected his name on the back of his hand, "Seems Umbridge built up my resistance to the skin healing." he mused as Ginny signed the forms too.

Ginny's hand healed instantly as Kingsley waved his wand at the forms and quill, making them disappear.

Andy got up and went over to Harry, "Let me see." she sighed.

He held up his hand with the glistening blood spelling Harry James Potter on it and she took his hand gently.

"Hmm... That's not normal." she frowned, she traced her wand in a line across his name, frowning deeper when it didn't do anything, "Can you feel it at all?"

"Nope." he replied, "I didn't feel it when I used it either." he admitted.

"Do me a favor and try to move your fingers."

Harry frowned as he tried to and they didn't move, "I can't." he pouted, "They won't budge."

"Hold on." Andy told him, "I think I know what the problem is."

She disappeared into Poppy's office and came back after a moment, holding a tube and wearing gloves.

"Stay still." she told Harry, "This'll sting a lot." she warned him before squeezing the tube, making bright pink paste come out and cover his name on his hand, she used one finger to rub it in, making sure it was all covered.

Harry winced as it started stinging his wounds but stayed obediently still, he gasped as it flared burning hot, he tried to jerk his hand away but Andy was holding it still firmly.

"What in Merlin's name is that stuff?" he exclaimed.

"Skin regeneration paste." Draco told him, recognizing it, "It burns doesn't it?"

"Yes." Harry winced.

"Relax, it's almost done." Andy chuckled, "Try move your fingers now."

Harry did and was pleased his fingers obeyed his command and the burning stopped, going back to a faint sting and the skin on the back of his hand looked like it had never seen a blood quill, except the old scars spelling 'I must not tell lies'.

"Better?" Andy asked him, taking out a medical wipe from her pocket and wiping where the cream had been, removing the last of the stinging.

"Much, thank you." he smiled.

"I didn't think it would do that." Kingsley mused.

"It happens sometimes." Andy explained, "Some people are more sensitive to the after healing charm on the quills and instead of healing, it freezes the muscles on the hand and stops the wound closing itself. You'll have to keep that in mind Harry, that'll likely happen every time now."

Harry nodded, "I don't plan on using one unless I need to." he told her before she disappeared into Poppy's office to return the paste and dispose of the gloves.

"What was the gloves for anyway?" Alice asked as Andy re-joined them.

"That paste is strong, if it's put on undamaged skin it'll burn right through the skin, right to the bone. Which is also why I wiped Harry's hand." Andy told them.

"People making the cream have to wear gloves too, basically what it does is removes damaged skin and seals cuts and the likes. I think it's the weaker version Poppy used on Diggory after he was burned by that dragon." Draco added.

"It was." Charlie nodded, "I recognized it from the few times I've had it used on me or seen it used on one of the other handlers, the weaker form leaves a scar sometimes though and it's only really good for high decree burns. So shall we continue Harry?"

He nodded and got up to change the memory, Teddy was on Ginny's lap and was fast asleep after his meal.

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><p>Review please x<p> 


	95. Chapter 95

Chapter 95 - Fifth Year (Part 17)

"So where are we starting?" Remus asked as Harry lay down on the hospital bed again.

"My History of Magic OWL." he grimaced.

"Why? Trying to bore us to death?" Regulus asked, "No pun intended." he added at the looks he received from the other returnees.

"You'll see." Harry said evasively, "And this is a really, really short one."

**The fifth-years entered the Great Hall at two o'clock and took their places in front of their face-down examination papers. Harry felt exhausted. He just wanted this to be over, so that he could go and sleep; then tomorrow, he and Ron were going to go down to the Quidditch pitch - he was going to have a fly on Ron's broom - and savour their freedom from revision.**

**"Turn over your papers," said Professor Marchbanks from the front of the Hall, flicking over the giant hour-glass. "You may begin."**

**Harry stared fixedly at the first question. It was several seconds before it occurred to him that he had not taken in a word of it; there was a wasp buzzing distractingly against one of the high windows. Slowly, tortuously, he at last began to write an answer.**

**He was finding it very difficult to remember names and kept confusing dates. He simply skipped question four (In your opinion, did wand legislation contribute to, or lead to better control of, goblin riots of the eighteenth century?), thinking that he would go back to it if he had time at the end. He had a stab at question five (How was the Statute of Secrecy breached in 1749 and what measures were introduced to prevent a recurrence?) but had a nagging suspicion that he had missed several important points; he had a feeling vampires had come into the story somewhere.**

**He looked ahead for a question he could definitely answer and his eyes alighted upon number ten: Describe the circumstances that led to the formation of the International Confederation of Wizards and explain why the warlocks of Liechtenstein refused to join.**

**I know this, Harry thought, though his brain felt torpid and slack. He could visualise a heading, in Hermione's handwriting: The formation of the International Confederation of Wizards... he had read those notes only this morning.**

"Last minute revision?" Minerva guessed.

"Pretty much, we done a lot of it, especially because Ron and I never paid attention to Binns and were missing quite a lot of notes from other subjects too." Harry admitted, "Hermione kindly let us read her notes and probably saved us from failing a few subjects." he smiled at Hermione, who smiled back.

"Makes me glad I've replaced Binns then." Minerva chuckled, "I swear it was ridiculous how many people don't know a single thing about history because Binns only goes over Goblin rebellions half the time."

"Who've you got to replace him?" Regulus asked curiously.

"That woman Kingsley suggested, Charlene Tuffin. I owled her last night and got a reply this morning, she's fully qualified, she got an O in her History of Magic exam and she's agreed to take the job, obviously I'll be interviewing her first, but it's all looking good so far." Minerva told them, "She's arriving on the 5th as well as the new Transfiguration teacher, whose name you'll need to wait to find out."

"I thought you were going to keep doing Transfiguration." Kingsley frowned.

"I mentioned it yesterday. Remember I told you it's enough work being Headmistress, I can't handle both jobs." Minerva told him, "And term's not even started yet, I'll be too busy to do both."

"Which ironically is why I stopped being a Transfiguration teacher too." Albus chuckled, "Wise choice Minerva, it is a lot of work."

"Which is why I've hired someone to do that. I still need to find someone willing to be Head of Gryffindor too." she sighed, "And I'm still waiting on word about a DADA teacher." she added, looking at Remus.

"About that, we've talked and -" Dora started.

"We think we've found something that'll keep everyone happy." Remus finished.

"Oh?" Minerva asked.

"We were thinking, wouldn't it be a good thing to have an Auror stationed here in case of fights and to set parents minds at ease?" Dora said.

Minerva frowned, "I hadn't thought about that... I suppose it would be a good thing."

"Well, Dora's badge is still valid right Kingsley?" Remus asked, he nodded, "So why not have Dora stationed here as an official Auror." he shrugged, "As for DADA teacher, I'll do it." he smiled.

"It make's sense." Kingsley remarked, "It would be a good thing really. Parents are wary about sending their children here after the war from what I've heard, it would help having an official Auror, no matter how clumsy, stationed here." he added, "Though as I've told you Dora, you'll have to do a test or two to make your badge completely valid again. One written and one physical."

"Easy." she shrugged.

"I agree with you." Minerva nodded at Kingsley, "It would be a good thing. Alright that's that sorted then." she smiled.

Remus and Dora grinned as the others cheered.

"Just pop into Auror Headquarters when you want to do the tests Dora." Kingsley said, "I'll tell Gawain tonight to warn him you'll be popping in soon enough." Dora nodded.

They all turned back to the pensive.

**He began to write, looking up now and again to check the large hour-glass on the desk beside Professor Marchbanks. He was sitting right behind Parvati Patil, whose long dark hair fell below the back of her chair. Once or twice he found himself staring at the tiny golden lights that glistened in it when she moved her head slightly, and had to give his own head a little shake to clear it.**

**... the first Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards was Pierre Bonaccord, but his appointment was contested by the wizarding community of Liechtenstein, because -**

**All around Harry quills were scratching on parchment like scurrying, burrowing rats. The sun was very hot on the back of his head. What was it that Bonaccord had done to offend the wizards of Liechtenstein? Harry had a feeling it had something to do with trolls... he gazed blankly at the back of Parvati's head again. If he could only perform Legilimency and open a window in the back of her head and see what it was about trolls that had caused the breach between Pierre Bonaccord and Liechtenstein...**

**Harry closed his eyes and buried his face in his hands, so that the glowing red of his eyelids grew dark and cool. Bonaccord had wanted to stop troll-hunting and give the trolls rights... but Liechtenstein was having problems with a tribe of particularly vicious mountain trolls... that was it.**

**He opened his eyes; they stung and watered at the sight of the blazing white parchment. Slowly, he wrote two lines about the trolls, then read through what he had done so far. It did not seem very informative or detailed, yet he was sure Hermione's notes on the Confederation had gone on for pages and pages.**

"It's weird how you weren't affected by Binns at all, you know that?" Bill told Hermione.

She shrugged, "It was always more what he was saying, not his voice, I listened to."

**He closed his eyes again, trying to see them, trying to remember... the Confederation had met for the first time in France, yes, he had written that already...**

**Goblins had tried to attend and been ousted... he had written that, too...**

**And nobody from Liechtenstein had wanted to come...**

**Think, he told himself, his face in his hands, while all around him quills scratched out never-ending answers and the sand trickled through the hour-glass at the front...**

**He was walking along the cool, dark corridor to the Department of Mysteries again, walking with a firm and purposeful tread, breaking occasionally into a run, determined to reach his destination at last... the black door swung open for him as usual, and here he was in the circular room with its many doors...**

"You fell asleep?" James snorted.

Harry winced, "Yes, and you're not going to like this."

**Straight across the stone floor and through the second door... patches of dancing light on the walls and floor and that odd mechanical clicking, but no time to explore, he must hurry...**

**He jogged the last few feet to the third door, which swung open just like the others...**

**Once again he was in the cathedral-sized room full of shelves and glass spheres... his heart was beating very fast now... he was going to get there this time... when he reached number ninety-seven he turned left and hurried along the aisle between two rows...**

**But there was a shape on the floor at the very end, a black shape moving on the floor like a wounded animal... Harry's stomach contracted with fear... with excitement...**

**A voice issued from his own mouth, a high, cold voice empty of any human kindness...**

**"Take it for me... lift it down, now... I cannot touch it... but you can..."**

**The black shape on the floor shifted a little. Harry saw a long-fingered white hand clutching a wand rise at the end of his own arm... heard the high, cold voice say "Crucio!"**

**The man on the floor let out a scream of pain, attempted to stand but fell back, writhing. Harry was laughing. He raised his wand, the curse lifted and the figure groaned and became motionless.**

**"Lord Voldemort is waiting..."**

**Very slowly, his arms trembling, the man on the ground raised his shoulders a few inches and lifted his head. His face was bloodstained and gaunt, twisted in pain yet rigid with defiance ...**

**"You'll have to kill me," whispered Sirius.**

"NO!" Regulus yelled, he rounded on his brother, "How'd he get you! You were meant to be in Grimmauld!" he demanded.

"I -" Sirius paused and shot a look at Harry, "- can't say."

"Just tell them." Harry told him with a sigh.

"Tell us what!" James demanded.

"He's not there." Remus sighed, "He was with me, at Grimmauld like he was supposed to be."

"So the visions a fake?" Lily asked.

"Yes." Harry nodded, making them all sigh in relief, "But I didn't know that then."

They all tensed again at this.

**"Undoubtedly I shall in the end," said the cold voice. "But you will fetch it for me first, Black... you think you have felt pain thus far? Think again... we have hours ahead of us and nobody to hear you scream..."**

**But somebody screamed as Voldemort lowered his wand again; somebody yelled and fell sideways off a hot desk on to the cold stone floor; Harry awoke as he hit the ground, still yelling, his scar on fire, as the Great Hall erupted all around him.**

"Oh my Merlin." Frank said wide-eyed.

"Yup." Harry sighed, flicking his wand at the pensive, knowing they weren't going to like the rest of the memories at all.

"It doesn't get any better does it?" James frowned.

"Not until the start of my 6th year." Harry confirmed with a wince. "Let's continue."

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><p>Review please x<p> 


	96. Chapter 96

Chapter 96 - Fifth Year (Part 17.5)

"Where we left off." Harry sighed tiredly, before anyone could say anything.

**"I'm not going... I don't need the hospital wing... I don't want..."**

**He was gibbering as he tried to pull away from Professor Tofty, who was looking at Harry with much concern after helping him out into the Entrance Hall with the students all around them staring.**

**"I'm - I'm fine, sir," Harry stammered, wiping the sweat from his face. "Really... I just fell asleep... had a nightmare..."**

**"Pressure of examinations!" said the old wizard sympathetically, patting Harry shakily on the shoulder. "It happens, young man, it happens! Now, a cooling drink of water, and perhaps you will be ready to return to the Great Hall? The examination is nearly over, but you may be able to round off your last answer nicely?"**

**"Yes," said Harry wildly. "I mean... no... I've done - done as much as I can, I think..."**

**"Very well, very well," said the old wizard gently. "I shall go and collect your examination paper and I suggest that you go and have a nice lie down."**

**"I'll do that," said Harry, nodding vigorously. "Thanks very much."**

**The second that the old man's heels disappeared over the threshold into the Great Hall, Harry ran up the marble staircase, hurtled along the corridors so fast the portraits he passed muttered reproaches, up more flights of stairs, and finally burst like a hurricane through the double doors of the hospital wing, causing Madam Pomfrey - who had been spooning some bright blue liquid into Montague's open mouth - to shriek in alarm.**

**"Potter, what do you think you're doing?"**

**"I need to see Professor McGonagall," gasped Harry, the breath tearing his lungs. "Now... it's urgent!"**

Minerva winced, "I wouldn't be able to do much even if I was there." she told Harry.

"I didn't think of that, I just needed to find an Order member who could get a hold of Albus." he shrugged.

**"She's not here, Potter," said Madam Pomfrey sadly. "She was transferred to St. Mungo's this morning. Four Stunning Spells straight to the chest at her age? It's a wonder they didn't kill her."**

**"She's... gone?" said Harry, shocked.**

**The bell rang just outside the dormitory and he heard the usual distant rumbling of students starting to flood out into the corridors above and below him. He remained quite still, looking at Madam Pomfrey. Terror was rising inside him.**

**There was nobody left to tell. Dumbledore had gone, Hagrid had gone, but he had always expected Professor McGonagall to be there, irascible and inflexible, perhaps, but always dependably, solidly present...**

**"I don't wonder you're shocked, Potter," said Madam Pomfrey, with a kind of fierce approval in her face. "As if one of them could have Stunned Minerva McGonagall face-on by daylight! Cowardice, that's what it was... despicable cowardice... if I wasn't worried what would happen to you students without me, I'd resign in protest."**

**"Yes," said Harry blankly.**

**He wheeled around and strode blindly from the hospital wing into the teeming corridor where he stood, buffeted by the crowd, panic expanding inside him like poison gas so that his head swam and he could not think what to do...**

**Ron and Hermione, said a voice in his head.**

**He was running again, pushing students out of the way, oblivious to their angry protests. He sprinted, back down two floors and was at the top of the marble staircase when he saw them hurrying towards him.**

**"Harry!" said Hermione at once, looking very frightened. "What happened? Are you all right? Are you ill?"**

**"Where have you been?" demanded Ron.**

"You scared the hell out of us mate." Ron huffed.

"Couldn't help it." he winced.

**"Come with me," Harry said quickly. "Come on, I've got to tell you something."**

**He led them along the first-floor corridor, peering through doorways, and at last found an empty classroom into which he dived, closing the door behind Ron and Hermione the moment they were inside, and leaned against it, facing them.**

**"Voldemorts got Sirius."**

**"What?"**

**"How d'you -?"**

**"Saw it. Just now. When I fell asleep in the exam."**

**"But - but where? How?" said Hermione, whose face was white.**

**"I dunno how," said Harry. "But I know exactly where. There's a room in the Department of Mysteries full of shelves covered in these little glass balls and they're at the end of row ninety-seven... he's trying to use Sirius to get whatever it is he wants from in there... he's torturing him... says he'll end by killing him!"**

**Harry found his voice was shaking, as were his knees. He moved over to a desk and sat down on it, trying to master himself.**

**"How're we going to get there?" he asked them.**

**There was a moment's silence. Then Ron said, "G-get there?"**

**"Get to the Department of Mysteries, so we can rescue Sirius!" Harry said loudly.**

**"But - Harry..." said Ron weakly.**

**"What? What?" said Harry.**

**He could not understand why they were both gaping at him as though he was asking them something unreasonable.**

**"Harry," said Hermione in a rather frightened voice, "er... how... how did Voldemort get into the Ministry of Magic without anybody realising he was there?"**

"Follow that logic." Sirius told Harry.

"I know she was right as always, she already pointed that out to me, just watch what happens." Harry growled, he was visibly tense so no one bothered telling him to calm down.

**"How do I know?" bellowed Harry. "The question is how we're going to get in there!"**

**"But... Harry, think about this," said Hermione, taking a step towards him, "it's five o'clock in the afternoon... the Ministry of Magic must be full of workers... how would Voldemort and Sirius have got in without being seen? Harry... they're probably the two most wanted wizards in the world... you think they could get into a building full of Aurors undetected?"**

**"I dunno, Voldemort used an Invisibility Cloak or something!" Harry shouted. "Anyway, the Department of Mysteries has always been completely empty whenever I've been -"**

**"You've never been there, Harry," said Hermione quietly. "You've dreamed about the place, that's all."**

**"They're not normal dreams!" Harry shouted in her face, standing up and taking a step closer to her in turn. He wanted to shake her. "How d'you explain Ron's dad then, what was all that about, how come I knew what had happened to him?"**

**"He's got a point," said Ron quietly, looking at Hermione.**

**"But this is just - just so unlikely!" said Hermione desperately. "Harry, how on earth could Voldemort have got hold of Sirius when he's been in Grimmauld Place all the time?"**

**"Sirius might've cracked and just wanted some fresh air," said Ron, sounding worried. "He's been desperate to get out of that house for ages -"**

"Not that desperate, I couldn't have left without Albus knowing about it." Sirius told them.

**"But why," Hermione persisted, "why on earth would Voldemort want to use Sirius to get the weapon, or whatever the thing is?"**

**"I dunno, there could be loads of reasons!" Harry yelled at her. "Maybe Sirius is just someone Voldemort doesn't care about seeing hurt -"**

**"You know what, I've just thought of something," said Ron in a hushed voice. "Sirius's brother was a Death Eater, wasn't he? Maybe he told Sirius the secret of how to get the weapon!"**

"Um... No." Regulus said, "I only knew of a few weapons but they were all against Voldemort and definitely not a Prophecy."

**"Yeah - and that's why Dumbledore's been so keen to keep Sirius locked up all the time!" said Harry.**

**"Look, I'm sorry," cried Hermione, "but neither of you is making sense, and we've got no proof for any of this, no proof Voldemort and Sirius are even there -"**

**"Hermione, Harry's seen them!" said Ron, rounding on her.**

**"OK," she said, looking frightened yet determined, "I've just got to say this -"**

**"What?"**

**"You... this isn't a criticism, Harry! But you do... sort of... I mean - don't you think you've got a bit of a - a - saving-people thing?" she said.**

**He glared at her.**

"You can't deny that." Ginny told him, "Now calm down."

Harry shot a look at her and stood up, changed into Shadow, and jumped back onto the bed, curling up at her side.

"Good idea." Sirius nodded at him, "It'll keep you calmer."

"What -?"

"Animals have less trouble with emotions, it's easier to deal with them." Sirius cut Dudley off, "Remember I explained it when I told those three about me breaking out of Azkaban? That I coped better as a dog?"

"Oh yeah." Dudley mused, "I'd forgotten about that."

**"And what's that supposed to mean, a "saving-people thing"?"**

**"Well... you..." she looked more apprehensive than ever. "I mean... last year, for instance... in the lake... during the Tournament... you shouldn't have ... I mean, you didn't need to save that little Delacour girl... you got a bit... carried away..."**

**A wave of hot, prickly anger swept through Harry's body; now could she remind him of that blunder now?**

"Not really a blunder when you got extra points." Fleur smiled at the wolf, who nodded hesitantly.

**"I mean, it was really great of you and everything," said Hermione quickly, looking positively petrified at the look on Harry's face, "everyone thought it was a wonderful thing to do -"**

**"That's funny," said Harry through gritted teeth, "because I definitely remember Ron saying I'd wasted time acting the hero... is that what you think this is? You reckon I want to act the hero again?"**

**"No, no, no!" said Hermione, looking aghast. "That's not what I mean at all!"**

**"Well, spit out what you've got to say, because we're wasting time here!" Harry shouted.**

**"I'm trying to say - Voldemort knows you, Harry! He took Ginny down into the Chamber of Secrets to lure you there, it's the kind of thing he does, he knows you're the - the sort of person who'd go to Sirius's aid! What if he's just trying to get you into the Department of Myst -?"**

**"Hermione, it doesn't matter if he's done it to get me there or not - they've taken McGonagall to St. Mungo's, there isn't anyone from the Order left at Hogwarts who we can tell, and if we don't go, Sirius is dead!"**

**"But Harry - what if your dream was - was just that, a dream?"**

**Harry let out a roar of frustration. Hermione actually stepped back from him, looking alarmed.**

"Because your eye's flashed." Hermione told Shadow, "Just for a second, but they still flashed."

"They did." Ron confirmed, "And we'd never seen you like that."

Shadow winced, _Sorry,_ he sent to them, making sure only they heard.

_Its fine,_ both replied, _You were worried, it's understandable,_ Ron added with a smile.

**"You don't get it!" Harry shouted at her, "I'm not having nightmares, I'm not just dreaming! What d'you think all the Occlumency was for, why d'you think Dumbledore wanted me prevented from seeing these things? Because they're REAL, Hermione - Sirius is trapped, I've seen him. Voldemort's got him, and no one else knows, and that means we're the only ones who can save him, and if you don't want to do it, fine, but I'm going, understand? And if I remember rightly, you didn't have a problem with my saving-people thing when it was you I was saving from the dementors, or" - he rounded on Ron – "when it was your sister I was saving from the Basilisk -"**

**"I never said I had a problem!' said Ron heatedly.**

**"But Harry, you've just said it," said Hermione fiercely, "Dumbledore wanted you to learn to shut these things out of your mind, if you'd done Occlumency properly you'd never have seen this -"**

"**IF YOU THINK I'M JUST GOING TO ACT LIKE I HAVEN'T SEEN -"**

**"Sirius told you there was nothing more important than you learning to close your mind!"**

**"WELL, I EXPECT HE'D SAY SOMETHING DIFFERENT IF HE KNEW WHAT I'D JUST -"**

**The classroom door opened. Harry, Ron and Hermione whipped around. Ginny walked in, looking curious, closely followed by Luna, who as usual looked as though she had drifted in accidentally.**

**"Hi," said Ginny uncertainly. "We recognised Harry's voice. What are you yelling about?"**

**"Never you mind," said Harry roughly.**

**Ginny raised her eyebrows.**

**"There's no need to take that tone with me," she said coolly, "I was only wondering whether I could help."**

**"Well, you can't," said Harry shortly.**

**"You're being rather rude, you know," said Luna serenely.**

**Harry swore and turned away. The very last thing he wanted now was a conversation with Luna Lovegood.**

_Please don't take offence to that Luna, it's just because you didn't know about Sirius back then,_ Shadow sent to his pack mate.

_Its fine, I know I was a bit odd at times, I never outgrew it really,_ she told him, _And we didn't really know each other that well yet._

Shadow nodded subtly so only Luna noticed, and the other Lycan's who'd heard what was said.

**"Wait," said Hermione suddenly. "Wait... Harry, they can help."**

**Harry and Ron looked at her.**

**"Listen," she said urgently, "Harry, we need to establish whether Sirius really has left Headquarters."**

**"I've told you, I saw -"**

**"Harry, I'm begging you, please!" said Hermione desperately. "Please let's just check that Sirius isn't at home before we go charging off to London. If we find out he's not there, then I swear I won't try to stop you. I'll come, I'll d-do whatever it takes to try and save him."**

**"Sirius is being tortured NOW!" shouted Harry. "We haven't got time to waste."**

**"But if this is a trick of Voldemort's, Harry, we've got to check, we've got to."**

**"How?" Harry demanded. "How're we going to check?"**

**"We'll have to use Umbridge's fire and see if we can contact him," said Hermione, who looked positively terrified at the thought. "We'll draw Umbridge away again, but we'll need lookouts, and that's where we can use Ginny and Luna."**

**Though clearly struggling to understand what was going on, Ginny said immediately, "Yeah, we'll do it," and Luna said, "When you say "Sirius", are you talking about Stubby Boardman?"**

"Did you actually believe that?" Sirius chuckled.

"No, I was hoping one of them had read the article and figured out the hidden meaning." Luna explained.

**Nobody answered her.**

**"OK," Harry said aggressively to Hermione, "OK, if you can think of a way of doing this quickly, I'm with you, otherwise I'm going to the Department of Mysteries right now."**

**"The Department of Mysteries?" said Luna, looking mildly surprised. "But how are you going to get there?"**

**Again, Harry ignored her.**

**"Right," said Hermione, twisting her hands together and pacing up and down between the desks. "Right... well... one of us has to go and find Umbridge and - and send her off in the wrong direction, keep her away from her office. They could tell her - I don't know - that Peeves is up to something awful as usual..."**

**"I'll do it," said Ron at once. "I'll tell her Peeves is smashing up the Transfiguration department or something, it's miles away from her office. Come to think of it, I could probably persuade Peeves to do it if I met him on the way."**

**It was a mark of the seriousness of the situation that Hermione made no objection to the smashing up of the Transfiguration department.**

**"OK," she said, her brow furrowed as she continued to pace. "Now, we need to keep students right away from her office while we force entry, or some Slytherin's bound to go and tip her off."**

**"Luna and I can stand at either end of the corridor," said Ginny promptly, "and warn people not to go down there because someone's let off a load of Garrotting Gas." Hermione looked surprised at the readiness with which Ginny had come up with this lie; Ginny shrugged and said, "Fred and George were planning to do it before they left."**

"Boys." Molly sighed.

"We were planning to put it in Umbridge's office, that's how we got caught." George explained.

"We were just about to chuck the bomb in her office when she came around the corner. We bolted downstairs and stopped in the entrance hall since there was a lot of people there." Fred added.

"You saw the rest." they both shrugged.

**"OK," said Hermione. "Well then, Harry, you and I will be under the Invisibility Cloak and we'll sneak into the office and you can talk to Sirius -"**

**"He's not there, Hermione!"**

**"I mean, you can - can check whether Sirius is at home or not while I keep watch, I don't think you should be in there alone, Lee's already proved the windows a weak spot, sending those Nifflers through it."**

**Even through his anger and impatience, Harry recognised Hermione's offer to accompany him into Umbridge's office as a sign of solidarity and loyalty.**

**"I... OK, thanks," he muttered.**

**"Right, well, even if we do all of that, I don't think we're going to be able to bank on more than five minutes," said Hermione, looking relieved that Harry seemed to have accepted the plan, "not with Filch and the wretched Inquisitorial Squad floating around."**

**"Five minutes'll be enough," said Harry "C'mon, let's go -"**

**"Now?" said Hermione, looking shocked.**

**"Of course now!" said Harry angrily. 'What did you think, we're going to wait until after dinner or something? Hermione, Sirius is being tortured right now!"**

**"I - oh, all right," she said desperately. "You go and get the Invisibility Cloak and we'll meet you at the end of Umbridge's corridor, OK?"**

**Harry didn't answer, but flung himself out of the room and began to fight his way through the milling crowds outside. Two floors up he met Seamus and Dean, who hailed him jovially and told him they were planning a dusk-till-dawn end-of-exams celebration in the common room. Harry barely heard them. He scrambled through the portrait hole while they were still arguing about how many black-market Butterbeers they would need and was climbing back out of it, the Invisibility Cloak and Sirius's knife secure in his bag, before they noticed he had left them.**

**"Harry, d'you want to chip in a couple of Galleons? Harold Dingle reckons he could sell us some Firewhisky -"**

**But Harry was already tearing away back along the corridor, and a couple of minutes later was jumping the last few stairs to join Ron, Hermione, Ginny and Luna, who were huddled together at the end of Umbridge's corridor.**

**"Got it," he panted. "Ready to go, then?"**

**"All right," whispered Hermione as a gang of loud sixth-years passed them. "So Ron - you go and head Umbridge off... Ginny, Luna, if you can start moving people out of the corridor... Harry and I will get the Cloak on and wait until the coast is clear..."**

**Ron strode away, his bright-red hair visible right to the end of the passage; meanwhile Ginny's equally vivid head bobbed between the jostling students surrounding them in the other direction, trailed by Luna's blonde one.**

**"Get over here," muttered Hermione, tugging at Harry's wrist and pulling him back into a recess where the ugly stone head of a medieval wizard stood muttering to itself on a column. "Are - are you sure you're OK, Harry? You're still very pale."**

**"I'm fine," he said shortly, tugging the Invisibility Cloak from out of his bag. In truth, his scar was aching, but not so badly that he thought Voldemort had yet dealt Sirius a fatal blow; it had hurt much worse than this when Voldemort had been punishing Avery...**

**"Here," he said; he threw the Invisibility Cloak over both of them and they stood listening carefully over the Latin mumblings of the bust in front of them.**

**"You can't come down here!" Ginny was calling to the crowd. "No, sorry, you're going to have to go round by the swivelling staircase, someone's let off Garrotting Gas just along here -"**

**They could hear people complaining; one surly voice said, "I can't see no gas."**

**"That's because it's colourless," said Ginny in a convincingly exasperated voice, "but if you want to walk through it, carry on, then we'll have your body as proof for the next idiot who doesn't believe us."**

**Slowly, the crowd thinned. The news about the Garrotting Gas seemed to have spread; people were not coming this way any more. When at last the surrounding area was quite clear, Hermione said quietly, "I think that's as good as we're going to get, Harry - come on, let's do it."**

**They moved forwards, covered by the Cloak. Luna was standing with her back to them at the far end of the corridor. As they passed Ginny, Hermione whispered, "Good one... don't forget the signal."**

**"What's the signal?" muttered Harry, as they approached Umbridge's door.**

**"A loud chorus of "Weasley is our King" if they see Umbridge coming," replied Hermione, as Harry inserted the blade of Sirius's knife in the crack between door and wall. The lock clicked open and they entered the office.**

**The garish kittens were basking in the late-afternoon sunshine that was warming their plates, but otherwise the office was as still and unoccupied as last time. Hermione breathed a sigh of relief.**

**"I thought she might have added extra security after the second Niffler."**

**They pulled off the Cloak; Hermione hurried over to the window and stood out of sight, peering down into the grounds with her wand out. Harry dashed over to the fireplace, seized the pot of Floo powder and threw a pinch into the grate, causing emerald flames to burst into life there. He knelt down quickly, thrust his head into the dancing fire and cried, "Number twelve, Grimmauld Place!"**

**His head began to spin as though he had just got off a fairground ride though his knees remained firmly planted on the cold office floor. He kept his eyes screwed up against the whirling ash and when the spinning stopped he opened them to find himself looking out at the long, cold kitchen of Grimmauld Place.**

**There was nobody there. He had expected this, yet was not prepared for the molten wave of dread and panic that seemed to burst through his stomach at the sight of the deserted room.**

**"Sirius?" he shouted. "Sirius, are you there?"**

"Told you I heard something." Sirius told Remus.

"I didn't say you didn't hear anything." he replied defensively.

**His voice echoed around the room, but there was no answer except a tiny scuffing sound to the right of the fire.**

**"Who's there?" he called, wondering whether it was just a mouse.**

**Kreacher the house-elf crept into view. He looked highly delighted about something, though he seemed to have recently sustained a nasty injury to both hands, which were heavily bandaged.**

"What happened to him?" Regulus frowned.

"He done it himself, he was like that when I found him the night before." Sirius shrugged.

**"It's the Potter boy's head in the fire," Kreacher informed the empty kitchen, stealing furtive, oddly triumphant glances at Harry. "What has he come for, Kreacher wonders?"**

**"Where's Sirius, Kreacher?" Harry demanded.**

**The house-elf gave a wheezy chuckle.**

**"Master has gone out, Harry Potter."**

**"Where's he gone? Where's he gone, Kreacher?"**

**Kreacher merely cackled.**

**"I'm warning you!" said Harry, fully aware that his scope for inflicting punishment upon Kreacher was almost non-existent in this position. "What about Lupin? Mad-Eye? Any of them, are any of them there?"**

**"Nobody here but Kreacher!' said the elf gleefully, and turning away from Harry he began to walk slowly towards the door at the end of the kitchen. "Kreacher thinks he will have a little chat with his mistress now, yes, he hasn't had a chance in a long time, Kreacher's master has been keeping him away from her -"**

**"Where has Sirius gone?" Harry yelled after the elf. "Kreacher, has he gone to the Department of Mysteries?"**

**Kreacher stopped in his tracks. Harry could just make out the back of his bald head through the forest of chair legs before him.**

**"Master does not tell poor Kreacher where he is going," said the elf quietly.**

**"But you know!" shouted Harry. "Don't you? You know where he is!"**

**There was a moment's silence, then the elf let out his loudest cackle yet.**

**"Master will not come back from the Department of Mysteries!" he said gleefully. "Kreacher and his mistress are alone again!"**

"Don't listen to him!" Sirius warned, "He's talking rubbish, he wasn't compelled to tell you the truth at that time!"

**And he scurried forwards and disappeared through the door to the hall.**

**"You -!"**

**But before he could utter a single curse or insult, Harry felt a great pain at the top of his head; he inhaled a lot of ash and, choking, found himself being dragged backwards through the flames, until with a horrible abruptness he was staring up into the wide, pallid face of Professor Umbridge who had dragged him backwards out of the fire by the hair and was now bending his neck back as far as it would go, as though she were going to slit his throat.**

"Damn it!" James cursed.

**"You think," she whispered, bending Harry's neck back even further, so that he was looking up at the ceiling, "that after two Nifflers I was going to let one more foul, scavenging little creature enter my office without my knowledge? I had Stealth Sensoring Spells placed all around my doorway after the last one got in, you foolish boy. Take his wand," she barked at someone he could not see, and he felt a hand grope inside the chest pocket of his robes and remove the wand. "Hers, too."**

**Harry heard a scuffle over by the door and knew that Hermione had also just had her wand wrested from her.**

**"I want to know why you are in my office," said Umbridge, shaking the fist clutching his hair so that he staggered.**

**"I was - trying to get my Firebolt!" Harry croaked.**

**"Liar." She shook his head again. "Your Firebolt is under strict guard in the dungeons, as you very well know, Potter. You had your head in my fire. With whom have you been communicating?"**

**"No one -" said Harry, trying to pull away from her. He felt several hairs part company with his scalp.**

They all growled angrily.

**"Liar!" shouted Umbridge. She threw him from her and he slammed into the desk. Now he could see Hermione pinioned against the wall by Millicent Bulstrode. Malfoy was leaning on the windowsill, smirking as he threw Harry's wand into the air one-handed and caught it again.**

Astoria smacked Draco upside the head at Ginny's request, Ginny nodded her thanks.

**There was a commotion outside and several large Slytherins entered, each gripping Ron, Ginny, Luna and - to Harry's bewilderment - Neville, who was trapped in a stranglehold by Crabbe and looked in imminent danger of suffocation. All four of them had been gagged.**

**"Got 'em all," said Warrington, shoving Ron roughly forwards into the room. "That one," he poked a thick finger at Neville, "tried to stop me taking her," he pointed at Ginny, who was trying to kick the shins of the large Slytherin girl holding her, "so I brought him along too."**

"Oh brilliant, that's you caught up in it too." Frank shook his head.

Neville shrugged, "I wasn't going to just stand there. I didn't fancy taking the two that had Luna."

"So you decided to go for the one who got me, if Crabbe hadn't grabbed you it would've worked then we'd be able to free Luna and Ron." Ginny sighed.

"But he grabbed me." Neville sighed, "Good plan trying to kick her shins though."

Ginny grinned, "I learned that trick when Bill grabbed me when I was younger."

"Yes, and you kicked me in the shins, causing me to let go immediately." Bill huffed.

"In all fairness I didn't know it was you until you cursed." Ginny told him, "And I was still a bit jumpy from the Chamber." she winced, "You should've known better." She added.

He nodded grudgingly, "I shouldn't have snuck up on you." He agreed.

**"Good, good," said Umbridge, watching Ginny's struggles. "Well, it looks as though Hogwarts will shortly be a Weasley-free zone, doesn't it?"**

**Malfoy laughed loudly and sycophantically. Umbridge gave her wide, complacent smile and settled herself into a chintz-covered armchair, blinking up at her captives like a toad in a flowerbed.**

**"So, Potter," she said. "You stationed lookouts around my office and you sent this buffoon," she nodded at Ron - Malfoy laughed even louder -**

Astoria slapped Draco again at Ron's request this time.

**"to tell me the poltergeist was wreaking havoc in the Transfiguration department when I knew perfectly well that he was busy smearing ink on the eyepieces of all the school telescopes - Mr. Filch having just informed me so. Clearly, it was very important for you to talk to somebody. Was it Albus Dumbledore? Or the half-breed, Hagrid? I doubt it was Minerva McGonagall, I hear she is still too ill to talk to anyone."**

**Malfoy and a few of the other members of the Inquisitorial Squad laughed some more at that. Harry found he was so full of rage and hatred he was shaking.**

**"It's none of your business who I talk to," he snarled.**

**Umbridge's slack face seemed to tighten.**

**"Very well," she said in her most dangerous and falsely sweet voice. "Very well, Mr. Potter... I offered you the chance to tell me freely. You refused. I have no alternative but to force you. Draco - fetch Professor Snape."**

**Malfoy slowed Harry's wand inside his robes and left the room smirking, but Harry hardly noticed. He had just realised something; he could not believe he had been so stupid as to forget it. He had thought that all the members of the Order, all those who could help him save Sirius, were gone - but he had been wrong. There was still a member of the Order of the Phoenix at Hogwarts - Snape.**

"It was unlikely you'd remember that since you hated me." Snape pointed out, he'd been in the portrait frame since the start of the memory but had decided to stay quiet.

Shadow nodded up at him grudgingly.

**There was silence in the office except for the fidgetings and scufflings resulting from the Slytherins' efforts to keep Ron and the others under control. Ron's lip was bleeding on to Umbridge's carpet as he struggled against Warrington's half-nelson; Ginny was still trying to stamp on the feel of the sixth-year girl who had both her upper arms in a tight grip; Neville was turning steadily more purple in the face while lugging at Crabbe's arms; and Hermione was attempting, in vain, to throw Millicent Bulstrode off her. Luna, however, stood limply by the side of her captor, gazing vaguely out of the window as though rather bored by the proceedings.**

**Harry looked back at Umbridge, who was watching him closely. He kept his face deliberately smooth and blank as footsteps were heard in the corridor outside and Draco Malfoy entered the room, closely followed by Snape.**

**"You wanted to see me, Headmistress?" said Snape, looking around at all the pairs of struggling students with an expression of complete indifference.**

**"Ah, Professor Snape," said Umbridge, smiling widely and standing up again. "Yes, I would like another bottle of Veritaserum, as quick as you can, please."**

**"You took my last bottle to interrogate Potter," he said, surveying her coolly through his greasy curtains of black hair. "Surely you did not use it all? I told you that three drops would be sufficient."**

**Umbridge flushed.**

"WHAT! How dare she try that again?!" Sirius growled, "She saw what it did to me when she and Fudge done it!"

"And she's never getting out of Azkaban when she's caught." Kingsley said grimly.

**"You can make some more, can't you?" she said, her voice becoming more sweetly girlish as it always did when she was furious.**

**"Certainly," said Snape, his lip curling. "It takes a full moon-cycle to mature, so I should have it ready for you in around a month."**

**"A month?" squawked Umbridge, swelling toadishly. "A month! But I need it this evening, Snape! I have just found Potter using my fire to communicate with a person or persons unknown!"**

**"Really?" said Snape, showing his first, faint sign of interest as he looked round at Harry. "Well, it doesn't surprise me. Potter has never shown much inclination to follow school rules."**

**His cold, dark eyes were boring into Harry's, who met his gaze unflinchingly, concentrating hard on what he had seen in his dream, willing Snape to read it in his mind, to understand...**

"I got the message." Snape nodded.

"Didn't bloody show it." Ron huffed.

"I couldn't exactly show it in front of that thing could I?" he asked defensively.

**"I wish to interrogate him!" repeated Umbridge angrily, and Snape looked away from Harry back into her furiously quivering lace. "I wish you to provide me with a potion that will force him to tell me the truth!"**

**"I have already told you," said Snape smoothly, "that I have no further stocks of Veritaserum. Unless you wish to poison Potter - and I assure you I would have the greatest sympathy with you if you did - I cannot help you. The only trouble is that most venoms act too fast to give the victim much lime for truth-telling."**

**Snape looked back at Harry, who stared at him, frantic to communicate without words.**

**Voldemort's got Sirius in the Department of Mysteries, he thought desperately. Voldemort's got Sirius -**

**"You are on probation!" shrieked Professor Umbridge, and Snape looked back at her, his eyebrows slightly raised. "You are being deliberately unhelpful! I expected better, Lucius Malfoy always speaks most highly of you! Now get out of my office!"**

**Snape gave her an ironic bow and turned to leave. Harry knew his last chance of letting the Order know what was going on was walking out of the door.**

**"He's got Padfoot!" he shouted. "He's got Padfoot at the place where it's hidden!"**

**Snape had stopped with his hand on Umbridge's door handle.**

**"Padfoot?" cried Professor Umbridge, looking eagerly from Harry to Snape. "What is Padfoot? Where what is hidden? What does he mean, Snape?"**

**Snape looked round at Harry. His face was inscrutable. Harry could not tell whether he had understood or not, but he did not dare speak more plainly in front of Umbridge.**

**"I have no idea," said Snape coldly. "Potter, when I want nonsense shouted at me I shall give you a Babbling Beverage. And Crabbe, loosen your hold a little. If Longbottom suffocates it will mean a lot of tedious paperwork and I am afraid I shall have to mention it on your reference if ever you apply for a job."**

"Good thing he listened to you." Neville told Snape, "I really couldn't breathe that much."

**He closed the door behind him with a snap, leaving Harry in a state of worse turmoil than before: Snape had been his very last hope. He looked at Umbridge, who seemed to be feeling the same way; her chest was heaving with rage and frustration.**

**"Very well," she said, and she pulled out her wand. "Very well... I am left with no alternative... this is more than a matter of school discipline... this is an issue of Ministry security... yes... yes..."**

**She seemed to be talking herself into something. She was shifting her weight nervously from foot to foot, staring at Harry, beating her wand against her empty palm and breathing heavily As he watched her, Harry felt horribly powerless without his own wand.**

**"You are forcing me, Potter... I do not want to," said Umbridge, still moving restlessly on the spot, "but sometimes circumstances justify the use... I am sure the Minister will understand that I had no choice..."**

**Malfoy was watching her with a hungry expression on his face.**

**"The Cruciatus Curse ought to loosen your tongue," said Umbridge quietly.**

"She wouldn't dare!" Lily growled.

**"No!" shrieked Hermione. "Professor Umbridge - it's illegal."**

**But Umbridge took no notice. There was a nasty eager, excited look on her face that Harry had never seen before. She raised her wand.**

**"The Minister wouldn't want you to break the law, Professor Umbridge!" cried Hermione.**

**"What Cornelius doesn't know won't hurt him," said Umbridge, who was now panting slightly as she pointed her wand at different parts of Harry's body in turn, apparently trying to decide where it would hurt most. "He never knew I ordered dementors to go after Potter last summer, but he was delighted to be given the chance to expel him, all the same."**

"It was her!?" James demanded.

"Yes." Hermione nodded, shooting a worried look at Shadow as he growled loudly.

**"It was you?" gasped Harry. "You sent the dementors after me?"**

**"Somebody had to act," breathed Umbridge, as her wand came to rest pointing directly at Harry's forehead. "They were all bleating about silencing you somehow - discrediting you - but I was the one who actually did something about it... only you wriggled out of that one, didn't you, Potter? Not today though, not now -" And taking a deep breath, she cried, "Cruc -"**

**"NO!" shouted Hermione in a cracked voice from behind Millicent Bulstrode. "No - Harry - we'll have to tell her!"**

**"No way!" yelled Harry, staring at the little of Hermione he could see.**

**"We'll have to, Harry, she'll force it out of you anyway, what's... what's the point?"**

**And Hermione began to cry weakly into the back of Millicent Bulstrode's robes. Millicent stopped trying to squash her against the wall immediately and dodged out of her way looking disgusted.**

**"Well, well, well!" said Umbridge, looking triumphant. "Little Miss Question-all is going to give us some answers! Come on then, girl, come on!"**

**"Er-my-nee - no!' shouted Ron through his gag.**

**Ginny was staring at Hermione as though she had never seen her before. Neville, still choking for breath, was gazing at her, too. But Harry had just noticed something. Though Hermione was sobbing desperately into her hands, there was no trace of a tear.**

**"I'm - I'm sorry everyone," said Hermione. "But - I can't stand it -"**

**"That's right, that's right, girl!" said Umbridge, seizing Hermione by the shoulders, thrusting her into the abandoned chintz chair and leaning over her. "Now then... with whom was Potter communicating just now?"**

**"Well," gulped Hermione into her hands, "well, he was trying to speak to Professor Dumbledore."**

"What?" they all asked confused as Hermione smirked.

**Ron froze, his eyes wide; Ginny stopped trying to stamp on her Slytherin captor's toes; and even Luna looked mildly surprised. Fortunately, the attention of Umbridge and her minions was focused too exclusively upon Hermione to notice these suspicious signs.**

**"Dumbledore?" said Umbridge eagerly. "You know where Dumbledore is, then?"**

**"Well... no!" sobbed Hermione. "We've tried the Leaky Cauldron in Diagon Alley and the Three Broomsticks and even the Hog's Head -"**

**"Idiot girl - Dumbledore won't be sitting in a pub when the whole Ministry's looking for him!" shouted Umbridge, disappointment etched in every sagging line of her face.**

"The amusing thing being I actually was in the Hog's Head, having a chat with Aberforth." Albus mused.

**"But - but we needed to tell him something important!" wailed Hermione, holding her hands more tightly over her face, not, Harry knew, out of anguish, but to disguise the continued absence of tears.**

**"Yes?" said Umbridge with a sudden resurgence of excitement. "What was it you wanted to tell him?"**

**"We... we wanted to tell him it's r-ready!" choked Hermione.**

**"What's ready?" demanded Umbridge, and now she grabbed Hermione's shoulders again and shook her slightly. "What's ready, girl?"**

**"The... the weapon," said Hermione.**

**"Weapon? Weapon?" said Umbridge, and her eyes seemed to pop with excitement. "You have been developing some method of resistance? A weapon you could use against the Ministry? On Professor Dumbledore's orders, of course?"**

**"Y-y-yes," gasped Hermione, "but he had to leave before it was finished and n-n-now we've finished it for him, and we c-c-can't find him t-t-to tell him!"**

**"What kind of weapon is it?" said Umbridge harshly, her stubby hands still tight on Hermione's shoulders.**

**"We don't r-r-really understand it," said Hermione, sniffing loudly. "We j-j-just did what P-P-Professor Dumbledore told us t-t-to do."**

**Umbridge straightened up, looking exultant.**

**"Lead me to the weapon," she said.**

**"I'm not showing... them," said Hermione shrilly, looking around at the Slytherins through her fingers.**

**"It is not for you to set conditions," said Professor Umbridge harshly.**

**"Fine," said Hermione, now sobbing into her hands again. "Fine... let them see it, I hope they use it on you! In fact, I wish you'd invite loads and loads of people to come and see! Th-that would serve you right - oh, I'd love it if the wh-whole school knew where it was, and how to u-use it, and then if you annoy any of them they'll, be able to s-sort you out!'**

"Brilliant, but what're you doing?" James asked.

"Doing what Hagrid asked us to." Hermione chuckled evilly, ignoring the confused looks she was getting.

**These words had a powerful impact on Umbridge: she glanced swiftly and suspiciously around at her Inquisitorial Squad, her bulging eyes resting for a moment on Malfoy, who was too slow to disguise the look of eagerness and greed that had appeared on his face.**

**Umbridge contemplated Hermione for another long moment, then spoke in what she clearly thought was a motherly voice.**

**"All right, dear, let's make it just you and me... and we'll take Potter, too, shall we? Get up, now."**

**"Professor," said Malfoy eagerly, "Professor Umbridge, I think some of the Squad should come with you to look after -"**

**"I am a fully qualified Ministry official, Malfoy, do you really think I cannot manage two wandless teenagers alone?" asked Umbridge sharply.**

"Um... She couldn't." Neville laughed, "She genuinely couldn't handle Harry and Hermione when they were practically defenseless."

"We were completely defenseless." Hermione pointed out, "She had her wand, we didn't have ours. And yet we still got away from her." She smirked.

**"In any case, it does not sound as though this weapon is something that schoolchildren should see. You will remain here until I return and make sure none of these -" she gestured around at Ron, Ginny, Neville and Luna "- escape."**

**"All right," said Malfoy, looking sulky and disappointed.**

"It worked then." Draco mused, "I wasn't all that keen to go near any weapon, I was just being a suck up."

**"And you two can go ahead of me and show me the way," said Umbridge, pointing at Harry and Hermione with her wand. "Lead on."**

"Gladly." Hermione smirked.

Shadow changed back, "I think you'll enjoy this next one." he grinned, getting up and changing the memory.

* * *

><p>Review please x<p> 


	97. Chapter 97

Chapter 97 - Fifth Year (Part 18)

"Now, watch what happened to the hag from hell." Harry smirked mischievously.

**Harry had no idea what Hermione was planning, or even whether she had a plan. He walked half a pace behind her as they headed down the corridor outside Umbridge's office, knowing it would look very suspicious if he appeared not to know where they were going. He did not dare attempt to talk to her; Umbridge was walking so closely behind them that he could hear her ragged breathing.**

**Hermione led the way down the stairs into the Entrance Hall. The din of loud voices and the clatter of cutlery on plates echoed from out of the double doors to the Great Hall - it seemed incredible to Harry that twenty feet away were people who were enjoying dinner, celebrating the end of exams, not a care in the world...**

**Hermione walked straight out of the oak front doors and down the stone steps into the balmy evening air. The sun was falling towards the tops of the trees in the Forbidden Forest now, and as Hermione marched purposefully across the grass - Umbridge jogging to keep up - their long dark shadows rippled over the grass behind them like cloaks.**

**"It's hidden in Hagrid's hut, is it?" said Umbridge eagerly in Harry's ear.**

**"Of course not," said Hermione scathingly. "Hagrid might have set it off accidentally."**

**"Yes," said Umbridge, whose excitement seemed to be mounting. "Yes, he would have done, of course, the great half-breed oaf."**

**She laughed. Harry felt a strong urge to swing round and seize her by the throat, but resisted. His scar was throbbing in the soft evening air but it had not yet burned white-hot, as he knew it would if Voldemort had moved in for the kill.**

**"Then... where is it?" asked Umbridge, with a hint or uncertainty in her voice as Hermione continued to stride towards the Forest.**

**"In there, of course," said Hermione, pointing into the dark trees. "It had to be somewhere that students weren't going to find it accidentally, didn't it?"**

**"Of course," said Umbridge, though she sounded a little apprehensive now. "Of course... very well, then... you two stay ahead of me."**

"Someone's scared of the forest!" James sang happily.

**"Can we have your wand, then, if we're going first?" Harry asked her.**

**"No, I don't think so, Mr. Potter," said Umbridge sweetly, poking him in the back with it. "The Ministry places a rather higher value on my life than yours, I'm afraid."**

"That's a lie." Kingsley mused, "At that time you weren't as high up on the 'to protect' list but right now and during your 6th year, Harry, your protection was right up the list. Even higher than the Minister at the time. Now you're actually on the same level as me." he chuckled.

"Oh goodie." Harry rolled his eyes, "Kind of explains why the Auror's are always around when I'm doing press conferences and such."

"The only reason they don't follow you everywhere is because they know you can handle things and I told them not to." he added, "Otherwise they'd follow you everywhere in public like they do with me." he made a face, "It's really annoying."

"It's annoying having to follow people." Dora pointed out, "Though it's probably good you know the Auror's personally."

"Yes, but it's still annoying." Kingsley stated, "No matter what, I can't go from my office to Percy's without them following."

"And my office is right next to yours." Percy chuckled, "I've told you before, tell them they're being stupid."

"Already done that, I'll be talking with Gawain about it later." he shrugged, turning back to the pensive.

**As they reached the cool shade of the first trees, Harry tried to catch Hermione's eye; walking into the Forest without wands seemed to him to be more foolhardy than anything they had done so far this evening. She, however, merely gave Umbridge a contemptuous glance and plunged straight into the trees, moving at such a pace that Umbridge, with her shorter legs, had difficulty in keeping up.**

**"Is it very far in?" Umbridge asked, as her robe ripped on a bramble.**

**"Oh yes," said Hermione, "yes, it's well hidden."**

**Harry's misgivings increased. Hermione was not taking the path they had followed to visit Grawp, but the one he followed three years ago to the lair of the monster Aragog. Hermione had not been with him on that occasion; he doubted she had any idea what danger lay at the end of it.**

"Oh... I didn't realize." Hermione said wide-eyed, "I was just trying to get rid of her."

"You didn't know." Harry pointed out, "And I couldn't tell you straight out with her there." he shrugged.

**"Er - are you sure this is the right way?" he asked her pointedly.**

**"Oh yes," she said in a steely voice, crashing through the undergrowth with what he thought was a wholly unnecessary amount of noise. Behind them, Umbridge tripped over a fallen sapling. Neither of them paused to help her up again; Hermione merely strode on, calling loudly over her shoulder, "It's a bit further in!"**

**"Hermione, keep your voice down," Harry muttered, hurrying to catch up with her. "Anything could be listening in here -"**

**"I want us heard," she answered quietly, as Umbridge jogged noisily after them. "You'll see..."**

**They walked on for what seemed a long time, until they were once again so deep into the Forest that the dense tree canopy blocked out all light. Harry had the feeling he had had before in the Forest, one of being watched by unseen eyes.**

**"How much further?" demanded Umbridge angrily from behind him.**

**"Not far now!" shouted Hermione, as they emerged into a dim, dank clearing. "Just a little bit -"**

**An arrow flew through the air and landed with a menacing thud in the tree just over her head. The air was suddenly full of the sound of hooves; Harry could feel the Forest floor trembling; Umbridge gave a little scream and pushed him in front of her like a shield -**

**He wrenched himself free of her and turned. Around fifty centaurs were emerging on every side, their bows raised and loaded, pointing at Harry, Hermione and Umbridge. They backed slowly into the centre of the clearing, Umbridge uttering odd little whimpers of terror. Harry looked sideways at Hermione. She was wearing a triumphant smile.**

"You're handing her to the Centaurs?" Sirius laughed.

"Of course." Hermione smirked.

"This is why we got the 'causing deliberate, permanent, mental damage to a Ministry official' mark on our criminal records." Harry added, "Though I saw we should protest that Hermione, after all, Umbridge was already mentally damaged before we handed her over."

Hermione laughed, "But it's such a lovely addition to the records." She grinned.

"True at that." He smirked as the others laughed a little.

**"Who are you?" said a voice.**

**Harry looked left. The chestnut-bodied centaur called Magorian was walking towards them out of the circle: his bow, like those of the others, was raised. On Harry's right, Umbridge was still whimpering, her wand trembling violently as she pointed it at the advancing centaur.**

**"I asked you who are you, human," said Magorian roughly.**

**"I am Dolores Umbridge!" said Umbridge in a high-pitched, terrified voice. "Senior Undersecretary to the Minister for Magic and Headmistress and High Inquisitor of Hogwarts!"**

**"You are from the Ministry of Magic?" said Magorian, as many of the centaurs in the surrounding circle shifted restlessly.**

"Oooh, bad idea." James grinned, "They're not going to like that."

**"That's right!" said Umbridge, in an even higher voice, "so be very careful! By the laws laid down by the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, any attack by half-breeds such as yourselves on a human -"**

"She didn't!" Dora exclaimed, "She didn't just call them half-breeds!"

"Oh yes she did." Minerva laughed evilly, "And it was the worst thing she could ever do!"

**"What did you call us?" shouted a wild-looking black centaur, whom Harry recognised as Bane. There was a great deal of angry muttering and tightening of bowstrings around them.**

**"Don't call them that!" Hermione said furiously, but Umbridge did not appear to have heard her. Still pointing her shaking wand at Magorian, she continued, "Law Fifteen "B" states clearly that 'any attack by a magical creature who is deemed to have near-human intelligence, and therefore considered responsible for its actions' -"**

**"'Near-human intelligence'?" repeated Magorian, as Bane and several others roared with rage and pawed the ground. "We consider that a great insult, human! Our intelligence, thankfully, far outstrips your own."**

**"What are you doing in our Forest?" bellowed the hard-faced grey centaur Harry and Hermione had seen on their last trip into the Forest. "Why are you here?"**

**"Your Forest?" said Umbridge, shaking now not only with fright but also, it seemed, with indignation. "I would remind you that you live here only because the Ministry of Magic permits you certain areas of land -"**

**An arrow flew so close to her head that it caught at her mousy hair in passing: she let out an ear-splitting scream and threw her hands over her head, while some of the centaurs bellowed their approval and others laughed raucously. The sound of their wild, neighing laughter echoing around the dimly lit clearing and the sight of their pawing hooves was extremely unnerving.**

**"Whose Forest is it now, human?" bellowed Bane.**

**"Filthy half-breeds!" she screamed, her hands still tight over her head. "Beasts! Uncontrolled animals!"**

"Ooooh, she's going dooooown." Sirius yelled.

**"Be quiet!" shouted Hermione, but it was too late: Umbridge pointed her wand at Magorian and screamed, "Incarcerous!"**

**Ropes flew out of midair like thick snakes, wrapping themselves tightly around the centaur's torso and trapping his arms: he gave a cry of rage and reared on to his hind legs, attempting to free himself, while the other centaurs charged.**

**Harry grabbed Hermione and pulled her to the ground; face down on the Forest floor, he knew a moment of terror as hooves thundered around him, but the centaurs leapt over and around them, bellowing and screaming with rage.**

**"Nooooo!" he heard Umbridge shriek. "Noooooo... I am Senior Undersecretary... you cannot - Unhand me, you animals... nooooo!'**

**Harry saw a flash of red light and knew she had attempted to Stun one of them; then she screamed very loudly. Lifting his head a few inches, Harry saw that Umbridge had been seized from behind by Bane and lifted high into the air, wriggling and yelling with fright. Her wand fell from her hand to the ground, and Harry's heart leapt. If he could just reach it -**

**But as he stretched out a hand towards it, a centaur's hoof descended upon the wand and it broke cleanly in half.**

**"Now!" roared a voice in Harry's ear and a thick hairy arm descended from thin air and dragged him upright. Hermione, too, had been pulled to her feet. Over the plunging, many-coloured backs and heads of the centaurs, Harry saw Umbridge being borne away through the trees by Bane. Screaming non-stop, her voice grew fainter and fainter until they could no longer hear it over the trampling of hooves surrounding them.**

"Shame she got out of that alive really." Ron mused.

"Ron!" Molly said in surprise.

"What, she deserved everything she got." He stated.

"Yeah Mum, she literally tortured the students. She was an evil hag." Fred added, jumping to assist his brother, "It might not be nice, but she did deserve it."

"If you still want to argue that point, just look at Harry's hand!" George exclaimed as she opened her mouth to protest the words, "He's still got the scars even all these years later!"

Molly winced and nodded grudgingly, "It's still not a nice thing to say, but I suppose you have a point." She sighed.

**"And these?" said the hard-faced, grey centaur holding Hermione.**

**"They are young," said a slow, doleful voice from behind Harry. "We do not attack foals."**

**"They brought her here, Ronan," replied the centaur who had such a firm grip on Harry. "And they are not so young... he is nearing manhood, this one."**

**He shook Harry by the neck of his robes.**

"Sure, pick on me." Harry huffed.

**"Please," said Hermione breathlessly, "please, don't attack us, we don't think like her, we aren't Ministry of Magic employees! We only came in here because we hoped you'd drive her off for us."**

**Harry knew at once, from the look on the face of the grey centaur holding Hermione, that she had made a terrible mistake in saying this. The grey centaur threw back his head, his back legs stamping furiously, and bellowed, "You see, Ronan? They already have the arrogance of their kind! So we were to do your dirty work, were we, human girl? We were to act as your servants, drive away your enemies like obedient hounds?"**

**"No!" said Hermione in a horrorstruck squeak. "Please - I didn't mean that! I just hoped you'd be able to - to help us -"**

"Perhaps you should've let Harry handle that." Ron commented.

"He wasn't exactly trying to help was he?" she retorted, sending a glare towards her best friend.

"Sorry." he cringed, "I didn't really know how to handle it and when I did speak up they didn't listen anyway."

**But she seemed to be going from bad to worse.**

**"We do not help humans!" snarled the centaur holding Harry, tightening his grip and rearing a little at the same time, so that Harry's feet left the ground momentarily. "We are a race apart and proud to be so. We will not permit you to walk from here, boasting that we did your bidding!"**

**"We're not going to say anything like that!" Harry shouted. "We know you didn't do what you did because we wanted you to -"**

**But nobody seemed to be listening to him.**

**A bearded centaur towards the back of the crowd shouted, "They came here unasked, they must pay the consequences!"**

**A roar of approval met these words and a dun-coloured centaur shouted, "They can join the woman!"**

**"You said you didn't hurt the innocent!" shouted Hermione, real tears sliding down her face now. "We haven't done anything to hurt you, we haven't used wands or threats, we just want to go back to school, please let us go back -"**

**"We are not all like the traitor Firenze, human girl!" shouted the grey centaur, to more neighing roars of approval from his fellows. "Perhaps you thought us pretty talking horses? We are an ancient people who will not stand wizard invasions and insults! We do not recognise your laws, we do not acknowledge your superiority, we are -"**

**But they did not hear what else centaurs were, for at that moment there came a crashing noise on the edge of the clearing so loud that all of them, Harry, Hermione and the fifty or so centaurs filling the clearing, looked around. Harry's centaur let him fall to the ground again as his hands flew to his bow and quiver of arrows. Hermione had been dropped, too, and Harry hurried towards her as two thick tree trunks parted ominously and the monstrous form of Grawp the giant appeared in the gap.**

"Grawp to the rescue!" Ginny cheered.

**The centaurs nearest him backed into those behind; the clearing was now a forest of bows and arrows waiting to be fired, all pointing upwards at the enormous greyish face now looming over them from just beneath the thick canopy of branches. Grawp's lopsided mouth was gaping stupidly; they could see his bricklike yellow teeth glimmering in the half-light, his dull sludge-coloured eyes narrowed as he squinted down at the creatures at his feet. Broken ropes trailed from both ankles.**

**He opened his mouth even wider.**

**"Hagger."**

"Hagger?" Frank asked curiously.

"It's how he says Hagrid." Ron told him with a chuckle, "He still calls Hermione Hermy too."

**Harry did not know what 'Hagger' meant, or what language it was from, nor did he much care; he was watching Grawp's feet, which were almost as long as Harry's whole body. Hermione gripped his arm tightly; the centaurs were quite silent, staring up at the giant, whose huge, round head moved from side to side as he continued to peer amongst them as though looking for something he had dropped.**

**"Hagger!" he said again, more insistently.**

**"Get away from here, giant!" called Magorian. "You are not welcome among us!"**

**These words seemed to make no impression whatsoever on Grawp. He stooped a little (the centaurs' arms tensed on their bows), then bellowed, "HAGGER!"**

**A few of the centaurs looked worried now. Hermione, however, gave a gasp.**

**"Harry!" she whispered. "I think he's trying to say 'Hagrid'!"**

**At this precise moment Grawp caught sight of them, the only two humans in a sea of centaurs. He lowered his head another foot or so, staring intently at them. Harry could feel Hermione shaking as Grawp opened his mouth wide again and said, in a deep, rumbling voice, "Hermy."**

**"Goodness," said Hermione, gripping Harry's arm so tightly it was growing numb and looking as though she was about to faint, "he - he remembered!"**

**"HERMY!" roared Grawp. "WHERE HAGGER?"**

**"I don't know!" squealed Hermione, terrified. "I'm sorry, Grawp, I don't know!"**

**"GRAWP WANT HAGGER!"**

"So he actually understands?" Petunia asked shocked.

"Yeah, he can talk a lot more now, he has the same accent as Hagrid but he doesn't know all the words. He'll ask if he wants to know what a word is, but it's more like talking to a toddler who's still learning to talk." Minerva smiled fondly.

"A bit like Teddy." Harry commented, "We can understand him even when he gets a word wrong. It's the same case with Grawp."

**One of the giants massive hands reached down. Hermione let out a real scream, ran a few steps backwards and fell over. Devoid of a wand, Harry braced himself to punch, kick, bite or whatever else it took as the hand swooped towards him and knocked a snow-white centaur off his legs.**

**It was what the centaurs had been waiting for - Grawp's outstretched fingers were a foot from Harry when fifty arrows soared through the air at the giant, peppering his enormous face, causing him to howl with pain and rage and straighten up, rubbing his face with his enormous hands, breaking off the arrow shafts but forcing the arrowheads in still deeper.**

**He yelled and stamped his enormous feet and the centaur; scattered out of the way; pebble-sized droplets of Grawp's blood showered Harry as he pulled Hermione to her feet and the pair of them ran as fast as they could for the shelter of the trees. Once there they looked back; Grawp was snatching blindly at the centaurs as blood ran down his face; they were retreating in disorder, galloping away through the trees on the other side of the clearing. Harry and Hermione watched Grawp give another roar of fury and plunge after them, smashing more trees aside as he went.**

**"Oh no," said Hermione, quaking so badly that her knees gave way. "Oh, that was horrible. And he might kill them all."**

**"I'm not that fussed, to be honest," said Harry bitterly.**

"Harry!" Lily said shocked.

"What?" he asked defensively, "They were going to kill us."

**The sounds of the galloping centaurs and the blundering giant grew fainter and fainter. As Harry listened to them, his scar gave another great throb and a wave of terror swept over him.**

**They had wasted so much time - they were even further from rescuing Sirius than they had been when he had had the vision. Not only had Harry managed to lose his wand but they were stuck in the middle of the Forbidden Forest with no means of transport whatsoever.**

**"Smart plan," he spat at Hermione, having to release some of his fury. "Really smart plan. Where do we go from here?"**

**"We need to get back up to the castle," said Hermione faintly.**

**"By the time we've done that, Sirius'll probably be dead!" said Harry, kicking a nearby tree in temper. A high-pitched chattering started up overhead and he looked up to see an angry Bowtruckle flexing its long twiglike fingers at him.**

**"Well, we can't do anything without wands," said Hermione hopelessly, dragging herself up again. "Anyway, Harry, how exactly were you planning to get all the way to London?"**

**"Yeah, we were just wondering that." said a familiar voice from behind her.**

**Harry and Hermione moved together instinctively and peered through the trees.**

**Ron came into sight, closely followed by Ginny, Neville and Luna. All of them looked a little the worse for wear - there were several long scratches running the length of Ginny's cheek; a large purple lump was swelling above Neville's right eye; Ron's lip was bleeding worse than ever - but all were looking rather pleased with themselves.**

"How in Merlin's name did you find them?" Sirius asked incredulously.

"I knew about Grawp and we followed the roars when I heard him say Hermy." Ron explained, "We'd seen them going into the forest so we went from there."

"And how'd you get away?" James inquired.

"Ron explains it to Harry and Hermione." Neville grinned.

**"So," said Ron, pushing aside a low-hanging branch and holding out Harry's wand, "had any ideas?"**

**"How did you get away?" asked Harry in amazement, taking his wand from Ron.**

**"Couple of Stunners, a Disarming Charm, Neville brought off a really nice little Impediment Jinx," said Ron airily, now handing back Hermione's wand, too. "But Ginny was best, she got Malfoy - Bat Bogey Hex - it was superb, his whole face was covered in the great flapping things. Anyway, we saw you out of the window heading into the Forest and followed. What've you done with Umbridge?"**

"Remind me never to tick you off again." Draco told Ginny, "It took me ages to get that ruddy hex off."

Ginny smirked, "Good, you deserved it."

**"She got carried away," said Harry. "By a herd of centaurs."**

**"And they left you behind?" asked Ginny, looking astonished.**

**"No, they got chased off by Grawp," said Harry.**

**"Who's Grawp?" Luna asked interestedly.**

**"Hagrid's little brother," said Ron promptly. "Anyway, never mind that now. Harry, what did you find out in the fire? Has You-Know-Who got Sirius or -?"**

**"Yes," said Harry, as his scar gave another painful prickle, "and I'm sure Sirius is still alive, but I can't see how we're going to get there to help him."**

**They all fell silent, looking rather scared; the problem facing them seemed insurmountable.**

**"Well, we'll have to fly, won't we?" said Luna, in the closest thing to a matter-of-fact voice Harry had ever heard her use.**

**"OK," said Harry irritably, rounding on her. "First of all, "we" aren't doing anything if you're including yourself in that, and second of all, Ron's the only one with a broomstick that isn't being guarded by a security troll, so -"**

**"I've got a broom!" said Ginny.**

**"Yeah, but you're not coming," said Ron angrily.**

**"Excuse me, but I care what happens to Sirius as much as you do!" said Ginny, her jaw set so that her resemblance to Fred and George was suddenly striking.**

**"You're too -" Harry began, but Ginny said fiercely, "I'm three years older than you were when you fought You-Know-Who over the Philosophers Stone, and it's because of me that Malfoy's stuck back in Umbridge's office with giant flying bogies attacking him -"**

"You had to mention it twice didn't you?" Draco groaned.

"Of course. We beat 6 Slytherin's with their own wands until we got ours, and I was very happy about hexing you with that particular hex." Ginny grinned.

**"Yeah, but -"**

**"We were all in the DA together," said Neville quietly. "It was all supposed to be about fighting You-Know-Who, wasn't it? And this is the first chance we've had to do something real - or was that all just a game or something?"**

**"No - of course it wasn't -" said Harry impatiently.**

**"Then we should come too," said Neville simply. "We want to help."**

**"That's right," said Luna, smiling happily.**

"Why is it, we could win against people twice our age and we couldn't against people younger than us?" Ron asked.

"Younger than you, you mean. Neville's older than me, only Luna and Ginny are younger." Harry pointed out, "And most people twice our age decide its useless fighting with us since we were 'kids'."

"That and we're stubborn." Neville grinned, "You weren't leaving us behind after that and it's a bloody good thing we did go."

"Very." Harry agreed.

**Harry's eyes met Ron's. He knew Ron was thinking exactly what he was: if he could have chosen any members of the DA, in addition to himself, Ron and Hermione, to join him in the attempt to rescue Sirius, he would not have picked Ginny, Neville or Luna.**

"And why would that be?" Ginny asked Harry.

"Because you'd never really had experience by then." he replied, "And..."

"... It was going to be so dangerous there was a chance of us getting killed then if we were killed you'd blame yourself." Luna finished for him, "You don't think we knew that?"

"I was going to say you were too young." Harry huffed.

"Say's the guy who faced Voldemort and Quirrell at 11, killed a basilisk at 12, fought over 100 Dementors at 13 and faced Voldemort in the flesh at 14." Neville snorted, "And the age thing wouldn't work on me if you'd said it Harry, you said it a minute ago, technically I'm older, even if it is just a day."

"A few hours actually." Alice commented, "You were born just before midnight, Harry was born at around 6am. Right Lily?"

Lily nodded, "We were in the same ward. Ironically right here at the castle, it was a classroom that got changed into a ward with a screen breaking it into two since we knew about the Prophecy by then, St Mungo's was far too risky."

"We were born here?" Harry asked, "Cool." he grinned, "Anyway, I wouldn't have said about the age thing Neville, but I'd bet Ron would."

Ron nodded, "Definitely."

**"Well, it doesn't matter, anyway," said Harry through gritted teeth, "because we still don't know how to get there -"**

**"I thought we'd settled that," said Luna maddeningly. "We're flying!"**

"But how?" Remus asked.

Luna raised an eyebrow, "You should know how we got there."

"Oh!" Dora exclaimed, "Thestrals!"

**"Look," said Ron, barely containing his anger, "you might be able to fly without a broomstick but the rest of us can't sprout wings whenever we -"**

**"There are ways of flying other than with broomsticks," said Luna serenely.**

**"I s'pose we're going to ride on the back of the Kacky Snorgle or whatever it is?" Ron demanded.**

**"The Crumple-Horned Snorkack can't fly," said Luna in a dignified voice, "but they can, and Hagrid says they're very good at finding places their riders are looking for."**

**Harry whirled round. Standing between two trees, their white eyes gleaming eerily, were two Thestrals, watching the whispered conversation as though they understood every word.**

**"Yes!" he whispered, moving towards them. They tossed their reptilian heads, throwing back long black manes, and Harry stretched out his hand eagerly and patted the nearest one's shining neck; how could he ever have thought them ugly?**

**"Is it those mad horse things?" said Ron uncertainly, staring at a point slightly to the left of the Thestral Harry was patting. "Those ones you can't see unless you've watched someone snuff it?"**

**"Yeah," said Harry.**

**"How many?"**

**"Just two."**

**"Well, we need three," said Hermione, who was still looking a little shaken, but determined just the same.**

**"Four, Hermione," said Ginny, scowling.**

**"I think there are six of us, actually," said Luna calmly, counting.**

**"Don't be stupid, we can't all go!" said Harry angrily. "Look, you three -" he pointed at Neville, Ginny and Luna, "you're not involved in this, you're not -"**

**They burst into more protests. His scar gave another, more painful, twinge. Every moment they delayed was precious; he did not have time to argue.**

**"OK, fine, it's your choice," he said curtly, "but unless we can find more Thestrals you're not going to be able -"**

**"Oh, more of them will come," said Ginny confidently, who like Ron was squinting in quite the wrong direction, apparently under the impression that she was looking at the horses.**

"Whoops." Ginny chuckled.

**"What makes you think that?"**

**"Because, in case you hadn't noticed, you and Hermione are both covered in blood," she said coolly, "and we know Hagrid lures Thestrals with raw meat. That's probably why these two turned up in the first place."**

**Harry felt a soft tug on his robes at that moment and looked down to see the closest Thestral licking his sleeve, which was damp with Grawp's blood.**

**"OK, then," he said, a bright idea occurring, 'Ron and I will take these two and go ahead, and Hermione can stay here with you three and she'll attract more Thestrals -"**

**"I'm not staying behind!" said Hermione furiously.**

**"There's no need," said Luna, smiling. "Look, here come more now... you two must really smell..."**

**Harry turned: no fewer than six or seven Thestrals were picking their way through the trees, their great leathery wings folded tight to their bodies, their eyes gleaming through the darkness. He had no excuse now.**

**"All right," he said angrily, "pick one and get on, then."**

"What! Ron how could you let your sister go!" Molly demanded.

"Hey, I didn't say she could, Harry did." Ron protested, "And you try arguing with those three, we couldn't exactly say no."

"Yup, you tried that and it didn't work." Ginny grinned, "Don't yell at him Mum, I made my own choice, so did Neville and Luna." the other two members of the Silver Trio nodded, "And it was better us going than letting those three get themselves killed."

"She has a point Molly, I have a feeling that's what would've happened if they hadn't gone with them." Dora said hesitantly, "Believe me, the Order arrived just as they were about to give up."

"That's true." Harry nodded, "I was about to hand over the Prophecy until they showed up. Now let's move on."

* * *

><p>Review please x<p> 


	98. Chapter 98

Chapter 98 - Fifth Year (Part 18.5)

"Where we left off." Harry told them, growing tense again.

**Harry wound his hand tightly into the mane of the nearest Thestral, placed a foot on a stump nearby and scrambled clumsily on to the horse's silken back. It did not object, but twisted its head around, fangs bared, and attempted to continue its eager licking of his robes.**

**He found there was a way of lodging his knees behind the wing joints that made him feel more secure, then looked around at the others. Neville had heaved himself over the back of the next Thestral and was now attempting to swing one short leg over the creature's back. Luna was already in place, sitting side-saddle and adjusting her robes as though she did this every day. Ron, Hermione and Ginny, however, were still standing motionless on the spot, open-mouthed and staring.**

**"What?" he said.**

**"How're we supposed to get on?" said Ron faintly. "When we can't see the things?"**

"Good point." the twins commented.

"I hope you don't mind me asking but when did you start being able to see them?" Frank asked.

"I was 17 before I could see them." Hermione shrugged. "Ron?"

"16." he admitted, "Ginny?"

"15. I started being able to see them the same night you did Ron." she reminded her brother.

"So everyone here can see them?" Amber asked.

They all nodded sadly, "All of us except the kids." Harry sighed.

"A lot more students will be able to see them too." Minerva winced, "I predict it'll be a difficult year, I know a lot of students suffered greatly last year. I'm going to make sure they know they can always talk to the staff if they want or need to though. I'll be doing everything in my power to keep this year as calm as possible."

**"Oh, it's easy," said Luna, sliding obligingly from her Thestral and marching over to him, Hermione and Ginny. "Come here..."**

**She pulled them over to the other Thestrals standing around and one by one managed to help them on to the back of their mount. All three looked extremely nervous as she wound their hands into their horses mane and told them to grip tightly before she got back on to her own steed.**

**"This is mad," Ron murmured, moving his free hand gingerly up and down his horse's neck. "Mad... if I could just see it -"**

**"You'd better hope it stays invisible," said Harry darkly. "We all ready, then?"**

**They all nodded and he saw five pairs of knees tighten beneath their robes.**

**"OK..."**

**He looked down at the back of his Thestral's glossy black head and swallowed.**

**"Ministry of Magic, visitors entrance, London, then," he said uncertainly. "Er... if you know... where to go..."**

**For a moment Harry's Thestral did nothing at all; then, with a sweeping movement that nearly unseated him, the wings on either side extended; the horse crouched slowly, then rocketed upwards so fast and so steeply that Harry had to clench his arms and legs tightly around the horse to avoid sliding backwards over its bony rump. He closed his eyes and pressed his face down into the horses silky mane as they burst through the topmost branches of the trees and soared out into a blood-red sunset.**

**Harry did not think he had ever moved so fast: the Thestral streaked over the castle, its wide wings hardly beating; the cooling air was slapping Harry's face; eyes screwed up against the rushing wind, he looked round and saw his five fellows soaring along behind him, each of them bent as low as possible into the neck of their Thestral to protect themselves from his slipstream.**

**They were over the Hogwarts grounds, they had passed Hogsmeade; Harry could see mountains and gullies below them. As the daylight began to fail, Harry saw small collections of lights as they passed over more villages, then a winding road on which a single car was beetling its way home through the hills...**

**"This is bizarre!" Harry barely heard Ron yell from somewhere behind him, and he imagined how it must feel to be speeding along at this height with no visible means of support.**

"It was creepy." Hermione nodded.

"Very creepy." Ginny and Ron agreed.

**Twilight fell: the sky was turning to a light, dusky purple littered with tiny silver stars, and soon only the lights of Muggle towns gave them any clue of how far from the ground they were, or how very fast they were travelling. Harry's arms were wrapped tightly around his horse's neck as he willed it to go even faster. How much time had elapsed since he had seen Sirius lying on the Department of Mysteries floor? How much longer would Sirius be able to resist Voldemort? All Harry knew for sure was that his godfather had neither done as Voldemort wanted, nor died, for he was convinced that either outcome would have caused him to feel Voldemort's jubilation or fury course through his own body, making his scar sear as painfully as it had on the night Mr. Weasley was attacked.**

**On they flew through the gathering darkness; Harry's face felt stiff and cold, his legs numb from gripping the Thestral's sides so tightly, but he did not dare shift his position lest he slip... he was deaf from the thundering rush of air in his ears, and his mouth was dry and frozen from the cold night wind. He had lost all sense of how far they had come; all his faith was in the beast beneath him, still streaking purposefully through the night, barely flapping its wings as it sped ever onwards.**

**If they were too late...**

**He's still alive, he's still fighting, I can feel it...**

**If Voldemort decided Sirius was not going to crack...**

**I'd kno...**

**Harry's stomach gave a jolt; the Thestral's head was suddenly pointing towards the ground and he actually slid forwards a few inches along its neck. They were descending at last... he thought he heard a shriek behind him and twisted around dangerously, but could see no sign of a falling body... presumably they had all received a shock from the change of direction, just as he had.**

"Of course we did. Especially those of us who couldn't see them." Ginny huffed.

**And now bright orange lights were growing larger and rounder on all sides; they could see the tops of buildings, streams of headlights like luminous insect eyes, squares of pale yellow that were windows. Quite suddenly, it seemed, they were hurtling towards the pavement; Harry gripped the Thestral with every last ounce of his strength, braced for a sudden impact, but the horse touched the dark ground as lightly as a shadow and Harry slid from its back, looking around at the street where the overflowing skip still stood a short way from the vandalised telephone box, both drained of colour in the flat orange glare of the streetlights.**

**Ron landed a short way off and toppled immediately from his Thestral on to the pavement.**

**"Never again," he said, struggling to his feet. He made as though to stride away from his Thestral, but, unable to see it, collided with its hindquarters and almost fell over again. "Never, ever again... that was the worst -"**

**Hermione and Ginny touched down on either side of him: both slid off their mounts a little more gracefully than Ron, though with similar expressions of relief at being back on firm ground; Neville jumped down, shaking; and Luna dismounted smoothly.**

**"Where do we go from here, then?" she asked Harry in a politely interested voice, as though this was all a rather interesting day-trip.**

**"Over here," he said. He gave his Thestral a quick, grateful pat, then led the way quickly to the battered telephone box and opened the door. "Come on!" he urged the others, as they hesitated.**

**Ron and Ginny marched in obediently; Hermione, Neville and Luna squashed themselves in after them; Harry took one glance back at the Thestrals, now foraging for scraps of rotten food inside the skip, then forced himself into the box after Luna.**

**"Whoever's nearest the receiver, dial six two four four two!" he said.**

**Ron did it, his arm bent bizarrely to reach the dial; as it whirred back into place the cool female voice sounded inside the box.**

**"Welcome to the Ministry of Magic. Please state your name and business."**

**"Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger," Harry said very quickly, 'Ginny Weasley, Neville Longbottom, Luna Lovegood... we're here to save someone, unless your Ministry can do it first!"**

"Unlikely considering the Ministry was useless before Kingsley took over." Percy snorted.

**"Thank you," said the cool female voice. "Visitors, please take the badges and attach them to the front of your robes."**

**Half a dozen badges slid out of the metal chute where returned coins normally appeared. Hermione scooped them up and handed them mutely to Harry over Ginny's head; he glanced at the topmost one, Harry Potter, Rescue Mission.**

"I'd bet that was the first time that a badge came out with 'rescue mission' on it." Kingsley mused.

**"Visitors to the Ministry, you are required to submit to a search and present your wands for registration at the security desk, which is located at the far end of the Atrium."**

**"Fine!" Harry said loudly, as his scar gave another throb. "Now can we move?"**

"You do know you managed to annoy the lift right?" Dora chuckled.

"How do you annoy a lift?" Lily asked bemusedly.

"The same way you get a car angry at you." Harry smirked.

"Good point." she conceded.

**The floor of the telephone box shuddered and the pavement rose up past its glass windows; the scavenging Thestrals were sliding out of sight; blackness closed over their heads and with a dull grinding noise they sank down into the depths of the Ministry of Magic.**

**A chink of soft golden light hit their feet and, widening, rose up their bodies. Harry bent his knees and held his wand as ready as he could in such cramped conditions as he peered through the glass to see whether anybody was waiting for them in the Atrium, but it seemed, to be completely empty. The light was dimmer than it had been by day; there were no fires burning under the mantelpieces set into the walls, but as the lift slid smoothly to a halt he saw that golden symbols continued to twist sinuously in the dark blue ceiling.**

**"The Ministry of Magic wishes you a pleasant evening," said the woman's voice.**

**The door of the telephone box burst open; Harry toppled out of it, closely followed by Neville and Luna. The only sound in the Atrium was the steady rush of water from the golden fountain, where jets from the wands of the witch and wizard, the point of the centaur's arrow, the tip of the goblin's hat and the house-elf's ears continued to gush into the surrounding pool.**

**"Come on," said Harry quietly and the six of them sprinted off down the hall, Harry in the lead, past the fountain towards the desk where the watchwizard who had weighed Harry's wand had sat, and which was now deserted.**

**Harry felt sure there ought to be a security person there, sure their absence was an ominous sign, and his feeling of foreboding increased as they passed through the golden gates to the lifts. He pressed the nearest 'down' button and a lift clattered into sight almost immediately, the golden grilles slid apart with a great, echoing clanking and they dashed inside. Harry stabbed the number nine button; the grilles closed with a bang and the lift began to descend, jangling and rattling. Harry had not realised how noisy the lifts were on the day he had come with Mr. Weasley; he was sure the din would raise every security person within the building, yet when the lilt halted, the cool female voice said, "Department of Mysteries," and the grilles slid open. They stepped out into the corridor where nothing was moving out but the nearest torches, flickering in the rush of air from the lift.**

**Harry turned towards the plain black door. After months and months of dreaming about it, he was here at last.**

**"Let's go," he whispered, and he led the way down the corridor, Luna right behind him, gazing around with her mouth slightly open.**

**"OK, listen," said Harry, stopping again within six feet of the door. "Maybe... maybe a couple of people should stay here as a - as a lookout, and -"**

**"And how're we going to let you know something's coming?" asked Ginny, her eyebrows raised. "You could be miles away."**

**"We're coming with you, Harry," said Neville.**

**"Let's get on with it," said Ron firmly.**

"I hate being out voted." Harry huffed.

"Get used to it." Ginny told him, "Besides, splitting up would be a bad idea."

"Safety in numbers." James nodded.

**Harry still did not want to take them all with him, but it seemed he had no choice. He turned to face the door and walked forwards... just as it had in his dream, it swung open and he marched over the threshold, the others at his heels.**

**They were standing in a large, circular room. Everything in here was black including the floor and ceiling; identical, unmarked, handleless black doors were set at intervals all around the black walls, interspersed with branches of candles whose flames burned blue; their cool, shimmering light reflected in the shining marble floor made it look as though there was dark water underfoot.**

**"Someone shut the door," Harry muttered.**

"No don't!" Regulus groaned.

**He regretted giving this order the moment Neville had obeyed it. Without the long chink of light from the torch lit corridor behind them, the place became so dark that for a moment the only things they could see were the bunches of shivering blue flames on the walls and their ghostly reflections in the floor.**

**In his dream, Harry had always walked purposefully across this room to the door immediately opposite the entrance and walked on. But there were around a dozen doors here. Just as he was gazing ahead at the doors opposite him, trying to decide which was the right one, there was a great rumbling noise and the candles began to move sideways. The circular wall was rotating.**

**Hermione grabbed Harry's arm as though frightened the floor might move, too, but it did not. For a few seconds, the blue flames around them were blurred to resemble neon lines as the wall sped around; then, quite as suddenly as it had started, the rumbling stopped and everything became stationary once again.**

**Harry's eyes had blue streaks burned into them; it was all he could see.**

**"What was that about?" whispered Ron fearfully.**

**"I think it was to stop us knowing which door we came in through," said Ginny in a hushed voice.**

**Harry realised at once she was right: he could no sooner identify the exit door than locate an ant on the jet-black floor; and the door through which they needed to proceed could be any one of the dozen surrounding them.**

**"How're we going to get back out?" said Neville uncomfortably.**

**"Well, that doesn't matter now," said Harry forcefully, blinking to try to erase the blue lines from his vision, and clutching his wand tighter than ever, "we won't need to get out till we've found Sirius -"**

**'Don't go calling for him, though!' Hermione said urgently; but Harry had never needed her advice less, his instinct was to keep as quiet as possible.**

"Good instinct." Sirius nodded approvingly.

**"Where do we go, then, Harry?" Ron asked.**

**"I don't -" Harry began. He swallowed. "In the dreams I went through the door at the end of the corridor from the lifts into a dark room - that's this one - and then I went through another door into a room that kind of... glitters. We should try a few doors," he said hastily, "I'll know the right way when I see it. C'mon."**

**He marched straight at the door now facing him, the others following close behind him, set his left hand against its cool, shining surface, raised his wand ready to strike the moment it opened, and pushed.**

**It swung open easily.**

**After the darkness of the first room, the lamps hanging low on golden chains from this ceiling gave the impression that this long rectangular room was much brighter, though there were no glittering, shimmering lights as Harry had seen in his dreams. The place was quite empty except for a few desks and, in the very middle of the room, an enormous glass tank of deep green liquid, big enough for all of them to swim in; a number of pearly-white objects were drifting around lazily in it.**

**"What're those things?" whispered Ron.**

**"Dunno," said Harry.**

**"Are they fish?" breathed Ginny.**

**"Aquavirius Maggots!" said Luna excitedly. "Dad said the Ministry were breeding -"**

**"No," said Hermione. She sounded odd. She moved forward to look through the side of the tank. "They're brains."**

"Stupid brains." Ron muttered.

**"Brains?"**

**"Yes... I wonder what they're doing with them?"**

**Harry joined her at the tank. Sure enough, there could be no mistake now he saw them at close quarters. Glimmering eerily, they drifted in and out of sight in the depths of the green liquid, looking something like slimy cauliflowers.**

**"Let's get out of here," said Harry. "This isn't right, we need to try another door."**

**"There are doors here, too," said Ron, pointing around the walls. Harry's heart sank; how big was this place?**

**"In my dream I went through that dark room into the second one," he said. "I think we should go back and try from there."**

**So they hurried back into the dark, circular room; the ghostly shapes of the brains were now swimming before Harry's eyes instead of the blue candle flames.**

**"Wait!" said Hermione sharply, as Luna made to close the door of the brain room behind them. "Flagrate!"**

**She drew with her wand in midair and a fiery 'X' appeared on the door. No sooner had the door clicked shut behind them than there was a great rumbling, and once again the wall began to revolve very fast, but now there was a great red-gold blur in amongst the faint blue and, when all became still again, the fiery cross still burned, showing the door they had already tried.**

**"Good thinking," said Harry. "OK, let's try this one -"**

**Again, he strode directly at the door facing him and pushed it open, his wand still raised, the others at his heels.**

**This room was larger than the last, dimly lit and rectangular, and the centre of it was sunken, forming a great stone pit some twenty feet deep. They were standing on the topmost tier of what seemed to be stone benches running all around the room and descending in steep steps like an amphitheatre, or the courtroom in which Harry had been tried by the Wizengamot. Instead, of a chained chair, however, there was a raised stone dais in the centre of the pit, on which stood a stone archway that looked so ancient, cracked and crumbling that Harry was amazed the thing was still standing. Unsupported by any surrounding wall, the archway was hung with a tattered black curtain or veil which, despite the complete stillness of the cold surrounding air, was fluttering very slightly as though it had just been touched.**

"Bloody curtain." Remus growled.

"You're not the one who went through it." Sirius reminded him so quietly no one else heard.

"I'm aware of that Padfoot." he hissed just as quietly.

**"Who's there?" said Harry, jumping down on to the bench below. There was no answering voice, but the veil continued to flutter and sway.**

**"Careful!" whispered Hermione.**

**Harry scrambled down the benches one by one until he reached the stone bottom of the sunken pit. His footsteps echoed loudly as he walked slowly towards the dais. The pointed archway looked much taller from where he now stood than it had when he'd been looking down on it from above. Still the veil swayed gently, as though somebody had just passed through it.**

**"Sirius?" Harry spoke again, but more quietly now that he was nearer.**

**He had the strangest feeling that there was someone standing right behind the veil on the other side of the archway. Gripping his wand very tightly, he edged around the dais, but there was nobody there; all that could be seen was the other side of the tattered black veil.**

**"Let's go," called Hermione from halfway up the stone steps. "This isn't right, Harry, come on, let's go."**

**She sounded scared, much more scared than she had in the room where the brains swam, yet Harry thought the archway had a kind of beauty about it, old though it was. The gently rippling veil intrigued him; he felt a very strong inclination to climb up on the dais and walk through it.**

**"Harry, let's go, OK?" Said Hermione more forcefully.**

**"OK," he said, but did not move. He had just heard something. There were faint whispering, murmuring noises coming from the other side of the veil.**

**"What are you saying?" he said, very loudly, so that his words echoed all around the stone benches.**

**"Nobody's talking, Harry!" said Hermione, now moving over to him.**

**"Someone's whispering behind there," he said, moving out of her reach and continuing to frown at the veil. "Is that you, Ron?"**

**"I'm here, mate," said Ron, appearing around the side of the archway.**

**"Can't anyone else hear it?" Harry demanded, for the whispering and murmuring was becoming louder; without really meaning to put it there, he found his foot was on the dais.**

**"I can hear them too," breathed Luna, joining them around the side of the archway and gazing at the swaying veil. "There are people in there!"**

"What?" Bill frowned.

"Voices." Harry told him, "I think its like Thestrals, you have to have seen death to hear them and that's why none of the others could hear them... Did you hear them Neville?"

Neville nodded.

"It's an arch that connects the land of the living to the land of the dead." Ginny said simply.

"You know that how?" Charlie asked her.

"I just know." she shrugged.

Harry frowned, "Your right." he nodded, "It might be something to do with the 'knowledge' Death gave us, the more I think about it the more I know about it." he nodded.

**"What do you mean, 'in there'?" demanded Hermione, jumping down from the bottom step and sounding much angrier than the occasion warranted, "there isn't any 'in there', it's just an archway, there's no room for anybody to be there. Harry, stop it, come away -"**

**She grabbed his arm and pulled, but he resisted.**

**"Harry, we are supposed to be here for Sirius!" she said in a high-pitched, strained voice.**

**"Sirius," Harry repeated, still gazing, mesmerised, at the continuously swaying veil. "Yeah..."**

**Something finally slid back into place in his brain; Sirius, captured, bound and tortured, and he was staring at this archway...**

**He took several paces back from the dais and wrenched his eyes from the veil.**

**"Let's go," he said.**

**"That's what I've been trying to - well, come on, then!" said Hermione, and she led the way back around the dais. On the other side, Ginny and Neville were staring, apparently entranced, at the veil too. Without speaking, Hermione took hold of Ginny's arm, **

"Ginny why were you staring at it?" Arthur frowned.

"I-I could see it." Ginny admitted, "Though I hadn't seen someone die at that time." she frowned, "I don't know how it was possible. It might have been because I'd almost died before, in the chamber." she shuddered.

Harry frowned, "I think... anyone who's been... close to death, to the other side of the veil... can see and hear it..." he trailed off.

"That would explain it." Hermione mused, "Neither Ron or I had been close to dying at that point, I think that's what must've happened. Ginny had been close to dying and the others had seen death."

"We hadn't experienced either so it does kind of point to that's what happened." Ron nodded.

**Ron grabbed Neville's, and they marched them firmly back to the lowest stone bench and clambered all the way back up to the door.**

**"What d'you reckon that arch was?" Harry asked Hermione as they regained the dark circular room.**

**"I don't know, but whatever it was, it was dangerous," she said firmly, again inscribing a fiery cross on the door.**

**Once more, the wall span and became still again. Harry approached another door at random and pushed. It did not move.**

**"What's wrong?" said Hermione.**

**"It's... locked..." said Harry, throwing his weight at the door, but it didn't budge.**

"It's locked for a reason." Kingsley muttered darkly.

"I told Harry about it." Albus supplied, speaking for the first time in a while.

**"This is it, then, isn't it?" said Ron excitedly, joining Harry in the attempt to force the door open. "Bound to be!"**

**"Get out of the way!" said Hermione sharply. She pointed her wand at the place where a lock would have been on an ordinary door and said, "Alohomora!"**

**Nothing happened.**

**"Sirius's knife!" said Harry. He pulled it out from inside his robes and slid it into the crack between the door and the wall. The others all watched eagerly as he ran it from top to bottom, withdrew it and then flung his shoulder again at the door. It remained as firmly shut as ever. What was more, when Harry looked down at the knife, he saw the blade had melted.**

"Shame, that was handy." Sirius mused, "Have you still got the handle?" he asked Harry who nodded, "I know how to fix it, if you give it to me later I'll fix it for you." Harry nodded again gratefully, thinking the knife would indeed be handy.

**"Right, we're leaving that room," said Hermione decisively.**

**"But what if that's the one?" said Ron, staring at it with a mixture of apprehension and longing.**

**"It can't be, Harry could get through all the doors in his dream," said Hermione, marking the door with another fiery cross as Harry replaced the now-useless handle of Sirius's knife in his pocket.**

**"You know what could be in there?" said Luna eagerly, as the wall started to spin yet again.**

**"Something blibbering, no doubt," said Hermione under her breath and Neville gave a nervous little laugh.**

"Do you want to know what I was going to say?" Luna asked.

"Go ahead." Neville smiled.

"Power." she smiled back, "A special power that Voldemort and most of his Death Eater's couldn't understand."

"Incredibly accurate." Albus beamed at her, "That's basically what it is, there's more to it than that but I'll keep quiet on the matter for now, there's no point in hearing it twice and as I've said I told Harry about it."

**The wall slid to a halt and Harry, with a feeling of increasing desperation, pushed the next door open.**

**"This is it!"**

**He knew it at once by the beautiful, dancing, diamond-sparkling light. As Harry's eyes became accustomed to the brilliant glare, he saw clocks gleaming from every surface, large and small, grandfather and carriage, hanging in spaces between the bookcases or standing on desks ranging the length of the room, so that a busy, relentless ticking filled the place like thousands of minuscule, marching footsteps. The source of the dancing, diamond-bright light was a towering crystal bell jar that stood at the far end of the room.**

**"This way!"**

**Harry's heart was pumping frantically now that he knew they were on the right track; he led the way down the narrow space between the lines of desks, heading, as he had done in his dream, for the source of the light, the crystal bell jar quite as tall as he was that stood on a desk and appeared to be full of a billowing, glittering wind.**

**"Oh, look!" said Ginny, as they drew nearer, pointing at the very heart of the bell jar.**

**Drifting along in the sparkling current inside was a tiny, jewel-bright egg. As it rose in the jar, it cracked open and a hummingbird emerged, which was carried to the very top of the jar, but as it fell on the draught its feathers became bedraggled and damp again, and by the time it had been borne back to the bottom of the jar it had been enclosed once more in its egg.**

**"Keep going!" said Harry sharply, because Ginny showed signs of wanting to stop and watch the egg's progress back into a bird.**

**"You dawdled enough by that old arch!" she said crossly, but followed him past the bell jar to the only door behind it.**

"You did too." Neville pointed out, "We all did except Ron and Hermione."

**"This is it," Harry said again, and his heart was now pumping so hard and fast he felt it must interfere with his speech, "it's through here -"**

**He glanced around at them all; they had their wands out and looked suddenly serious and anxious. He looked back at the door and pushed. It swung open.**

**They were there, they had found the place: high as a church and full of nothing but towering shelves covered in small, dusty glass orbs. They glimmered dully in the light issuing from more candle-brackets set at intervals along the shelves. Like those in the circular room behind them, their flames were burning blue. The room was very cold.**

**Harry edged forward and peered down one of the shadowy aisles between two rows of shelves. He could not hear anything or see the slightest sign of movement.**

**"You said it was row ninety-seven," whispered Hermione.**

**"Yeah," breathed Harry, looking up at the end of the closest row. Beneath the branch of blue-glowing candles protruding from it glimmered the silver figure fifty-three.**

**"We need to go right, I think," whispered Hermione, squinting to the next row. "Yes... that's fifty-four..."**

**"Keep your wands ready," Harry said softly.**

**They crept forward, glancing behind them as they went on down the long alleys of shelves, the further ends of which were in near-total darkness. Tiny, yellowing labels had been stuck beneath each glass orb on the shelves. Some of them had a weird, liquid glow; others were as dull and dark within as blown light bulbs.**

**They passed row eighty-four... eighty-five... Harry was listening hard for the slightest sound of movement, but Sirius might be gagged now, or else unconscious... or, said an unbidden voice inside his head, he might already be dead...**

**I'd have felt it, he told himself, his heart now hammering against his Adam's apple, I'd already know...**

**"Ninety-seven!" whispered Hermione.**

**They stood grouped around the end of the row, gazing down the alley beside it. There was nobody there.**

**"He's right down at the end," said Harry, whose mouth had become slightly dry. "You can't see properly from here."**

"I'm not there." Sirius sighed.

**And he led them between the towering rows of glass balls, some of which glowed softly as they passed...**

**"He should be near here," whispered Harry, convinced that every step was going to bring the ragged form of Sirius into view on the darkened floor. "Anywhere here... really close..."**

**"Harry?" said Hermione tentatively, but he did not want to respond. His mouth was very dry.**

**"Somewhere about... here..." he said.**

**They had reached the end of the row and emerged into more dim candlelight, there was nobody there. All was echoing, dusty silence.**

**"He might be..." Harry whispered hoarsely, peering down the next alley. "Or maybe..." He hurried to look down the one beyond that.**

**"Harry?" said Hermione again.**

**"What?" he snarled.**

**"I... I don't think Sirius is here."**

**Nobody spoke. Harry did not want to look at any of them. He felt sick. He did not understand why Sirius was not here. He had to be here. This was where he, Harry, had seen him...**

**He ran up the space at the end of the rows, staring down them. Empty aisle after empty aisle flickered past. He ran the other way, back past his staring companions. There was no sign of Sirius anywhere, nor any hint of a struggle.**

**"Harry?" Ron called.**

**"What?"**

**He did not want to hear what Ron had to say; did not want to hear Ron tell him he had been stupid or suggest that they ought to go back to Hogwarts, but the heat was rising in his face and he felt as though he would like to skulk down here in the darkness for a long while before facing the brightness of the Atrium above and the others' accusing stares...**

**"Have you seen this?" said Ron.**

**"What?" said Harry, but eagerly this time - it had to be a sign that Sirius had been there, a clue. He strode back to where they were all standing, a little way down row ninety-seven, but found nothing except Ron staring at one of the dusty glass spheres on the shelf.**

**"What?" Harry repeated glumly.**

**"It's - it's got your name on," said Ron.**

**Harry moved a little closer. Ron was pointing at one of the small glass spheres that glowed with a dull inner light, though it was very dusty and appeared not to have been touched for many years.**

**"My name?" said Harry blankly.**

**He stepped forwards. Not as tall as Ron, he had to crane his neck to read the yellowish label affixed to the shelf right beneath the dusty glass ball. In spidery writing was written a date of some sixteen years previously, and below that:**

**S.P.T. to A.P.W.B.D.**

**Dark Lord**

**and (?) Harry Potter**

"What's with the question mark?" Petunia asked.

"It could've meant Neville, it was changed shortly after the attack on the Potter's." Albus sighed, "The question mark represents the fact that it never named anyone but there was more than one person it could've meant."

**Harry stared at it.**

**"What is it?" Ron asked, sounding unnerved. "What's your name doing down here?"**

**He glanced along at the other labels on that stretch of shelf.**

**"I'm not here," he said, sounding perplexed. "None of the rest of us are here."**

"Which is a good thing." Lily said firmly.

**"Harry, I don't think you should touch it," said Hermione sharply, as he stretched out his hand.**

**"Why not?" he said. "It's something to do with me, isn't it?"**

**"Don't, Harry," said Neville suddenly. Harry looked at him. Neville's round face was shining slightly with sweat. He looked as though he could not take much more suspense.**

**"It's got my name on," said Harry.**

**And feeling slightly reckless, he closed his fingers around the dusty ball's surface. He had expected it to feel cold, but it did not. On the contrary, it felt as though it had been lying in the sun for hours, as though the glow of light within was warming it. Expecting, even hoping, that something dramatic was going to happen, something exciting that might make their long and dangerous journey worth while after all, Harry lifted the glass ball down from its shelf and stared at it.**

**Nothing whatsoever happened. The others moved in closer around Harry, gazing at the orb as he brushed it free of the clogging dust.**

**And then, from right behind them, a drawling voice spoke.**

**"Very good, Potter. Now turn around, nice and slowly, and give that to me."**

"Damn." Regulus cursed, "You got caught didn't you?"

"Small run in with Death Eaters." Harry nodded tensely, "Moving on."

* * *

><p>Review please x<p> 


	99. Chapter 99

Chapter 99 - Fifth Year (Part 19)

"You're not going to like this at all." Neville warned them as Harry made no move to warn them himself and he knew what happened.

"It was never pleasant if Lucius and Bella are involved." Cissy sighed.

**Black shapes were emerging out of thin air all around them, blocking their way left and right; eyes glinted through slits in hoods, a dozen lit wand tips were pointing directly at their hearts; Ginny gave a gasp of horror.**

**"To me, Potter," repeated the drawling voice of Lucius Malfoy as he held out his hand, palm up.**

**Harry's insides plummeted sickeningly. They were trapped, and outnumbered two to one.**

**"To me," said Malfoy yet again.**

**"Where's Sirius?" Harry said.**

**Several of the Death Eaters laughed; a harsh female voice from the midst of the shadowy figures to Harry's left said triumphantly, "The Dark Lord always knows!"**

**"Always," echoed Malfoy softly. "Now, give me the prophecy, Potter."**

**"I want to know where Sirius is!"**

**"I want to know where Sirius is!" mimicked the woman to his left.**

**She and her fellow Death Eaters had closed in so that they were mere feet away from Harry and the others, the light from their wands dazzling Harry's eyes.**

**"You've got him," said Harry, ignoring the rising panic in his chest, the dread he had been fighting since they had first entered the ninety-seventh row. "He's here. I know he is."**

**"The little baby woke up fwightened and fort what it dweamed was twoo," said the woman in a horrible, mock baby voice. Harry felt Ron stir beside him.**

**"Don't do anything," Harry muttered. "Not yet -"**

**The woman who had mimicked him let out a raucous scream of laughter.**

**"You hear him? You hear him? Giving instructions to the other children as though he thinks of fighting us!"**

**"Oh, you don't know Potter as I do, Bellatrix," said Malfoy softly. "He has a great weakness for heroics; the Dark Lord understands this about him. Now give me the prophecy, Potter."**

**"I know Sirius is here," said Harry, though panic was causing his chest to constrict and he felt as though he could not breathe properly. "I know you've got him!"**

"Hadn't you already realized I wasn't?" Sirius frowned.

"He didn't want to admit it." Ginny said for Harry, who had his head between his knees. She put a hand on his shoulder in a small form of comfort, the sleeping Teddy having been taken by Dora at the start of the memory.

**More of the Death Eaters laughed, though the woman laughed loudest of all.**

**"It's time you learned the difference between life and dreams, Potter," said Malfoy. "Now give me the prophecy, or we start using wands."**

**"Go on, then," said Harry, raising his own wand to chest height. As he did so, the five wands of Ron, Hermione, Neville, Ginny and Luna rose on either side of him. The knot in Harry's stomach tightened. If Sirius really was not here, he had led his friends to their deaths for no reason at all...**

**But the Death Eaters did not strike.**

**"Hand over the prophecy and no one need get hurt," said Malfoy coolly.**

**It was Harry's turn to laugh.**

**"'Yeah, right!" he said. "I give you this - prophecy, is it? And you'll just let us skip off home, will you?"**

**The words were hardly out of his mouth when the female Death Eater shrieked: "Accio proph -"**

**Harry was just ready for her: he shouted 'Protego' before she had finished her spell, and though the glass sphere slipped to the tips of his fingers he managed to cling on to it.**

**"Oh, he knows how to play, little bitty baby Potter," she said, her mad eyes staring through the slits in her hood. "Very well, then -"**

**"I TOLD YOU, NO!" Lucius Malfoy roared at the woman. "If you smash it -!"**

**Harry's mind was racing. The Death Eaters wanted this dusty spun-glass sphere. He had no interest in it. He just wanted to get them all out of this alive, to make sure none of his friends paid a terrible price for his stupidity...**

**The woman stepped forward, away from her fellows, and pulled off her hood. Azkaban had hollowed Bellatrix Lestrange's face, making it gaunt and skull-like, but it was alive with a feverish, fanatical glow.**

**"You need more persuasion?" she said, her chest rising and falling rapidly. "Very well - take the smallest one," she ordered the Death Eaters beside her. "Let him watch while we torture the little girl. I'll do it."**

**Harry felt the others close in around Ginny; he stepped sideways so that he was right in front of her, the prophecy held up to his chest.**

"How'd you know she was talking about me?" Ginny asked the others.

"You were the smallest." Luna pointed out.

**"You'll have to smash this if you want to attack any of us," he told Bellatrix. "I don't think your boss will be too pleased if you come back without it, will he?"**

**She did not move; she merely stared at him, the tip of her tongue moistening her thin mouth.**

**"So," said Harry, "what kind of prophecy are we talking about, anyway?"**

**He could not think what to do but to keep talking. Neville's arm was pressed against his, and he could feel him shaking; he could feel one of the others' quickened breath on the back of his head. He was hoping they were all thinking hard about ways to get out of this, because his mind was blank.**

**"What kind of prophecy?" repeated Bellatrix, the grin fading from her face. "You jest, Harry Potter."**

**"Nope, not jesting," said Harry, his eyes flicking from Death Eater to Death Eater, looking for a weak link, a space through which they could escape. "How come Voldemort wants it?"**

**Several of the Death Eaters let out low hisses.**

**"You dare speak his name?" whispered Bellatrix.**

**"Yeah," said Harry, maintaining his tight grip on the glass ball, expecting another attempt to bewitch it from him. "Yeah, I've got no problem with saying Vol -"**

"Don't annoy them Harry!" Draco yelled, glad someone had put a charm on the kids so they wouldn't hear the noise.

**"Shut your mouth!" Bellatrix shrieked. "You dare speak his name with your unworthy lips, you dare besmirch it with your half-blood's tongue, you dare -"**

**"Did you know he's a half-blood too?" said Harry recklessly. Hermione gave a little moan in his ear. "Voldemort? Yeah, his mother was a witch but his dad was a Muggle - or has he been telling you lot he's pure-blood?"**

"You had to." Cissy groaned, "You know that just annoyed her even more, she was fuming about it for days."

**"STUPEF -"**

**"NO!"**

**A jet of red light had shot from the end of Bellatrix Lestrange's wand, but Malfoy had deflected it; his spell caused hers to hit the shelf a foot to the left of Harry and several of the glass orbs there shattered.**

**Two figures, pearly-white as ghosts, fluid as smoke, unfurled themselves from the fragments of broken glass upon the floor and each began to speak; their voices vied with each other, so that only fragments of what they were saying could be heard over Malfoy and Bellatrix's shouts.**

**"... at the solstice will come a new..." said the figure of an old, bearded man.**

**"DO NOT ATTACK! WE NEED THE PROPHECY!"**

**"He dared - he dares -" shrieked Bellatrix incoherently, "he stands there - filthy half-blood -"**

**"WAIT UNTI'LL WE'VE GOT THE PROPHECY!" bawled Malfoy.**

**"... and none will come after..." said the figure of a young woman.**

**The two figures that had burst from the shattered spheres had melted into thin air. Nothing remained of them or their erstwhile homes but fragments of glass upon the floor. They had, however, given Harry an idea. The problem was going to be conveying it to the others.**

**"You haven't told me what's so special about this prophecy I'm supposed to be handing over," he said, playing for time. He moved his foot slowly sideways, feeling around for someone else's.**

**"Do not play games with us, Potter," said Malfoy.**

**"I'm not playing games," said Harry, half his mind on the conversation, half on his wandering foot. And then he found someone's toes and pressed down upon them. A sharp intake of breath behind him told him they were Hermione's.**

**"What?" she whispered.**

**"Dumbledore never told you the reason you bear that scar was hidden in the bowels of the Department of Mysteries?" Malfoy sneered.**

**"I - what?" said Harry. And for a moment he quite forgot his plan. "What about my scar?"**

**"What?" whispered Hermione more urgently behind him.**

**"Can this be?" said Malfoy, sounding maliciously delighted; some of the Death Eaters were laughing again, and under cover of their laughter, Harry hissed to Hermione, moving his lips as little as possible, "Smash shelves -"**

"Brilliant!" the twins grinned.

**"Dumbledore never told you?" Malfoy repeated. "Well, this explains why you didn't come earlier, Potter, the Dark Lord wondered why -"**

**"- when I say now -"**

**"- you didn't come running when he showed you the place where it was hidden in your dreams. He thought natural curiosity would make you want to hear the exact wording..."**

**"Did he?" said Harry. Behind him he felt rather than heard Hermione passing his message to the others and he sought to keep talking, to distract the Death Eaters. "So he wanted me to come and get it, did he? Why?"**

**"Why?" Malfoy sounded incredulously delighted. "Because the only people who are permitted to retrieve a prophecy from the Department of Mysteries, Potter, are those about whom it was made, as the Dark Lord discovered when he attempted to use others to steal it for him."**

**"And why did he want to steal a prophecy about me?"**

**"About both of you, Potter, about both of you... haven't you ever wondered why the Dark Lord tried to kill you as a baby?"**

**Harry stared into the slitted eye-holes through which Malfoy's grey eyes were gleaming. Was this prophecy the reason Harry's parents had died, the reason he carried his lightning-bolt scar? Was the answer to all of this clutched in his hand?**

"No actually. There was nothing in the Prophecy about the parents of the one born dying or being tortured to insanity..."

"... And definitely nothing about the chosen child surviving Avada Kedavra." Frank finished for his wife.

"Yes there was." Albus said.

"'The Dark Lord will mark him as his equal'." Harry said not looking up, head still between his knees.

"Yes, but it didn't say marked how. It might've meant marking the name or something." Lily pointed out, "We know what it is now of course but at the time it could've been anything."

**"Someone made a prophecy about Voldemort and me?" he said quietly, gazing at Lucius Malfoy, his fingers tightening over the warm glass sphere in his hand. It was hardly larger than a Snitch and still gritty with dust. "And he's made me come and get it for him? Why couldn't he come and get it himself?"**

**"Get it himself?" shrieked Bellatrix, over a cackle of mad laughter. "The Dark Lord, walk into the Ministry of Magic, when they are so sweetly ignoring his return? The Dark Lord, reveal himself to the Aurors, when at the moment they are wasting their time on my dear cousin?"**

**"So, he's got you doing his dirty work for him, has he?" said Harry. "Like he tried to get Sturgis to steal it - and Bode?"**

**"Very good, Potter, very good..." said Malfoy slowly. "But the Dark Lord knows you are not unintell -"**

**"NOW!" yelled Harry.**

"Okay, he said Voldemort knew Harry wasn't unintelligent and yet he obviously thought otherwise." Astoria rolled her eyes.

"He made the same mistake as his boss." Hermione said coolly. "He underestimated our abilities, therefore he got outsmarted along with the other Death Eater's."

**Five different voices behind him bellowed, "REDUCTO!". Five curses flew in five different directions and the shelves opposite them exploded as they hit; the towering structure swayed as a hundred glass spheres burst apart, pearly-white figures unfurled into the air and floated there, their voices echoing from who knew what long-dead past amid the torrent of crashing glass and splintered wood now raining down upon the floor -**

"Whoa." the Marauders said.

**"RUN!" Harry yelled, as the shelves swayed precariously and more glass spheres began to fall from above. He seized a handful of Hermione's robes and dragged her forwards, holding one arm over his head as chunks of shelf and shards of glass thundered down upon them. A Death Eater lunged forwards through the cloud of dust and Harry elbowed him hard in the masked face; they were all yelling, there were cries of pain, and thunderous crashes as the shelves collapsed upon themselves, weirdly echoing fragments of the Seers unleashed from their spheres -**

**Harry found the way ahead clear and saw Ron, Ginny and Luna sprint past him, their arms over their heads; something heavy struck him on the side of the face but he merely ducked his head and sprinted onwards; a hand caught him by the shoulder; he heard Hermione shout, "Stupefy!" The hand released him at once -**

**They were at the end of row ninety-seven; Harry turned right and began to sprint in earnest; he could hear footsteps right behind him and Hermione's voice urging Neville on; straight ahead, the door through which they had come was ajar; Harry could see the glittering light of the bell jar; he pelted through the doorway, the prophecy still clutched tight and safe in his hand, and waited for the others to hurtle over the threshold before slamming the door behind them -**

**"Colloportus!" gasped Hermione and the door sealed itself with an odd squelching noise.**

**"Where - where are the others?" gasped Harry.**

"WHAT! YOU GOT SEPERATED!" Molly yelled.

"Friendly reminder that you saw us just after that Mum, we were fine." Ron told her, "And besides it wasn't our fault, the Death Eater's blocked off the way those three had gone so we had to go another way."

**He had thought Ron, Luna and Ginny were ahead of them, that they would be waiting in this room, but there was nobody there.**

**"They must have gone the wrong way!" whispered Hermione, terror in her face.**

**"Listen!" whispered Neville.**

**Footsteps and shouts echoed from behind the door they had just sealed; Harry put his ear close to the door to listen and heard Lucius Malfoy roar, "Leave Nott, leave him, I say - his injuries will be nothing to the Dark Lord compared to losing that prophecy. Jugson, come back here, we need to organise! We'll split into pairs and search, and don't forget, be gentle with Potter until we've got the prophecy, you can kill the others if necessary - Bellatrix, Rodolphus, you take the left; Crabbe, Rabastan, go right - Jugson, Dolohov, the door straight ahead - Macnair and Avery, through here - Rookwood, over there - Mulciber, come with me!"**

"They split up?" Regulus asked incredulously.

"Made it way easier for us to fight them." Hermione smiled weakly.

**"What do we do?" Hermione asked Harry, trembling from head to foot.**

**"Well, we don't stand here waiting for them to find us, for a start," said Harry. "Let's get away from this door."**

**They ran as quietly as they could, past the shimmering bell jar where the tiny egg was hatching and unhatching, towards the exit into the circular hallway at the far end of the room. They were almost there when Harry heard something large and heavy collide with the door Hermione had charmed shut.**

**"Stand aside!" said a rough voice. "Alohomora!"**

**As the door flew open, Harry, Hermione and Neville dived under desks. They could see the bottom of the two Death Eaters' robes drawing nearer, their feet moving rapidly.**

**"They might've run straight through to the hall," said the rough voice.**

"Yes, be stupid and keep going!" Draco pleaded.

**"Check under the desks," said another.**

"You have no luck do you?"

"Of course we don't." Harry grumbled, looking up at last, he sighed deeply, "Though of course we didn't just let them find us."

**Harry saw the knees of the Death Eaters bend; poking his wand out from under the desk, he shouted, "STUPEFY!"**

**A jet of red light hit the nearest Death Eater; he fell backwards into a grandfather clock and knocked it over; the second Death Eater, however, had leapt aside to avoid Harry's spell and was pointing his own wand at Hermione, who was crawling out from under the desk to get a better aim.**

**"Avada -"**

**Harry launched himself across the floor and grabbed the Death Eater around the knees, causing him to topple and his aim to go awry. Neville overturned a desk in his anxiety to help; and pointing his wand wildly at the struggling pair, he cried:**

**"EXPELLIARMUS!"**

**Both Harry's and the Death Eater's wands flew out of their hands and soared back towards the entrance to the Hall of Prophecy; both scrambled to their feet and charged after them, the Death Eater in front, Harry hot on his heels, and Neville bringing up the rear, plainly horrorstruck by what he had done.**

"I really didn't mean that." Neville groaned.

"Don't worry about it, three of us versus him? It was obvious we had the advantage." Harry smiled weakly.

"Why did the spell do that though?" Frank frowned.

"My aim was off slightly so it caught Harry too." Neville explained.

**"Get out of the way, Harry!" yelled Neville, clearly determined to repair the damage.**

**Harry flung himself sideways as Neville took aim again and shouted:**

**"STUPEFY!"**

**The jet of red light flew right over the Death Eaters shoulder and hit a glass-fronted cabinet on the wall full of variously shaped hour-glasses; the cabinet fell to the floor and burst apart, glass flying everywhere, sprang back up on to the wall, fully mended, then fell down again, and shattered -**

**The Death Eater had snatched up his wand, which lay on the floor beside the glittering bell jar. Harry ducked down behind another desk as the man turned; his mask had slipped so that he couldn't see. He ripped it off with his free hand and shouted: "STUP -"**

**"STUPEFY!" screamed Hermione, who had just caught up with them. The jet of red light hit the Death Eater in the middle of his chest: he froze, his arm still raised, his wand fell to the floor with a flatter and he collapsed backwards towards the bell jar. Harry expected to hear a clunk, for the man to hit solid glass and slide off the jar on to the floor, but instead, his head sank through the surface of the bell jar as though it were nothing but a soap bubble and he came to rest, sprawled on his back on the table, with his head lying inside the jar full of glittering wind.**

"That can't be good for him." Draco smirked.

**"Accio wand!" cried Hermione. Harry's wand flew from a dark corner into her hand and she threw it to him.**

**"Thanks," he said. "Right, let's get out of -"**

**"Look out!" said Neville, horrified. He was staring at the Death Eater's head in the bell jar.**

**All three of them raised their wands again, but none of them struck: they were all gazing, open-mouthed, appalled, at what was happening to the man's head.**

**It was shrinking very fast, growing balder and balder, the black hair and stubble retracting into his skull; his cheeks becoming smooth, his skull round and covered with a peachlike fuzz...**

**A baby's head now sat grotesquely on top of the thick, muscled neck of the Death Eater as he struggled to get up again; but even as they watched, their mouths open, the head began to swell to its previous proportions again; thick black hair was sprouting from the pate and chin...**

**"It's Time," said Hermione in an awestruck voice. "Time..."**

**The Death Eater shook his ugly head again, trying to clear it, but before he could pull himself together it began to shrink back to babyhood once more...**

"So that's why he was like that when we got there." Kingsley mused.

"Like what?" Charlie frowned.

"He had a baby's head on a man's body when he finally escaped the jar." Hermione told them.

**There was a shout from a room nearby, then a crash and a scream.**

**"RON?" Harry yelled, turning quickly from the monstrous transformation taking place before them. "GINNY? LUNA?"**

**"Harry!" Hermione screamed.**

**The Death Eater had pulled his head out of the bell jar. His appearance was utterly bizarre, his tiny baby's head bawling loudly while his thick arms flailed dangerously in all directions, narrowly missing Harry, who had ducked. Harry raised his wand but to his amazement Hermione seized his arm.**

**"You can't hurt a baby!"**

"You can if it's got a man's body and is tying to kill you." Dora pointed out.

**There was no time to argue the point; Harry could hear more footsteps growing louder from the Hall of Prophecy and knew, too late, that he ought not to have shouted and given away their position.**

**"Come on!" he said, and leaving the ugly baby-headed Death Eater staggering behind them they took off for the door that stood open at the other end of the room, leading back into the black hallway.**

**They had run halfway towards it when Harry saw through the open door two more Death Eaters running across the black room towards them; veering left, he burst instead into a small, dark, cluttered office and slammed the door behind them.**

**"Collo -" began Hermione, but before she could complete the spell the door had burst open and the two Death Eaters had come hurtling inside.**

**With a cry of triumph, both yelled:**

**"IMPEDIMENTA!"**

**Harry, Hermione and Neville were all knocked backwards off their feet; Neville was thrown over the desk and disappeared from view; Hermione smashed into a bookcase and was promptly deluged in a cascade of heavy books; the back of Harry's head slammed into the stone wall behind him, tiny lights burst in front of his eyes and for a moment he was too dizzy and bewildered to react.**

**"WE'VE GOT HIM!" yelled the Death Eater nearest Harry. "IN AN OFFICE OFF -"**

**"Silencio!" cried Hermione and the man's voice was extinguished. He continued to mouth through the hole in his mask, but no sound came out. He was thrust aside by his fellow Death Eater.**

**"Petrificus Totalus!" shouted Harry, as the second Death Eater raised his wand. His arms and legs snapped together and he fell forwards, face down on to the rug at Harry's feet, stiff as a board and unable to move.**

**"Well done, Ha -"**

**But the Death Eater Hermione had just struck dumb made a sudden slashing movement with his wand; a streak of what looked like purple flame passed right across Hermione's chest. She gave a tiny "Oh!" as though of surprise and crumpled on to the floor, where she lay motionless.**

**"HERMIONE!"**

"What was that?" Alice asked worriedly.

"Bone welder." Hermione winced, Ron put an arm around her protectively, growling at the memory, "It welds your bones together, paralyzing you permanently if it reaches your spine and neck." she shuddered, "I was fortunate he couldn't speak, it wasn't as strong so it didn't travel as fast, it had only got as far as my ribs when I was checked over by a Healer, then I was sent here to get healed since apparently Poppy's dealt with it before."

"She has." Regulus nodded, "It was me who invented that spell." he winced, "Completely by accident mind you, it was supposed to be used to keep broken bones straight until they were healed but Bella turned it evil."

**Harry fell to his knees beside her as Neville crawled rapidly towards her from under the desk, his wand held up in front of him. The Death Eater kicked out hard at Neville's head as he emerged - his foot broke Neville's wand in two and connected with his face.**

"Hey!" Alice and Frank yelled.

"Relax, it was just a broken nose. I've had worse, even though it always hurt." Neville told his parents.

**Neville gave a howl of pain and recoiled, clutching his mouth and nose. Harry twisted around, his own wand held high, and saw that the Death Eater had ripped off his mask and was pointing his wand directly at Harry, who recognised the long, pale, twisted face from the Daily Prophet: Antonin Dolohov, the wizard who had murdered the Prewetts.**

The Weasley's growled, "Hex him Harry!" Bill yelled.

"I planned on doing that." Harry told him dryly.

**Dolohov grinned. With his free hand, he pointed from the prophecy still clutched in Harry's hand, to himself, then at Hermione. Though he could no longer speak, his meaning could not have been clearer. Give me the prophecy, or you get the same as her...**

**"Like you won't kill us all anyway, the moment I hand it over!" said Harry.**

**A whine of panic inside his head was preventing him thinking properly: he had one hand on Hermione's shoulder, which was still warm, yet did not dare look at her properly. Don't let her be dead, don't let her be dead, it's my fault if she's dead...**

**"Whaddever you do, Harry," said Neville fiercely from under the desk, lowering his hands to show a clearly broken nose and blood pouring down his mouth and chin, "don'd gib it to him!"**

**Then there was a crash outside the door and Dolohov looked over his shoulder - the baby-headed Death Eater had appeared in the doorway, his head bawling, his great fists still flailing uncontrollably at everything around him. Harry seized his chance:**

**"PETRIFICUS TOTALUS!"**

**The spell hit Dolohov before he could block it and he toppled forwards across his comrade, both of them rigid as boards and unable to move an inch.**

**"Hermione," Harry said at once, shaking her as the baby-headed Death Eater blundered out of sight again. "Hermione, wake up..."**

**"Whaddid he do to her?" said Neville, crawling out from under the desk to kneel at her other side, blood streaming from his rapidly swelling nose.**

**"I dunno..."**

**Neville groped for Hermione's wrist.**

**"Dat's a pulse, Harry, I'b sure id is."**

**Such a powerful wave of relief swept through Harry that for a moment he felt light-headed.**

**"She's alive?"**

**"Yeah, I dink so."**

"Quite alive, yes. Just knocked out." Hermione smiled.

**There was a pause in which Harry listened hard for the sound of more footsteps, but all he could hear were the whimpers and blunderings of the baby-headed Death Eater in the next room.**

**"Neville, we're not far from the exit," Harry whispered, "we're right next to that circular room... if we can just get you across it and find the right door before any more Death Eaters come, I'll bet you can get Hermione up the corridor and into the lift... then you could find someone... raise the alarm..."**

**"And whad are you going do do?" said Neville, mopping his bleeding nose with his sleeve and frowning at Harry.**

**"I've got to find the others," said Harry.**

**"Well, I'b going do find dem wid you," said Neville firmly.**

**"But Hermione -"**

**"We'll dake her wid us," said Neville firmly. "I'll carry her - you're bedder at fighding dem dan I ab -"**

"And you could talk freely." Neville told Harry, "Pretty obvious I couldn't, I also didn't have my wand anymore." he shrugged.

"Didn't think of that." Harry mumbled.

**He stood up and seized one of Hermione's arms, glaring at Harry, who hesitated, then grabbed the other and helped hoist Hermione's limp form over Neville's shoulders.**

**"Wait," said Harry, snatching up Hermione's wand from the floor and shoving it into Neville's hand, "you'd better take this."**

**Neville kicked aside the broken fragments of his own wand as they walked slowly towards the door.**

**"My gran's going do kill be," said Neville thickly, blood spattering from his nose as he spoke, "dat was by dad's old wand."**

"But I've got mine here, how -"

"Not now Dad." Neville cut him off, "I'll explain later."

Frank studied his son for a minute before nodding.

**Harry stuck his head out of the door and looked around cautiously. The baby-headed Death Eater was screaming and banging into things, toppling grandfather clocks and overturning desks, bawling and confused, while the glass-fronted cabinet that Harry now suspected had contained Time-Turners continued to fall, shatter and repair itself on the wall behind them.**

**"He's never going to notice us," he whispered. "C'mon... keep close behind me..."**

**They crept out of the office and back towards the door into the black hallway, which now seemed completely deserted. They walked a few steps forwards, Neville tottering slightly due to Hermione's weight; the door of the Time Room swung shut behind them and the walls began to rotate once more. The recent blow on the back of Harry's head seemed to have unsteadied him; he narrowed his eyes, swaying slightly, until the walls stopped moving again. With a sinking heart, Harry saw that Hermione's fiery crosses had faded from the doors.**

**"So which way d'you reck -?"**

**But before they could make a decision as to which way to try, a door to their right sprang open and three people fell out of it.**

**"Ron!" croaked Harry, dashing towards them. "Ginny - are you all -?"**

**"Harry," said Ron, giggling weakly, lurching forwards, seizing the front of Harry's robes and gazing at him with unfocused eyes, "there you are... ha ha ha... you look funny, Harry... you're all messed up..."**

"Uh, what?" Charlie asked.

"We don't know what it was that hit me." Ron told him.

"Neither of us saw it." Ginny nodded, "I'd broken my ankle so I was more focused on that and Luna was stopping the Death Eater's getting me while I was down, and so was Ron."

"But Ron got hit by something and went all funny." Luna added.

**Ron's face was very white and something dark was trickling from the corner of his mouth. Next moment his knees had given way, but he still clutched the front of Harry's robes, so that Harry was pulled into a kind of bow.**

Andy frowned, "It sound's familiar." she said, "But I can't place it."

"It was a mix between the Imperious and the Confundus charm." Cissy muttered, "I've just realized... It must've been two people who hit you, one trying to confound you and the other trying to Imperio you." she told Ron, "Those two spells don't go well together."

"What about the blood then? Neither of them cut skin really do they?" he asked.

"It's the dark residue that comes from mixing the Imperious with a spell that confuses you, the residue makes the blood darker and often leaks out the mouth or ears." Andy explained, "I recognize it now, I saw it once or twice in the first war."

**"Ginny?" Harry said fearfully. "What happened?"**

**But Ginny shook her head and slid down the wall into a sitting position, panting and holding her ankle.**

**"I think her ankles broken, I heard something crack," whispered Luna, who was bending over her and who alone seemed to be unhurt. "Four of them chased us into a dark room full of planets; it was a very odd place, some of the time we were just floating in the dark -"**

**"Harry, we saw Uranus up close!" said Ron, still giggling feebly. "Get it, Harry? We saw Uranus - ha ha ha -"**

**A bubble of blood grew at the corner of Ron's mouth and burst.**

**"- anyway, one of them grabbed Ginny's foot, I used the Reductor Curse and blew up Pluto in his face, but..."**

**Luna gestured hopelessly at Ginny, who was breathing in a very shallow way, her eyes still closed.**

**"And what about Ron?" said Harry fearfully, as Ron continued to giggle, still hanging off the front of Harry's robes.**

**"I don't know what they hit him with," said Luna sadly, "but he's gone a bit funny, I could hardly get him along at all."**

**"Harry," said Ron, pulling Harry's ear down to his mouth and still giggling weakly, "you know who this girl is, Harry? She's Loony... Loony Lovegood... ha ha ha..."**

**"We've got to get out of here," said Harry firmly. "Luna, can you help Ginny?"**

**"Yes," said Luna, sticking her wand behind her ear for safekeeping, then putting an arm around Ginny's waist and pulling her up.**

**"It's only my ankle, I can do it myself!" said Ginny impatiently, but next moment she had collapsed sideways and grabbed Luna for support. Harry pulled Ron's arm over his shoulder just as, so many months ago, he had pulled Dudley's. He looked around: they had a one in twelve chance of getting the exit right first time -**

**He heaved Ron towards a door; they were within a few feet of it when another door across the hall burst open and three Death Eaters sped in, led by Bellatrix Lestrange.**

**"There they are!" she shrieked.**

**Stunning Spells shot across the room: Harry smashed his way through the door ahead, flung Ron unceremoniously from him and ducked back to help Neville in with Hermione: they were all over the threshold just in time to slam the door against Bellatrix.**

**"Colloportus!" shouted Harry, and he heard three bodies slam into the door on the other side.**

**"It doesn't matter!" said a man's voice. "There are other ways in - WE'VE GOT THEM, THEY'RE HERE!"**

**Harry span around; they were back in the Brain Room and, sure enough, there were doors all around the walls. He could hear footsteps in the hall behind them as more Death Eaters came running to join the first.**

**"Luna - Neville - help me!"**

**The three of them tore around the room, sealing the doors as they went; Harry crashed into a tbale and rolled over the top of it in his haste to reach the next door:**

**"Colloportus!"**

**There were footsteps running along behind the doors, every now and then another heavy body would launch itself against one, so it creaked and shuddered; Luna and Neville were bewitching the doors along the opposite wall - then, as Harry reached the very top of the room, he heard Luna cry:**

**"Collo - aaaaaaaaargh..."**

**He turned in time to see her flying through the air; five Death Eaters were surging into the room through the door she had not reached in time; Luna hit a desk, slid over its surface and on to the floor on the other side where she lay sprawled, as still as Hermione.**

**"Get Potter!" shrieked Bellatrix, and she ran at him; he dodged her and sprinted back up the room; he was safe as long as they thought they might hit the prophecy -**

**"Hey!" said Ron, who had staggered to his feet and was now tottering drunkenly towards Harry, giggling. "Hey, Harry, there are brains in here, ha ha ha, isn't that weird, Harry?"**

**"Ron, get out of the way, get down -"**

**But Ron had already pointed his wand at the tank.**

**"Honest, Harry, they're brains - look - Accio brain!"**

"Ron you stupid git!" the twins yelled in shock.

"You should never summon a brain -" George started.

"- Unless it's your own!" Fred finished.

"Learned that the hard way. And I wasn't exactly myself right then." Ron huffed.

**The scene seemed momentarily frozen. Harry, Ginny and Neville and each of the Death Eaters turned in spite of themselves to watch the top of the tank as a brain burst from the green liquid like a leaping fish: for a moment it seemed suspended in midair, then it soared towards Ron, spinning as it came, and what looked like ribbons of moving images flew from it, unravelling like rolls of film -**

**"Ha ha ha, Harry, look at it -" said Ron, watching it disgorge its gaudy innards, "Harry, come and touch it; bet it's weird -"**

**"RON, NO!"**

"Don't touch the brain!" they all yelled.

**Harry did not know what would happen if Ron touched the tentacles of thought now flying behind the brain, but he was sure it would not be anything good. He darted forwards but Ron had already caught the brain in his outstretched hands.**

**The moment they made contact with his skin, the tentacles began wrapping themselves around Ron's arms like ropes.**

**"Harry, look what's happen - No - no - I don't like it - no, stop - stop -"**

**But the thin ribbons were spinning around Ron's chest now; he tugged and tore at them as the brain was pulled tight against him like an octopus's body.**

**"Diffindo!" yelled Harry, trying to sever the feelers wrapping themselves tightly around Ron before his eyes, but they would not break. Ron fell over, still thrashing against his bonds.**

**"Harry, it'll suffocate him!" screamed Ginny, immobilised by her broken ankle on the floor - then a jet of red light flew from one of the Death Eater's wands and hit her squarely in the face. She keeled over sideways and lay there unconscious.**

Neville looked at Harry, _Ironic it's just us that were left isn't it?_

_Just a bit,_ he agreed, _Since to start with the prophecy could've meant both of us, it's highly ironic that it was us two left._

**"STUBEFY!" shouted Neville, wheeling around and waving Hermione's wand at the oncoming Death Eaters, "STUBEFY, STUBEFY!"**

They all groaned in disappointment.

**But nothing happened.**

**One of the Death Eaters shot their own Stunning Spell at Neville; it missed him by inches. Harry and Neville were now the only two left fighting the five Death Eaters, two of whom sent off streams of silver light like arrows which missed but left craters in the wall behind them. Harry ran for it as Bellatrix Lestrange raced right at him: holding the prophecy high above his head, he sprinted back up the room; all he could think of doing was to draw the Death Eaters away from the others.**

**It seemed to have worked; they streaked after him, knocking chairs and tables flying but not daring to bewitch him in case they hurt the prophecy, and he dashed through the only door still open, the one through which the Death Eaters themselves had come; inwardly praying that Neville would stay with Ron and find some way of releasing him. He ran a few feet into the new room and felt the floor vanish -**

**He was falling down steep stone step after steep stone step, bouncing on every tier until at last, with a crash that knocked all the breath out of his body, he landed flat on his back in the sunken pit where the stone archway stood on its dais. The whole room was ringing with the Death Eater's laughter: he looked up and saw the five who had been in the Brain Room descending towards him, while as many more emerged through other doorways and began leaping from bench to bench towards him. Harry got to his feet though his legs were trembling so badly they barely supported him: the prophecy was still miraculously unbroken in his left hand, his wand clutched tightly in his right. He backed away, looking around, trying to keep all the Death Eaters within his sight. The back of his legs hit something solid: he had reached the dais where the archway stood. He climbed backwards onto it.**

**The Death Eaters all halted, gazing at him. Some were panting as hard as he was. One was bleeding badly; Dolohov, freed of the Body-Bind Curse, was leering, his wand pointing straight at Harry's face.**

**"Potter, your race is run," drawled Lucius Malfoy, pulling off his mask, "now hand me the prophecy like a good boy."**

**"Let - let the others go, and I'll give it to you!" said Harry desperately.**

**A few of the Death Eaters laughed.**

**"You are not in a position to bargain, Potter," said Lucius Malfoy, his pale face flushed with pleasure. "You see, there are ten of us and only one of you... or hasn't Dumbledore ever taught you how to count?"**

**"He's dot alone!" shouted a voice from above them. "He's still god be!"**

"Neville!" Alice groaned, "Did you really have to go charging in when you couldn't even pronounce any spells?"

"Yes, I wasn't leaving him alone." Neville told her.

Frank grinned at his son proudly as Alice shook her head in resignation.

**Harry's heart sank: Neville was scrambling down the stone benches towards them, Hermione's wand held fast in his trembling hand.**

**"Neville - no - go back to Ron -"**

**"STUBEFY!" Neville shouted again, pointing his wand at each Death Eater in turn. "STUBEFY! STUBE -"**

**One of the largest Death Eaters seized Neville from behind, pinioning his arms to his sides. He struggled and kicked; several of the Death Eaters laughed.**

**"It's Longbottom, isn't it?" sneered Lucius Malfoy. "Well, your grandmother is used to losing family members to our cause... your death will not come as a great shock."**

**"Longbottom?" repeated Bellatrix, and a truly evil smile lit her gaunt face. "Why, I have had the pleasure of meeting your parents, boy."**

Frank and Alice growled at the memory.

**"I DOE YOU HAB!" roared Neville, and he fought so hard against his captor's encircling grip that the Death Eater shouted, "Someone Stun him!"**

**"No, no, no," said Bellatrix. She looked transported, alive with excitement as she glanced at Harry, then back at Neville. "No, let's see how long Longbottom lasts before he cracks like his parents... unless Potter wants to give us the prophecy."**

"She wouldn't dare." Alice said, going pale.

"She'd do anything for me to hand that prophecy over." Harry said grimly.

**"DON'D GIB ID DO DEM!" roared Neville, who seemed beside himself, kicking and writhing as Bellatrix drew nearer to him and his captor, her wand raised. "DON'D GIB ID DO DEM, HARRY!"**

"You know what's going to happen." Neville winced.

**Bellatrix raised her wand. "Crucio!"**

**Neville screamed, his legs drawn up to his chest so that the Death Eater holding him was momentarily holding him off the ground. The Death Eater dropped him and he fell to the floor, twitching and screaming in agony.**

**"That was just a taster!" said Bellatrix, raising her wand so that Neville's screams stopped and he lay sobbing at her feet. She turned and gazed up at Harry. "Now, Potter, either give us the prophecy, or watch your little friend die the hard way!"**

**Harry did not have to think; there was no choice. The prophecy was hot with the heat of his clutching hand as he held it out. Malfoy jumped forwards to take it.**

**Then, high above them, two more doors burst open and five more people sprinted into the room: Sirius, Lupin, Moody, Tonks and Kingsley.**

"About bloody time you showed up." James muttered.

"We couldn't find them!" Dora protested.

"I couldn't even sniff them out as Padfoot, their scent's all went around in circles." Sirius added.

**Malfoy turned, and raised his wand, but Tonks had already sent a Stunning Spell right at him. Harry did not wait to see whether it had made contact, but dived off the dais out of the way. The Death Eaters were completely distracted by the appearance of the members of the Order, who were now raining spells down upon them as they jumped from step to step towards the sunken floor. Through the darting bodies, the flashes of light, Harry could see Neville crawling along. He dodged another jet of red light and flung himself flat on the ground to reach Neville.**

**"Are you OK?" he yelled, as another spell soared inches over their heads.**

**"Yes," said Neville, trying to pull himself up.**

**"And Ron?"**

**"I dink he's all righd - he was still fighding de brain when I lefd -"**

"Which was really weird saying." Neville commented.

"Not everyday someone has to fight a brain." Ron winced.

**The stone floor between them exploded as a spell hit it, leaving a crater right where Neville's hand had been only seconds before; both scrambled away from the spot, then a thick arm came out of nowhere, seized Harry around the neck and pulled him upright, so that his toes were barely touching the floor.**

**"Give it to me," growled a voice in his ear, "give me the prophecy -"**

**The man was pressing so tightly on Harry's windpipe that he could not breathe. Through watering eyes he saw Sirius duelling with a Death Eater some ten feet away; Kingsley was fighting two at once; Tonks, still halfway up the tiered seats, was firing spells down at Bellatrix - nobody seemed to realise that Harry was dying. He turned his wand backwards towards the man's side, but had no breath to utter an incantation, and the man's free hand was groping towards the hand in which Harry was grasping the prophecy -**

**"AARGH!"**

**Neville had come lunging out of nowhere; unable to articulate a spell, he had jabbed Hermione's wand hard into the eyehole of the Death Eater's mask. The man relinquished Harry at once with a howl of pain. Harry whirled around to face him and gasped:**

**"STUPEFY!"**

**The Death Eater keeled over backwards and his mask slipped off: it was Macnair, Buckbeak's would-be killer, one of his eyes now swollen and bloodshot.**

**"Thanks!" Harry said to Neville, pulling him aside as Sirius and his Death Eater lurched past, duelling so fiercely that their wands were blurs; then Harry's foot made contact with something round and hard and he slipped. For a moment he thought he had dropped the prophecy, but then he saw Moody's magical eye spinning away across the floor.**

**Its owner was lying on his side, bleeding from the head, and his attacker was now bearing down upon Harry and Neville: Dolohov, his long pale face twisted with glee.**

"Mad-Eye!" the people who hadn't known all yelled in shock.

"He was fine." Dora told them, still looking a little shocked herself, "He got hit with a simple cutting curse of all things. It hit a sensitive nerve on the back of his head."

**"Tarantallegra!" he shouted, his wand pointing at Neville, whose legs went immediately into a kind of frenzied tap-dance, unbalancing him and causing him to fall to the floor again. "Now, Potter -"**

**He made the same slashing movement with his wand that he had used on Hermione just as Harry yelled, "Protego!"**

**Harry felt something streak across his face like a blunt knife; the force of it knocked him sideways and he fell over Neville's jerking legs, but the Shield Charm had stopped the worst of the spell.**

"Good." Lily said, looking pale.

**Dolohov raised his wand again. "Accio proph -"**

**Sirius had hurtled out of nowhere, rammed Dolohov with his shoulder and sent him flying out of the way. The prophecy had again flown to the tips of Harry's fingers but he had managed to cling on to it. Now Sirius and Dolohov were duelling, their wands flashing like swords, sparks flying from their wand-tips -**

**Dolohov drew back his wand to make the same slashing movement he had used on Harry and Hermione. Springing up, Harry yelled, "Petrificus Totalus!" Once again, Dolohov's arms and legs snapped together and he keeled over backwards, landing with a crash on his back.**

**"Nice one!" shouted Sirius, forcing Harry's head down as a pair of Stunning Spells flew towards them. "Now I want you to get out of -"**

**They both ducked again; a jet of green light had narrowly missed Sirius. Across the room Harry saw Tonks fall from halfway up the stone steps, her limp form toppling from stone seat to stone seat and Bellatrix, triumphant, running back towards the fray.**

"No!" they all groaned.

Dora just made a face, "I'm surprised she didn't kill me."

"What did she hit you with?" Regulus asked, looking unsure whether he wanted to know or not.

"Same thing Hermione was hit with." Remus told him, putting a protective arm around his wife as she shuddered.

"Just a little stronger than that one." Dora nodded, "I only survived it because of the metamorphing, even unconscious it stopped the spell melting most of my bones together."

**"Harry, take the prophecy, grab Neville and run!" Sirius yelled, dashing to meet Bellatrix. Harry did not see what happened next: Kingsley swayed across his field of vision, battling with the pockmarked and no longer masked Rookwood; another jet of green light flew over Harry's head as he launched himself towards Neville -**

**"Can you stand?" he bellowed in Neville's ear, as Neville's legs jerked and twitched uncontrollably. "Put your arm round my neck -"**

**Neville did so - Harry heaved - Neville's legs were still lying in every direction, they would not support him, and then, out of nowhere, a man lunged at them: both fell backwards, Neville's legs waving wildly like an overturned beetle's, Harry with his left arm held up in the air to try to save the small glass ball from being smashed.**

**"The prophecy, give me the prophecy, Potter!" snarled Lucius Malfoy's voice in his ear, and Harry felt the tip of Malfoy's wand pressing hard between his ribs.**

**"No - get - off - me... Neville - catch it!"**

**Harry flung the prophecy across the floor, Neville span himself around on his back and scooped the ball to his chest. Malfoy pointed the wand instead at Neville, but Harry jabbed his own wand back over his shoulder and yelled, "Impedimenta!"**

**Malfoy was blasted off his back. As Harry scrambled up again he looked around and saw Malfoy smash into the dais on which Sirius and Bellatrix were now duelling. Malfoy aimed his wand at Harry and Neville again, but before he could draw breath to strike, Lupin had jumped between them.**

**"Harry, round up the others and GO!"**

**Harry seized Neville by the shoulder of his robes and lifted him bodily on to the first tier of stone steps; Neville's legs twitched and jerked and would not support his weight; Harry heaved again with all the strength he possessed and they climbed another step -**

**A spell hit the stone bench at Harry's heel; it crumbled away and he fell back to the step below. Neville sank to the ground, his legs still jerking and thrashing, and he thrust the prophecy into his pocket.**

**"Come on!" said Harry desperately, hauling at Neville's robes. "Just try and push with your legs -"**

"One of you should've got rid of the hex." James told Sirius and Remus.

"I thought Harry would've figured out Finite would work. That's a second year hex." Remus frowned.

"Didn't think of it." Harry admitted tensely.

**He gave another stupendous heave and Neville's robes tore all along the left seam - the small spun-glass ball dropped from his pocket and, before either of them could catch it, one of Neville's floundering feet kicked it: it flew some ten feet to their right and smashed on the step beneath them. As both of them stared at the place where it had broken, appalled at what had happened, a pearly-white figure with hugely magnified eyes rose into the air, unnoticed by any but them. Harry could see its mouth moving, but in all the crashes and screams and yells surrounding them, not one word of the prophecy could he hear. The figure stopped speaking and dissolved into nothingness.**

"Probably for the best." Lily mused, "At least the Death Eater's couldn't get it."

**"Harry, I'b sorry!" cried Neville, his face anguished as his legs continued to flounder. "I'b so sorry, Harry, I didn'd bean do -"**

**"It doesn't matter!" Harry shouted. "Just try and stand, let's get out of -"**

**"Dubbledore!" said Neville, his sweaty face suddenly transported, staring over Harry's shoulder.**

**"What?"**

**"DUBBLEDORE!"**

**Harry turned to look where Neville was staring. Directly above them, framed in the doorway from the Brain Room, stood Albus Dumbledore, his wand aloft, his face white and furious. Harry felt a kind of electric charge surge through every particle of his body - they were saved.**

"Albus!" they all cheered.

**Dumbledore sped down the steps past Neville and Harry, who had no more thoughts of leaving. Dumbledore was already at the foot of the steps when the Death Eaters nearest realised he was there and yelled to the others. One of the Death Eaters ran for it, scrabbling like a monkey up the stone steps opposite. Dumbledore's spell pulled him back as easily and effortlessly as though he had hooked him with an invisible line -**

**Only one pair was still battling, apparently unaware of the new arrival. Harry saw Sirius duck Bellatrix's jet of red light: he was laughing at her.**

**"Come on, you can do better than that!" he yelled, his voice echoing around the cavernous room.**

**The second jet of light hit him squarely on the chest.**

"No!" Regulus yelled, realizing this was when his brother died. The other returnees, except Fred, Remus and Dora who knew, Frank and Alice had realized this too and were all looking shocked.

**The laughter had not quite died from his face, but his eyes widened in shock.**

**Harry released Neville, though he was unaware of doing so. He was jumping down the steps again, pulling out his wand, as Dumbledore, too, turned towards the dais.**

**It seemed to take Sirius an age to fall: his body curved in a graceful arc as he sank backwards through the ragged veil hanging from the arch.**

**Harry saw the look of mingled fear and surprise on his godfather's wasted, once-handsome face as he fell through the ancient doorway and disappeared behind the veil, which fluttered for a moment as though in a high wind, then fell back into place.**

**Harry heard Bellatrix Lestrange's triumphant scream, but knew it meant nothing - Sirius had only just fallen through the archway, he would reappear from the other side any second...**

"Not this time." Sirius said sadly.

**But Sirius did not reappear.**

**"SIRIUS!" Harry yelled. "SIRIUS!"**

**He had reached the floor, his breath coming in searing gasps. Sirius must be just behind the curtain, he, Harry, would pull him back out...**

"Someone grab him!" James yelled.

Harry had his head between his knees again, he was trembling, and Ginny was rubbing circles on his back soothingly.

**But as he reached the ground and sprinted towards the dais, Lupin grabbed Harry around the chest, holding him back.**

**"There's nothing you can do, Harry -"**

**"Get him, save him, he's only just gone through!"**

**"- it's too late, Harry."**

**"We can still reach him -" Harry struggled hard and viciously, but Lupin would not let go...**

**"There's nothing you can do, Harry... nothing... he's gone."**

They all winced at Harry's voice in the memory and the pain in Remus's when he had to tell Harry, Sirius was gone.

They were all silent for a moment.

"So that's how you died." Regulus stated, looking at his brother miserably.

"Yeah." he sighed softly, "I got distracted. You alright Harry?"

"Fine." he mumbled into his knees.

Sirius sighed and went over to his Godson, sitting on the edge of the bed beside him, "No you're not, of course you're not." he muttered, pulling his reluctant Godson into a hug, "I hope you didn't blame yourself for that pup, it was my own fault, I shouldn't have gotten distracted."

"You wouldn't have been there if I hadn't believed the vision." Harry said miserably into Sirius's shoulder.

"Harry look at me." Sirius said, Harry slowly looked up and met his Godfathers eyes, "It wasn't your fault, it wasn't anyone's fault but mine. Got it?"

Harry looked away and didn't answer.

Sirius looked helplessly around the room for help.

"Harry, you were 15 and you thought the vision was true. Hell, if I hadn't known what happened back then I'd think it was real too." Remus admitted, "It was no-one's fault really. Not even Sirius's, he didn't know he'd get killed by a curtain."

"Magical veil of Death." Sirius corrected him.

"Still a bloody curtain." Harry mumbled.

Ginny sighed and whacked the back of Harry's head, "Stop blaming yourself right now and listen to them, we've told you countless times it wasn't your fault. It's time you start listening to us." she said firmly.

Harry didn't answer but looked sulky.

"Don't try that mate." Ron warned him.

"Try what?" Lily asked confused.

"Not talking, he did it for the rest of the school year." Hermione clarified, "Harry were you even listening to what Sirius and Remus said?"

"Yes." he muttered, "Let's just move on, I don't want to talk about it anymore."

* * *

><p>Review please x<p> 


	100. Chapter 100

Chapter 100 - Fifth Year (Part 19.5)

Harry shook Sirius off and changed the memory as his godfather sighed and returned to his seat. He himself sat down again, determinedly not looking at anyone, and flicked his wand to start the memory without a word.

**"He hasn't gone!" Harry yelled.**

**He did not believe it; he would not believe it; still he fought Lupin with every bit of strength he had. Lupin did not understand; people hid behind that curtain; Harry had heard them whispering the first time he had entered the room. Sirius was hiding, simply lurking out of sight -**

**"SIRIUS!" he bellowed. "SIRIUS!"**

**"He can't come back, Harry," said Lupin, his voice breaking as he struggled to contain Harry. "He can't come back, because he's d -"**

**"HE - IS - NOT - DEAD!" roared Harry. "SIRIUS!"**

"You had to make it difficult didn't you?" Remus sighed.

"I didn't understand about the veil." Was the dull reply.

**There was movement going on around them, pointless bustling, the flashes of more spells. To Harry it was meaningless noise, the deflected curses flying past them did not matter, nothing mattered except that Lupin should stop pretending that Sirius - who was standing feet from them behind that old curtain - was not going to emerge at any moment, shaking back his dark hair and eager to re-enter the battle.**

**Lupin dragged Harry away from the dais. Harry still staring at the archway, was angry at Sirius now for keeping him waiting -**

**But some part of him realised, even as he fought to break free from Lupin, that Sirius had never kept him waiting before... Sirius had risked everything, always, to see Harry to help him... if Sirius was not reappearing out of that archway when Harry was yelling for him as though his life depended on it, the only possible explanation was that he could not come back... that he really was -**

They all had tears falling down their faces at Harry's thoughts as the man himself hid his face in Ginny's hair.

**Dumbledore had most of the remaining Death Eaters grouped in the middle of the room, seemingly immobilised by invisible ropes; Mad-Eye Moody had crawled across the room to where Tonks lay, and was attempting to revive her; behind the dais there were still flashes of light, grunts and cries - Kingsley had run forward to continue Sirius's duel with Bellatrix.**

**"Harry?"**

**Neville had slid down the stone benches one by one to the place where Harry stood. Harry was no longer struggling against Lupin, who maintained a precautionary grip on his arm nevertheless.**

**"Harry... I'b really sorry..." said Neville. His legs were still dancing uncontrollably. "Was dad man - was Sirius Black a-a friend of yours?"**

**Harry nodded.**

**"Here," said Lupin quietly, and pointing his wand at Neville's legs he said, "Finite." The spell was lifted: Neville's legs fell back to the floor and remained still. Lupin's face was pale. "Let's - let's find the others. Where are they all, Neville?"**

**Lupin turned away from the archway as he spoke. It sounded as though every word was causing him pain.**

"Of course it was. Damn it Padfoot I told you to stay at Grimmauld!" Remus yelled, unable to keep quiet anymore, "I told you to stay in the house!" he was visibly shaking now

Sirius looked at him in annoyance, "And I told you there wasn't a chance in hell that I wasn't going to show up when Harry needed me and he needed all the help he could get right then!"

"You shouldn't have gone Sirius." Dora told him, as Remus calmed himself down, "I told you it was too risky to have you dueling anyone, you were out of practice."

Sirius growled and changed into Padfoot to stop himself from saying something he'd regret.

"We'll be talking about this later." Remus growled at him, Padfoot just looked bored.

**"Dey're all back dere," said Neville. "A brain addacked Ron bud I dink he's all righd - and Herbione's unconscious, bud we could feel a bulse -"**

**There was a loud bang and a yell from behind the dais. Harry saw Kingsley hit the ground yelling in pain: Bellatrix Lestrange turned tail and ran as Dumbledore whipped around. He aimed a spell at her but she deflected it; she was halfway up the steps now -**

"Ironic that everyone but you got hit." Kingsley told Remus, "Though I suppose it made sense for them to target the Auror's present."

"And another ex-convict." Sirius mused, changing back to human, "I knew Bella would focus on me at the first chance she got."

"In other words once she'd dealt with me." Dora made a face.

**"Harry - no!" cried Lupin, but Harry had already ripped his arm from Lupin's slackened grip.**

"Damn it! Grab him again!" Lily cried.

"I'm not doing what you think I'm doing." Harry said, voice muffled, "Unless you think I'm going after her."

**"SHE KILLED SIRIUS!" bellowed Harry. "SHE KILLED HIM - I'LL KILL HER!"**

**And he was off, scrambling up the stone benches; people were shouting behind him but he did not care. The hem of Bellatrix's robes whipped out of sight ahead and they were back in the room where the brains were swimming...**

**She aimed a curse over her shoulder. The tank rose into the air and tipped. Harry was deluged in the foul-smelling potion within: the brains slipped and slid over him and began spinning their long coloured tentacles, but he shouted, "Wingardium Leviosa!" and they flew off him up into the air. Slipping and sliding, he ran on towards the door; he leapt over Luna, who was groaning on the floor, past Ginny, who said, "Harry - what -?", past Ron, who giggled feebly, and Hermione, who was still unconscious. He wrenched open the door into the circular black hall and saw Bellatrix disappearing through a door on the other side of the room; beyond her was the corridor leading back to the lifts.**

"That was confusing." Ginny scowled, "We didn't know what had happened."

**He ran, but she had slammed the door behind her and the walls were already rotating. Once more, he was surrounded by streaks of blue light from the whirling candelabra.**

**"Where's the exit?" he shouted desperately, as the wall rumbled to a halt again. "Where's the way out?"**

**The room seemed to have been waiting for him to ask. The door right behind him flew open and the corridor towards the lifts stretched ahead of him, torch-lit and empty. He ran...**

**He could hear a lift clattering ahead; he sprinted up the passageway, swung around the corner and slammed his fist on to the button to call a second lift. It jangled and banged lower and lower; the grilles slid open and Harry dashed inside, now hammering the button marked 'Atrium'. The doors slid shut and he was rising...**

**He forced his way out of the lift before the grilles were fully open and looked around. Bellatrix was almost at the telephone lift at the other end of the hall, but she looked back as he sprinted towards her and aimed another spell at him. He dodged behind the Fountain of Magical Brethren: the spell zoomed past him and hit the wrought-gold gates at the other end of the Atrium so that they rang like bells. There were no more footsteps. She had stopped running. He crouched behind the statues, listening.**

**"Come out, come out, little Harry!" she called in her mock baby voice, which echoed off the polished wooden floors. "What did you come after me for, then? I thought you were here to avenge my dear cousin!"**

**"I am!" shouted Harry, and a score of ghostly Harry's seemed to chorus I am! I am! I am! all around the room.**

**"Aaaaaah... did you love him, little baby Potter?"**

**Hatred rose in Harry such as he had never known before; he flung himself out from behind the fountain and bellowed, "Crucio!"**

They all looked overly shocked at Harry using an Unforgiveable but one look at Harry, who was now staring at the ceiling with a very dark look on his face, stopped anyone saying anything about it.

**Bellatrix screamed: the spell had knocked her off her feet, but she did not writhe and shriek with pain as Neville had - she was already back on her feet, breathless, no longer laughing. Harry dodged behind the golden fountain again. Her counter-spell hit the head of the handsome wizard, which was blown off and landed twenty feet away, gouging long scratches into the wooden floor.**

**"Never used an Unforgivable Curse before, have you, boy?" she yelled. She had abandoned her baby voice now. "You need to mean them, Potter! You need to really want to cause pain - to enjoy it - righteous anger won't hurt me for long - I'll show you how it is done, shall I? I'll give you a lesson -"**

"Don't listen to her!" Draco yelled.

"Wasn't going to." Harry muttered.

**Harry was edging around the fountain on the other side when she screamed, "Crucio!" and he was forced to duck down again as the centaur's arm, holding its bow, span off and landed with a crash on the floor a short distance from the golden wizard's head.**

**"Potter, you cannot win against me!" she cried.**

**He could hear her moving to the right, trying to get a clear shot of him. He backed around the statue away from her, crouching behind the centaur's legs, his head level with the house-elf's.**

**"I was and am the Dark Lord's most loyal servant. I learned the Dark Arts from him, and I know spells of such power that you, pathetic little boy, can never hope to compete -"**

**"Stupefy!" yelled Harry. He had edged right around to where the goblin stood beaming up at the now headless wizard and taken aim at her back as she peered around the fountain. She reacted so fast he barely had time to duck.**

**"Protego!"**

**The jet of red light, his own Stunning Spell, bounced back at him. Harry scrambled back behind the fountain and one of the goblin's ears went flying across the room.**

**"Potter, I'm going to give you one chance!" shouted Bellatrix. "Give me the prophecy - roll it out towards me now - and I may spare your life!"**

**'Well, you're going to have to kill me, because it's gone!' Harry roared and, as he shouted it, pain seared across his forehead; his scar was on fire again, and he felt a surge of fury that was quite unconnected with his own rage. "And he knows!" said Harry, with a mad laugh to match Bellatrix's own. "Your dear old mate Voldemort knows it's gone! He's not going to be happy with you, is he?"**

**"What? What do you mean?" she cried, and for the first time there was fear in her voice.**

**"The prophecy smashed when I was trying to get Neville up the steps! What do you think Voldemort'll say about that, then?"**

**His scar seared and burned... the pain of it was making his eyes stream...**

**"LIAR!" she shrieked, but he could hear the terror behind the anger now. "YOU'VE GOT IT, POTTER, AND YOU WILL GIVE IT TO ME! Accio prophecy! ACCIO PROPHECY!"**

**Harry laughed again because he knew it would incense her, the pain building in his head so badly he thought his skull might burst. He waved his empty hand from behind the one-eared goblin and withdrew it quickly as she sent another jet of green light flying at him.**

**"Nothing there!" he shouted. "Nothing to summon! It smashed and nobody heard what it said, tell your boss that!"**

**"No!" she screamed. "It isn't true, you're lying! MASTER, I TRIED, I TRIED - DO NOT PUNISH ME -"**

**"Don't waste your breath!" yelled Harry, his eyes screwed up against the pain in his scar, now more terrible than ever. "He can't hear you from here!"**

**"Can't I, Potter?" said a high, cold voice.**

"Crap, he's there isn't he?" Charlie winced.

"Yes." Albus sighed.

**Harry opened his eyes.**

**Tall, thin and black-hooded, his terrible snakelike face white and gaunt, his scarlet, slit-pupilled eyes staring... Lord Voldemort had appeared in the middle of the hall, his wand pointing at Harry who stood frozen, quite unable to move.**

**"So, you smashed my prophecy?" said Voldemort softly, staring at Harry with those pitiless red eyes. "No, Bella, he is not lying... I see the truth looking at me from within his worthless mind... months of preparation, months of effort... and my Death Eaters have let Harry Potter thwart me again..."**

**"Master, I am sorry, I knew not, I was fighting the Animagus Black!" sobbed Bellatrix, flinging herself down at Voldemort's feet as he paced slowly nearer. "Master, you should know -"**

**"Be quiet, Bella," said Voldemort dangerously. "I shall deal with you in a moment. Do you think I have entered the Ministry of Magic to hear your snivelling apologies?"**

**"But Master - he is here - he is below -"**

"He?" the twins asked.

"She means Albus." Minerva explained, "Voldemort always was afraid of Albus."

"Maybe not even afraid, just intimidated I think." Albus mused.

**Voldemort paid no attention.**

**"I have nothing more to say to you, Potter," he said quietly. "You have irked me too often, for too long. AVADA KEDAVRA!"**

**Harry had not even opened his mouth to resist; his mind was blank, his wand pointing uselessly at the floor.**

**But the headless golden statue of the wizard in the fountain had sprung alive, leaping from its plinth to land with a crash on the floor between Harry and Voldemort. The spell merely glanced off its chest as the statue flung out its arms to protect Harry.**

**"What -?" cried Voldemort, staring around. And then he breathed, "Dumbledore!"**

**Harry looked behind him, his heart pounding. Dumbledore was standing in front of the golden gates.**

**Voldemort raised his wand and another jet of green light streaked at Dumbledore, who turned and was gone in a whirling of his cloak. Next second, he had reappeared behind Voldemort and waved his wand towards the remnants of the fountain. The other statues sprang to life. The statue of the witch ran at Bellatrix, who screamed and sent spells streaming uselessly off its chest, before it dived at her, pinning her to the floor. Meanwhile, the goblin and the house-elf scuttled towards the fireplaces set along the wall and the one-armed centaur galloped at Voldemort, who vanished and reappeared beside the pool. The headless statue thrust Harry backwards, away from the fight, as Dumbledore advanced on Voldemort and the golden centaur cantered around them both.**

**"It was foolish to come here tonight, Tom," said Dumbledore calmly. "The Aurors are on their way -"**

"The Auror's your Death Eater's weren't dueling." Kingsley said ruefully, "I was the only Auror there that was still conscious."

"But you weren't in any state to do anything." Remus pointed out, "Conscious or not you couldn't exactly help when you couldn't move."

"What was it you were hit with?" James asked him.

"Cruciatus, I'd been hit with it earlier that day and it really didn't agree with the potions I'd taken to help with the pain." Kingsley sighed, "Made it worse actually, the potions were just starting to wear off, I'd forgotten to take the second dose." he winced, "Though I don't regret going, there might've been another death if I hadn't."

"I wouldn't put it past Bella to kill the unconscious people, or even try and kill Remus." Cissy grimaced, "I think that was her original plan."

**"By which time I shall be gone, and you will be dead!" spat Voldemort. He sent another killing curse at Dumbledore but missed, instead hitting the security guard's desk, which burst into flame.**

**Dumbledore flicked his own wand: the force of the spell that emanated from it was such that Harry, though shielded by his golden guard, felt his hair stand on end as it passed and this time Voldemort was forced to conjure a shining silver shield out of thin air to deflect it. The spell, whatever it was, caused no visible damage to the shield, though a deep, gong-like note reverberated from it - an oddly chilling sound.**

**"You do not seek to kill me, Dumbledore?" called Voldemort, his scarlet eyes narrowed over the top of the shield. "Above such brutality, are you?"**

**"We both know that there are other ways of destroying a man, Tom," Dumbledore said calmly, continuing to walk towards Voldemort as though he had not a fear in the world, as though nothing had happened to interrupt his stroll up the hall. "Merely taking your life would not satisfy me, I admit -"**

**"There is nothing worse than death, Dumbledore!" snarled Voldemort.**

"Yes there is. Experienced that personally." Alice winced.

**"You are quite wrong," said Dumbledore, still closing in upon Voldemort and speaking as lightly as though they were discussing the matter over drinks. Harry felt scared to see him walking along, undefended, shieldless; he wanted to cry out a warning, but his headless guard kept shunting him backwards towards the wall, blocking his every attempt to get out from behind it. "Indeed, your failure to understand that there are things much worse than death has always been your greatest weakness -"**

**Another jet of green light flew from behind the silver shield. This time it was the one-armed centaur, galloping in front of Dumbledore, that took the blast and shattered into a hundred pieces, but before the fragments had even hit the floor, Dumbledore had drawn back his wand and waved it as though brandishing a whip. A long thin flame flew from the tip; it wrapped itself around Voldemort, shield and all. For a moment, it seemed Dumbledore had won, but then the fiery rope became a serpent, which relinquished its hold on Voldemort at once and turned, hissing furiously, to face Dumbledore.**

**Voldemort vanished; the snake reared from the floor, ready to strike -**

**There was a burst of flame in midair above Dumbledore just as Voldemort reappeared, standing on the plinth in the middle of the pool where so recently the five statues had stood.**

Everyone was watching the duel silently in amazement.

**"Look out!" Harry yelled.**

**But even as he shouted, another jet of green light flew at Dumbledore from Voldemort's wand and the snake struck -**

**Fawkes swooped down in front of Dumbledore, opened his beak wide and swallowed the jet of green light whole: he burst into flame and fell to the floor, small, wrinkled and flightless. At the same moment, Dumbledore brandished his wand in one long, fluid movement - the snake, which had been an instant from sinking its fangs into him, flew high into the air and vanished in a wisp of dark smoke; and the water in the pool rose up and covered Voldemort like a cocoon of molten glass.**

"Cool." the twins breathed.

**For a few seconds Voldemort was visible only as a dark, rippling, faceless figure, shimmering and indistinct upon the plinth, clearly struggling to throw off the suffocating mass -**

**Then he was gone and the water fell with a crash back into its pool, slopping wildly over the sides, drenching the polished floor.**

**"MASTER!" screamed Bellatrix.**

**Sure it was over, sure Voldemort had decided to flee, Harry made to run out from behind his statue guard, but Dumbledore bellowed: "Stay where you are, Harry!"**

**For the first time, Dumbledore sounded frightened. Harry could not see why: the hall was quite empty but for themselves, the sobbing Bellatrix still trapped under the witch statue, and the baby phoenix Fawkes croaking feebly on the floor -**

**Then Harry's scar burst open and he knew he was dead: it was pain beyond imagining, pain past endurance -**

**He was gone from the hall, he was locked in the coils of a creature with red eyes, so tightly bound that Harry did not know where his body ended and the creatures began: they were fused together, bound by pain, and there was no escape -**

"What's going on?!" Lily demanded.

"He's trying to possess me." Harry sighed, glaring at the memory.

**And when the creature spoke, it used Harry's mouth, so that in his agony he felt his jaw move...**

**"Kill me now, Dumbledore..."**

**Blinded and dying, every part of him screaming for release, Harry felt the creature use him again...**

**"If death is nothing, Dumbledore, kill the boy..."**

**Let the pain stop, thought Harry... let him kill us... end it, Dumbledore... death is nothing compared to this...**

**And I'll see Sirius again...**

**And as Harry's heart filled with emotion, the creatures coils loosened, the pain was gone; Harry was lying face down on the floor, his glasses gone, shivering as though he lay upon ice, not wood...**

"What -? Why'd he let go?" Sirius frowned.

"Love." Albus chuckled, "He could not stand to be anywhere near Harry when Harry thought about people he loved."

"An advantage for me." Harry nodded, "A bit like a Patronus really. He's the Dementor, I'm the protector." He smirked suddenly, "It also left him with a killer migraine when I did that to him."

"Good." James nodded once, "Deserves it, evil git."

**And there were voices echoing through the hall, more voices than there should have been... Harry opened his eyes, saw his glasses lying by the heel of the headless statue that had been guarding him, but which now lay flat on its back, cracked and immobile. He put them on and raised his head a little to find Dumbledore's crooked nose inches from his own.**

**"Are you all right, Harry?"**

**"Yes," said Harry, shaking so violently he could not hold his head up properly. "Yeah, I'm - where's Voldemort, where - who are all these - what's -"**

**The Atrium was full of people; the floor was reflecting the emerald green flames that had burst into fire in all the fireplaces along one wall; and streams of witches and wizards were emerging from them. As Dumbledore pulled him back to his feet, Harry saw the tiny gold statues of the house-elf and the goblin, leading a stunned-looking Cornelius Fudge forward.**

**"He was there!" shouted a scarlet-robed man with a ponytail, who was pointing at a pile of golden rubble on the other side of the hall, where Bellatrix had lain trapped only moments before. "I saw him, Mr. Fudge, I swear it was You-Know-Who, he grabbed a woman and Disapparated!"**

**"I know, Williamson, I know, I saw him too!" gibbered Fudge, who was wearing pyjamas under his pinstriped cloak and was gasping as though he had just run miles. "Merlin's beard - here - here! - in the Ministry of Magic! - great heavens above - it doesn't seem possible - my word - how can this be -?"**

"So now he'll have to admit he was wrong." Petunia commented, "And that Voldemort really is back."

"He had to give a public apology to Harry and Albus too." Remus nodded.

"Not that I was bothered about it right then." Harry shrugged, "But even if I were bothered I wouldn't have accepted it."

"I certainly didn't." Albus told him, "I told Cornelius countless times Voldemort was back, the proof was everywhere, he tried taking over Hogwarts and almost succeeded. I certainly wasn't accepting his apology after that year."

**"If you proceed downstairs into the Department of Mysteries, Cornelius," said Dumbledore - apparently satisfied that Harry was all right, and walking forwards so that the newcomers realised he was there for the first time (a few of them raised their wands; others simply looked amazed; the statues of the elf and goblin applauded and Fudge jumped so much that his slipper-clad feet left the floor) - "you will find several escaped Death Eaters contained in the Death Chamber, bound by an Anti-Disapparation Jinx and awaiting your decision as to what to do with them."**

**"Dumbledore!" gasped Fudge, beside himself with amazement. "You - here - I-I -"**

**He looked wildly around at the Aurors he had brought with him and it could not have been clearer that he was in half a mind to cry, "Seize him!"**

**"Cornelius, I am ready to fight your men - and win, again!" said Dumbledore in a thunderous voice. "But a few minutes ago you saw proof, with your own eyes, that I have been telling you the truth for a year. Lord Voldemort has returned, you have been chasing the wrong man for twelve months, and it is time you listened to sense!"**

**"I - don't - well -" blustered Fudge, looking around as though hoping somebody was going to tell him what to do. When nobody did, he said, "Very well - Dawlish! Williamson! Go down to the Department of Mysteries and see... Dumbledore, you - you will need to tell me exactly - the Fountain of Magical Brethren - what happened?" he added in a kind of whimper, staring around at the floor, where the remains of the statues of the witch, wizard and centaur now lay scattered.**

**"We can discuss that after I have sent Harry back to Hogwarts," said Dumbledore.**

**"Harry - Harry Potter?"**

"That's m'name." Harry mumbled.

**Fudge wheeled around and stared at Harry, who was still standing against the wall beside the fallen statue that had guarded him during Dumbledore and Voldemort's duel.**

**"He - here?" said Fudge, goggling at Harry. "Why - what's all this about?"**

**"I shall explain everything," repeated Dumbledore, "when Harry is back at school."**

**He walked away from the pool to the place where the golden wizard's head lay on the floor. He pointed his wand at it and muttered, "Portus." The head glowed blue and trembled noisily against the wooden floor for a few seconds, then became still once more.**

**"Now see here, Dumbledore!" said Fudge, as Dumbledore picked up the head and walked back to Harry carrying it. "You haven't got authorisation for that Portkey! You can't do things like that right in front of the Minister for Magic, you - you -"**

**His voice faltered as Dumbledore surveyed him magisterially over his half-moon spectacles.**

**"You will give the order to remove Dolores Umbridge from Hogwarts," said Dumbledore. "You will tell your Aurors to stop searching for my Care of Magical Creatures teacher so that he can return to work. I will give you..." Dumbledore pulled a watch with twelve hands from his pocket and surveyed it... "half an hour of my time tonight, in which I think we shall be more than able to cover the important points of what has happened here. After that, I shall need to return to my school. If you need more help from me you are, of course, more than welcome to contact me at Hogwarts. Letters addressed to the Headmaster will find me."**

"You tell him Albus!" the Marauders cheered.

**Fudge goggled worse than ever; his mouth was open and his round face grew pinker under his rumpled grey hair.**

**"I - you -"**

**Dumbledore turned his back on him.**

**"Take this Portkey, Harry."**

**He held out the golden head of the statue and Harry placed his hand on it, past caring what he did next or where he went.**

**"I shall see you in half an hour," said Dumbledore quietly. "One... two... three..."**

**Harry felt the familiar sensation of a hook being jerked behind his navel. The polished wooden floor was gone from beneath his feet; the Atrium, Fudge and Dumbledore had all disappeared and he was flying forwards in a whirlwind of colour and sound...**

"You didn't even tell him where he was going?" Snape asked Albus, who nodded slowly, "In that case I'm not surprised he yelled at you."

"I didn't particularly care where I was going. In fact, if he'd told me I would've argued about it." Harry shrugged.

"Where did it take you?" Alice asked.

"Headmasters office." he shrugged, "I wasn't all that keen on talking to anyone at that time. 'Specially the man who'd ignored me all year and kept me in the dark about everything after Voldemort's return."

Albus winced, "Not one of my best moves."

"You think?" Harry snorted, "Anyway, there's only one or two more memories so let's get them done with."

* * *

><p>Review please x<p> 


	101. Chapter 101

Chapter 101 - Fifth Year (Part 20)

"I'll warn you that you won't like some of my reactions in this one." Harry told them after changing the memory.

**Harry's feet hit solid ground; his knees buckled a little and the golden wizard's head fell with a resounding clunk to the floor. He looked around and saw that he had arrived in Dumbledore's office.**

**Everything seemed to have repaired itself during the Headmasters absence. The delicate silver instruments stood once more on the spindle-legged tables, puffing and whirring serenely. The portraits of the headmasters and headmistresses were snoozing in their frames, heads lolling back in armchairs or against the edge of the picture. Harry looked through the window. There was a cool line of pale green along the horizon: dawn was approaching.**

"And how long ago did you leave the castle?" Fleur inquired.

"Um..." Harry looked at the Silver Trio, Ron and Hermione, "About dinner time wasn't it?"

"After it, about 7." Hermione nodded, "We were in the forest about an hour."

"Then it took at least 2 hours to get to London." Neville added, "I think we all lost track of time after that." the others nodded their agreement.

**The silence and the stillness, broken only by the occasional grunt or snuffle of a sleeping portrait, was unbearable to him. If his surroundings could have reflected the feelings inside him, the pictures would have been screaming in pain. He walked around the quiet, beautiful office, breathing quickly, trying not to think. But he had to think... there was no escape...**

**It was his fault Sirius had died; it was all his fault. If he, Harry, had not been stupid enough to fall for Voldemort's trick, if he had not been so convinced that what he had seen in his dream was real, if he had only opened his mind to the possibility that Voldemort was, as Hermione had said, banking on Harry's love of playing the hero...**

"Harry quit blaming yourself right now." Sirius said sternly. Harry made a face and didn't respond.

**It was unbearable, he would not think about it, he could not stand it... there was a terrible hollow inside him he did not want to feel or examine, a dark hole where Sirius had been, where Sirius had vanished; he did not want to have to be alone with that great, silent space, he could not stand it -**

**A picture behind him gave a particularly loud grunting snore, and a cool voice said, "Ah... Harry Potter..."**

**Phineas Nigellus gave a long yawn, stretching his arms as he surveyed Harry out of shrewd, narrow eyes.**

**"And what brings you here in the early hours of the morning?" said Phineas eventually. "This office is supposed to be barred to all but the rightful Headmaster. Or has Dumbledore sent you here? Oh, don't tell me..." He gave another shuddering yawn. "Another message for my worthless great-great-grandson?"**

**Harry could not speak. Phineas Nigellus did not know that Sirius was dead, but Harry could not tell him. To say it aloud would be to make it final, absolute, irretrievable.**

"He probably wouldn't believe you." Regulus sighed, "He was adamant the Black name would never die out."

"He was kind of right." Sirius mused, "That's three men with the second name Black now that Draco changed his name and you and I returned from the dead. I highly doubt the name'll die out again." he shrugged, "At least not for another century or so."

**A few more of the portraits had stirred now. Terror of being interrogated made Harry stride across the room and seize the doorknob.**

**It would not turn. He was shut in.**

"Which didn't help at all." Harry glared at Albus.

"I wasn't going to let you run from the office without telling you a few things first." Albus told him calmly.

**"I hope this means," said the corpulent, red-nosed wizard who hung on the wall behind the Headmasters desk, "that Dumbledore will soon be back among us?"**

**Harry turned. The wizard was surveying him with great interest. Harry nodded. He tugged again on the doorknob behind his back, but it remained immovable.**

**"Oh good," said the wizard. "It has been very dull without him, very dull indeed."**

**He settled himself on the throne-like chair on which he had been painted and smiled benignly upon Harry.**

**"Dumbledore thinks very highly of you, as I am sure you know," he said comfortably. "Oh yes. Holds you in great esteem."**

**The guilt filling the whole of Harry's chest like some monstrous, weighty parasite, now writhed and squirmed. Harry could not stand this, he could not stand being himself any more... he had never felt more trapped inside his own head and body, never wished so intensely that he could be somebody, anybody else...**

**The empty fireplace burst into emerald green flame, making Harry leap away from the door, staring at the man spinning inside the grate. As Dumbledore's tall form unfolded itself from the fire, the wizards and witches on the surrounding walls jerked awake, many of them giving cries of welcome.**

**"Thank you," said Dumbledore softly.**

**He did not look at Harry at first, but walked over to the perch beside the door and withdrew, from an inside pocket of his robes, the tiny, ugly, featherless Fawkes, whom he placed gently on the tray of soft ashes beneath the golden post where the full-grown Fawkes usually stood.**

**"Well, Harry," said Dumbledore, finally turning away from the baby bird, "you will be pleased to hear that none of your fellow students are going to suffer lasting damage from the night's events."**

**Harry tried to say, "Good," but no sound came out. It seemed to him that Dumbledore was reminding him of the amount of damage he had caused, and although Dumbledore was for once looking at him directly, and although his expression was kindly rather than accusatory, Harry could not bear to meet his eyes.**

**"Madam Pomfrey is patching everybody up," said Dumbledore. "Nymphadora Tonks may need to spend a little time in St. Mungos, but it seems she will make a full recovery."**

"I thought you said the metamorphing stopped the spell working?" Astoria frowned.

"It did, but the curse was still active, I only managed to stop it affecting me by sheer stubbornness." Dora sighed, "So I had a lovely 2 weeks in St Mungo's as they tried to remove it." she rolled her eyes when she said lovely.

**Harry contented himself with nodding at the carpet, which was growing lighter as the sky outside grew paler. He was sure all the: portraits around the room were listening closely to every word Dumbledore spoke, wondering where Dumbledore and Harry had been, and why there had been injuries.**

**"I know how you're feeling, Harry," said Dumbledore very quietly.**

**"No, you don't," said Harry, and his voice was suddenly loud and strong; white-hot anger leapt inside him; Dumbledore knew nothing about his feelings.**

**"You see, Dumbledore?" said Phineas Nigellus slyly. "Never try to understand the students. They hate it. They would much rather be tragically misunderstood, wallow in self-pity, stew in their own -"**

**"That's enough, Phineas," said Dumbledore.**

**Harry turned his back on Dumbledore and stared determinedly out of the window. He could see the Quidditch stadium in the distance. Sirius had appeared there once, disguised as the shaggy black dog, so he could watch Harry play... he had probably come to see whether Harry was as good as James had been... Harry had never asked him...**

"I did." Sirius nodded, "Your much better." he grinned.

James didn't even bother disagreeing, he himself thought it true after all.

**"There is no shame in what you are feeling, Harry," said Dumbledore's voice. "On the contrary... the fact that you can feel pain like this is your greatest strength."**

**Harry felt the white-hot anger lick his insides, blazing in the terrible emptiness, filling him with the desire to hurt Dumbledore for his calmness and his empty words.**

**"My greatest strength, is it?" said Harry, his voice shaking as he stared out at the Quidditch stadium, no longer seeing it. "You haven't got a clue... you don't know..."**

**"What don't I know?" asked Dumbledore calmly.**

**It was too much. Harry turned around, shaking with rage.**

**"I don't want to talk about how I feel, all right?"**

**"Harry, suffering like this proves you are still a man! This pain is part of being human -"**

"And cue the explosion." Ron winced.

**"THEN - I - DON'T - WANT - TO - BE - HUMAN!' Harry roared, and he seized the delicate silver instrument from the spindle-legged table beside him and flung it across the room; it shattered into a hundred tiny pieces against the wall. Several of the pictures let out yells of anger and fright, and the portrait of Armando Dippet said, "Really!"**

**"I DON'T CARE!" Harry yelled at them, snatching up a lunascope and throwing it into the fireplace. "I'VE HAD ENOUGH, I'VE SEEN ENOUGH, I WANT OUT, I WANT IT TO END, I DON'T CARE ANY MORE -"**

**He seized the table on which the silver instrument had stood and threw that, too. It broke apart on the floor and the legs rolled in different directions.**

**"You do care," said Dumbledore. He had not flinched or made a single move to stop Harry demolishing his office. His expression was calm, almost detached. "You care so much you feel as though you will bleed to death with the pain of it."**

**"I - DON'T!" Harry screamed, so loudly that he felt his throat might tear, and for a second he wanted to rush at Dumbledore and break him, too; shatter that calm old face, shake him, hurt him, make him feel some tiny part of the horror inside himself.**

**"Oh, yes, you do," said Dumbledore, still more calmly. "You have now lost your mother, your father, and the closest thing to a parent you have ever known. Of course you care."**

**"YOU DON'T KNOW HOW I FEEL!" Harry roared. "YOU - STANDING THERE - YOU -"**

Everyone was staring at the memory in shock, not being able to believe Harry had reacted like that.

**But words were no longer enough, smashing things was no more help; he wanted to run, he wanted to keep running and never look back, he wanted to be somewhere he could not see the clear blue eyes staring at him, that hatefully calm old face. He turned on his heel and ran to the door, seized the doorknob again and wrenched at it.**

**But the door would not open.**

**Harry turned back to Dumbledore.**

**"Let me out," he said. He was shaking from head to foot.**

**"No," said Dumbledore simply.**

**For a few seconds they stared at each other.**

**"Let me out," Harry said again.**

**"No," Dumbledore repeated.**

**"If you don't - if you keep me in here - if you don't let me -"**

**"By all means continue destroying my possessions," said Dumbledore serenely. "I daresay I have too many."**

**He walked around his desk and sat down behind it, watching Harry.**

**"Let me out," Harry said yet again, in a voice that was cold and almost as calm as Dumbledore's.**

Everyone shuddered at the tone of memory-Harry's voice, thinking that even at 15 an angry Harry was quite scary and they had no idea how Albus could stay so calm.

**"Not until I have had my say," said Dumbledore.**

**"Do you - do you think I want to - do you think I give a - I DON'T CARE WHAT YOU'VE GOT TO SAY!" Harry roared. "I don't want to hear anything you've got to say!"**

**"You will," said Dumbledore steadily. "Because you are not nearly as angry with me as you ought to be. If you are to attack me, as I know you are close to doing, I would like to have thoroughly earned it."**

**"What are you talking -?"**

**"It is my fault that Sirius died," said Dumbledore clearly.**

"Bloody hell! Did everyone blame themselves!?" Sirius exclaimed.

"No." Remus told him, "I did at first then I blamed Albus then I just decided to blame Bellatrix as she was the one who killed you." he explained.

"I was the same as him." Dora nodded at her husband.

"We didn't know until Neville told us what happened when we were being healed." Ginny added, gesturing the other teens, except Neville, who had been there.

**"Or should I say, almost entirely my fault - I will not be so arrogant as to claim responsibility for the whole. Sirius was a brave, clever and energetic man, and such men are not usually content to sit at home in hiding while they believe others to be in danger. Nevertheless, you should never have believed for an instant that there was any necessity for you to go to the Department of Mysteries tonight. If I had been open with you, Harry, as I should have been, you would have known a long time ago that Voldemort might try and lure you to the Department of Mysteries, and you would never have been tricked into going there tonight. And Sirius would not have had to come after you. That blame lies with me, and with me alone."**

**Harry was still standing with his hand on the doorknob but was unaware of it. He was gazing at Dumbledore, hardly breathing, listening yet barely understanding what he was hearing.**

**"Please sit down," said Dumbledore. It was not an order, it was a request.**

**Harry hesitated, then walked slowly across the room now littered with silver cogs and fragments of wood, and took the seat facing Dumbledore's desk.**

**"Am I to understand," said Phineas Nigellus slowly from Harry's left, "that my great-great-grandson - the last of the Black's - is dead?"**

**"Yes, Phineas," said Dumbledore.**

**"I don't believe it," said Phineas brusquely.**

"Knew he wouldn't believe it." Regulus rolled his eyes.

**Harry turned his head in time to see Phineas marching out of his portrait and knew that he had gone to visit his other painting in Grimmauld Place. He would walk, perhaps, from portrait to portrait, calling for Sirius through the house...**

**"Harry, I owe you an explanation," said Dumbledore. "An explanation of an old man's mistakes. For I see now that what I have done, and not done, with regard to you, bears all the hallmarks of the failings of age. Youth cannot know how age thinks and feels. But old men are guilty if they forget what it was to be young... and I seem to have forgotten, lately..."**

**The sun was rising properly now; there was a rim of dazzling orange visible over the mountains and the sky above it was colourless and bright. The light fell upon Dumbledore, upon the silver of his eyebrows and beard, upon the lines gouged deeply into his lace.**

**"I guessed, fifteen years ago," said Dumbledore, "when I saw the scar on your forehead, what it might mean. I guessed that it might be the sign of a connection forged between you and Voldemort."**

**"You've told me this before, Professor," said Harry bluntly. He did not care about being rude. He did not care about anything very much any more.**

**"Yes," said Dumbledore apologetically. "Yes, but you see - it is necessary to start with your scar. For it became apparent, shortly after you rejoined the magical world, that I was correct, and that your scar was giving you warnings when Voldemort was close to you, or else feeling powerful emotion."**

**"I know," said Harry wearily.**

**"And this ability of yours - to detect Voldemort's presence, even when he is disguised, and to know what he is feeling when his emotions are roused - has become more and more pronounced since Voldemort returned to his own body and his full powers."**

**Harry did not bother to nod. He knew all of this already.**

**"More recently," said Dumbledore, "I became concerned that Voldemort might realise that this connection between you exists. Sure enough, there came a time when you entered so far into his mind and thoughts that he sensed your presence. I am speaking, of course, of the night when you witnessed the attack on Mr. Weasley."**

**"Yeah, Snape told me," Harry muttered.**

**"Professor Snape, Harry," Dumbledore corrected him quietly. "But did you not wonder why it was not I who explained this to you? Why I did not teach you Occlumency? Why I had not so much as looked at you for months?"**

"Now that got my attention." Harry mused, "As much as I was trying to stay mad at you, Albus."

**Harry looked up. He could see now that Dumbledore looked sad and tired.**

**"Yeah," Harry mumbled. "Yeah, I wondered."**

**"You see," Dumbledore continued, "I believed it could not be long before Voldemort attempted to force his way into your mind, to manipulate and misdirect your thoughts, and I was not eager to give him more incentives to do so. I was sure that if he realised that our relationship was - or had ever been - closer than that of headmaster and pupil, he would seize his chance to use you as a means to spy on me. I feared the uses to which he would put you, the possibility that he might try and possess you. Harry, I believe I was right to think that Voldemort would have made use of you in such a way. On those rare occasions when we had close contact, I thought I saw a shadow of him stir behind your eyes..."**

**Harry remembered the feeling that a dormant snake had risen in him, ready to strike, in those moments when he and Dumbledore had made eye-contact.**

**"Voldemort's aim in possessing you, as he demonstrated tonight, would not have been my destruction. It would have been yours. He hoped, when he possessed you briefly a short while ago, that I would sacrifice you in the hope of killing him. So you see, I have been trying, in distancing myself from you, to protect you, Harry. An old man's mistake..."**

**He sighed deeply. Harry was letting the words wash over him. He would have been so interested to know all this a few months ago, but now it was meaningless compared to the gaping chasm inside him that was the loss of Sirius; none of it mattered...**

**"Sirius told me you felt Voldemort awake inside you the very night that you had the vision of Arthur Weasley's attack. I knew at once that my worst fears were correct: Voldemort had realised he could use you. In an attempt to arm you against Voldemort's assaults on your mind, I arranged Occlumency lessons with Professor Snape."**

**He paused. Harry watched the sunlight, which was sliding slowly across the polished surface of Dumbledore's desk, illuminate a silver ink pot and a handsome scarlet quill. Harry could tell that the portraits all around them were awake and listening raptly to Dumbledore's explanation; he could hear the occasional rustle of robes, the slight clearing of a throat. Phineas Nigellus had still not returned...**

**"Professor Snape discovered," Dumbledore resumed, "that you had been dreaming about the door to the Department of Mysteries for months. Voldemort, of course, had been obsessed with the possibility of hearing the prophecy ever since he regained his body; and as he dwelled on the door, so did you, though you did not know what it meant. And then you saw Rookwood, who worked in the Department of Mysteries before his arrest, telling Voldemort what we had known all along - that the prophecies held in the Ministry of Magic are heavily protected. Only the people to whom they refer can lift them from the shelves without suffering madness: in this case, either Voldemort himself would have to enter the Ministry of Magic, and risk revealing himself at last - or else you would have to take it for him. It became a matter of even greater urgency that you should master Occlumency."**

**"But I didn't," muttered Harry. He said it aloud to try and ease the dead weight of guilt inside him: a confession must surely relieve some of the terrible pressure squeezing his heart. "I didn't practise, I didn't bother, I could've stopped myself having those dreams, Hermione kept telling me to do it, if I had he'd never have been able to show me where to go, and - Sirius wouldn't - Sirius wouldn't -"**

**Something was erupting inside Harry's head: a need to justify himself, to explain -**

**"I tried to check he'd really taken Sirius, I went to Umbridge's office, I spoke to Kreacher in the fire and he said Sirius wasn't there, he said he'd gone!"**

**"Kreacher lied," said Dumbledore calmly. "You are not his master, he could lie to you without even needing to punish himself. Kreacher intended you to go to the Ministry of Magic."**

**"He - he sent me on purpose?"**

**"Oh yes. Kreacher, I am afraid, has been serving more than one master for months."**

**"How?" said Harry blankly. "He hasn't been out of Grimmauld Place for years."**

**"Kreacher seized his opportunity shortly before Christmas," said Dumbledore, "when Sirius, apparently, shouted at him to 'get out'. He took Sirius at his word, and interpreted this as an order to leave the house. He went to the only Black family member for whom he had any respect left... Black's cousin Narcissa, sister of Bellatrix and wife of Lucius Malfoy."**

"Funny how you got that so accurate." Cissy mused, "He mostly spoke to me, he wasn't very interested in Bella, all she done was threaten him to tell us everything he could or she'd punish him until he was on death's doorstep." she sighed.

"So naturally he went to you." Sirius made a face, "I can't say I'm surprised really, he'd been deliberately misunderstanding my orders for weeks."

**"How do you know all this?" Harry said. His heart was beating very fast. He felt sick. He remembered worrying about Kreacher's odd absence over Christmas, remembered him turning up again in the attic...**

**"Kreacher told me last night," said Dumbledore. "You see, when you gave Professor Snape that cryptic warning, he realised that you had had a vision of Sirius trapped in the bowels of the Department of Mysteries. He, like you, attempted to contact Sirius at once. I should explain that members of the Order of the Phoenix have more reliable methods of communicating than the fire in Dolores Umbridge's office. Professor Snape found that Sirius was alive and safe in Grimmauld Place. When, however, you did not return from your trip into the Forest with Dolores Umbridge, Professor Snape grew worried that you still believed Sirius to be a captive of Lord Voldemort's. He alerted certain Order members at once."**

**Dumbledore heaved a great sigh and continued, "Alastor Moody, Nymphadora Tonks, Kingsley Shacklebolt and Remus Lupin were at Headquarters when he made contact. All agreed to go to your aid at once. Professor Snape requested that Sirius remain behind, as he needed somebody to remain at Headquarters to tell me what had happened, for I was due there at any moment. In the meantime he, Professor Snape, intended to search the Forest for you. But Sirius did not wish to remain behind while the others went to search for you. He delegated to Kreacher the task of telling me what had happened. And so it was that when I arrived in Grimmauld Place shortly after they had all left for the Ministry, it was the elf who told me - laughing fit to burst - where Sirius had gone."**

**"He was laughing?" said Harry in a hollow voice.**

**"Oh, yes," said Dumbledore. 'You see, Kreacher was not able to betray us totally. He is not Secret Keeper for the Order, he could not give the Malfoy's our whereabouts, or tell them any of the Order's confidential plans that he had been forbidden to reveal. He was bound by the enchantments of his kind, which is to say that he could not disobey a direct order from his master, Sirius. But he gave Narcissa information of the sort that is very valuable to Voldemort, yet must have seemed much too trivial for Sirius to think of banning him from repeating it."**

**"Like what?" said Harry.**

**"Like the fact that the person Sirius cared most about in the world was you," said Dumbledore quietly. "Like the fact that you were coming to regard Sirius as a mixture of father and brother. Voldemort knew already, of course, that Sirius was in the Order, and that you knew where he was - but Kreacher's information made him realise that the one person for whom you would go to any lengths to rescue was Sirius Black."**

**Harry's lips were cold and numb.**

**"So... when I asked Kreacher if Sirius was there last night..."**

**"The Malfoy's - undoubtedly on Voldemort's instructions - had told him he must find a way of keeping Sirius out of the way once you had seen the vision of Sirius being tortured. Then, if you decided to check whether Sirius was at home or not, Kreacher would be able to pretend he was not. Kreacher injured Buckbeak the hippogriff yesterday, and, at the moment when you made your appearance in the fire, Sirius was upstairs tending to him."**

"Which was very sneaky of him. I told you Beaky couldn't have hurt himself like that on his own." Sirius told Remus.

"We didn't exactly think Kreacher would do something like that did we?" Remus retorted, "And that makes me even more curious as to how he's happy to serve you Harry." he added.

Harry thought for a minute, "Well... You see... Kreacher really didn't want to come to me at first, but obviously he had to... At the start I ignored him quite a bit since I blamed him for Sirius's death... But last year, just after we went into hiding, he told us a story... I won't say what it was about just yet," he said apologetically, "but Hermione was the one who convinced Ron and I it'd be better being nice to him..."

"So we were nice to him, explained a few things, and he changed overnight." Ron smiled, "He's never once insulted anyone intentionally, except Mundungus, after that day. As you've seen he's more outspoken but at least it's friendly, and some of the time what he says is funny."

"And I gave him special permission where Mundungus was concerned anyway. You should've seen how happy he looked when I told him he could do anything he liked to Mundungus as long as he didn't kill him." Harry grinned.

"It was rather brilliant." Hermione chuckled, "He practically glowed with happiness."

**There seemed to be very little air in Harry's lungs; his breathing was quick and shallow.**

**"And Kreacher told you all this... and laughed?" he croaked.**

**"He did not wish to tell me," said Dumbledore. "But I am a sufficiently accomplished Legilimens myself to know when I am being lied to and I - persuaded him - to tell me the full story, before I left for the Department of Mysteries."**

**"And," whispered Harry, his hands curled in cold fists on his knees, "and Hermione kept telling us to be nice to him -"**

**"She was quite right, Harry," said Dumbledore. "I warned Sirius when we adopted twelve Grimmauld Place as our Headquarters that Kreacher must be treated with kindness and respect. I also told him that Kreacher could be dangerous to us. I do not think Sirius took me very seriously, or that he ever saw Kreacher as a being with feelings as acute as a human's -"**

"Not the best thing to say at that time but completely true." Sirius sighed.

**"Don't you blame - don't you - talk - about Sirius like -" Harry's breath was constricted, he could not get the words out properly; but the rage that had subsided briefly flared in him again: he would not let Dumbledore criticise Sirius. "Kreacher's a lying - foul - he deserved -"**

**"Kreacher is what he has been made by wizards, Harry," said Dumbledore. "Yes, he is to be pitied. His existence has been as miserable as your friend Dobby's. He was forced to do Sirius's bidding, because Sirius was the last of the family to which he was enslaved, but he felt no true loyalty to him. And whatever Kreacher's faults, it must be admitted that Sirius did nothing to make Kreacher's lot easier -"**

**"DON'T TALK ABOUT SIRIUS LIKE THAT!" Harry yelled.**

**He was on his feet again, furious, ready to fly at Dumbledore, who had plainly not understood Sirius at all, how brave he was, how much he had suffered...**

**"What about Snape?" Harry spat. "You're not talking about him, are you? When I told him Voldemort had Sirius he just sneered at me as usual -"**

**"Harry you know Professor Snape had no choice but to pretend not to take you seriously in front of Dolores Umbridge," said Dumbledore steadily, "but as I have explained, he informed the Order as soon as possible about what you had said. It was he who deduced where you had gone when you did not return from the Forest. It was he, too, who gave Professor Umbridge fake Veritaserum when she was attempting to force you to tell her Sirius's whereabouts."**

"You did that?" James asked Snape in shock.

"Of course." Snape nodded, "Not that it mattered, apparently Potter Jr had enough brains to not trust her anyway." he added, looking highly amused.

"Thank you anyway Professor." Harry smiled at him, "Even if I remembered what Mad-Eye would think if I drank it, it's still good to know it was fake. Even if I didn't start appreciating the fact until May."

Snape shrugged, "I wouldn't allow a single student to come to harm if it was in my power to stop it. Even if I acted horrid all the time." he cringed.

**Harry disregarded this; he felt a savage pleasure in blaming Snape, it seemed to be easing his own sense of dreadful guilt, and he wanted to hear Dumbledore agree with him.**

**"Snape - Snape g-goaded Sirius about staying in the house - he made out Sirius was a coward -"**

**"Sirius was much too old and clever to have allowed such feeble taunts to hurt him," said Dumbledore.**

"Another true fact." Sirius flushed, "But 12 years in Azkaban does affect one's ability to ignore such things."

"Added to the fact I shouldn't have said anything." Snape sighed, "Sorry Black."

Sirius looked shocked but accepted the apology anyway.

**"Snape stopped giving me Occlumency lessons!" Harry snarled. "He threw me out of his office!"**

**"I am aware of it," said Dumbledore heavily. "I have already said that it was a mistake for me not to teach you myself, though I was sure, at the time, that nothing could have been more dangerous than to open your mind even further to Voldemort while in my presence -"**

**"Snape made it worse, my scar always hurt worse after lessons with him -" Harry remembered Ron's thoughts on the subject and plunged on "- how do you know he wasn't trying to soften me up for Voldemort, make it easier for him to get inside my -"**

Snape frowned, "You know, that is a good point. Albus do you have any guesses of why his scar hurt more after the lessons?"

Albus frowned in thought, "I think - It might be something to do with the Dark Mark." he explained, "I suspect it's because the Marks were linked directly to Voldemort, with you entering Harry's mind it must've triggered a reaction similar to what Harry felt when Voldemort was near or feeling a strong emotion." he mused.

"It might also be because I was often frustrated and angry after those lessons." Harry pointed out, "I mean, I was supposed to be trying to clear my mind but I couldn't let go of the emotions concerning Professor Snape."

"You are not the only one Potter." Snape sighed, "I refused to listen when people told me you were not the same as your father, I believed you a pampered brat who always got what he wanted. And I regret that... I apologize for the way I treated you."

"And I you." Harry nodded at him in acceptance. Snape nodded once, a small smile on the edge of his lips.

**"I trust Severus Snape," said Dumbledore simply. "But I forgot - another old man's mistake - that some wounds run too deep for the healing. I thought Professor Snape could overcome his feelings about your father - I was wrong."**

**"But that's OK, is it?" yelled Harry, ignoring the scandalised faces and disapproving mutterings of the portraits on the walls. "It's OK for Snape to hate my dad, but it's not OK for Sirius to hate Kreacher?"**

**"Sirius did not hate Kreacher," said Dumbledore.**

"Yes I did." Sirius scoffed, "I was often tempted to chop his head off and stick it on that wall at Grimmauld."

"Sirius!" Hermione scolded him, "That's not nice."

"No it's not, but its true." he shrugged.

**"He regarded him as a servant unworthy of much interest or notice. Indifference and neglect often do much more damage than outright dislike... the fountain we destroyed tonight told a lie. We wizards have mistreated and abused our fellows for too long, and we are now reaping our reward."**

**"SO SIRIUS DESERVED WHAT HE GOT, DID HE?" Harry yelled.**

**"I did not say that, nor will you ever hear me say it," Dumbledore replied quietly. "Sirius was not a cruel man, he was kind to house-elves in general. He had no love for Kreacher, because Kreacher was a living reminder of the home Sirius had hated."**

**"Yeah, he did hate it!" said Harry, his voice cracking, turning his back on Dumbledore and walking away. The sun was bright inside the room now and the eyes of all the portraits followed him as he walked, without realising what he was doing, without seeing the office at all. "You made him stay shut up in that house and he hated it, that's why he wanted to get out last night -"**

**"I was trying to keep Sirius alive," said Dumbledore quietly.**

**"People don't like being locked up!" Harry said furiously, rounding on him. "You did it to me all last summer -"**

**Dumbledore closed his eyes and buried his face in his long-fingered hands. Harry watched him, but this uncharacteristic sign of exhaustion, or sadness, or whatever it was from Dumbledore, did not soften him. On the contrary, he felt even angrier that Dumbledore was showing signs of weakness. He had no business being weak when Harry wanted to rage and storm at him.**

**Dumbledore lowered his hands and surveyed Harry through his half-moon glasses.**

**"It is time," he said, "for me to tell you what I should have told you five years ago, Harry. Please sit down. I am going to tell you everything. I ask only a little patience. You will have your chance to rage at me - to do whatever you like - when I have finished. I will not stop you."**

**Harry glared at him for a moment, then flung himself back into the chair opposite Dumbledore and waited.**

**Dumbledore stared for a moment at the sunlit grounds outside the window, then looked back at Harry and said, "Five years ago you arrived at Hogwarts, Harry, safe and whole, as I had planned and intended. Well - not quite whole. You had suffered. I knew you would when I left you on your aunt and uncle's doorstep. I knew I was condemning you to ten dark and difficult years."**

"You knew?!" Lily demanded furiously, "You knew he would suffer and you still left him there?!"

"More like suspected." Albus sighed, "Minerva had watched the house all day -"

"- And I told you I'd sooner take care of him myself than leave him there." Minerva cut him off, "No offence meant Petunia, but what I saw made me think you were the worst kind of Muggle's imaginable."

"None taken." Petunia sighed, "Believe me, I would give everything to change how things turned out."

"But then you might not have known me." Harry told her, "And despite the past, I'm rather fond of you and Dudley." he grinned, he shrugged, "It made me who I am, if I hadn't known life could sometimes be tough but could get better with perseverance I doubt I'd have been able to survive half the things I did."

**He paused. Harry said nothing.**

**"You might ask - and with good reason - why it had to be so. Why could some wizarding family not have taken you in? Many would have done so more than gladly, would have been honoured and delighted to raise you as a son. My answer is that my priority was to keep you alive. You were in more danger than perhaps anyone but I realised. Voldemort had been vanquished hours before, but his supporters - and many of them are almost as terrible as he - were still at large, angry, desperate and violent. And I had to make my decision, too, with regard to the years ahead. Did I believe that Voldemort was gone for ever? No. I knew not whether it would be ten, twenty or fifty years before he returned, but I was sure he would do so, and I was sure, too, knowing him as I have done, that he would not rest until he killed you. I knew that Voldemort's knowledge of magic is perhaps more extensive than any wizard alive."**

"Was that including yourself? Because I'm pretty sure you were smarter than him." Kingsley told Albus, who chuckled but didn't elaborate.

**"I knew that even my most complex and powerful protective spells and charms were unlikely to be invincible if he ever returned to full power. But I knew, too, where Voldemort was weak. And so I made my decision. You would be protected by an ancient magic of which he knows, which he despises, and which he has always, therefore, underestimated - to his cost. I am speaking, of course, of the fact that your mother died to save you. She gave you a lingering protection he never expected, a protection that flows in your veins to this day. I put my trust, therefore, in your mother's blood. I delivered you to her sister, her only remaining relative."**

**"She doesn't love me," said Harry at once. "She doesn't give a damn -"**

"Yes I do." Petunia stated, "I didn't show it but I really did care, if I didn't we wouldn't have taken you in."

**"But she took you," Dumbledore cut across him. "She may have taken you grudgingly, furiously, unwillingly, bitterly, yet still she took you, and in doing so, she sealed the charm I placed upon you. Your mother's sacrifice made the bond of blood the strongest shield I could give you."**

**"I still don't -"**

**"While you can still call home the place where your mother's blood dwells, there you cannot be touched or harmed by Voldemort. He shed her blood, but it lives on in you and her sister. Her blood became your refuge. You need return there only once a year, but as long as you can still call it home, whilst you are there he cannot hurt you. Your aunt knows this. I explained what I had done in the letter I left, with you, on her doorstep. She knows that allowing you houseroom may well have kept you alive for the past fifteen years."**

Petunia nodded, "I did know that."

"Then how come you didn't tell Harry?" Lily asked curiously.

Petunia sighed heavily and mumbled something.

"A little louder please oh sister-in-law." James said.

"I didn't want Harry to enter the magical world at all." she half-yelled.

This surprised them all, "Why?" the twins inquired.

"I'd already lost my parent's to Death Eater's and then the attack on Lily and James caused me to lose my little sister too. I didn't want to lose my only nephew too." she admitted, "I thought I would if he entered the magical world, so I kept the truth from him..."

"Then Hagrid burst in and said 'Harry, yer a wizard' and you couldn't pretend you didn't know anymore." Harry nodded slowly, "I kind of see your point, even if you went about it in the wrong way."

Petunia nodded again, "Naturally Vernon was happy to keep quiet too, fat lump of a man that he was, but that's why I didn't tell Harry anything. Besides, I didn't exactly know much about the magical world, just what Lily had talked about during the holidays, most of it I couldn't remember. I knew you were as curious as her Harry, you'd have millions of questions I couldn't answer and I didn't know any other magical person who could tell you everything you wanted to know."

"There was always Arabella Figg." Remus pointed out.

"I didn't know she knew about magic." Petunia shrugged, "And I wasn't stupid enough to risk saying anything in case she thought I was mad."

"And you knew about the Statue of Secrecy." Lily nodded with a smile, "It all makes sense now."

With that they all turned back to the memory.

**"Wait," said Harry. "Wait a moment."**

**He sat up straighter in his chair, staring at Dumbledore.**

**"You sent that Howler. You told her to remember - it was your voice -"**

**"I thought," said Dumbledore, inclining his head slightly, "that she might need reminding of the pact she had sealed by taking you. I suspected the Dementor attack might have awoken her to the dangers of having you as a surrogate son."**

"Just a little." Petunia admitted, "I didn't fully realize how dangerous it was until then but even without the Howler I wouldn't have let Vernon throw you out." she smiled at Harry.

**"It did," said Harry quietly. "Well - my uncle more than her. He wanted to chuck me out, but after the Howler came she - she said I had to stay."**

**He stared at the floor for a moment, then said, "But what's this got to do with -"**

**He could not say Sirius's name.**

**"Five years ago, then," continued Dumbledore, as though he had not paused in his story, "you arrived at Hogwarts, neither as happy nor as well-nourished as I would have liked, perhaps, yet alive and healthy. You were not a pampered little prince, but as normal a boy as I could have hoped under the circumstances. Thus far, my plan was working well. And then... well, you will remember the events of your first year at Hogwarts quite as clearly as I do. You rose magnificently to the challenge that faced you and sooner - much sooner - than I had anticipated, you found yourself face to face with Voldemort. You survived again. You did more. You delayed his return to full power and strength. You fought a man's fight. I was... prouder of you than I can say."**

Harry smiled at Albus who smiled back.

**"Yet there was a flaw in this wonderful plan of mine," said Dumbledore. "An obvious flaw that I knew, even then, might be the undoing of it all. And yet, knowing how important it was that my plan should succeed, I told myself that I would not permit this flaw to ruin it. I alone could prevent this, so I alone must be strong. And here was my first test, as you lay in the hospital wing, weak from your struggle with Voldemort."**

**"I don't understand what you're saying," said Harry.**

**"Don't you remember asking me, as you lay in the hospital wing, why Voldemort had tried to kill you when you were a baby?"**

**Harry nodded.**

**"Ought I to have told you then?"**

**Harry stared into the blue eyes and said nothing, but his heart was racing again.**

**"You do not see the flaw in the plan yet? No... perhaps not. Well, as you know, I decided not to answer you. Eleven, I told myself, was much too young to know. I had never intended to tell you when you were eleven. The knowledge would be too much at such a young age."**

"I'll agree with that." James nodded, Lily nodded her agreement as well as did many others in the room.

**"I should have recognised the danger signs then. I should have asked myself why I did not feel more disturbed that you had already asked me the question to which I knew, one day, I must give a terrible answer. I should have recognised that I was too happy to think that I did not have to do it on that particular day... you were too young, much too young. And so we entered your second year at Hogwarts. And once again you met challenges even grown wizards have never faced; once again you acquitted yourself beyond my wildest dreams. You did not ask me again, however, why Voldemort had left that mark on you. We discussed your scar, oh yes... we came very, very close to the subject. Why did I not tell you everything? Well, it seemed to me that twelve was, after all, hardly better than eleven to receive such information. I allowed you to leave my presence, bloodstained, exhausted but exhilarated, and if I felt a twinge of unease that I ought, perhaps, to have told you then, it was swiftly silenced. You were still so young, you see, and I could not find it in myself to spoil that night of triumph..."**

"Oh." Lily sighed softly, realizing what Albus was getting at.

**"Do you see, Harry? Do you see the flaw in my brilliant plan now? I had fallen into the trap I had foreseen, that I had told myself I could avoid, that I must avoid."**

**"I don't -"**

**"I cared about you too much," said Dumbledore simply. "I cared more for your happiness than your knowing the truth, more for your peace of mind than my plan, more for your life than the lives that might be lost if the plan failed. In other words, I acted exactly as Voldemort expects we fools who love to act. Is there a defence? I defy anyone who has watched you as I have - and I have watched you more closely than you can have imagined - not to want to save you more pain than you had already suffered. What did I care if numbers of nameless and faceless people and creatures were slaughtered in the vague future, if in the here and now you were alive, and well, and happy? I never dreamed that I would have such a person on my hands."**

"Oh..." Alice's eyes went wide and she looked at Albus, "You let love blind you didn't you?"

"I did." Albus nodded sadly.

**"We entered your third year. I watched from afar as you struggled to repel dementors, as you found Sirius, learned what he was and rescued him. Was I to tell you then, at the moment when you had triumphantly snatched your godfather from the jaws of the Ministry? But now, at the age of thirteen, my excuses were running out. Young you might be, but you had proved you were exceptional. My conscience was uneasy, Harry. I knew the time must come soon... But you came out of the maze last year, having watched Cedric Diggory die, having escaped death so narrowly yourself... and I did not tell you, though I knew, now Voldemort had returned, I must do it soon. And now, tonight, I know you have long been ready for the knowledge I have kept from you for so long, because you have proved that I should have placed the burden upon you before this. My only defence is this: I have watched you struggling under more burdens than any student who has ever passed through this school and I could not bring myself to add another - the greatest one of all."**

**Harry waited, but Dumbledore did not speak.**

**"I still don't understand."**

**"Voldemort tried to kill you when you were a child because of a prophecy made shortly before your birth. He knew the prophecy had been made, though he did not know its full contents. He set out to kill you when you were still a baby, believing he was fulfilling the terms of the prophecy. He discovered, to his cost, that he was mistaken, when the curse intended to kill you backfired. And so, since his return to his body, and particularly since your extraordinary escape from him last year, he has been determined to hear that prophecy in it's entirety. This is the weapon he has been seeking so assiduously since his return: the knowledge of how to destroy you."**

**The sun had risen fully now: Dumbledore's office was bathed in it. The glass case in which the sword of Godric Gryffindor resided gleamed white and opaque, the fragments of the instruments Harry had thrown to the floor glistened like raindrops, and behind him, the baby Fawkes made soft chirruping noises in his nest of ashes.**

**"The prophecy's smashed," Harry said blankly. "I was pulling Neville up those benches in the - the room where the archway was, and I ripped his robes and it fell..."**

**"The thing that smashed was merely the record of the prophecy kept by the Department of Mysteries. But the prophecy was made to somebody, and that person has the means of recalling it perfectly."**

**"Who heard it?" asked Harry, though he thought he knew the answer already.**

**"I did," said Dumbledore. "On a cold, wet night sixteen years ago, in a room above the bar at the Hog's Head inn. I had gone there to see an applicant for the post of Divination teacher, though it was against my inclination to allow the subject of Divination to continue at all. The applicant, however, was the great-great-granddaughter of a very famous, very gifted Seer and I thought it common politeness to meet her. I was disappointed. It seemed to me that she had not a trace of the gift herself. I told her, courteously I hope, that I did not think she would be suitable for the post. I turned to leave."**

"Trelawney?" Bill guessed.

"Yes, Trelawney made the Prophecy." Harry nodded.

**Dumbledore got to his feet and walked past Harry to the black cabinet that stood beside Fawkes's perch. He bent down, slid back a catch and took from inside it the shallow stone basin, carved with runes around the edges, in which Harry had seen his father tormenting Snape. Dumbledore walked back to the desk, placed the Pensieve upon it, and raised his wand to his own temple. From it, he withdrew silvery, gossamer-fine strands of thought clinging to the wand and deposited them into the basin. He sat back down behind his desk and watched his thoughts swirl and drift inside the Pensieve for a moment. Then, with a sigh, he raised his wand and prodded the silvery substance with its tip.**

**A figure rose out of it, draped in shawls, her eyes magnified to enormous size behind her glasses, and she revolved slowly, her feet in the basin. But when Sybill Trelawney spoke, it was not in her usual ethereal, mystic voice, but in the harsh, hoarse tones Harry had heard her use once before:**

**"The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches... born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies... and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not... and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives... the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies..."**

They all shuddered, despite having been told it before.

**The slowly revolving Professor Trelawney sank back into the silver mass below and vanished.**

**The silence within the office was absolute. Neither Dumbledore nor Harry nor any of the portraits made a sound. Even Fawkes had fallen silent.**

**"Professor Dumbledore?" Harry said very quietly, for Dumbledore, still staring at the Pensieve, seemed completely lost in thought. "It... did that mean... what did that mean?"**

**"It meant," said Dumbledore, "that the person who has the only chance of conquering Lord Voldemort for good was born at the end of July, nearly sixteen years ago. This boy would be born to parents who had already defied Voldemort three times."**

**Harry felt as though something was closing in on him. His breathing seemed difficult again.**

**"It means - me?"**

**Dumbledore surveyed him for a moment through his glasses.**

**"The odd thing, Harry," he said softly, "is that it may not have meant you at all. Sybill's prophecy could have applied to two wizard boys, both born at the end of July that year, both of whom had parents in the Order of the Phoenix, both sets of parents having narrowly escaped Voldemort three times. One, of course, was you. The other was Neville Longbottom."**

"Which is rather creepy." Neville shuddered, "It was really close wasn't it?"

"Very." Albus nodded gravely.

**"But then... but then, why was it my name on the prophecy and not Neville's?"**

**"The official record was re-labelled after Voldemort's attack on you as a child," said Dumbledore. "It seemed plain to the keeper of the Hall of Prophecy that Voldemort could only have tried to kill you because he knew you to be the one to whom Sybill was referring."**

**"Then - it might not be me?" said Harry.**

**"I am afraid," said Dumbledore slowly, looking as though every word cost him a great effort, "that there is no doubt that it is you."**

**"But you said - Neville was born at the end of July, too - and his mum and dad -"**

**"You are forgetting the next part of the prophecy, the final identifying feature of the boy who could vanquish Voldemort... Voldemort himself would mark him as his equal. And so he did, Harry. He chose you, not Neville. He gave you the scar that has proved both blessing and curse."**

**"But he might have chosen wrong!" said Harry. "He might have marked the wrong person!"**

**"He chose the boy he thought most likely to be a danger to him," said Dumbledore. "And notice this, Harry: he chose, not the pure-blood (which, according to his creed, is the only kind of wizard worth being or knowing) but the half-blood, like himself. He saw himself in you before he had ever seen you, and in marking you with that scar, he did not kill you, as he intended, but gave you powers, and a future, which have fitted you to escape him not once, but four times so far - something that neither your parents, nor Neville's parents, ever achieved."**

**"Why did he do it, then?" said Harry, who felt numb and cold. "Why did he try and kill me as a baby? He should have waited to see whether Neville or I looked more dangerous when we were older and tried to kill whoever it was then -"**

"Still would've been you mate." Ron chuckled, "No offence but your way scarier than Neville."

"I'll agree with you on that one." Neville laughed, "Sorry Harry, no way out of it for you."

Harry sighed dramatically, "Oh well. Off to hell with Voldymorty it is then."

They all laughed a little at the name.

**"That might, indeed, have been the more practical course," said Dumbledore, "except that Voldemort's information about the prophecy was incomplete. The Hog's Head inn, which Sybill chose for its cheapness, has long attracted, shall we say, a more interesting clientele than the Three Broomsticks. As you and your friends found out to your cost, and I to mine that night, it is a place where it is never safe to assume you are not being overheard. Of course, I had not dreamed, when I set out to meet Sybill Trelawney, that I would hear anything worth overhearing. My - our - one stroke of good fortune was that the eavesdropper was detected only a short way into the prophecy and thrown from the building."**

No one noticed the guilty look that appeared momentarily on Snape's face except the Golden Trio and Albus.

**"So he only heard -?"**

**"He heard only the beginning, the part foretelling the birth of a boy in July to parents who had thrice defied Voldemort. Consequently, he could not warn his master that to attack you would be to risk transferring power to you, and marking you as his equal. So Voldemort never knew that there might be danger in attacking you, that it might be wise to wait, to learn more. He did not know that you would have power the Dark Lord knows not -"**

**"But I don't!" said Harry, in a strangled voice. "I haven't any powers he hasn't got, I couldn't fight the way he did tonight, I can't possess people or - or kill them -"**

"And here comes the explanation of the locked room in the Department of Mysteries." Harry grinned.

**"There is a room in the Department of Mysteries," interrupted Dumbledore, "that is kept locked at all times. It contains a force that is at once more wonderful and more terrible than death, than human intelligence, than the forces of nature. It is also, perhaps, the most mysterious of the many subjects for study that reside there. It is the power held within that room that you possess in such quantities and which Voldemort has not at all. That power took you to save Sirius tonight. That power also saved you from possession by Voldemort, because he could not bear to reside in a body so full of the force he detests. In the end, it mattered not that you could not close your mind. It was your heart that saved you."**

"Uh... Why is there a room of love at the Ministry?" Ron asked.

"Because it's the most powerful magic in the world." Lily grinned.

"And Unspeakable's have been trying to figure out why that is for centuries." James nodded, "At least that's what my Dad told me when I was 14."

"Luna hit the nail on the head when she said Voldemort couldn't understand the power." Harry added, "You saw how he reacted when he tried to possess me and I thought about Sirius. He couldn't stand being near anything as pure as love, it hurt him a lot because he didn't understand it."

"He thought it was worthless, that love was for fools, a simple weakness he could use to exploit in order to make other's to do his bidding for him." Albus explained, "I don't think he could feel anything more than fondness, and that was only to his familiar." he sighed.

**Harry closed his eyes. If he had not gone to save Sirius, Sirius would not have died... More to stave off the moment when he would have to think of Sirius again, Harry asked, without caring much about the answer, "The end of the prophecy... it was something about... neither can live..."**

**"... while the other survives," said Dumbledore.**

**"So," said Harry, dredging up the words from what felt like a deep well of despair inside him, "so does that mean that... that one of us has got to kill the other one... in the end?"**

**"Yes," said Dumbledore.**

**For a long time, neither of them spoke. Somewhere far beyond the office walls, Harry could hear the sound of voices, students heading down to the Great Hall for an early breakfast, perhaps. It seemed impossible that there could be people in the world who still desired food, who laughed, who neither knew nor cared that Sirius Black was gone for ever. Sirius seemed a million miles away already; even now a part of Harry still believed that if he had only pulled back that veil, he would have found Sirius looking back at him, greeting him, perhaps, with his laugh like a bark...**

**"I feel I owe you another explanation, Harry," said Dumbledore hesitantly. "You may, perhaps, have wondered why I never chose you as a prefect? I must confess... that I rather thought... you had enough responsibility to be going on with."**

**Harry looked up at him and saw a tear trickling down Dumbledore's face into his long silver beard.**

"You really did care didn't you?" Frank smiled sadly.

"I still do, contrary to popular belief portraits can actually feel emotions." Albus chuckled, "Right Severus?"

"Of course." Snape rolled his eyes, "Though it is muted quite a bit the ability's still there." he shrugged, "Might just be an after effect of being dead but still able to communicate with the living world."

"Your guess is as good as mine." Albus smiled at him.

"Isn't it weird being a painting?" Fred inquired.

"A bit." Albus admitted, "Though it's not as bad when you still get to see the people you care about as they grow older."

Snape nodded his agreement, "It's quite rewarding hearing about them moving on with their lives, getting jobs, getting married, starting their own families... The list goes on and on."

"For example, I can still talk to Aberforth and make sure he's alright, even when he doesn't want me to." Albus chuckled.

"I know the feeling." Regulus muttered shooting a glare at Sirius who tried to look innocent.

"C'mon Reg, I may not have showed it often but I do care about my baby brother. I have a duty and a right to make sure you're alright." he smirked.

"That's what this lot said." Ginny grumbled, gesturing her brothers, "Just be glad you don't have to deal with it 6 times over Regulus. Believe me I know it can get annoying having one person ask if you're okay then having another asking 5 minutes later."

"I'll keep that in mind." he chuckled as the Weasley brothers glared at Ginny, who smiled innocently, "Though I suppose it is rather comforting knowing people care enough to ask." he mused.

"Still gets annoying." Harry shrugged, "Believe me, if something happens and I'm involved I've got at least 20 people watching me and asking if I'm alright."

"Quit exaggerating Harry." Ron huffed, "We ask you once then leave you be."

"For all of a hour." he retorted, "Though I'll admit you've all gotten better at not asking as often."

"We all know it gets annoying." Charlie told him, "And none of us are under attack as often now the wars basically over."

"True enough." most said while others just nodded in agreement.

"What's next Harry?" Hermione asked.

"The very end of our 5th year." he smiled, getting up to change the memory.

* * *

><p>Review please x<p> 


	102. Chapter 102

Chapter 102 - Fifth Year (Part 20.5)

"So this is when?" Ginny asked.

"That Sunday." Harry smiled, "And we're starting with an article in the Prophet that Hermione's reading out to us."

**HE WHO MUST NOT BE NAMED RETURNS**

**'In a brief statement on Friday night, Minister for Magic Cornelius Fudge confirmed that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named has returned to this country and is once more active.**

**'"It is with great regret that I must confirm that the wizard styling himself Lord - well, you know who I mean - is alive and among us again," said Fudge, looking tired and flustered as he addressed reporters. "It is with almost equal regret that we report the mass revolt of the dementors of Azkaban, who have shown themselves averse to continuing in the Ministry's employ. We believe the dementors are currently taking direction from Lord - Thingy.**

"Lord Thingy?" James asked amused.

"Apparently he has a new name." Harry snickered, "Though personally I think Voldymorty or Lord Snake-face is way better."

"Or Lord Voldy-Snake." Ginny grinned.

They all snickered and nodded their agreement.

**'"We urge the magician population to remain vigilant. The Ministry is currently publishing guides to elementary home and personal defence which will be delivered free to all wizarding homes within the coming month."**

**'The Minister's statement was met with dismay and alarm from the wizarding community, which as recently as last Wednesday was receiving Ministry assurances that there was "no truth whatsoever in these persistent rumours that You-Know-Who is operating amongst us once more."**

**'Details of the events that led to the Ministry turnaround are still hazy, though it is believed that He Who Must Not Be Named and a select band of followers (known as Death Eaters) gained entry to the Ministry of Magic itself on Thursday evening.**

**'Albus Dumbledore, newly reinstated Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, reinstated member of the International Confederation of Wizards and reinstated Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, has so far been unavailable for comment. He has insisted over the past year that You-Know-Who is not dead, as was widely hoped and believed, but is recruiting followers once more for afresh attempt to seize power. Meanwhile, the "Boy Who Lived" -"**

**"There you are, Harry, I knew they'd drag you into it somehow," said Hermione, looking over the top of the paper at him.**

**They were in the hospital wing. Harry was sitting on the end of Ron's bed and they were both listening to Hermione read the front page of the Sunday Prophet. Ginny, whose ankle had been mended in a trice by Madam Pomfrey, was curled up at the foot of Hermione's bed; Neville, whose nose had likewise been returned to its normal size and shape, was in a chair between the two beds; and Luna, who had dropped in to visit, clutching the latest edition of The Quibbler, was reading the magazine upside-down and apparently not taking in a word Hermione was saying.**

"Oh I was listening." Luna assured them, "Though I preferred acting like I wasn't."

"Why?" George asked.

"Because people don't know what to expect when you appear not to pay attention when in fact you're listening the whole time." she smirked.

**"He's the "boy who lived" again now, though, isn't he?" said Ron darkly. "Not such a deluded show-off any more, eh?"**

**He helped himself to a handful of Chocolate Frogs from the immense pile on his bedside cabinet, threw a few to Harry, Ginny and Neville and ripped off the wrapper of his own with his teeth. There were still deep welts on his forearms where the brain's tentacles had wrapped around him. According to Madam Pomfrey, thoughts could leave deeper scarring than almost anything else, though since she had started applying copious amounts of Dr. Ubbly's Oblivious Unction there seemed to have been some improvement.**

"Still got the marks though." Ron sighed.

"Is that what the white crisscross lines are on Paws?" Sirius asked.

Ron nodded and pulled his shirt sleeves up to show there was crisscross style scars running up his forearms.

**"Yes, they're very complimentary about you now, Harry," said Hermione, scanning down the article. "'A lone voice of truth... perceived as unbalanced, yet never wavered in his story... forced to bear ridicule and slander...' Hmmm," she said, frowning, "I notice they don't mention the fact that it was them doing all the ridiculing and slandering in the Prophet..."**

**She winced slightly and put a hand to her ribs. The curse Dolohov had used on her, though less effective than it would have been had he been able to say the incantation aloud, had nevertheless caused, in Madam Pomfrey's words, 'quite enough damage to be going on with'. Hermione was having to take ten different types of potion every day, was improving greatly, and was already bored with the hospital wing.**

"You bored in here? Never!" Fred said in mock-shock.

Hermione glared at him, "Well it's boring having to sit around all day." she said defensively.

**"You-Know-Who's Last Attempt to Take Over, pages two to four, What the Ministry Should Have Told Us, page five, Why Nobody Listened to Albus Dumbledore, pages six to eight, Exclusive Interview with Harry Potter, page nine... Well," said Hermione, folding up the newspaper and throwing it aside, "it's certainly given them lots to write about. And that interview with Harry isn't exclusive, it's the one that was in The Quibbler months ago..."**

**"Daddy sold it to them," said Luna vaguely, turning a page of The Quibbler. "He got a very good price for it, too, so we're going to go on an expedition to Sweden this summer to see if we can catch a Crumple-Horned Snorkack."**

"I hope you didn't mind that Harry." Luna said, "Daddy didn't even think to ask your permission."

"Its fine." he assured her, "I honestly didn't and don't mind, sure the publicity's annoying but it's unavoidable." he shrugged, "I would've had to deal with it even if the interview wasn't put in the Prophet."

**Hermione seemed to struggle with herself for a moment, then said, "That sounds lovely."**

**Ginny caught Harry's eye and looked away quickly, grinning.**

**"So, anyway," said Hermione, sitting up a little straighter and wincing again, "what's going on in school?"**

**"Well, Flitwick's got rid of Fred and George's swamp," said Ginny, "he did it in about three seconds. But he left a tiny patch under the window and he's roped it off -"**

**"Why?" said Hermione, looking startled.**

**"Oh, he just says it was a really good bit of magic," said Ginny, shrugging.**

"Brilliant." Fred grinned, "Is it still there?"

"Yes." Minerva nodded, "None of the staff want to get rid of it, and I'll admit I was rather impressed myself. It really is an amazing piece of magic."

"Thank you." George smiled.

**"I think he left it as a monument to Fred and George," said Ron, through a mouthful of chocolate. "They sent me all these, you know," he told Harry, pointing at the small mountain of Frogs beside him. "Must be doing all right out of that joke shop, eh?"**

**Hermione looked rather disapproving and asked, "So has all the trouble stopped now Dumbledore's back?"**

**"Yes," said Neville, "everything's settled right back to normal."**

**"I s'pose Filch is happy, is he?" asked Ron, propping a Chocolate Frog Card featuring Dumbledore against his water jug.**

**"Not at all," said Ginny. "He's really, really miserable, actually..." She lowered her voice to a whisper. "He keeps saying Umbridge was the best thing that ever happened to Hogwarts..."**

**All six of them looked around. Professor Umbridge was lying in a bed opposite them, gazing up at the ceiling. Dumbledore had strode alone into the Forest to rescue her from the centaurs; how he had done it - how he had emerged from the trees supporting Professor Umbridge without so much as a scratch on him - nobody knew, and Umbridge was certainly not telling. Since she had returned to the castle she had not, as far as any of them knew, uttered a single word. Nobody really knew what was wrong with her, either. Her usually neat mousy hair was very untidy and there were still bits of twigs and leaves in it, but otherwise she seemed to be quite unscathed.**

They all laughed.

**"Madam Pomfrey says she's just in shock," whispered Hermione.**

**"Sulking, more like," said Ginny.**

**"Yeah, she shows signs of life if you do this," said Ron, and with his tongue he made soft clip-clopping noises. Umbridge sat bolt upright, looking around wildly.**

They all burst out laughing at this and it took a few minutes for them to calm down again.

**"Anything wrong, Professor?" called Madam Pomfrey, poking her head around her office door.**

**"No... no..." said Umbridge, sinking back into her pillows. "No, I must have been dreaming..."**

**Hermione and Ginny muffled their laughter in the bedclothes.**

**"Speaking of centaurs," said Hermione, when she had recovered a little, "who's Divination teacher now? Is Firenze staying?"**

**"He's got to," said Harry, "the other centaurs won't take him back, will they?"**

**"It looks like he and Trelawney are both going to teach," said Ginny.**

**"Bet Dumbledore wishes he could've got rid of Trelawney for good," said Ron, now munching on his fourteenth Frog. "Mind you, the whole subject's useless if you ask me, Firenze isn't a lot better..."**

**"How can you say that?" Hermione demanded. "After we've just found out that there are real prophecies?"**

"Um... Hermione?" Harry asked hesitantly.

"Yes?"

"I think Ron meant the subject it useless because only Seer's or people with the gift can actually make prophecies." he told her, Ron nodding in agreement.

"That's true, the future can always change." James nodded, "Which is why I rarely use my Ravenclaw gift of sight. Sure it comes in handy for something's, but it's looking for something specific that's the problem with the gift as you have to get your thought's exactly right or you see something unrelated or nothing at all. As for Divination as a subject, I suppose it's not all that bad with a proper teacher."

"Something's are guesswork and there's no deadline on thing's happening but some of its right." Luna nodded, "Like in your third year with the tea leaves."

"I suppose in a way they did keep showing you me." Sirius nodded, "Or rather my Animagus, but it was right in the sense you'd be bumping into me soon. It was just Trelawney who kept saying I was the Grim."

"There's something else." Neville realized, "Ron, I think it was the first Divination class that you told Harry he'd suffer but he'd be happy about it. You could say that was true about the night you met Sirius. You suffered because Pettigrew got away but you were happy at finding Sirius and discovering his innocence."

"Wow, I didn't even think of that." Harry mused, "I suppose it's right in a sense. Wasn't there one time when it was said I'd be at risk of burns when we were doing planet alignment? Before the First Task in 4th year?"

"Yeah, and that was a random made up one." Ron nodded with a chuckle, "We could totally be Seer's Harry."

"No thanks, I don't fancy using my 'inner eye' too often, I prefer being able to see what's in front of me." he grinned as they all laughed.

**Harry's heart began to race. He had not told Ron, Hermione or anyone else what the prophecy had contained. Neville had told them it had smashed while Harry was pulling him up the steps in the Death Room and Harry had not yet corrected this impression. He was not ready to see their expressions when he told them that he must be either murderer or victim, there was no other way...**

**"It is a pity it broke," said Hermione quietly, shaking her head.**

**"Yeah, it is," said Ron. "Still, at least You-Know-Who never found out what was in it either - where are you going?" he added, looking both surprised and disappointed as Harry stood up.**

**"Er - Hagrid's," said Harry. "You know, he just got back and I promised I'd go down and see him and tell him how you two are."**

**"Oh, all right then," said Ron grumpily, looking out of the dormitory window at the patch of bright blue sky beyond. "Wish we could come."**

**"Say hello to him for us!" called Hermione, as Harry proceeded down the ward. "And ask him what's happening about... about his little friend!"**

"Little?" Molly asked incredulously.

"I was going to say little brother." Hermione admitted, "But I remembered those three didn't know about Grawp and I wasn't in the mood to explain."

"Fair enough." Ginny shrugged.

**Harry gave a wave of his hand to show he had heard and understood as he left the dormitory.**

**The castle seemed very quiet even for a Sunday. Everybody was clearly out in the sunny grounds, enjoying the end of their exams and the prospect of a last few days of term unhampered by revision or homework. Harry walked slowly along the deserted corridor, peering out of windows as he went; he could see people messing around in the air over the Quidditch pitch and a couple of students swimming in the lake, accompanied by the giant squid.**

**He was finding it hard to decide whether he wanted to be with people or not; whenever he was in company he wanted to get away and whenever he was alone he wanted company. He thought he might really go and visit Hagrid, though, as he had not talked to him properly since he'd returned...**

**Harry had just descended the last marble step into the Entrance Hall when Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle emerged from a door on the right that Harry knew led down to the Slytherin common room. Harry stopped dead; so did Malfoy and the others. The only sounds were the shouts, laughter and splashes drifting into the Hall from the grounds through the open front doors.**

**Malfoy glanced around - Harry knew he was checking for signs of teachers - then he looked back at Harry and said in a low voice, "You're dead, Potter."**

**Harry raised his eyebrows.**

**"Funny." he said, "you'd think I'd have stopped walking around..."**

They all laughed as Harry grinned at a pouting Draco.

**Malfoy looked angrier than Harry had ever seen him; he felt a kind of detached satisfaction at the sight of his pale, pointed face contorted with rage.**

**"You're going to pay," said Malfoy, in a voice barely louder than a whisper. "I'm going to make you pay for what you've done to my father..."**

**"Well, I'm terrified now," said Harry sarcastically.**

"You shouldn't have riled them up without back up Harry." Ginny told him sternly, "What if they'd attacked?"

"If I can handle Death Eater's I could handle three students who probably didn't know as much defense as I did." he shrugged.

"He has a point Ginny, we wouldn't have attacked." Draco told her, "I was well aware he knew more curses and hexes than the three of us at that point and I would've stopped Crabbe and Goyle." he shrugged, "Despite the bad choices I do have some self-preservation skills. It would just be plain stupid to attack the Gryffindor Golden Boy at that time." he added teasingly.

"You're never going to quit it with that name are you?" Harry asked rolling his eyes.

"Would you prefer 'O Chosen One'?"

"Not really, just Harry works fine for me." he replied.

"Nah, I like Golden Boy better." Draco smirked.

**"I s'pose Lord Voldemort's just a warm-up act compared to you three - what's the matter?" he added, for Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle had all looked stricken at the sound of the name. "He's a mate of your dad, isn't he? Not scared of him, are you?"**

**"You think you're such a big man, Potter," said Malfoy, advancing now, Crabbe and Goyle flanking him. "You wait. I'll have you. You can't land my father in prison -"**

**"I thought I just had," said Harry.**

**"The dementors have left Azkaban," said Malfoy quietly. "Dad and the others'll be out in no time..."**

"You know, I don't think I've ever heard you actually call him 'Dad'." Cissy mused, "It was always Father, even when you were just a baby."

"Ah well." Draco shrugged, "It's just Lucius now. As far as I'm concerned he's nothing to do with me. Just an unfortunate blood relation." he made a face.

**"Yeah, I expect they will," said Harry. "Still, at least everyone knows what scumbags they are now -"**

**Malfoy's hand flew towards his wand, but Harry was too quick for him; he had drawn his own wand before Malfoy's fingers had even entered the pocket of his robes.**

**"Potter!"**

**The voice rang across the Entrance Hall. Snape had emerged from the staircase leading down to his office and at the sight of him Harry felt a great rush of hatred beyond anything he felt towards Malfoy... whatever Dumbledore said, he would never forgive Snape... never...**

"Really?" Snape asked.

"No. I ate my own words, or thought's, as you know." Harry told him.

**"What are you doing, Potter?" said Snape, as coldly as ever, as he strode over to the four of them.**

**"I'm trying to decide what curse to use on Malfoy, sir," said Harry fiercely.**

"You actually said that." Lily grumbled.

"It's not like he could take points." Harry shrugged, "You'll see why in a minute."

**Snape stared at him.**

**"Put that wand away at once," he said curtly. "Ten points from Gryff -"**

**Snape looked towards the giant hour-glasses on the walls and gave a sneering smile.**

**"Ah. I see there are no longer any points left in the Gryffindor hour-glass to take away. In that case, Potter, we will simply have to -"**

**"Add some more?"**

**Professor McGonagall had just stumped up the stone, steps into the castle; she was carrying a tartan carpetbag in one hand and leaning heavily on a walking stick with her other, but otherwise looked quite well.**

"Minnie's back!" the Marauder's cheered.

Minerva just chuckled amusedly.

**"Professor McGonagall!" said Snape, striding forwards. "Out of St. Mungo's, I see!"**

**"Yes, Professor Snape," said Professor McGonagall. shrugging off her travelling cloak, "I'm quite as good as new. You two - Crabbe - Goyle -"**

**She beckoned them forwards imperiously and they came, shuffling their large feet and looking awkward.**

**"Here," said Professor McGonagall, thrusting her carpetbag into Crabbe's chest and her cloak into Goyle's, "take these up to my office for me."**

**They turned and stumped away up the marble staircase.**

**"Right then," said Professor McGonagall, looking up at the hourglasses on the wall. "Well, I think Potter and his friends ought to have fifty points apiece for alerting the world to the return of You-Know-Who! What say you, Professor Snape?"**

They all grinned at Minerva who just smiled back at them all.

**"What?" snapped Snape, though Harry knew he had heard perfectly well. "Oh - well - I suppose..."**

**"So that's fifty each for Potter, the two Weasleys, Longbottom and Miss Granger," said Professor McGonagall, and a shower of rubies fell down into the bottom bulb of Gryffindor's hour-glass as she spoke. "Oh - and fifty for Miss Lovegood, I suppose," she added, and a number of sapphires fell into Ravenclaw's glass. "Now, you wanted to take ten from Mr. Potter, I think, Professor Snape - so there we are..."**

**A few rubies retreated into the upper bulb, leaving a respectable amount below nevertheless.**

**"Well, Potter, Malfoy, I think you ought to be outside on a glorious day like this," Professor McGonagall continued briskly.**

**Harry did not need telling twice; he thrust his wand back inside his robes and headed straight for the front doors without another glance at Snape and Malfoy.**

**The hot sun hit him with a blast as he walked across the lawns towards Hagrid's cabin. Students lying around on the grass sunbathing, talking, reading the Sunday Prophet and eating sweets, looked up at him as he passed; some called out to him, or else waved, clearly eager to show that they, like the Prophet, had decided he was something of a hero. Harry said nothing to any of them. He had no idea how much they knew of what had happened three days ago, but he had so far avoided being questioned and preferred to keep it that way.**

**He thought at first when he knocked on Hagrid's cabin door that he was out, but then Fang came charging around the corner and almost bowled him over with the enthusiasm of his welcome. Hagrid, it transpired, was picking runner beans in his back garden.**

**"All righ', Harry!" he said, beaming, when Harry approached the fence. "Come in, come in, we'll have a cup o' dandelion juice... How's things?' Hagrid asked him, as they settled down at his wooden table with a glass apiece of iced juice. "Yeh - er - feelin' all righ', are yeh?"**

**Harry knew from the look of concern on Hagrid's face that he was not referring to Harry's physical well-being.**

**"I'm fine," Harry said quickly, because he could not bear to discuss the thing that he knew was in Hagrid's mind. "So, where've you been?"**

**"Bin hidin' out in the mountains," said Hagrid. "Up in a cave, like Sirius did when he -"**

**Hagrid broke off, cleared his throat gruffly, looked at Harry, and took a long draught of juice.**

**"Anyway, back now," he said feebly.**

**"You - you look better," said Harry, who was determined to keep the conversation moving away from Sirius.**

**"Wha?" said Hagrid, raising a massive hand and feeling his face. "Oh - oh yeah. Well, Grawpy's loads better behaved now, loads. Seemed right pleased ter see me when I got back, ter tell yeh the truth. He's a good lad, really... I've bin thinkin abou tryin ter find him a lady friend, actually..."**

**Harry would normally have tried to persuade Hagrid out of this idea at once; the prospect of a second giant taking up residence in the Forest, possibly even wilder and more brutal than Grawp, was positively alarming, but somehow Harry could not muster the energy necessary to argue the point. He was starting to wish he was alone again, and with the idea of hastening his departure he took several large gulps of his dandelion juice, half-emptying his glass.**

**"Ev'ryone knows yeh've bin tellin' the truth now, Harry." said Hagrid softly and unexpectedly. He was watching Harry closely. "Tha's gotta be better, hasn' it?"**

**Harry shrugged.**

**"Look..." Hagrid leaned towards him across the table, "I knew Sirius longer 'n yeh did... he died in battle, an tha's the way he'd've wanted ter go -"**

**"He didn't want to go at all!" said Harry angrily.**

**Hagrid bowed his great shaggy head.**

**"Nah, I don' reckon he did," he said quietly. "But still, Harry... he was never one ter sit aroun' at home an' let other people do the fightin'. He couldn've lived with himself if he hadn' gone ter help -"**

**Harry leapt up.**

**"I've got to go and visit Ron and Hermione in the hospital wing," he said mechanically.**

"Typical, use Hagrid to leave us then use us to leave Hagrid." Hermione muttered.

"Sorry, I couldn't help it." Harry told them, "It was the first time I'd lost anyone close to me and been able to understand it."

**"Oh," said Hagrid, looking rather upset. "Oh... all righ' then, Harry... take care o' yerself then, an' drop back in if yeh've got a mo..."**

**"Yeah... right..."**

**Harry crossed to the door as fast as he could and pulled it open; he was out in the sunshine again before Hagrid had finished saying goodbye, and walking away across the lawn. Once again, people called out to him as he passed. He closed his eyes for a few moments, wishing they would all vanish, that he could open his eyes and find himself alone in the grounds...**

**A few days ago, before his exams had finished and he had seen the vision Voldemort had planted in his mind, he would have given almost anything for the wizarding world to know he had been telling the truth, for them to believe that Voldemort was back, and to know that he was neither a liar nor mad. Now, however...**

**He walked a short way around the lake, sat down on its bank, sheltered from the gaze of passers-by behind a tangle of shrubs, and stared out over the gleaming water, thinking...**

**Perhaps the reason he wanted to be alone was because he had felt isolated from everybody since his talk with Dumbledore. An invisible barrier separated him from the rest of the world. He was - he had always been - a marked man. It was just that he had never really understood what that meant...**

**And yet sitting here on the edge of the lake, with the terrible weight of grief dragging at him, with the loss of Sirius so raw and fresh inside, he could not muster any great sense of fear. It was sunny, and the grounds around him were full of laughing people, and even though he felt as distant from them as though he belonged to a different race, it was still very hard to believe as he sat here that his life must include, or end in, murder...**

"It is rather depressing." James said sympathetically, "I wish more than ever we'd been there to help you through it all." Lily nodded her agreement. Harry just smiled sadly at them.

**He sat there for a long time, gazing out at the water, trying not to think about his godfather or to remember that it was directly across from here, on the opposite bank, that Sirius had once collapsed trying to fend off a hundred dementors...**

**The sun had set before he realised he was cold. He got up and returned to the castle, wiping his face on his sleeve as he went.**

**Ron and Hermione left the hospital wing completely cured three days before the end of term. Hermione kept showing signs of wanting to talk about Sirius, but Ron tended to make 'hushing' noises every time she mentioned his name. Harry was still not sure whether or not he wanted to talk about his godfather yet; his wishes varied with his mood. He knew one thing, though: unhappy as he felt at the moment, he would greatly miss Hogwarts in a few days' time when he was back at number four, Privet Drive. Even though he now understood exactly why he had to return there every summer, he did not feel any better about it. Indeed, he had never dreaded his return more.**

**Professor Umbridge left Hogwarts the day before the end of term. It seemed she had crept out of the hospital wing during dinnertime, evidently hoping to depart undetected, but unfortunately for her, she met Peeves on the way, who seized his last chance to do as Fred had instructed, and chased her gleefully from the premises whacking her alternately with a walking stick and a sock full of chalk. Many students ran out into the Entrance Hall to watch her running away down the path and the Heads of Houses tried only half-heartedly to restrain them. Indeed, Professor McGonagall sank back into her chair at the staff table after a few feeble remonstrance's and was clearly heard to express a regret that she could not run cheering after Umbridge herself, because Peeves had borrowed her walking stick.**

They all burst out laughing at this as Minerva grinned widely.

**Their last evening at school arrived; most people had finished packing and were already heading down to the end-of-term leaving feast, but Harry had not even started.**

**"Just do it tomorrow!" said Ron, who was waiting by the door of their dormitory. "Come on, I'm starving."**

**"I won't be long... look, you go ahead..."**

**But when the dormitory door closed behind Ron, Harry made no effort to speed up his packing. The very last thing he wanted to do was to attend the Leaving Feast. He was worried that Dumbledore would make some reference to him in his speech. He was sure to mention Voldemort's return; he had talked to them about it last year, after all...**

**Harry pulled some crumpled robes out of the very bottom of his trunk to make way for folded ones and, as he did so, noticed a badly wrapped package lying in a corner of it. He could not think what it was doing there. He bent down, pulled it out from underneath his trainers and examined it.**

**He realized what it was within seconds. Sirius had given it to him just inside the front door of number twelve Grimmauld Place. "Use it if you need me, all right?"**

**Harry sank down on to his bed and unwrapped the package. Out fell a small, square mirror. It looked old; it was certainly dirty. Harry held it up to his face and saw his own reflection looking back at him.**

**He turned the mirror over. There on the reverse side was a scribbled note from Sirius.**

**This is a two-way mirror, I've got the other one of the pair. If you need to speak to me, just say my name into it; you'll appear in my mirror and I'll be able to talk in yours. James and I used to use them when we were in separate detentions.**

**Harry's heart began to race. He remembered seeing his dead parents in the Mirror of Erised four years ago. He was going to be able to talk to Sirius again, right now, he knew it -**

"It doesn't quite work like that pup." Sirius sighed.

**He looked around to make sure there was nobody else there; the dormitory was quite empty. He looked back at the mirror, raised it in front of his face with trembling hands and said, loudly and clearly, "Sirius."**

**His breath misted the surface of the glass. He held the mirror even closer, excitement flooding through him, but the eyes blinking back at him through the fog were definitely his own.**

**He wiped the mirror clear again and said, so that every syllable rang clearly through the room:**

**"Sirius Black!"**

**Nothing happened. The frustrated face looking back out of the mirror was still, definitely, his own...**

**Sirius didn't have his mirror on him when he went through the archway, said a small voice in Harry's head. That's why it's not working...**

**Harry remained quite still for a moment, then hurled the mirror back into the trunk where it shattered. He had been convinced, for a whole, shining minute, that he was going to see Sirius, talk to him again...**

**Disappointment was burning in his throat; he got up and began throwing his things pell-mell into the trunk on top of the broken mirror -**

**But then an idea struck him... a better idea than a mirror... a much bigger, more important idea... how had he never thought of it before - why had he never asked?**

**He was sprinting out of the dormitory and down the spiral staircase, hitting the walls as he ran and barely noticing; he hurtled across the empty common room, through the portrait hole and off along the corridor, ignoring the Fat Lady, who called after him: "The feast is about to start, you know, you're cutting it very fine!"**

**But Harry had no intention of going to the feast...**

**How could it be that the place was full of ghosts whenever you didn't need one, yet now...**

"Ah, I see what you're getting at." James said, "But Paddy wouldn't ever become a ghost." Sirius nodded in obvious agreement.

**He ran down staircases and along corridors and met nobody either alive or dead. They were all, clearly, in the Great Hall. Outside his Charms classroom he came to a halt, panting and thinking disconsolately that he would have to wait until later, until after the end of the feast...**

**But just as he had given up hope, he saw it - a translucent somebody drifting across the end of the corridor.**

**"Hey - hey, Nick! NICK!"**

**The ghost stuck its head back out of the wall, revealing the extravagantly plumed hat and dangerously wobbling head of Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington.**

**"Good evening," he said, withdrawing the rest of his body from the solid stone and smiling at Harry. "I am not the only one who is late, then? Though," he sighed, "in a rather different sense, of course..."**

**"Nick, can I ask you something?"**

**A most peculiar expression stole over Nearly Headless Nick's face as he inserted a finger in the stiff ruff at his neck and tugged it a little straighter, apparently to give himself thinking time. He desisted only when his partially severed neck seemed about to give way completely.**

**"Er - now, Harry?" said Nick, looking discomfited. "Can't it wait until after the feast?"**

**"No - Nick - please," said Harry, "I really need to talk to you. Can we go in here?"**

**Harry opened the door of the nearest classroom and Nearly Headless Nick sighed.**

**"Oh, very well," he said, looking resigned. "I can't pretend I haven't been expecting it."**

**Harry was holding the door open for him, but he drifted through the wall instead.**

**"Expecting what?" Harry asked, as he closed the door.**

**"You to come and find me," said Nick, now gliding over to the window and looking out at the darkening grounds. "It happens, sometimes... when somebody has suffered a... loss."**

**"Well," said Harry, refusing to be deflected. "You were right, I've - I've come to find you."**

**Nick said nothing.**

**"It's -" said Harry, who was finding this more awkward than he had anticipated, "it's just - you're dead. But you're still here, aren't you?"**

**Nick sighed and continued to gaze out at the grounds.**

**"That's right, isn't it?" Harry urged him. "You died, but I'm talking to you... you can walk around Hogwarts and everything, can't you?"**

**"Yes," said Nearly Headless Nick quietly, "I walk and talk, yes."**

**"So, you came back, didn't you?" said Harry urgently. "People can come back, right? As ghosts. They don't have to disappear completely. Well?" he added impatiently, when Nick continued to say nothing.**

**Nearly Headless Nick hesitated, then said, "Not everyone can come back as a ghost."**

**"What d'you mean?" said Harry quickly.**

**"Only... only wizards."**

**"Oh," said Harry, and he almost laughed with relief. "Well, that's OK then, the person I'm asking about is a wizard. So he can come back, right?"**

**Nick turned away from the window and looked mournfully at Harry.**

**"He won't come back."**

**"Who?"**

**"Sirius Black," said Nick.**

**"But you did!" said Harry angrily. "You came back - you're dead and you didn't disappear -"**

**"Wizards can leave an imprint of themselves upon the earth, to walk palely where their living selves once trod," said Nick miserably. "But very few wizards choose that path."**

**"Why not?" said Harry. "Anyway - it doesn't matter - Sirius won't care if it's unusual, he'll come back, I know he will!"**

**And so strong was his belief, Harry actually turned his head to check the door, sure, for a split second, that he was going to see Sirius, pearly-white and transparent but beaming, walking through it towards him.**

**"He will not come back," repeated Nick. "He will have... gone on."**

**"What d'you mean, 'gone on'?" said Harry quickly. "Gone on where? Listen - what happens when you die, anyway? Where do you go? Why doesn't everyone come back? Why isn't this place full of ghosts? Why -?"**

**"I cannot answer," said Nick.**

**"You're dead, aren't you?" said Harry exasperatedly. "Who can answer better than you?"**

"I think you misunderstood him." Alice said sadly.

"I didn't really understand death and what it is to die at that time." Harry admitted, "I didn't truly understand until after Remus, Dora and Fred died, and Colin too." he explained, "Of course I understood death meant your dead after what happened with Cedric, but I still didn't really understand it..." he admitted awkwardly.

"Like you understood it to an extent but you didn't understand completely." Fred suggested.

"Exactly." Harry nodded.

**"I was afraid of death," said Nick softly. "I chose to remain behind. I sometimes wonder whether I oughtn't to have... well, that is neither here nor there... in fact, I am neither here nor there..." He gave a small sad chuckle. "I know nothing of the secrets of death, Harry, for I chose my feeble imitation of life instead. I believe learned wizards study the matter in the Department of Mysteries -"**

**"Don't talk to me about that place!" said Harry fiercely.**

**"I am sorry not to have been more help," said Nick gently. "Well... well, do excuse me... the feast, you know..."**

**And he left the room, leaving Harry there alone, gazing blankly at the wall through which Nick had disappeared.**

**Harry felt almost as though he had lost his godfather all over again in losing the hope that he might be able to see or speak to him once more. He walked slowly and miserably back up through the empty castle, wondering whether he would ever feel cheerful again.**

**He had turned the corner towards the Fat Lady's corridor when he saw somebody up ahead fastening a note to a board on the wall. A second glance showed him it was Luna. There were no good hiding places nearby, she was bound to have heard his footsteps, and in any case, Harry could hardly muster the energy to avoid anyone at the moment.**

**"Hello," said Luna vaguely, glancing around at him as she stepped back from the notice.**

**"How come you're not at the feast?" Harry asked.**

**"Well, I've lost most of my possessions," said Luna serenely. "People take them and hide them, you know. But as it's the last night, I really do need them back, so I've been putting up signs."**

"That's horrible, you should have went to Fillius, Luna." Minerva told her.

"Oh it was all in good fun and I always got everything back anyway." she shrugged.

**She gestured towards the noticeboard, upon which, sure enough, she had pinned a list of all her missing books and clothes, with a plea for their return.**

**An odd feeling rose in Harry; an emotion quite different from the anger and grief that had filled him since Sirius's death. It was a few moments before he realised that he was feeling sorry for Luna.**

"No need to feel sorry for me Harry." Luna smiled at him, "It never bothered me really."

"I couldn't help it, and it was a good thing I felt something other than feeling numb or depressed." he told her.

**"How come people hide your stuff?" he asked her, frowning.**

**"Oh... well..." she shrugged. "I think they think I'm a bit odd, you know. Some people call me "Loony" Lovegood, actually."**

**Harry looked at her and the new feeling of pity intensified rather painfully.**

**"That's no reason for them to take your things," he said flatly. "D'you want help finding them?"**

**"Oh, no," she said, smiling at him. "They'll come back, they always do in the end. It was just that I wanted to pack tonight. Anyway... why aren't you at the feast?"**

**Harry shrugged. "Just didn't feel like it."**

**"No," said Luna, observing him with those oddly misty, protuberant eyes. "I don't suppose you do. That man the Death Eaters killed was your godfather, wasn't he? Ginny told me."**

**Harry nodded curtly, but found that for some reason he did not mind Luna talking about Sirius. He had just remembered that she, too, could see Thestrals.**

"Which would be why you didn't mind." Luna told him, "Because I knew what it was like losing someone close to me."

Harry smiled weakly at her.

**"Have you..." he began. "I mean, who... has anyone you known ever died?"**

**"Yes," said Luna simply, "my mother. She was a quite extraordinary witch, you know, but she did like to experiment and one of her spells went rather badly wrong one day. I was nine."**

**"I'm sorry," Harry mumbled.**

**"Yes, it was rather horrible," said Luna conversationally. "I still feel very sad about it sometimes. But I've still got Dad. And anyway, it's not as though I'll never see Mum again, is it?"**

**"Er - isn't it?" said Harry uncertainly.**

**She shook her head in disbelief.**

**"Oh, come on. You heard them, just behind the veil, didn't you?"**

**"You mean..."**

**"In that room with the archway. They were just lurking out of sight, that's all. You heard them."**

"Which might just mean our voices could've been in the mix." Lily mused.

**They looked at each other. Luna was smiling slightly. Harry did not know what to say, or to think; Luna believed so many extraordinary things... yet he had been sure he had heard voices behind the veil, too.**

**"Are you sure you don't want me to help you look for your stuff?" he said.**

**"Oh, no," said Luna. "No, I think I'll just go down and have some pudding and wait for it all to turn up... it always does in the end... well, have a nice holiday, Harry."**

**"Yeah... yeah, you too."**

**She walked away from him and, as he watched her go, he found that the terrible weight in his stomach seemed to have lessened slightly.**

**The journey home on the Hogwarts Express next day was eventful in several ways. Firstly, Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle, who had clearly been waiting all week for the opportunity to strike without teacher witnesses, attempted to ambush Harry halfway down the train as he made his way back from the toilet. The attack might have succeeded had it not been for the fact that they unwittingly chose to stage the attack right outside a compartment full of DA members, who saw what was happening through the glass and rose as one to rush to Harry's aid.**

"Bad idea." Kingsley chuckled, "Even the Auror's aren't stupid enough to try anything with the DA when they're all together, not that they would." he added hastily, "But quite a few of them have mixed feelings, most commonly fear, awe and admiration."

"I figured that out when 7 different people hexed and jinxed me with stuff Harry taught them funnily enough." Draco winced.

"And then added on with me telling you off." Cissy scowled at her son, "Lucius going to prison meant I was the one who heard everything you did, something that didn't seem to sink in until the end of your 6th year."

Draco flushed, "I didn't think of it until Pettigrew mentioned you weren't very happy with me when he was talking to me while I was brewing a potion."

"You actually chose to talk to him instead of telling him to sod off?" Sirius inquired.

"Better than spending time with 'Auntie Bella'." he made a face, "I invited him to come talk to me since I really didn't want to be alone but I didn't want to spend time with the evil Aunt and her minion."

"Her minion?" Ginny asked.

"Rodolphus." he made a face, "Rabastan was away doing Merlin knows what and Mother was busy, so I chose to talk to Pettigrew." he cocked his head to the side, "He seemed sad about your death by the way." he told Sirius, "I think he regretted his actions in the end."

Sirius snorted, "Unlikely."

"I can always ask Death to let us talk to him later if you want to." Harry told him, "I'll be summoning him at one point since I have a few questions for him myself." he admitted, "But it won't be until all the memories are finished."

"I'll consider it." Sirius told him, "Though I don't know if I can speak vermin."

**By the time Ernie Macmillan, Hannah Abbott, Susan Bones, Justin Finch-Fletchley, Anthony Goldstein and Terry Boot, had finished using a wide variety of the hexes and jinxes Harry had taught them, Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle resembled nothing so much as three gigantic slugs squeezed into Hogwarts uniform as Harry, Ernie and Justin hoisted them into the luggage rack and left them there to ooze.**

**"I must say, I'm looking forward to seeing Malfoy's mother's face when he gets off the train," said Ernie, with some satisfaction, as he watched Malfoy squirm above him. Ernie had never quite got over the indignity of Malfoy docking points from Hufflepuff during his brief spell as a member of the Inquisitorial Squad.**

"What was your reaction?" Andy asked her sister.

"I told him he deserved it when he told me what happened." she smirked, "At the time I claimed he brought it on himself because he should've been more aware of his surroundings but that was just an excuse." she admitted.

"You weren't completely sure which side I was on at that time." Draco told her, "And you didn't know if I'd tell anyone you agreed with me getting hexed by 7 DA members."

"Did you?" Astoria asked.

"No, unless you count Uncle Sev." he admitted.

"Doesn't count." Snape told him, "I was on the Light side the whole time, and Cissy told me first." he smirked.

**"Goyle's mum'll be really pleased, though," said Ron, who had come to investigate the source of the commotion. "He's loads better-looking now... anyway, Harry, the food trolley's just stopped if you want anything..."**

**Harry thanked the others and accompanied Ron back to their compartment, where he bought a large pile of cauldron cakes and pumpkin pasties. Hermione was reading the Daily Prophet again, Ginny was doing a quiz in The Quibbler and Neville was stroking his Mimbulus mimbletonia, which had grown a great deal over the year and now made odd crooning noises when touched.**

**Harry and Ron whiled away most of the journey playing wizard chess while Hermione read out snippets from the Prophet. It was now full of articles about how to repel dementors, attempts by the Ministry to track down Death Eaters and hysterical letters claiming that the writer had seen Lord Voldemort walking past their house that very morning...**

**"It hasn't really started yet," sighed Hermione gloomily, folding up the newspaper again. "But it won't be long now..."**

**"Hey, Harry," said Ron softly, nodding towards the glass window on to the corridor.**

**Harry looked around. Cho was passing, accompanied by Marietta Edgecombe, who was wearing a balaclava. His and Cho's eyes met for a moment. Cho blushed and kept walking. Harry looked back down at the chessboard just in time to see one of his pawns chased off its square by Ron's knight.**

**"What's - er - going on with you and her, anyway?" Ron asked quietly.**

**"Nothing," said Harry truthfully.**

**"I - er - heard she's going out with someone else now," said Hermione tentatively.**

**Harry was surprised to find that this information did not hurt at all. Wanting to impress Cho seemed to belong to a past that was no longer quite connected with him; so much of what he had wanted before Sirius's death felt that way these days... the week that had elapsed since he had last seen Sirius seemed to have lasted much, much longer; it stretched across two universes, the one with Sirius in it, and the one without.**

**"You're well out of it, mate," said Ron forcefully. "I mean, she's quite good-looking and all that, but you want someone a bit more cheerful."**

**"She's probably cheerful enough with someone else," said Harry, shrugging.**

**"Who's she with now, anyway?" Ron asked Hermione, but it was Ginny who answered.**

**"Michael Corner," she said.**

**"Michael - but -" said Ron, craning around in his seat to state at her. "But you were going out with him!"**

**"Not any more," said Ginny resolutely. "He didn't like Gryffindor beating Ravenclaw at Quidditch, and got really sulky, so I ditched him and he ran off to comfort Cho instead." She scratched her nose absently with the end of her quill, turned The Quibbler upside-down and began marking her answers. Ron looked highly delighted.**

**"Well, I always thought he was a bit of an idiot," he said, prodding his queen forwards towards Harry's quivering castle. "Good for you. Just choose someone - better - next time."**

**He cast Harry an oddly furtive look as he said it.**

Harry raised his eyebrows at Ron, _What was that look for?_

_I was thinking about the crush she had on you, the one that mysteriously disappeared,_ Ron admitted, _I would prefer she was with you anyway. Sure I was shocked when you got together but I'm fine with it really, I know you'd never hurt her and as long as you're both happy it's fine with me,_he added, smiling.

Harry nodded once at him, leaving the other's in no doubt they'd had a silent conversation.

**"Well, I've chosen Dean Thomas, would you say he's better?" asked Ginny vaguely.**

"Trying to make me jealous?" Harry teased Ginny.

"Yes actually, did it work?"

"Not yet." he told her.

"So it worked eventually?"

"To the extent I had a hard time not hexing Dean." he admitted, "Or ripping him limb from limb, either would work well for me."

"Oh goodie." she laughed, "Well... not for Dean. When did it start working?"

"I'll be showing it." he told her, "So wait and see."

Ginny pouted as the others smiled amusedly at their exchange.

**"WHAT?" shouted Ron, upending the chessboard. Crookshanks went plunging after the pieces and Hedwig and Pigwidgeon twittered and hooted angrily from overhead.**

"Really Ron?" Bill laughed, "Bit of an overreaction isn't it?"

"No." he grumbled, glaring at Ginny, "That was not a nice way to tell me."

"Would you have preferred finding out from someone else?" she questioned, "Or when Dean was in the room?"

"If he was there I'd probably have hexed him." Ron scowled.

"And yet you didn't even attempt to hex Harry when we got together." she grinned, "None of you did as far as I'm aware." she added to her brothers.

"There's a difference." Charlie stated, "We know Harry."

"And its better having you with someone we think of as another brother already." Percy smiled at Harry, who smiled back hesitantly.

"He also knows if he hurts you, Ginny, he's got a curse breaker, dragon tamer, a high up Ministry official and two prank experts who would chase him to the end of the world." Bill chuckled, "But after seeing him kill a Basilisk and a reincarnation of Voldemort to save you I think it's safe to say he'd never hurt you."

Harry smiled at him, "Of course I wouldn't."

Ginny grinned and kissed him, making her brothers and the Marauders cat call and cheer and Harry blush deeply as the women 'awwed'.

It took a minute or two for them to continue watching the memory.

**As the train slowed down in the approach to King's Cross, Harry thought he had never wanted to leave it less. He even wondered fleetingly what would happen if he simply refused to get off, but remained stubbornly sitting there until the first of September, when it would take him back to Hogwarts. When it finally puffed to a standstill, however, he lifted down Hedwig's cage and prepared to drag his trunk from the train as usual.**

**When the ticket inspector signalled to Harry, Ron and Hermione that it was safe to walk through the magical barrier between platforms nine and ten, however, he found a surprise awaiting him on the other side: a group of people standing there to greet him who he had not expected at all.**

**There was Mad-Eye Moody, looking quite as sinister with his bowler hat pulled low over his magical eye as he would have done without it, his gnarled hands clutching a long staff, his body wrapped in a voluminous travelling cloak. Tonks stood just behind him, her bright bubble-gum-pink hair gleaming in the sunlight filtering through the dirty glass of the station ceiling, wearing heavily patched jeans and a bright purple T-shirt bearing the legend The Weird Sisters. Next to Tonks was Lupin, his face pale, his hair greying, a long and threadbare overcoat covering a shabby jumper and trousers. At the front of the group stood Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, dressed in their Muggle best, and Fred and George, who were both wearing brand-new jackets in some lurid green, scaly material.**

**"Ron, Ginny!" called Mrs. Weasley, hurrying forwards and hugging her children tightly. "Oh, and Harry dear - how are you?"**

**"Fine," lied Harry, as she pulled him into a tight embrace. Over her shoulder he saw Ron goggling at the twins' new clothes.**

**"What are they supposed to be?" he asked, pointing at the jackets.**

**"Finest dragonskin, little bro'," said Fred, giving his zip a little tweak. "Business is booming and we thought we'd treat ourselves."**

**"Hello, Harry," said Lupin, as Mrs. Weasley let go of Harry and turned to greet Hermione.**

**"Hi," said Harry. "I didn't expect... what are you all doing here?"**

**"Well," said Lupin with a slight smile, "we thought we might have a little chat with your aunt and uncle before letting them take you home."**

**"I dunno if that's a good idea," said Harry at once.**

"It is if you knew what Vernon was planning for you." Petunia winced, "He was going to lock you in your room and lock Hedwig in her cage so you couldn't send letters like in your second year..." she hesitated.

"There's more isn't there?" Harry sighed.

"He was going to - to - urgh, he was going to beat you up Harry." she shuddered, "He had his mind set on it since you left, I tried to talk him out of it but..." she shook her head, "If they hadn't warned him, especially Mad-Eye, he would've done it."

They all paled, "Bloody good thing I thought of it then." Remus whispered.

"Very good thing." Dora nodded, looking shaken, "Also a good thing we had people watching the house, just in case mind you."

"I think it's just a good thing Dad was scared of Remus and Mad-Eye then." Dudley commented, shifting his daughter to his knee as she roused from her sleep and woke up, looking blearily around before deciding to suck her thumb contentedly.

**"Oh, I think it is," growled Moody, who had limped a little closer. "That'll be them, will it, Potter?"**

**He pointed with his thumb over his shoulder; his magical eye was evidently peering through the back of his head and his bowler hat. Harry leaned an inch or so to the left to see where Mad-Eye was pointing and there, sure enough, were the three Dursleys, who looked positively appalled to see Harry's reception committee.**

**"Ah, Harry!" said Mr. Weasley, turning from Hermione's parents, who he had just greeted enthusiastically, and who were now taking it in turns to hug Hermione. "Well - shall we do it, then?"**

**"Yeah, I reckon so, Arthur," said Moody.**

**He and Mr. Weasley took the lead across the station towards the Dursleys, who were apparently rooted to the floor. Hermione disengaged herself gently from her mother to join the group.**

**"Good afternoon," said Mr. Weasley pleasantly to Uncle Vernon as he came to a halt right in front of him. "You might remember me, my name's Arthur Weasley."**

**As Mr. Weasley had single-handedly demolished most of the Dursleys' living room two years previously, Harry would have been very surprised if Uncle Vernon had forgotten him. Sure enough, Uncle Vernon turned a deeper shade of puce and glared at Mr. Weasley, but chose not to say anything, partly, perhaps, because the Dursleys were outnumbered two to one. Aunt Petunia looked both frightened and embarrassed; she kept glancing around, as though terrified somebody she knew would see her in such company. Dudley, meanwhile, seemed to be trying to look small and insignificant, a feat at which he was failing extravagantly.**

**"We thought we'd just have a few words with you about Harry," said Mr. Weasley, still smiling.**

**"Yeah," growled Moody. "About how he's treated when he's at your place."**

**Uncle Vernon's moustache seemed to bristle with indignation. Possibly because the bowler hat gave him the entirely mistaken impression that he was dealing with a kindred spirit, he addressed himself to Moody.**

**"I am not aware that it is any of your business what goes on in my house -"**

**"I expect what you're not aware of would fill several books, Dursley," growled Moody.**

**"Anyway, that's not the point," interjected Tonks, whose pink hair seemed to offend Aunt Petunia more than all the rest put together, for she closed her eyes rather than look at her. "The point is, if we find out you've been horrible to Harry -"**

"You should know that wasn't the case." Petunia told Dora, "I was worried we'd get arrested or something."

"You didn't even know I was an Auror though." Dora pointed out, "And as soon as you'd explained what was going on there would be no charges against you."

"It's not that." Petunia told her, "I saw your badge, it was sticking out of your pocket."

Dora frowned and looked closely at the frozen memory, Harry having paused it, she saw Petunia was right and groaned.

"I'm lucky Mad-Eye didn't notice. He would've yelled about it, Muggles weren't supposed to see the badge." Dora winced.

"Something you learned during your training when you slipped and it fell out your pocket." Kingsley chuckled.

"Hey, I came up with a good enough excuse for that Muggle." she protested, "I told him it was a toy badge for a young relative." she smirked, "He believed it but I got yelled at, a lot."

"Point is I recognized it." Petunia told them.

"How?" Sirius frowned.

"She saw James's trainee one the Christmas before our parent's died." Lily remembered, "It fell out his pocket when he was getting his wand."

James grinned sheepishly, "I forgot it was in there."

They all laughed a little.

"You needn't have worried, it's not like I'd be able to do much in a station full of Muggles when I didn't look like a Policewoman." Dora told Petunia, who shrugged, clearly not wanting to talk about it anymore.

**"- And make no mistake, we'll hear about it,' added Lupin pleasantly.**

**"Yes," said Mr Weasley, "even if you won't let Harry use the felly-tone -"**

**"Telephone," whispered Hermione.**

**"- Yeah, if we get any hint that Potter's been mistreated in any way, you'll have us to answer to," said Moody.**

**Uncle Vernon swelled ominously. His sense of outrage seemed to outweigh even his fear of this bunch of oddballs.**

**"Are you threatening me, sir?" he said, so loudly that passers-by actually turned to stare.**

**"Yes, I am," said Mad-Eye, who seemed rather pleased that Uncle Vernon had grasped this fact so quickly.**

**"And do I look like the kind of man who can be intimidated?" barked Uncle Vernon.**

**"Well..." said Moody, pushing back his bowler hat to reveal his sinisterly revolving magical eye. Uncle Vernon leapt backwards in horror and collided painfully with a luggage trolley. "Yes, I'd have to say you do, Dursley."**

**He turned away from Uncle Vernon to survey Harry.**

**"So, Potter... give us a shout if you need us. If we don't hear from you for three days in a row, we'll send someone along..."**

**Aunt Petunia whimpered piteously. It could not have been plainer that she was thinking of what the neighbours would say if they caught sight of these people marching up the garden path.**

"Wrong. More of what would happen if they did decide to pay a rather unfriendly visit." Petunia winced, "I wouldn't put it past Vernon to try something."

**"Bye, then, Potter," said Moody, grasping Harry's shoulder for a moment with a gnarled hand.**

**"Take care, Harry," said Lupin quietly. "Keep in touch."**

**"Harry, we'll have you away from there as soon as we can," Mrs. Weasley whispered, hugging him again.**

**"We'll see you soon, mate," said Ron anxiously, shaking Harry's hand.**

**"Really soon, Harry," said Hermione earnestly. "We promise."**

**Harry nodded. He somehow could not find words to tell them what it meant to him, to see them all ranged there, on his side. Instead, he smiled, raised a hand in farewell, turned around and led the way out of the station towards the sunlit street, with Uncle Vernon, Aunt Petunia and Dudley hurrying along in his wake.**

"Which was a surprise. Usually you followed us looking like you were walking to your doom." Dudley mused.

Harry smiled, "Well that was the last memory of that year. Why don't we have dinner before we ask Poppy if we can leave yet?" he suggested, noticing as Teddy stirred on Dora's lap, "Ah, about time he got up."

"It's probably for the best he's slept through the worst memories." Remus shrugged.

"The last thing we need is him having nightmares he's too young to understand." Dora nodded.

Minerva summoned a House-Elf to bring them dinner.

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><p>Review please x<p> 


	103. Chapter 103

To be perfectly honest this is only the last chapter because it would keep going on past 110+ if I'd added everything to Part 2 that I was going to, so I've opted to shift some things to Part 3 - More info at the bottom.

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><p>Chapter 103 - Leaving the Hospital Wing.<p>

"So what're we doing tonight if we're not starting your 6th year?" Sirius asked when the all had plates of food.

"Well we have a surprise for you lot." Draco grinned.

"Will we like this surprise?" Percy asked hesitantly.

"Well, like is a big word." Harry mused, "You'll definitely be surprised."

"Which is the purpose of a surprise." Regulus pointed out.

"You'll like it. Hopefully." Astoria told them.

"Can you at least tell us where it is?" Alice asked.

"Headquarters for the Order." Ron smirked.

"We're going to Grimmauld?" Sirius asked hesitantly.

"We told you we worked on it right?" Hermione asked.

"Yeah, you did." Fred nodded, "Though I don't personally see how much you could've changed."

"Apparently they changed everything." George shrugged.

"We did." Ginny grinned, "And Kreacher helped."

"Mostly clearing up the dust and helping us move the portraits and such." Harry smiled, "He was hesitant when I first talked to him about re-decorating but I managed to talk him around and he's quite happy with the changes now."

"I, for one, think any changes are a good thing." Regulus mused, "If I hadn't died I was just going to empty it and burn it down, maybe rent a flat somewhere or just use one of the other Black properties."

"The other properties were worse than Grimmauld." Sirius told him, "I checked and pretty much all of them need massive repairs. There was one where it was just a pile of rubble and the roof left, the one in Skipton I think it was."

"Probably, that never got used. It was built about 200 years ago and it was used for a maximum of 10 years when it was first built." Cissy shrugged, "It's no wonder it fell apart if it's been out of use and never tended to in 190 years."

"Hence it now lies in ruins." Andy chuckled.

"Why have a house that never gets used?" Molly inquired.

"Oh it was originally an escape house." Sirius winced, "For family members who committed crimes they'd either be arrested, imprisoned or Kissed for. Which is why I decided to check it out, the wards only let Black's through and amazingly enough, the wards are still standing."

"Must be pretty strong then." Bill commented, "While I was in Egypt going through the tombs, some of which were thousands of years old, I came across quite a few restricting wards and curses that looked like they'd been cast mere minutes before. Some of the wards and enchantments that are on Gringotts vaults are like that too come to think of it."

"And not all of them are friendly." Fleur winced.

"If it was the Goblins who put them up, they're not supposed to be friendly." James pointed out, "Especially the one's belonging to ancient families."

"We figured that out when we broke into the Lestrange vault." Hermione told him.

"It was only the Germino and Flagrante Curses you had to worry about." Bill told them, "There wasn't many other enchantments on the vault except it had to be a Goblin who opened it and the usual anti-summoning spells mixed with wards that restrict certain spells."

"The vault, any vault really, is supposed to be impossible to get into and out of." Fleur pointed out.

"True." Bill nodded, "Personally I'm glad I didn't have to be the one who told Bellatrix her vault was robbed."

Cissy winced, "I don't blame you, she was mad."

"She killed the Goblin that told her and three other's that were with him, two human's and another Goblin." Draco shuddered, "She was incredibly scary."

"She always was when she was mad." Regulus nodded, "That's why I tended to avoid her."

"That's why everyone avoided her." Snape pointed out, "I don't think anyone except her husband and his brother could actually stand being around her for extended periods of time." he mused.

There was a short silence filled with the sound of chewing and clattering of cutlery on plates.

"Unca Har, wh're Moon?" Teddy asked suddenly, looking about for the stuffed toy from the end of Harry's bed, having been put there so he could eat his dinner.

"Right here." Dora smiled, leaning over to hand the toy to her son.

Teddy smiled and clutched the toy to him in one arm as he used the other to eat the mashed egg he had for his dinner.

"Good thinking keeping it where we know where it is." Harry chuckled, "You saw what happens when he wants it and doesn't know where it is."

"Yeah, don't really wasn't a repeat of that." Remus chuckled, "I fear we might go deaf before he's two." he added to his wife.

"Nah, from what we've been told and witnessed Teddy's relatively quiet most of the time." she smiled, "I think we're safe."

"Until he gets to the age he can argue back properly you mean." Andy told her, "It's already hard enough to win an argument with him as it is."

"True, but distracting him usually works." Harry grinned, "Getting him to forget about whatever he's arguing about is still tricky though."

"Unless you have something he wants more than he wants to argue." George smirked, "Like chocolate milk. Right Teddy?"

Teddy looked up, eggs dribbling down his chin, "No." he said, shoving more eggs in his mouth, "Yes. No. Yes. No." be babbled.

"I think that's a maybe." Fred grinned as they all laughed a little.

"Hope Cecelia isn't as indecisive as him." Amber commented, "Though she probably will be."

"We'll find out when she start's talking." Dudley shrugged.

"Has she attempted any words yet?" Molly asked curiously.

Dudley and Amber shared a look, "It's hard to tell." Amber said, "She rarely babbles when we're in the room and she's awake."

"Though we've heard her babble in her sleep and sometimes it does sound like she's actually saying words." Dudley added.

"That's how some kids start out." Arthur nodded, "The first time we heard Percy say anything he was asleep. Same with Ron and Ginny."

The three mentioned Weasley kids blushed lightly.

"It was always a week or two after they said something in their sleep before they said it when they were awake." Molly mused, "I doubt it'll be long until Cecelia starts speaking."

"We'll need to listen carefully then." Amber smiled, "She's already been trying to sit up on her own too, she can't quite manage it." she wiped Cecelia's chin as her daughter dribbled the milk Dudley was feeding her down her chin.

Cecelia watched her curiously, "Baba da." she babbled, making a face and trying to turn away as Amber went to wipe her chin for a second time, "Da ree bee."

Dudley looked surprised, "I think that's the first time she's babbled when she's awake." he mused.

"I heard her doing it the other day, always the same sounds." Petunia told him, "I forgot to mention it."

They had all finished their dinners at that point so Minerva called for the House-Elves again and they appeared to remove the plates.

"She's three month's isn't she?" Harry asked.

"She will be at the end of the month." Amber nodded.

"She's quite advanced even for a magical child if she's already attempting to sit up on her own, same with the talking." Andy mused, "Teddy didn't say his first word until he was just under 3 months, sitting up on his own took him 5 months."

"So he spoke before he could sit up?" Dudley asked curiously.

Harry nodded, "He said his first word in front of Draco and Andy didn't believe him."

"What'd he say?" Dora asked.

"Unca." Draco chuckled, "He said it when I was helping Aunt Andy get him ready to take him to the Burrow."

"It was just before we asked Draco to help us with the PTSD." Hermione added, "He'd come over with Andy to talk to us about something, you'll find out what later, and we offered to help him clear some dark stuff from his Manor when he'd agreed to try find a cure for PTSD."

"Which as you know, took until this month." Draco mused, "Very tricky potion. But to start with Aunt Andy didn't believe me Teddy had talked."

"Until I heard him say it to Harry." Andy chuckled, "Or rather yell it because he wasn't getting enough attention."

"Yeah, I'll show that memory once we're done covering last year." Harry nodded, "Believe me, we'll need something to cheer us up and that'll do the job perfectly."

"I'd suggest showing that one after showing when you ran away." Ron told him, "The Final Battle was depressing enough, it wouldn't be good to have something depressing as the last memory."

"Don't worry, I'll be saving some happier ones for after the depressing stuff." Harry assured him, "You know Poppy's recommendation."

"'Never go to bed depressed if you can help it'." Hermione quoted, just as the mentioned nurse left her office.

"How're you lot feeling now?" she asked the four teens in bed as she ran her wand over Harry.

"Fine." they said together.

"Nothing wrong at all." Harry added as she moved on to check Ginny.

"Well you two are stable, though I will remind you to take calming potions before particularly bad memories. Your emotions spiked about an hour ago." she told Harry.

"I'll remember in the future even if I don't think I need them." he told her, "I know what I can handle re-living and what'd make me crack."

Poppy looked at him critically, "You'd still be better with a calming potion, I am aware you need to think about things before being able to gather them into a memory to put in a pensive. Sometimes just thinking about things is difficult, just bear that in mind right?"

He nodded as she checked over Ron, told him he was fine and repeated the process with Hermione.

"You're free to go as long as you take it easy tonight." she smiled at the teens.

"Thank you Poppy." Harry smiled.

"No problem. I've got a stack of paperwork to go through still so I'll see you all later." she sighed, they all called out their goodbyes as she disappeared into her office again.

The four teens got to their feet, putting their wand's (Which had been on their bedside tables) in their pockets and also saying 'goodbye' to Albus and Snape, who were going to go back to Minerva's office.

"You know, we really ought to remember to use the wand holders we have." Harry mused.

"It's habit putting our wands in our pockets." Hermione shrugged as they all started leaving the Hospital Wing, "Even if the holders are more efficient."

"Ah well, at least we've gotten into the habit of never taking our spare wand's off." Ron chuckled.

"No one expects you to walk around with a wand strapped to your leg." Kingsley pointed out with a chuckle.

"Having a hidden weapon is a good thing if your attacked or captured and lose your wand though." James mused, "What I'd like to know is how you have two wands that presumably work well for you."

"Ron, Harry and I won the alliance of our spare ones." Hermione started.

"Neville and I bought ours, but Luna had her spare wand already since she'd lost her original, which she got back after the war." Ginny explained.

"Ah, so that's how." Fred stated.

"Yes." the six said simply as they all neared the stairs.

"Minerva!" a portrait of a round faced wizard called out, "Fillius is in your office and says he's found a problem that he needs your help with." he reported.

"Thank you, I'll head up in a moment." she nodded at him, she turned to the others, "I'll have to go see what it is and I'll be busy tomorrow, mostly doing paperwork, so I probably won't see you until day after tomorrow." she smiled apologetically, "I'll owl you as soon as I'm free again. Goodbye for now."

They all waved as she walked quickly back the way they'd came.

"I take it we're Apparating to Grimmauld?" Regulus questioned as they went down the stairs.

"Yeah, the park outside it." Harry nodded, "It's getting dark now so no one should see us." he added looking out a distant window, where it was just starting to get dark.

They walked in silence until they left the Entrance Hall and walked down the outside steps where the returnee's, Frank and Alice looked confused as Harry led the others to a grassy patch just off the path that led to Hogsmeade and stopped.

"Uh, aren't we going to Hogsmeade?" James asked.

"No, here'll do." Hermione smiled.

"But I thought you couldn't Apparate or Disapperate in the castle or its grounds?" Alice frowned.

"Oh that's right, we've not told you before." Ron smacked his forehead, "After the war there was so many people at the castle who needed to come and go that Minerva set up this spot for them to do that quickly."

"After she managed to get the ward to go back up." Kingsley added, "All the wards on the castle were knocked down by the Death Eater's and Voldemort, so when the ward went back up a week after the Final Battle she left this spot free so people could still come and go, I think she's leaving it for the older student's too, though she's made sure it's only students, staff and Ministry officials can use it unless you have permission, which we all do." he explained.

"Handy." Lily smiled.

"Very." Harry nodded.

They all Dissaparated from the castle in silence.

The End

(For now...)

* * *

><p>Well here you go, the last update for Gift From Death Part 2! Part 3 will likely be up around the end of Marchstart of April as I feel like I need a little break from writing and real life is going to get very busy for me soon.

Just to make things clear, Part 3 will cover books 6 and 7, I've had a query about this through a review and figured I'd answer it more publicly as other people might be wandering the same thing. After Part 3 I will be working on Part 4, which will be nothing to do with books/memories, but will be the continuing lives of the characters in the story.

I'm going to go mysteriously disappear now before I start rambling, keep an eye out for Part 3, the best estimated date I can give you is between the 26th of March and 9th of April, but it should definitely be within those dates.

I know this is the end of Part 2, but reviews are still appreciated greatly, they all encourage me to continue writing and coming up with new ideas, so please leave a review :-D

Bye for now xx


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